Wheel Talk

Ryan & Becca bring you a special episode discussing all things #potswap2022 , our 5th year hosting this global event. Follow along with all Pot Swap happenings on Instagram @potswapofficial . Registration is free and open to the first 1,000 entries this year starting on Sunday, October 16th at 12pm EDT. First come, first serve on sign-ups so set a reminder (we have a reminder shared in our Ins...

Ryan and Becca talk about a hypothetical life running a small business without social media in existence. Where would you focus your efforts? Are there areas that you could be focusing on now outside of social media that fits your business? We hope you enjoy today’s thought experiment. What would you do if... your car breaks down the week of a show? Listener Questions On this episode: - I have an...

Ryan and Becca share some stories about what’s changed since starting Wheel Talk over 3 years ago. Their businesses are in way different places over the years since this all started & their relationship has evolved a lot along the way. Thanks so much for listening, sending questions, leaving reviews, & sharing with friends over the years. Resources #106 - 2 years of Wheel Talk!! #37 - Kiln...

Ryan and Becca answer a listener question today about offering the right products & pricing your work for wholesale. Cindy sent us a great question with a detailed list of her wholesale and retail pricing to get a better understanding how she can balance making work for wholesale clients, if she's pricing them appropriately, and how she can have enough left for the markets she's sell...

Ryan and Becca get into what would be involved in having someone work for you in exchange for access to your personal studio. Some may consider this as a good alternative to paying someone directly for their services or they have ample space to share so we get into the weeds here. We hope you enjoy today's chat. Resources Episode 311 of The Maker's Playbook Listener Questions On this epi...

Ryan and Becca talk about preorders leading up to the launch of Ryan's new carved oil bottles. We discuss what items we would and would not consider preorders for, if there's a difference between preorders and made to order, and how to market them effectively. It's still newer territory for us but worth a discussion nonetheless. Resources @lizcohenceramics @hammerlyceramics Listener...

Ryan and Becca have an open discussion about what they think it takes to get "good" at pottery. Everyone isn't on the same timeline, but we try to do some managing of expectations for where you should be by year one, year two, and beyond as you are learning the craft. You can take many approaches to learning this medium from the beginning: school, local community studio classes, You...

Ryan and Becca are joined today by Diana Adams from Sample Haus. She's mostly known for her entertaining Instagram but we get into so much more on today's episode. We cover how she got into pottery, her recent experience at the Clay Challenge in Tacoma, WA, partnership with West Elm, balancing her workload, Patreon, managing Instagram, and a bit more. Thanks to Diana for joining us on an...

Ryan and Becca answer a listener question at length regarding what’s a feasible workload to rely solely on ceramics for a full time income. We focus more on production speed and whether it works with your income expectations. Thanks to @e.ceramicsuk for the question! Check out Ryan & Briggan’s collab at rdceramics.etsy.com Listener Questions On this episode: - What do you think is the best way...

Ryan and Becca discuss the topic of balancing priorities when you are pressed for time. We all can find ourself in a difficult situation when we are low on stock and have commitments to fulfill in a limited amount of time. This episode addresses how we approach these situations and what you can do to use your time efficiently to prepare for that next show or take on that new opportunity with confi...

Becca visits Yellow Door Ceramics Studio, an Indianapolis ceramic studio, to chat with the owners Felissa King and Amanda Pennington about starting their new community studio. They provide many details about setting up a partnership legally, equipment to start the space, class and membership offerings/pricing, and a few more topics. Thanks to Felissa and Amanda for joining us this episode! ----- F...

Ryan & Becca are back to answer many of your questions related to business and studio practice. Before getting into your questions, we talk about Becca's new wheel consultations and how it's going. Theres some learning and plenty of laughs along the way. Thanks to everyone who continues to send us questions on Instagram and by email! Resources Book a throwing consultation with Becca:...

Ryan is joined by Danielle from D Whigham Ceramics to talk about selling on Etsy. She's been considering moving off of Etsy to her own website and weighing her options. We cover a wide range of questions you may be asking yourself if you are currently an Etsy seller or considering moving off of Etsy. We also get into some specific of the Etsy Star Seller program. ----- Find more about Daniell...

Ryan and Becca have a great chat with Erica Kilroy, Ryan's studio assistant, with plenty of laughs along the way. They chat about learning pottery at a local studio, what she does for Ryan's studio process, how she has improved her own process since working for Ryan, and plenty more. Thanks for joining us Erica! ----- Find more about Erica below----- Instagram - @erica_irene_k and @close...

Ryan and Becca answer a listener question for a recent college graduate with a ceramics degree in relation to getting a job or pursuing small business full time. They then get into a longer discussion about how to pay yourself as you start and progress in your small business. Support Becca’s new Patreon https://patreon.com/superpotlady if you want to get better and more efficient in your making pr...

Ryan and Becca discuss a new adventure that she's been thinking about lately. She's been considering what's next since production potter has been putting some strain on her body a bit more than she'd like. There are many options out there to shift your business to make you happy and getting ahead of it before it get's too stressful can be a smart move. Get one of our 2022...

Ryan and Becca jump into a question related to building consistency in your product line as you are still evolving in your making process. It takes a mixture of craftsmanship and repetition to get comfortable with your product offerings, plus a little input from customers. Thanks to  @speckledmountainceramics for the question! Get one of our preorder mugs now until June 15, 2022 on our website: ht...

Ryan and Becca welcome back a past guest on this episode, Rebecca Graves Prowse from Gravesco Pottery. Today we cover a range of topics including wholesale clients, managing a team, changing your business branding, taking care of your body for the business, and plenty more. Enjoy yet another fun and insightful conversation. Get one of our preorder mugs now until June 15, 2022 on our website: https...

Ryan and Becca answer a question about selling at someone's first legit show and getting prepared for it by pricing their work appropriately. Pricing, booth set-up, confidence in your work, and how to interact with your customers are all important to think about before your first show but are greatly improved with repetition and experience. Good luck out there for those of your selling this s...

Ryan & Becca come to you for a quick bonus episode to talk about our custom Wheel Talk mugs that will be available for preorder starting on June 1st. The preorder runs from June 1-15 and all orders will arrive 6-8 weeks later. Our friend Chris Burch from @potterybychrisburch in Colorado Springs, Colorado is making our custom 2022 mug with a Wheel Talk logo decal on one side and small 2022 deca...

Ryan and Becca have a friendly chat with Aleatha Aiken-Sherrer from Aleathabean to shoot the breeze and learn more about one of our favorite listeners. They discuss a number of topics today, from transitioning to full time pottery, finding a fun show locally, favorite cake flavors, the Buddy Show, shipping within Canada versus the USA, Becca has a new pen pal, wholesale orders, using gold luster/l...

Ryan and Becca go off on a few tangents on today's episode before getting into a couple questions about glazing techniques when applying multiple glazes to your pots and how to transition from brushing glazes to dipping glazes. Thanks for the questions! Resources Indianapolis Clay Studio Crawl glazy.org Amaco product update Batty Bitches Podcast Brickyard Podcast Network Sounds Like a Cult Ba...

Ryan and Becca go into developing their own styles, evolving their practices, and progressing their businesses over time. Progress can be made little by little or huge shifts in a short period of time. However you develop your own style, enjoy the process along the way and hopefully you have success in finding an audience for it if you rely on this for your small business. Resources Sounds Like a...

Ryan and Becca talk about scheduling their studio time effectively.  Becca works in a production pottery studio by day so schedules are crucial for staying productive and getting work down by the end of the week. Ryan has to balance his making on the side and continue to meet his commitments he's made for the pottery business. Enjoy today's discussion and we hope you get some insights to...

Ryan and Becca answer a number of listener questions related to small business scenarios. We cover topics ranging from  wholesale orders, handling repeat buyers online, selling your work at a local business, and market saturation of your work locally. Thanks to everyone for your questions! Resources Episode #27 with Amanda Schwartz from Doghouse Pottery What is a resale certificate? What would you...