Hidden Gems: Meet Drake Zion of The Zion Woodshop

Today we’d like to introduce you to Drake Zion.

Hi Drake, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself. 
Hello, my name is Drake Zion, I am the founder and operator of The Zion Woodshop LLC, custom woodworking creations. My passion for woodworking started back in my freshman year of high school at Winetonka when I tried out shop class. since I have always enjoyed working with my hands and finding new ways to challenge myself, I figured it would be something new to get into. Unbeknownst to me at the time, I didn’t realize how much I would fall in love with the trade and learning all I could about it. Covid-19 came to the US that following spring with little warning; I finished my classes online that year and started a hybrid schedule while in my sophomore year. This was also around the time when I asked my shop instructor to be my first mentor, which he was more that happy to do so. By the early winter of 2020, I started getting ideas for exploring business and entrepreneurship from influences on TikTok after making a lazy Susan for my mom’s birthday and getting my first order requests afterward. 

From there, I went off to the races to get my first-ever business cards and set up social media pages to post my projects. Then things proceeded as normal and continued onto my junior year, where I got the opportunity to not just be a student in the class, but I was offered the teaching assistant position to teach lower-level students since I knew nearly as much as my instructor at the time, which I was compensated with community service hours that I needed as part of my graduation credits. I also did this my senior year as well. Also, during my Junior year, I had a major setback due to the loss of my father in fall of 2021. Due to my father being the main source of income for my family and my main pillar of support, we hit quite a wall trying to recover, but thanks to all the support and help I got at my school, friends, and family, it made a big difference. As I progressed my mentor took notice of my drastic improvements I made over the year, and he brought an opportunity to my attention that he believed would be beneficial in helping me get out of the rut I was in. He told me about the annual craft fair my school held at the beginning of December every year. He informed me that I should enter to be a vendor at the event and the school would take care of the entrances fee, after some deliberation for a few day, I was finally convinced to do it. Over the years, the back room attached to the shop had been filled with unfinished products that students would abandon, so he made me a deal: for any of the projects I finish, I can sell at the craft fair and keep the full profit for myself, sense I would be doing him a favor to clear out the space for him. 

After accepting his offer, I would stay after school with him several days out of the week in the shop at school to work on completing all the projects over the next two weeks, just in time for the event. The craft fair itself was nothing new to me since I grew up going to many over the years with my family, but being a vendor was just something else entirely. Throughout the day, my family and my instructor came in and helped me out, which made things easier. By the end of it I ended up with several orders, nearly sold out, and $1,200+ in my pocket to start building up my own shop. Entering my senior year I had been studying anything and everything I could to keep growing and getting more opportunities. This came sooner than I would have imagined when I started the Northland CAPS program in the business management strand, where I gained and refined soft skillsets, started building a network, did marketing projects for companies, and had an internship with a marketing agency. During my internship, I got real-world experience to develop all my skill sets and business, which had come very handy in dominating in a good way in all professional environments I have found myself in. All of which boosted me beyond any goals I had set for that time period. This leads us to the current day; I am a freshman at the University of Missouri Kansas City. My business is fully licensed and every day I am getting one step closer to achieving my goals and dreams as I find the best ways to continue to help bring others up around me. 

Fun facts: 

-During my time in high school, I learned about make family history of coming from a long line of accomplishments woodcarvers, so I guess part of my natural talent for the trade is genetic 

-I am a jack of all trades and always enjoyed what seemed interesting or challenged me and then move on after I would master it. 

-I have many opportunities to work with non-profits and be a shark tank investor in other companies, which has helped me find additional ways to give back to my community 

-I grew up in a strong Christian family, which has translated to how I do my best to run my Christian-based woodworking company 

-I am now exploring funding/pitch competitions to help get into a commercial space in the coming year or near future while I am setting up my website and other advancements. I am also hope to pursue other sources of income, such as writing books, continuing to develop my podcast, starting other companies, and invest in real estate investment properties. 

-I already have my retirement started and been maxing out of 2 years now 

-I have read 200+ business and related books 

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
No, covid and the loss of my father has been the biggest setbacks, but because of those, I am even stronger now and more driven than ever to succeed. I also have had some other small bumps, mainly due to my young age and having to work around roadblocks until I was old enough to pursue the opportunities that lay behind them. 

Also sense my dad was the only source of income for my family up until his passing before my eventual graduation from high school in May of 2023. Caused me to take the development of my business cautiously and slowly. Which allowed me to take the time to correctly build and establish the foundation for my company.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next, you can tell us a bit more about your business.
The Zion Woodshop LLC, custom woodworking creations, is a Christian-based custom woodworking company that focuses on creating unique and customized, hand-selected solid wood serving boards such as cutting boards and charcuterie boards, benches, and tables. All my materials are sourced locally here in Kansas City from lumber yards, sawmills, other woodworkers, cabinet shops, flooring companies, and reclaimed wood I get off of the Facebook marketplace or individuals who want to get rid of wood they found stashed up from a passed relative or other reasons. I service commercial and residential clientele through in-person events and craft/trade shows I do, and digitally through all my social media pages, and soon to come through my website and other upcoming opportunities. One of the most common reasons people and companies come to me is for gifts for occasions, clients, employees, partners, or other. What makes me stand out from my competition is how I approach business, my style of woodworking, and I am always willing to take on big challenges not always inside my specific niche that most other woodworkers will not be willing to do, especially when normal business is a little slower, such as other custom pieces/orders, and minor repair work on furniture and cutting boards. I also always include a thank you note, business card, and a sample of my cutting board butter/conditioner and instructions with any purchase of a cutting or charcuterie board, free of any additional charge. Compared to competitors that offer similar products. I also provide a variety of long-term and short-term discounts on a regular basis. I am most proud of how I actively search for connections and resources for my network and myself to continue to grow exponentially. 

I and my brand are here to help you out find ways to bring up my local community and boost your own brand and appearance to other businesses/brands. You will never know if I can help you with anything project-wise or otherwise, no matter how odd unless you reach out and ask. I am sharing my skills and passion with the world because I simply enjoy making others’ dreams and ideas come to life as I find way to bring any on, I come by un will me as we grow together. 

Alright, so before we go, can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you, or support you?
Please just reach out to me with whatever opportunity or propositions you would like to propose, and I would be happy to take them into consideration. 

From my end so far, I have done some collaborations with other artists/woodworkers, outsourced once in a while for a project, and mainly partnered with realtors to provide high-quality wood pieces, most popularly charcuterie boards engraved with client’s names and others. 

Pricing:

• Small items: business card holders, phone/tablet stands, and other, $5-$50
• Cutting boards $70-$300 depending on add-ons, customizations, woods requested, and size
• Charcuterie boards $20-$300+ depending on size, add-ons, and woods requested
• Benches $150-$500 normally, can go higher depending on size and complexity
• Tables $500- five figures

Contact Info:

• Website: https://thezionwoodshop.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_zion_woodshop/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheZionWoodShop/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-zion-woodshop-llc
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0UJBFhkFU3xKGlTfVN6KjA
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-zion-woodshop-kansas-city

Image Credits
Drake Zion