Wheel Talk Ryan Durbin & Becca Otis
-
- Business
Ryan Durbin (@rdceramics) & Becca Otis (@5linespottery) share their experiences as potters, makers, small business owners, and creatives. Becca is a full time studio potter, while Ryan is a full time website developer and part time potter. We'd love to share our ups and downs along the way as we build our skills as makers and small business owners in an honest, informal manner. We hope to bring you helpful tips we've learned over the years, learn from each other, and share expertise from a number of guests with you also. Please join us for some Wheel Talk!
-
#254 - Adapting to uncertain times with Link Henderson from Kentucky Mudworks (Pt 1)
Ryan and Becca welcome back Link Henderson, the owner of Kentucky Mudworks and Dirty Girls Pottery Tools, for an in-depth conversation. They discuss the significant adjustments Link's businesses have made since their last chat 3 years ago, particularly in response to the uncertainty surrounding raw materials. Link also shares insights into their rigorous product testing process before shipping to customers. Plus, they delve into a slightly controversial topic that you'll definitely want to he...
-
#253 - Becca's next challenge
Ryan & Becca are back to chat about Becca's next challenge as she's made her way back east for the summer. She's planning ahead for diving head first into online teaching in clay. It's not something too foreign for her, but she's been planning for months (maybe even years) to get to this point. There's a lot of unknowns still, but the plan is set in motion. Ryan also shares a bit about a new throwing challenge he's started the past few weeks.Listener QuestionsOn this episode:- Hi Ry...
-
#252 - Making pottery for restaurants with Bethany Kramer from Bethany Rose Pottery
Ryan & Becca are happy to be joined by Bethany Kramer from Bethany Rose Pottery to answer all of our questions about working on orders with restaurants. Bethany has been working with various local and regional restaurants over nearly the last decade, finding success as she's grown. We're happy to get some answers regarding making orders in large quantities, hiring help, working with chefs/owners, adjusting forms over time, firing cone 10 gas reduction work, balancing family time, and shif...
-
#251 - What can you do when sales are slow?
Ryan & Becca discuss how they think about adjusting their business & finances when sales are harder to come by. We've seen slower sales to start the year online, at shows, and general sentiment around folks having less disposable income. We hope you get some valuable takeaways to get yourself prepared in the case of finances tightening or product being harder to sell.ResourcesWheel Talk #233 - Is paid advertisement worth it? with Will DonovanListener QuestionsOn this episode:- &...
-
#250 - Finding the right shows
Ryan & Becca go in deep on finding shows early in your selling career. Becca plays interviewer on this one to ask Ryan all about his early shows, what he hopes to get sales-wise these days at a show, and how the progression has evolved year to year. There's also some discussion about where and how to find the shows for you. Thanks for the question Tiffany!ResourcesSign up for Becca's upcoming Nesting Mixing Bowls virtual workshop on Wed, May 15 at 8pm ESTWheel Talk #208 - Optimizing...
-
#249 - Calculated risk-taking
Ryan & Becca are back together once again to discuss risk taking in our businesses. What's the most risk we've taken lately, how do we think through risks we're willing to take, how having a support system influences our decisions, and how do we prepare ourselves when something doesn't go right. We hope you enjoy our discussion today.ResourcesSign up for Becca's upcoming Nesting Mixing Bowls virtual workshop on Wed, May 15 at 8pm ESTListener QuestionsOn this episode:- How do y...