The Knife and Tool Sharpening Podcast
The Knife and Tool Sharpening Podcast is a show for knife and tool sharpening professionals, and those curious about the craft, who want to build skill, confidence, and a sustainable sharpening business on their own terms.
Hosted by Matthew Rowell, the podcast features conversations with working sharpeners, shop owners, craftspeople, and industry voices from around the world. Episodes explore real-world sharpening methods, equipment, materials, and edge geometry, alongside the practical realities of running a sharpening business: pricing, marketing, customer service, niches, and designing a business that fits your life.
Rather than chasing trends or gimmicks, this podcast focuses on service-first craftsmanship, continuous learning, and the idea that success looks different for every sharpener. Whether you’re sharpening from a garage, a mobile setup, a retail shop, or considering sharpening as a second career or retirement path, you’ll find honest insight and shared experience here.
The Knife and Tool Sharpening Podcast is made possible by the Guild of Professional Sharpeners, a community of knife and tool sharpening business owners who help each other achieve success — however each individual defines it.
Learn more about the Guild at guildofsharpeners.org.
The Knife and Tool Sharpening Podcast
Designing a Sharpening Business That Serves Your Life (Not the Other Way Around)
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James and I go way back—he was one of the early guys I taught in-person, and his story is a big part of why the Guild exists today.
In this episode, James shares how he built (and rebuilt) his sharpening business in a way that supports his life instead of consuming it. We talk about the early days, learning the fundamentals (yes—the burr), why Google Business can be the difference between “crickets” and instant customers, and what changed when he restarted after a multi-year break.
We also get real about farmer’s markets: what they pay, what they cost in time and energy, and why James is intentionally throttling back to protect weekends with his son.
In this episode:
- Starting a sharpening business with under ~$500 in gear
- Why Google Business can outperform “traditional marketing”
- Restarting after years away (and the new Google verification headaches)
- Farmer’s market economics: $100–$600 days—and the hidden tradeoffs
- Simple pricing that customers actually understand
- Building community through the Guild (and why it matters)
If you’re building a sharpening business (or thinking about it), this one is a reality check and a permission slip to design it your way.
Option B — a little more punchy / story-driven
James started in software, found sharpening through a podcast, and took a leap into a business he could build with his hands—and on his own terms.
Then life changed. He put sharpening on the shelf for years… and came back to it later with the skills intact—but marketing and customer flow totally different.
We talk about what it really means to build a business that serves you: why farmer’s markets can be great money and still not worth the weekend cost, how James simplified pricing to avoid confusing customers, and how the Guild became the kind of community you can’t replace with random social media clips.
This episode is for anyone who wants to grow—without becoming a slave to “busy.”