Nicolette Hawthorne-Martin

History teacher Zach Martin has owned a carpentry business since 2020.

How do you balance work with having a social life or taking time to enjoy hobbies? Everybody asks this question, but for some – the answer is more complicated.

Zach Martin is not only a history teacher at LCM, but also a part-time student and small business owner of Z.L.M. Carpentry, which he started in 2020 after the start of COVID-19. 

“When I’m not teaching, I’m building. When I’m not teaching or building, I’m finishing my graduate studies at Lamar,” Martin said. “I honestly can’t tell you how I balance it all. I just try to prioritize my wife first. I think that’s what makes it all work in the end.” 

Martin said he has been around carpentry all his life and it has always been in his family. He has heard plenty of stories over the years about his great-grandparents, who were active woodworkers. His great-grandmother’s grandfather was a German immigrant and a cooper in the 19th century around the Nashville area, and her husband was actively working on projects regularly both in and out of the work environment.

“He worked in DuPont’s shop for nearly 50 years,” Martin said. “One of his hammers, I still use. His daughter, my mother’s mother, worked on many projects, too. Small things, really. Christmas decorations, bird houses, and even tables later on. She is still very active in the craft. By affiliation, I picked up the trade. By the time I got to college, I actually got a job with a trim company and really honed in on the craft.”

For Martin, a typical work day does not end when the school bell rings at 3:35 p.m. From work, he usually commutes to wherever his current job takes him – with a packed dinner that he can eat on the jobsite. He could be there until 9 p.m., sometimes later.

“My recent was job was in Kountze, which is nearly an hour away,” he said. “I would love the job site at 10 p.m. in that case. That’s pretty common, honestly. I do that a lot.”

When not working on his own business projects, Martin also helps his friends at Walcott Trim & Specialties in Lumberton. He said he works on a variety of projects – everything from installing baseboards and crowning, to mantles, closets, doors, beams, and stairs. He has also made dining tables, cabinets, trunks and doors, but said he would rather build in a house. 

Martin said the biggest challenge of his carpentry business is staying motivated when the job is not going his way.

“Sometimes, getting an advance on the payment puts you in a weird place,” he said. “Some people would just assume that construction workers would just walk off the job and take it easy if they get their hands on the check. For me, it’s the opposite. I feel the pressure to get the job done as quickly as possible in order to keep the clients happy. In most cases, that just won’t do well down the line. Pressuring yourself will only create faults in the game plan. This leads to burnout and compromised work. Pacing yourself is essential in this field. Burnout because of pressure is a big problem. I just have to remind myself that they hired me because I am good at what I do and they have seen that. As long as the customer is happy with the outcome, the work will match the time spent.”

Although there can be obstacles along the way, Martin said his favorite part of building is the act of facing a new challenge and the ones he likes the most are the ones he gets to create; the ones he hates the most are the ones he doesn’t.

“Sometimes framing would be out, plumbing would be in the wrong place, or dry wall will become a burden,” Martin said. “All of those things, those particular challenges, only get in the way and they would need to be addressed. I’m not the guy to call for those gigs, but most of the time I find myself in that position.”

For those who would like him to build something for them, Martin said Facebook is the most practical way to get a hold of him.

“If we lived in a larger city where physical contact is more likely to happen, business cards may be the best way to go about it,” Martin said. “Most of the time, I scout out work and take it on that way. If there is a number on a home builder’s sign, they are always looking for more hands to do the job; it’s not just for selling homes.”

Over the years as his carpentry business has grown, Martin said he has learned to be more patient. He also said there is always another way to get the job done; it’s just a matter of finding the way to do it.

“You may just have to move on from a project for a bit,” he said. “Sometimes, experience from another project will conjure up an idea on how to finish the other. Teaching is a lot like carpentry, I think. Each class is different, much like every board has different characteristics. It takes time to figure out the quirks, but when you do, it makes the process a little easier in the long haul.”