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Jill Leary | Episode 555
Jill Leary is a practicing artist and NYS certified art teacher. Jill has a BFA in Fine Arts, concentration in Ceramics and a BA in Art Education from Syracuse University as well as a MS in Fine Arts. Jill worked for Brewster Central Schools for 11 years as an Art Teacher until she had her two daughters. Jill now owns and runs Railyard Arts Studio.
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How long had you been wanting to start your business, Railyard Arts Studio?
I think about three years. I was unhappy where I was creating my art- I was freezing and I don’t like being cold. I just wanted my own studio and I teach art. So I combined the two together. It grew! It went from just a pottery studio to art and pottery. Then it was how many rooms will it be, and I wanted an extra room that would just be for kids. When I finally said I was going to do this, my husband asked me to sit down and write a business plan. I said that I couldn’t write a business plan… I went to art school! But I ended up writing this business plan and covered everything from how much to charge for classed to how much to pay for teachers. And then I started looking for real estate which took about a year to find the right spot. The building is beautiful and the landlord is a great guy
What kind of resources did you go to to figure out how to do a business plan?
I just Googled how to do that. I looked at templates online on how to write a business plan. So I wrote it, and my husband barely looked at it. He just wanted me to get my ideas down on paper. And I get it now and I understand why he wanted me to do it.
How was the financing done?
Personal financing. We are very lucky. My husband had a very successful career, with a lot of sacrifices and now years later I am able to start this business.
Government paperwork for starting a business… How massive was that project?
Gratefully my husband has started companies before. This is a little blurry for me because, though we did it together, this part he really did handle it for me. But it went smoothly.
How did you do your marketing?
The first thing I did was contact the newspapers. This is a small town so I grew up with everybody here and a friend from high school works for the newspaper here. I had ads running for six weeks and I had articles written about me. I also did an open house right before we opened and if you showed up at the open house, you would get a discount on classes. And then it was word of mouth.
What resources did you use to design an empty building?
I wanted it to look industrial rustic. I had an architect design the inside three rooms- where the kilns are going to go, where the wheels will go, storage closet, colors of the walls…
How are you attracting new members?
As I fill up the classes, people start to advance from beginner to intermediate and then to advanced. Eventually these people create more and more work and then they want a bit more space of their own. And that is when they become members. This is how we are growing our membership.
You say that you have relied a lot on your husband in the process. How important is it to have a partner in taking on a big endeavor like this?
I think it is very important. I do all the day to day stuff like Quickbooks. And I have a partner at the studio named Elizabeth and she runs the gallery and she runs a couple of the classes.
Contact
Instagram: @railyard_arts or @jl.pottery