How do I learn if a woodworking shop’s furniture lines sell year-round?

Furniture can sell evenly or in waves, and the pattern shapes everything from staffing to cash. Start with sales by line, set against the same period in earlier years. Look for peaks around holidays, weddings, moves or trade shows, and for slumps that the owner explains too quickly. Check whether one custom customer or one large order explains a good stretch.

Ask about the order book. How far ahead is the shop booked, and does that backlog stay steady or swell and shrink? Deposits and progress payments reveal when cash arrives compared with when work happens. Compare those with expenses, since wages and rent keep coming through the slow weeks.

Then ask how the shop fills the quiet times. Does it switch to repairs, kitchens or trade work, or does it simply wait? Ask what lines the seller wishes sold better. Your accountant can build a cash flow picture from the statements, which will show how much cushion you would need to carry the quiet weeks. Ask also whether prices are set per piece or per job, and how often the shop turns down work because it is already full.

Key takeaways

• Review sales by line and by month, set against the same time in earlier years.
• Check the order backlog and deposits to see when cash really comes in.
• Ask what work fills the quiet weeks, and whether it is profitable.
• Have an accountant sketch cash flow so you know how much cushion you need.