Chris Koerner shows how Lowe's sells chainsaw-cut softwood logs for $16 when the same wood costs $2 as firewood. A lesson in packaging a commodity into a product, and why entrepreneurs should just try ideas instead of waiting for permission.
$16
About $2
Hardwood oak
You've got to see what I found. So a while back, I saw this viral video right here and I thought, huh, that's cool. Someone's going to make money on that. And then a few months later, I'm here at Lowe's and I see this. Some soft wood that was just cut down and a couple chainsaw cuts 16. I'm sure I wasn't the only one to have that thought. I'm sure a lot of people saw it and thought, oh, that's a good idea. Any good idea is a good business idea. And you don't need permission. You can just do things. So for everyone that walks by this and says, that's dumb, $16 for a log. The guy who actually did this just did it. Now, you see, I own both a firewood business and a tree trimming business. And $16 for that hunk of wood is outrageous. If I were to sell this much wood as firewood, it would cost about two bucks, and it would be hardwood oak that burns forever. And this cost eight times as much because he took a commodity and added value to it.
