John Forck Built a Jeep Bed Everyone Loved and it Revved Up His Online Furniture Plans Business

John didn’t mean to start a business — he just wanted to make his son an exciting new bed. But when people started to offer him money for the plans he used to create it, he realized he was on to something big. 

Over 1,500 sales later, John can’t believe his good fortune — and we couldn’t wait to find out his secret to success.

Name: John Forck

Business: Jeep Beds Etsy Shop

Started: December 2013

How did Jeep Beds come to be?

I’m an engineering manager at an avionics company and I have a background in electrical and computer engineering. I haven’t worked with wood much in the past, but my Dad used to have a workshop, so I learned from him and eventually inherited his tools.

A few years ago, I was looking to buy a bed for my son, but couldn’t find anything fun. I decided to make one myself in the shape of a Jeep. I’d never even owned a Jeep, but I enjoyed working on the bed so much that I bought one as soon as it was finished!

I started chatting to other Jeep owners on the Jeep forums and when I mentioned that I’d made the bed, I received a lot of interest and several requests to make them for other people’s kids. 

I thought about saying yes, but first I worked out what I’d need to charge to make it worth my while and decided against it. When I told them, one guy asked if he could buy the plans to make one himself — and that’s how the business started.

I hadn’t written the plans down during construction of the first bed, so this time I had to go back through the stages and build 3D models on  SketchUp, which took a few months. I printed out the plans and sent them to my first customer’s home address. 

Since then, I’ve sold roughly 1,500 copies through  eBay and Etsy. I've learned that I much prefer selling on Etsy because it allows customers to download PDFs directly, meaning less work for the seller.

When did you know your business was going to work?

If I had to pinpoint one moment when I felt the business was going to be successful, it would be when an Australian TV show featured the Jeep beds on their Facebook page. It didn’t list where to get the plans from, but people managed to find them. 

For the whole week following the post, I clocked one sale per hour!

What has been the biggest surprise in starting your own business?

I’ve just been amazed at how it has worked out. When I was drawing up the plans, it seemed like a lot of effort for little payout, but I’ve been able to extract a lot of value from them. 

I also think I chose the right car — Jeep has such a loyal following and most of the 4x4 community are DIY people. One of my friends took a cue from what I’ve done and made a Corvette equivalent. It's taking some time to get the word out, but his plans are really awesome and he's also selling them on Etsy.

How do you price your products?

When I first started to price my plans, I looked online for similar woodworking plans and asked what people would be willing to pay on the Jeep forums. 

Shortly after opening my store, I raised the price by $10 to see if it would affect demand, but sales didn’t slow down so I kept the price at $29.95. I probably could have priced them higher to start with, but I had no idea they’d be so popular.

What are some of the big learning curves you've had to work through with your business?

When I first started out, I got a lot of questions that took a lot of extra time to respond to. I noticed a trend with other Etsy shops adding an FAQ to their pages, so I also added one to my listing and, wouldn't you know it, the emails slowed down.

I get three or four questions a week now, mainly on how to install optional extras like lights or winches. When someone asks a question, I get a notification from Etsy and I respond as soon as possible.

What's next for Jeep Beds? Are you planning to expand your offerings?

Coming up, I'm hoping to expand by increasing the number of designs available. I’ve started to make some adjustments to the existing plans in SketchUp. The next step is to put the plans into practice by making the beds. I hope to launch plans for a Land Rover or Toyota SUV this winter, because those cars have similar fan bases to Jeep.

In the long term, I plan to start manufacturing the beds, but I’m apprehensive about taking the jump. I’ve identified a gap in the market and I’ve had consistent enquiries from people asking where to buy the finished product, but I’m not entirely sure that it’ll pay off. I’ve only made one other bed, which I sold to my neighbor, and that took me roughly 40 hours.

I’m currently in talks with tire manufacturers and companies with the proper woodwork tools. If I manage to cut production time and cost, I’ll have other factors like inventory and public liability to consider, whereas right now it ticks along with minimal effort.

If you could go back in time, what’s the one thing you’d do differently when starting your business? 

I hope that one day I’m able to look back and say, “I wish I’d started selling beds sooner.” For now, though, I wish I'd started selling the plans on Etsy sooner.

I’d also make the beds easier to disassemble. I changed the plans in response to initial customer feedback regarding minor measurement inaccuracies, but making it easier to disassemble would mean a complete redesign. 

I’ve since purchased the hardware I need to make the beds easier to take apart, and I’m looking at ways to incorporate it into the next designs.

What would you like to learn today from a network of other small business owners and self-employed professionals?

I’d love to learn how to get more exposure for my products. I’ve tried  Google’s paid search, but I wasn’t happy with the return. I‘ve also given Facebook ads a go. 

Pinterest and Etsy’s targeted search feature worked much better, but I’d like to know how to also get featured on blogs, magazines or TV shows. 

How do you get in touch with the right people to make this happen?

Do you have marketing tips that you can share with John?

If you, like John, have tried  paid search advertising on platforms like Google, Pinterest or Etsy, share your own experience below. 

Or, do you have tips for John on how to get his products more visibility across blogs, magazines and TV?

Tell us right here!