Meet Roger Tratsch | Woodworker

We had the good fortune of connecting with Roger Tratsch and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Roger, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
The idea of having my own business was not defined by a specific moment in my life, but instead, it is an idea that has been growing inside me as I sought for my personal and professional growth. My brother and I grew up on a farm where our environment was always inviting for us to learn and develop new skills. We constantly took pleasure in the process of learning. At the age of 12, our curiosity for wood began by us observing our father who was constantly making wood cabinets and/or furniture that where needed for our home. When I turned 14, my brother and I decided to experiment with wood and started creating crafts and simple wooden furniture. People liked our ideas and began buying our products, so we innitiated a small workshop as a hobby which we really enjoyed and allowing me to discover my liking for carpentry.

During this period of time one of our customers (a civil engineer) saw our potential and decided to hire us as part-time employees and trained us on the use of the AutoCAD designing program, which provided us with an extra tool and skills for the improvement of our little workshop. He continously trusted us with projects and responsibilities that allowed me to practice my new acquired skill and which I continue to use in the present time. I will always be thankful for the opportunities and trust he gave us.

After a couple of years, I was ready for new challenges and decided to move from our small town to a larger city nearby. I sought for professional growth and found a full-time job with a small company as an AutoCAD designer, where I had the opportunity to apply my designing skills and worked until it was the time for me to attend college.
At the age of 18, as a result of my effort and dedication, I was accepted by the most demanding university in our state ‘Universidade Federal de Santa Maria.’ During my studies, I decided to expand my knowledge by seeking for an international experience having the opportunity to go to Mexico on a brief professional exchange through AIESEC, an international youth association. During my exchange, I was offered a permanent job position with Genpact, a multi-national company, where I worked for 8 years and expanded my knowledge by learning a second language (Spanish) and where I acquired leadership skills by being promoted to a supervisor position having a team of 15 employees under my responsibility. Our team received constant recognition due to our teamwork and for exceeding expectations in our results.
This is when I noticed my ability to lead and remembered how much I enjoyed the time when I had my carpentry workshop, so I decided to pursue having a business of my own by applying all of my skills and knowledged obtained throughout the years.
Unfortunately, upon making this decision COVID happened putting my plans on hold but allowing me the time to do more research and start planning for my business.
About a year and half ago, I was offered a remote job in the USA as an AutoCAD designer with a company called GVC allowing me to apply for my american residency and allowing me to move to the state of Colorado where I have been residing for the past 7 months. The moment I arrived to Colorado, I knew it was the place where
I wanted for my business to happen and it was time to start shaping it and this is how the ‘Roger That Woodworks’ brand began.

What should our readers know about your business?
I feel very happy with everything I have learned throughout the initial stages of Roger That Woodworks and proud of how we are overcoming the challenges that come in this initial phase. It is never easy to get out of your confort zone and take the risk of starting your own business. Like any other start-up, we have encountered challenges and obstacles but we strongly believe that these challenges will strengthen our problem-solving skills and our business. We still have many challenges to overcome, however, every challenge we turn it into an opportunity keeping in mind our final goal, the success of our brand Roger That Woodworks.
I am aware that I still have a long way to go to fully establish my business, since I am new to the country and to the state of Colorado. However, I believe that something that sets us apart from other similar businesses is my experience in other countries by providing us with opportunities to expand to different audiences and markets, and by our ability to communicate with more potential future clients.

We would like share with everyone that as we establish our brand, we constantly seek for ways to improve and optimize our production while maintaining our commitment to make personalized and high quality products. We also follow sustainable and enviromentally-conscious practices to reduce our environmental impact, such as recycling and/or reusing materials and using eco-friendly packaging/shipping materials.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
We have been living here in Colorado less than a year however, the more we explore it, the more we fall in love with this amazing place. We take pleasure in exploring its nature (mountains, lakes, rivers, parks, etc) by going on hikes and drives. We also know that Denver is well known for its beer and have enjoyed visiting a couple of breweries and would like to visit many more.
Now that the weather is changing, I’m also excited about experiencing Colorado’s winter and its outdoor activities.

My family will come visit during this winter and I am very excited about sharing all these new experiences with them.
I want them to fall in love with Colorado’s mountains just as I have so we will take them to the mountain to learn how to ski, since it will be their first time experiencing snow.
I will also take them to see the Christmas decorations around the city and in Vail for them to experience a white Christmas.
I would like to take them to the Farmers Markets for them to appreciate the local art and to support small businesses.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to thank everyone who has supported and guided me during this early stage of my business. My father who was always a role model and took the time to teach us new skills and the importance of making products with the best quality. My mother, who is also an artisan and business owner. I learned from her example of hard work and the importance of earning customers’ trust.
My brother who was always my “partner in crime” and worked with me keeping me motivated at all times. Despite the distance, he continues to help and support me from afar with ideas and designs.
I am also thankful towards my political family, who believe in me and on my talent and whom have supported me by providing guidance and advice when making decisions. My sisters-in-law who have shared their expertise in Marketing and business to better guide me through this initial stage.
Above all, I want to thank my wife who has been my biggest motivation and supporter. It was her who pushed me into taking the first step and putting my plans into action. She is constantly bringing new ideas to the table for future projects and has taken an active role in the marketing area to promote our business. It is her support, dedication and trust that help me stay strong during the challenging times and focus on our goal.

Website: https://www.etsy.com/your/shops/RogerThatWoodworksCo/tools/listings/stats:true

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rogerthatwoodworks8/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rogerthatwoodworks8

Other: https://www.etsy.com/your/shops/RogerThatWoodworksCo/tools/listings/stats:true https://gofund.me/a899dcc9