We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Paul Edgerton. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Paul below.
Paul, we’re so excited for our community to get to know you and learn from your journey and the wisdom you’ve acquired over time. Let’s kick things off with a discussion on self-confidence and self-esteem. How did you develop yours?
When I was working at becoming a professional sharpener I made a decision to be the best I could be one step at a time. I didn’t have to become the best sharpener to all people with all sharpening needs, but by focusing on a specific item to become great at sharpening I could pour all of my focus into one process and build the confidence to offer a premium sharpening. Over time by being obsessed with each step I can now look back and see how my confidence was built brick by brick and has now helped me to become the sharpener I am today, but still not as good as I will be tomorrow and beyond.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I own and operate Edge Mobile Sharpening. I launched my professional sharpening business in 2017 after my wife (owner of a pet grooming salon) couldn’t find a good local sharpener for her grooming shears. Edge Mobile Sharpening is a mobile sharpening service that sharpens on site at homes and businesses. I arrive on site and do all the sharpening in my self contained sharpening work bus. I service many different businesses such as hair salons, restaurants, quilt shops, custom apparel shops and more. I sharpen a lot for home chefs, quilters, and home gardeners as well. My customers have the advantage of receiving a premium sharpening and getting their items back immediately instead of having to wait weeks for a hardware store to sharpen their items.
During the farmers market season I sharpen on site at six different farmers markets a week. This is a great way to be involved with the communities on the eastern side of the twin cities metro area. I also sharpen at many different public events as well, and everything is updated monthly on my “Events” page which can be found at edgemobilesharpening.com/events
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
I have always been able to hyper focus on a given task, to be obsessed with perfecting the process needed. This has helped me in my professional sharpening. Each item that I sharpen has a different process. Knives, Scissors, salon shears, and garden tools all have different processes and tools needed to complete the process of a premium sharpening.
My BFA degree in metals has given me a great working knowledge to set the foundation for sharpening various different types of metals. There are so many different types of steel and many have different needs in their care and maintenance.
Warm communication with my customers is a hallmark of my business. I feel that if I’m not communicating effectively then I am falling short of providing a premium service. I love to equip my customers with not only a great sharpening but an effective knowledge of how to use their sharpened items. After a sharpening my customers need to be more effective in their use of these tools in professional or personal use, and it’s my job to help in that goal.
Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
I love collaborating with many different businesses. I often sharpen at various events at quilt shops, salon supply stores, grocery stores, and more! I am often scheduled to sharpen on site for an event at these types of locations, such as a large sale, work shop, or various public events. It’s great to partner with these businesses because the benefits are mutual. While the customers are waiting for their sharpening to be completed they then shop at the business location.
Contact Info:
- Website: edgemobilesharpening.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EdgeMobileSharpening
