In 2010, a violent attack left Jonathan Katz-Moses rethinking his life. The Santa Barbara entrepreneur, then running a construction company, fell victim to gang violence while trying to save a couple from being murdered. During recovery, Jonathan realized he “wasn’t happy with life.” With a desire for change, he left his old ventures behind and immersed himself in woodworking. 

What began as a personal passion quickly became a business: his magnetic dovetail jig launched a YouTube channel and eventually grew into Katz-Moses Tools, a company now employing 25 people.

Rather than chasing sponsorships, Jonathan designs products based on the needs of his audience. That approach has propelled the company to sustained annual growth for nearly a decade and recently attracted venture capital funding after years of bootstrapping.

“I wanted to build a tool company. That was always my goal,” Jonathan says. “I love making products, solving problems, and designing things. It became an obsession.”

This decisive pivot set Jonathan on an entirely new trajectory that would combine his passion for building with an unexpected talent for content creation and product development.

Building a Business Through Content

Unlike many who start creating content with monetization as their primary goal, Jonathan’s creator career began with genuine passion and a desire to solve problems.

“I invented a product early on in my woodworking journey and had no way to advertise it,” he explains. “So I made a YouTube video about it. The response was great, and it sent me on this content creation and product development journey.”

That first product, the Katz-Moses magnetic dovetail jig, became his main source of income for several years. The experience revealed a powerful business model: utilizing content creation to identify pain points within his community, and then developing products to address them. This approach grew into what he describes as “a creator economy-focused business that uses our product development, distribution, manufacturing, and logistical resources to help content creators bring products to market.”

As his audience grew, so did his understanding of what woodworkers needed. Each video provided not just education for viewers, but market research for his business. This mutual relationship between content and commerce became the foundation for his company’s growth.

The Challenge of Building Trust

At a time when sponsored content and affiliate marketing dominate creator business models, Jonathan deliberately chose a different path. His business philosophy? “If it’s in my store, it’s in my shop,” meaning he only sells products he personally uses and believes in.

“I’ll never sell anything I don’t use or think is great. It’s either the best of its kind or the best value,” Jonathan says. “It’s easy to lose trust. If I recommend something and it sucks, people will think I’m full of it.”

While many creators struggle to balance monetization and audience trust, Jonathan recognized early that genuine recommendations would generate more revenue than traditional sponsorships.

“I got to do it my way, without outside influence, and focus on things that excited me, and that also made more money than anything else.”

This focus on trust extends to how Jonathan views the broader creator economy. He sees many content creators losing audience trust by promoting products without conviction, which he believes will eventually lead to a reckoning in the field.

Weathering the Lean Years

Jonathan’s success didn’t come overnight. He spent four years creating content before seeing profitability, a commitment few are willing to make. 

“You have to believe in what you’re doing and do whatever it takes to keep going,” he says.

This perseverance stems from a mindset he now shares with his six-year-old daughter: “Anything good is hard. Ninety-five percent of people give up before they succeed. Success is getting up one more time than you got knocked down.”

The lean years proved crucial for building both his audience and his product line. Without external pressure to monetize quickly, Jonathan could focus on quality and sincerity, values that would later become the cornerstone of his business success.

The Content Creation Process

As Jonathan points out, the woodworking and maker space on YouTube has transformed dramatically during his decade-long tenure. What was once “a big empty pond” has become a highly competitive field where standing out requires creative thinking beyond just technical skill.

“Kids today want to be content creators, TikTokers, YouTubers,” he says. “It takes more thoughtful execution now.”

Jonathan’s strategy for standing out has been to develop new approaches rather than follow trends. He was among the first to focus on skill-building videos rather than project-based content, which became a defining characteristic of his channel.

“When I started, everyone did projects, but that pace wasn’t sustainable. So I started sharing skills from projects as I went,” he says.

As platforms changed, so did the demands on creators. Jonathan has had to adjust to new algorithms and viewer expectations, particularly in terms of engagement metrics and presentation style.

“It used to be you could title a video ‘How to cut a woodworking joint’ and people would watch,” he reflects. “Now it has to be something like, ‘If you don’t do this, the world will end.’ I hate that clickbait works so well.”

Despite that, Jonathan has found ways to maintain integrity while adapting. His approach to hooks is simple: “Think about the best thing you can honestly tell your audience and give them a piece of that up front.”

Production and Business Operations

One of Jonathan’s most notable achievements is his team’s performance in content production. While many creators labor for weeks over a single video, Jonathan and his business partner Marc can produce a 20-minute video in just four days, from filming to editing to publication.

“We have a system from eight years of working together,” Jonathan explains. “We believe in extreme efficiency. Cut out the fluff, show the thing, film the slow-motion B-roll, and move on.”

This efficiency extends beyond content creation to his entire business operation. Jonathan has developed a streamlined approach to product development, where ideas often emerge directly from audience feedback and are quickly prototyped. A recent example is the recently released Katz-Moses Universal Sharpening Jig, which Jonathan calls “the coolest sharpening jig ever” after spending “a long time designing it.”

His business partner, who started as an editor, now also handles logistics (shipping and receiving).

Building a Company, Not Just a Channel

Today, Katz-Moses Tools has grown beyond Jonathan’s personal brand into a full-scale business. The company now has 25 employees and is maintaining growth.

“We’ve grown two to three times every year for 10 years. Maybe one year we didn’t, but otherwise it’s been consistent,” Jonathan says.

His role has changed accordingly. “I have a business with a side of content these days,” he explains. “If you can’t delegate what doesn’t make money, you just own a full-time job. My one goal as CEO is new business, growing the company.”

That focus means passing off established processes to team members while Jonathan concentrates on creating new products. “When you’ve built something that works, hand it off and go after the next thing.”

Beyond his commercial ventures, Jonathan also established the Katz-Moses Woodworkers with Disabilities Fund in January 2019, serving as Founder and Board President.

“When I think about my legacy, I want to be known as an innovator who supported the community,” Jonathan says. “I work hard to do that and hope to change the world for a lot of people.”

Critical Business Lessons

When it comes to lessons learned from building his business, Jonathan notes that cash flow management is key. “You have to manage cash flow like a lunatic. Know where every dollar goes, what you’ll need for six months, and protect it at all costs.”

He identifies undercapitalization as the main reason businesses fail. “Don’t make big financial decisions on a whim. Understand the money side completely.”

This discipline, he adds, has allowed Katz-Moses Tools to grow consistently without overextending.

Jonathan also warns creators to avoid “low-hanging fruit revenue streams” that can hurt long-term trust. “You might get a big first check, then a smaller one, and before long, your audience won’t trust you when you finally have something real to sell.”

A Passion-First Approach

For creators aspiring to build businesses like his, Jonathan’s advice is simple: “Do what you’re passionate about. Stay excited and never mislead your audience, and you’ll do well.”

He cautions against starting with money in mind. “A big mistake people make is starting content to make money. Everyone can see that.”

Instead, he advocates for leading with true passion. “Do what you love, and maybe one day the money will come. But if that’s your motivation, you’ll never succeed.”

Looking toward the future, Jonathan sees major changes coming to the creator economy that will favor his honest, product-focused approach. “Sponsorship money is drying up. People trust creators less,” he predicts. He expects a “washout” of creators as audience trust erodes and easy monetization becomes less accessible.

“I think we’ll see a big reset; creators going back to regular jobs and posting occasionally,” Jonathan forecasts. Those who remain, he believes, will be the ones who’ve built genuine connections and diversified their revenue beyond sponsorships.

For Katz-Moses Tools, the future includes expanding patented creations and leveraging VC funding to accelerate growth. “We’re growing fast. We’ve got a ton of products in the queue,” Jonathan shares. “This holiday season’s going to be exciting. We’ve got a bunch of new products and some fun things coming.”

In summary, Jonathan Katz-Moses’s story serves as an example of how passion, perseverance, and principled business practices can build something far more lasting than fleeting internet fame.

“Nobody succeeds by doing the average amount of work, the average amount of hustle, the average amount of grit,” Jonathan reflects. “Running a business isn’t for the weak-hearted. But if you want to share your passion for a living, nothing beats content creation.”

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