About the Company

Mel Stutzman was raised Amish and did not receive any traditional schooling beyond the eighth grade. Despite this limited education and the significant cultural differences he faced, he eventually succeeded in owning an eCommerce business. His inherent drive and entrepreneurial instincts helped him overcome these challenges. Coming from four generations of business owners, entrepreneurship was in his blood. His parents operated a brick-and-mortar farm supply store, where he learned the value of durable products and the resulting customer satisfaction.

As an adult, Stutzman worked in multiple custom cabinetry shops, starting at the lowest position of sanding wood and eventually becoming a workshop foreman. This experience allowed him to combine his expertise in furniture making with his Amish business connections, fueling his entrepreneurial ambitions. However, before founding Countryside Amish Furniture, two of his previous furniture companies failed. These setbacks were disappointing but ultimately provided valuable lessons, particularly the importance of being accessible to target markets rather than expecting customers to seek out his products.

This realization led Stutzman to envision a digitally-based operation capable of selling furniture nationwide. This idea materialized into Countryside Amish Furniture, an eCommerce business that partners with select Amish workshops to offer high-quality, made-to-order furniture to customers across the United States.

Idea Behind Company

Mel Stutzman was raised Amish and did not receive any traditional schooling beyond the eighth grade. Despite his limited education and significant cultural differences, he eventually succeeded in owning an eCommerce business. His inherent drive and entrepreneurial instincts helped him overcome these challenges.

Stutzman comes from four generations of business owners, so entrepreneurship was in his blood. His parents operated a brick-and-mortar farm supply store, where he learned the value of durable products and customer satisfaction. As an adult, he worked in multiple custom cabinetry shops, starting at the lowest position of sanding wood and eventually becoming a workshop foreman. This experience allowed him to combine his expertise in furniture making with his Amish business connections, fueling his entrepreneurial ambitions.

Before founding Countryside Amish Furniture, two of Stutzman's previous furniture companies failed. These setbacks were disappointing but ultimately provided valuable lessons, particularly the importance of being accessible to target markets rather than expecting customers to seek out his products. This realization led Stutzman to envision a digitally-based operation capable of selling furniture nationwide. This idea materialized into Countryside Amish Furniture, an eCommerce business that partners with select Amish workshops to offer high-quality, made-to-order furniture to customers across the United States.

Creating the Company

Mel Stutzman describes the process of designing, prototyping, and manufacturing his first product as a furniture retailer rather than a manufacturer. His business, Countryside Amish Furniture, relies heavily on close collaborations with Amish workshops. This partnership is mutually beneficial, as it allows Stutzman to sell authentically Amish furniture while helping the builders expand their customer base.

By the time he started Countryside Amish Furniture, Stutzman was well-connected in the industry due to his previous professional experiences. He leveraged these relationships to gain access to new workshops and, thanks to his knowledge of furniture-making, was able to identify those that met his high standards of quality. These connections were crucial in establishing a reliable network of craftsmen to produce the furniture he envisioned for his customers.

However, running the website proved to be a significant challenge. The first web developer Stutzman hired took the $10,000 payment without completing any work, which was a discouraging setback. Undeterred, Stutzman eventually found a reliable second developer through local connections, who has been working on the site ever since. This experience highlighted the importance of persistence and finding trustworthy partners in building a successful eCommerce business.

Launching the Business

The first iteration of the Countryside Amish Furniture website in 2010 was quite primitive compared to the sophisticated online experience offered today. The initial site utilized outdated programming and was extremely difficult to update. Despite recognizing the need for a better platform, Mel Stutzman, with his Amish background, faced a steep learning curve and had to cover a lot of new ground in terms of digital technology and eCommerce.

The first year and a half of the business was dedicated to learning and building a reliable team through trial and error. The initial web developer hired by Stutzman took $10,000 without completing any work, which was a significant setback. However, Stutzman remained undeterred and eventually found a second, dependable developer through local connections who continues to work on the site to this day. This period was marked by long hours and tireless effort, with Stutzman often working seven days a week from early morning until midnight to be available for customers and facilitate orders.

After four years of managing everything alone, Stutzman decided to hire full-time employees to assist with customer service, allowing him to focus on improving other aspects of the business. Continuous collaboration with the developer and marketing consultants helped enhance the website's user experience. They assessed behavior flow between pages, tested call-to-action elements, diversified product categorization, and refined visuals, driven by analytical data and feedback from user testing and customer interactions. These improvements were crucial in creating a more efficient and customer-friendly online platform.

Since its launch, several strategies have proven effective in attracting and retaining customers for Countryside Amish Furniture. Prioritizing customer interactions has been crucial, particularly for their Gen-X and baby boomer audiences. The company heavily invests in internal sales and customer service training, choosing not to outsource these functions. This focus is essential because customers personalize their furniture with numerous options, leading to longer sales cycles and many questions. To ensure customers accurately customize their furniture, Countryside Amish Furniture works closely with buyers, sometimes receiving magazine cut-outs and making specific recommendations to replicate pieces in solid wood.

Countryside Amish Furniture provides multiple ways for customers to interact, including an onsite chat function, regular product status updates, and human-based responses to written inquiries. These efforts highlight the importance the company places on the convenience and quality of communication, which significantly impacts the brand's perception. By offering personalized and responsive customer service, Countryside Amish Furniture strives to enhance customer satisfaction and loyalty, which is particularly vital in a digital marketplace where personal touch can be a differentiator.

Organic SEO has also played a significant role in attracting traffic, making up roughly 70% of visitors to the site. The company has partnered with SEO consultants to optimize site architecture, page structure, and content. By writing in-depth, expert-level articles, Countryside Amish Furniture attracts upper-funnel audiences and raises brand awareness. Additionally, SEO best practices help structure the site for better visibility and user experience. Paid social ads, particularly on Facebook, have been another effective strategy, especially for reaching older generations. User-generated content, such as photos and testimonials, has been particularly successful in engaging this demographic and driving traffic to the website.

Earnings

Regarding the current state of affairs and the future outlook, Countryside Amish Furniture has faced challenges due to the pandemic's ripple effect, resulting in unprecedented supply chain disruptions. The increased cost of lumber prompted partnering workshops to raise rates, coupled with labor shortages, causing production delays and extended manufacturing timelines. Despite these hurdles, there remains an optimistic outlook.

Mel is hopeful about the future, emphasizing that the demand for Amish-made furniture remains steadfast. Buyers continue to appreciate the superior craftsmanship and enduring quality synonymous with Amish products. Moreover, the ethos of local production and sustainable practices aligns with the values cherished by today's consumers. While Countryside Amish Furniture has made significant strides since its inception in 2010, Mel believes the business has yet to realize its full potential.

Reflecting on the journey of starting the business, Mel acknowledges invaluable lessons learned, particularly regarding personnel management. Understanding the challenges of finding the right individuals, Mel emphasizes the importance of nurturing positive and collaborative relationships within the team. Additionally, Mel underscores the significance of seeking guidance from fellow entrepreneurs, crediting such interactions with shaping Countryside Amish Furniture's trajectory. Leveraging insights shared by local business owners, Mel gained invaluable advice on expanding the customer base, digitizing sales processes, and managing profit margins effectively.