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Bex Walker | Episode 1222
Clay Call
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First, for starting a pottery business, how important is developing just the basic skills of being a maker?
I think really important. And I think there’s a lot of people that rush into selling their work a little bit too soon. If you learn quickly, that’s obviously great, but I would say enjoy pottery first and learn all the different skills that there are. And then, if you’re then ready, then look into selling your work. Because if you go straight into selling, you miss all the fun stuff at the beginning. And that really is where you develop your style as well. When you try out all those techniques, see what works for you. Yeah, that’s where your style come from. And then that will then help you make money if you turn that into a business.
I noticed that you didn’t wait for validation, but you mostly responded to validation of other people who were asking if you had thought about selling and making this your deal? And so the question is… how critical is it for you to get the validation from others before you start selling?
I think a lot of that could just be based on your personality. I’m definitely someone that lacks a bit of confidence, and probably needs people to say that to me. But, at the same time, you could also argue that you do need some validation to know that you are on the right track. So you don’t have to necessarily wait for people to tell you. But I think it’s a good thing to ask, ask others go to markets and get strangers feedback as well as obviously, close friends and family’s feedback.
When you get feedback, is it important to then pivot if you’re not quite hitting the mark?
If you’re really sure about what you’re doing, and the feedback is the complete opposite, I would say, try what people suggest as well as doing what you’re doing, because there’s a reason why you’re so set on that idea. So be open to ideas, but you don’t have to fully pivot. Your idea might just take a little bit of warming up for others to fully appreciate it. So I wouldn’t say fully pivot, but always be on the lookout for suggestions and be open to other people’s opinions.
Someone said that, people don’t pay for passion, they pay for results. I feel like what you arere saying is that when your work is good, then people will respond. Is that what I heard in those three first answers?
Yeah, if your work is good, people will respond. It that might take a while though. So taking on board other feedback to kind of help you get your work out there and get you noticed isn’t a bad thing. If you’re wanting to make money, you do have to be flexible, but definitely, having a strong skill set is important, and having a style is important. So don’t abandon everything for chasing sales, but you do have to be open to suggestions.
How important is developing business skills, like sales, marketing, branding, basic finances, building in profit… those basic business skills for building a ceramic studio business?
I think if you’re going to be solely relying on it for your income, then really important, if it is a hobby and you still have another job, then obviously less so. You can enjoy it as a hobby more. But, if you do want to make money from it, and your life is dependent on it, you have to pay a mortgage, you have to pay for childcare, then you do have to get serious about the business side of stuff, and it does mean the boring side of things. You can’t just sit in a studio all day. You do have to sort out your finances, answer emails, put yourself out for wholesale. And there’s so many different avenues you can go down. And you need to learn what the options are so that you’re not holding yourself back.
Somebody said, Start messy and improve fast, Which is basically the idea of start before you feel ready. Yet many people will wait until they have the perfect website or in a perfect logo, 10,000 followers, so on and so forth. And my question is, is it prudent to have that kind of mindset start before you’re ready?
I wouldn’t advise anyone to quit their job tomorrow and jump straight into ceramics full time, but you’re never going to be 100% ready. So start building the business skills that you need, get a runway, and then you know what? Before you’re ready, you will probably have to quit your job and jump straight in. There’s never going to be a perfect moment, but you do need skills. I would also definitely recommend having a plan B, just in case things don’t work out.
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Over Coming Under Earning by Barbara Stanny
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