Wheel Talk- It’s a New Podcast! | Becca Otis & Ryan Durbin

Becca Otis & Ryan Durbin | Episode 303

Ryan Durbin and Becca Otis host a podcast called Wheel Talk. With 20 years of experience together and 5 years of friendship under their belts, they have candid, real and honest conversations about what it’s actually is like to running a small business, whether it be a full time gig (Becca) or a sweet side hustle (Ryan).

Ryan

SPONSORS

You can help support the show!

GRPotteryForms.com

Number 1 brand in America for a reason. Skutt.com

For all your ceramic needs go to Georgies.com

Becca

Since you’ve started the podcast what has the podcast done for you so far?

Becca: Actually I think that for me, on a personal level, the podcast has motivated me. This year has been tough for me mentally and I actually have a podcast about depression that was a solo on and I think having the consistency that me and Ryan have every week, always talking on Mondays or Tuesdays, it makes me look forward to having a discussion that is not just about: Oh yes, make sure you center it this way. It is more about substance and that makes me look forward to coming in a having a chat. That’s the biggest thing for me.

Ryan: I think for me I would say it has opened more dialog with other people besides just Becca and I talking about a thing in depth. Obviously it is going to make me think about what I actually feel about something or what I can bring to the table to talk about a certain topic, but also there is more people that will openly ask me stuff through Direct Message on Instagram because I have talked about a certain topic. I think that dialog and people telling me, Hey, I listen to it and like this thing or what not, and yeah it definitely helps to have somebody else to talk to because not leaving the house for days because I work from home is…it’s just me and the cats and my wife so.

Ryan

How has podcasting and putting your thoughts out there, as you have, how has it changed you personally?

Ryan: I mean, I have never been really reluctant or worried about what people are going to think about what I have to say about something I guess. I am pretty transparent about my business side and I work a full time job and it’s a nine to five and ideally some day I would like to do pottery full-time. I am very transparent about that. People from my nine to five could listen to this, and I think a couple of them do, and they know that’s my feeling on this. But it shows that I am passionate and that I really like the pottery side, the business, the customer relations, like selling at shows and all that kind of thing. Personally it just allows people to get to know me better.

Becca: So I think that how it’s changed me personally is that I feel like over the past few months I have become a lot better at forming an opinion and sticking with it. I am an opinionated person but I have also in the past couple of years I have been like,you know, whatever works. We actually did a show about podcasting early on, very early on, and then somebody changed my mind like two days later and I had never released the podcast because I want to do it again. And I think that it just helped me be more firm in my opinions and firm in my actions. You know if I am going to say something I better back it up with something. I think that is how it has helped me a little bit.

Becca

What has been your favorite feedback about the podcast so far?

Becca: I don’t know, I was just reading reviews today. We don’t have very many reviews but there was this one person who said, I have been throwing pots for 20 years and the podcast that you did on pricing mugs really made me think about what I was selling and how to price my pieces and I think that it’s cool that somebody who is 29 or 28 years old can affect somebody that has to be older than us, if they have been throwing pots for 20 years. So I think that over all that is what impacts me.

Ryan: I am trying to remember this comment in our Instagram DM’s, but somebody replied about some episode that they listened to and it was just very specific to, thank you for actually spelling out details about this thing. I think it was someone that was very confident in selling at their first art show and they were like, you’re discussion about selling at art shows, the pros and cons and the one about how to improve your art show sales. I think that helped with how to organize their booth. They were very excited about selling at a show and selling 700 dollars worth, or whatever they sold, and that was kind of my validation. Hey, something that we actually put out just the two of us, helped someone else and gave them better sales because they were more conscious about how they were setting their booth up. Which was really cool.

Ryan

How are you spreading the word that you have the show? My guests spread the news about being on the show. How do you do it with just the two of you?

Ryan: How do you do it Becca?

Becca: I was going to say, I don’t know. (laughter) I am extremely active on Clay Buddies, which is a Facebook group. So that has helped a little bit. When I do lives on Clay Buddies or when there are comments or something me and Ryan will both be like, Hey me and Ryan just did a podcast episode about this. You should go and listen to it because it might shed some light or you may have more questions afterwards. So that is probably the biggest way I am doing it.

Ryan: Yeah, some of it is kind of like you don’t want to be too self-promoting and stuff. But if its relative and contextual, then it just makes sense to say, You know, I am really passionate about talking about this thing and you could probably benefit from listening to it if you are wondering.