We were lucky to catch up with Adrianne Hawthorne recently and have shared our conversation below.
Adrianne, appreciate you joining us today. Folks often look at a successful business and imagine it was an overnight success, but from what we’ve seen this is often far from the truth. We’d love to hear your scaling up story – walk us through how you grew over time – what were some of the big things you had to do to grow and what was that scaling up journey like?
Ponnopozz started much smaller than it is today. In 2018, I had recently quit my full-time job at Google and was deliberately unemployed. I felt that I needed to decompress from the fast pace of Silicon Valley. I started painting with a kids easel and some inexpensive art supplies. Each day, I created one small 8×8 canvas while listening to an art podcast called The Jealous Curator. I wasn’t sure where this “hobby” was going, but I felt like I was ready to resign control and let life open some doors.
About 8 months into 2018, two things happened. 1) I realized I missed the stability of a regular job and contacted my old manager at Google, asking if he needed a contract worker. He did, and I was brought back on to my old team as a remote contractor. 2) I decided I had way too many paintings lying around and planned to host an art show in my studio apartment.
The art show was a huge success. Friends, family, and random folks from the neighborhood showed up and I sold over half my paintings! It gave me the boost I needed to continue creating art under the moniker “Ponnopozz.” With my remote FT job secured, I also knew I had the funding to take things to the next level if needed.
2019 was all about exposure. Ponnopozz went to every craft show and market imaginable. While I loved selling my prints and art to the public, I didn’t like the temporary feel of the craft show circuit and decided I wanted to open my own shop. I wanted a place where I could sell my own work AND curate a colorful, fun space with the works of other makers and small businesses. A small storefront became available and I took the leap. I signed my first business lease in August 2019 and opened my first shop by November 2019.
2020 was a tough year for obvious reasons. The pandemic forced me to put my entire catalog of products online, catapulting my site into a full fledged e-commerce operation. I was only open Thursday nights and Saturdays in those days, since I was the only employee. The shop did well, and I got a lot of satisfaction out of curating an experience for people that was new and joyful.
By the middle of 2021, I knew I needed a larger space to really fulfill some of my goals. For instance, I wanted to host art workshops and events, but my current space was far too small at only 400 sq ft. With some convincing from a neighboring shop (District, owner Chris Murphy to be exact) I decided to sign a lease on a 1200 sq ft expensive space right across the street. I felt confident in my decision because the business was not in the red and I still had my Google salary in case things went awry.
I opened the new space in October of 2021 and am still there today. The shop is open 5 days a week and I have two fabulous employees who have taken the reigns so that I can focus more on my art and less on inventory, event planning, and other shop related things.
Delegating shop responsibilities has enabled me to spend more time on artwork, including a large mural I just installed in the shop’s Chicago neighborhood. I also still work at Google! I am full time, remote and Chicago based. Having Ponnopozz and Google is the right balance for me at this time. I know lots of people like the story of quitting corporate to go all in on your passions, but I also think it’s just as good to do both, if you can. For me, a 100% risk was not the answer.
Ponnopozz went from a single artist (me) in an apartment to a business with 2 employees, an online store and a brick and mortar shop. It took four years but it happened and is still growing in new and fun ways that I can’t even imagine!
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
My name is Adrianne Hawthorne and I am a UX designer at Google by day and a business owner by night. I am an abstract artist who is mostly inspired by color. I started Ponnopozz in 2018 to allow my creative side to run wild. The business is named after 2 imaginary friends I had as a kid, Ponno and Pozzer. The reason I named my business after them is because I wanted to get my soul back to the young toddler Adrianne who had a wild, free imagination and wasn’t held down by society’s expectations or the corporate grind.
I create abstract works on canvas or paper, typically with acrylic or gouache paint. I also do indoor and outdoor murals.
I think my personality sets me apart from a lot of other artists. While I’m an introvert at heart, I really do get out there and try things, even if they don’t work out. I’m an ADHD creator, which can be very good at times and a bit of a struggle. I am working on prioritizing my mental health and I make decisions based on my gut and not on data. I’m an open book and I like to share the struggles I have as an artist because I know it helps others feel less alone.
I am most proud of my shop and the fact that I’ve built a place where people feel welcome.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
The customer is not always right.
I had to learn that not every customer is the right fit for me or my brand. When I first started out, I was more than happy to bend over backwards for random customer requests (ie: I know you don’t sell branded phone cases but can you make a one off for me)? It was always “yes of course!” Or having people come up to me and critique my work at a craft show when I wasn’t asking for their thoughts (always men). I sat there and took their feedback, rather than telling them to leave. Or customers that are rude at my shop – I used to put up with it, now I don’t. I don’t care if I lose customers. If you have bad energy, you can take your business elsewhere. Or clients who commission artwork but don’t like the final result. I don’t even take commissions anymore because I don’t like painting them – too stressful! Art is supposed to be a form of release, not a client project. Anyway….
That new mantra has really helped me move forward with my business and art.
Can you open up about how you funded your business?
I started out buying art supplies with my own money and funding costs for making prints up front. My savings and later, my salary, helped me do this. Once I started attending craft shows and selling art, I began to grow my income. I separated my business credit card and checking account early on to keep it easy. I didn’t fundraise or collect capital, just started with a couple thousand dollars I had saved.
Contact Info:
- Website: ponnopozz.com
- Instagram: @ponnopozz
Image Credits
Amy Lynn Straub