Last month I opened up for all of your questions on Instagram. And here’s one of the many great questions I got:
Q: What’s the most challenging part of knife-making?
A: After more than 25 years of designing and making knives, the craft itself isn’t the difficult part anymore. Sketching lines, choosing steel, machining, heat-treating, grinding, finishing — that’s the part that feels natural. The real challenge is everything around the craft: balancing creative work, hands-on production, being an employer, and running a business.
When I’m in the shop, fully absorbed in designing or building a new folder, time disappears. That’s my element. But outside the shop there are emails, orders, staff coordination, materials and Kanban inventory to manage, marketing, logistics, and strategic decisions. All of that demands a different mindset — one that breaks the creative flow and forces a shift into management mode.
The hardest parts are these:
Allocating time wisely.
Creative energy doesn’t follow a schedule. My morning design sessions — 90 minutes, no phone, vinyl spinning — are protected space. After that, I shift roles: maker, manager, employer. That shift takes discipline.
Leading others.
As an employer, I’m responsible for team morale, workflow (including the night-running CNC machines), inventory systems, and keeping everyone aligned with the creative direction. This is work that doesn’t produce knives directly, but without it, no knives get made.
Adapting strategy.
Markets change. Material prices move. Collaborations evolve. Each shift requires adjustment. The creative core has to be protected even when the business landscape moves under your feet.
Setting boundaries.
It’s easy to let business tasks creep into creative time. I try to defend my design mornings, even though I’m not always successful. There’s a limit to how much time I have, and I’ve accepted that I won’t get everything done. Focus is a constant battle — and not everything urgent deserves attention.
In short, the making itself flows. The coordination around it — running a company, leading a team, planning the future — is what keeps challenging me. I could easily spend a full day just on the business side, but that’s not why I started this. And despite the pressure and the constant role-switching, I still love this world of knives. Some tasks more than others — but all of them are part of the life I’ve chosen.
