Jeff Lacy: Mischievous Metals & WoodWright Co.

Mischievous Metals & WoodWright Co. by the numbers

$75,000

Innovation grant awarded

$200,000

Bank loan secured

98%

Score received by grading tool

Background

Jeff is an industrial designer with 25 years of experience who started a construction company nine years ago. While building beautiful custom homes, he and his team kept receiving requests to create custom furniture pieces—dining tables, conference tables, and chairs. After crafting 15-20 pieces for clients, Jeff's brother noticed his passion for the work and encouraged him to turn it into a standalone business. Following a successful six-month proof-of-concept test run that showed strong demand for custom furniture in the Midwest, Jeff decided to officially launch his furniture company.

“I realized that I needed a business plan... when you're considering starting a company and you need to go to a banker and not look dumb.”

Jeff Lacy

Founder, Mischievous Metals & WoodWright Co.

Problem

As Jeff prepared to launch his furniture company (Mischievous Metals & WoodWright Co.), he faced the daunting task of creating another business plan. His first experience, nine years earlier, with his construction company had been "painstaking" and resulted in what he called an "awful" plan created with limited guidance. His original business mentor had retired, leaving him without a support system. Jeff describes himself as not a "sit down and write a business plan type person"—he had numerous ideas bouncing around in his head but struggled to organize them into a coherent, professional document. The thought of repeating that difficult process filled him with dread, yet he knew he needed a comprehensive plan to approach bankers and secure funding without "looking dumb."

Solution

After hearing about LivePlan on a business podcast, Jeff researched the platform and was immediately drawn to its intuitive interface and organizational structure. The software's step-by-step approach helped him organize his scattered ideas into clear sections. Though initially skeptical about AI features—stating he’s “a little more old school”—Jeff found that LivePlan’s AI assistant streamlined the entire planning process. LivePlan's user-friendly design, built-in examples, and guided questions made data input straightforward, allowing Jeff to focus on his vision rather than struggling with format and structure. The platform transformed what he expected to be an anxiety-inducing experience into something genuinely enjoyable.

Outcome

With LivePlan, Jeff turned a daunting task into an enjoyable, productive process. He created a highly professional plan that, when put through a university's AI grading tool, "came out as like 98% perfect."

The professional quality of his plan impressed stakeholders across Nebraska's entrepreneurial ecosystem, including representatives from Invest Nebraska, Source Link Nebraska, and local colleges. His banker of nine years praised his plan’s clarity and vision.

Jeff is now pursuing $525,000 in funding across multiple sources, and has already locked in $200,000 from his bank, and a $75,000 innovation grant. The furniture company is set to officially launch in January 2026, positioning Jeff to build custom furniture "for years to come." Jeff wishes he had known about LivePlan nine years ago when starting his construction company.