Meet Dan Altavilla | Bladesmith

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

Hi Dan, what is the most important factor behind your success?
Client-centric business practices.

I treat all of my clients as if they were friends or relatives. Meaning, I bend over backwards to keep clients happy. It does incur some cost over time, but it is worth every red cent. Keeping clients happy is what keeps clients coming back. This mentality is precisely why I have clients, not customers.

Having spent many years in business sales roles, it is quite apparent that people remember post-sale interactions quite vividly. Every single client interaction with my business should be a positive one that they will remember and speak openly about. Word-of-mouth regarding positive business practices spread like wildfire due to their rarity. The client comes before profit, as without the client, there is no profit at all.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
This was not an easy trade to break into, given the fact that I am entirely self-taught.

Everything I’ve learned and all the skills I’ve mastered over the years are the result of trial and error. Being a naturally stubborn individual, I refuse to ask for help or lessons from my betters. Instead, I prefer the lasting pain of failure as a teacher.

Learning from someone else and then employing that skill is great for some people. But I don’t feel I learn the critical hard lessons that way. Learning what TO do is great. Learning what NOT to do is even better.

I’d want anyone reading about my business to know that I built it from scratch with a starting investment of a mere 300USD. The rest was built on blood and sweat, very literally.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Early morning: Marluca’s Deli for breakfast.

Mid-morning: Delaware Water Gap hiking.

Lunch: Petrizzo’s Italian Restaurant

Afternoon: Time in the forge

Dinner: Home-cooked meal with the Mrs.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My wife, Nic Altavilla has been the bedrock of my business since day one. Not only did she ceaselessly encourage and support me in my efforts to build this business, she is an integral part of all decisions made. Not one solitary thing occurs without her input or approval. Be it a client interaction, a creative project outside of my norm or anything in between, Nic’s insight and guidance is always utilized as a primary resource.

On top of that, she is also solely responsible for all cord-work done on my knives, hatchets and swords. A better partner, one could not ask for.

Website: www.bushkillblades.com

Instagram: @bushkill_blades

Youtube: @Bushkill_Blades

Image Credits
All photos credited to: Dan Altavilla – Bushkill Blades