We were lucky to catch up with Callie Cullum recently and have shared our conversation below.

Callie, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. How do you think about vacations as a business owner? Do you take them and if so, how? If you don’t, why not?

Taking a vacation as a business owner can feel nearly impossible at times. Taking a vacation often means more prep work before leaving and piled up work upon returning. I often find myself asking the question, is it even worth it? I’ve been running an award-winning branding agency for the last seven years and know first hand the hard work, determination, and trust in yourself that it takes to build and run a successful business. I also know how hard it can be to step away from it and allow yourself to truly disconnect. However, taking a vacation is critical for both business owners and creatives, and I find that to be even more true post-pandemic. Stepping away from the constant grind allows both your brain and your body to recharge, which in turn gives you more productivity and fresh perspectives and creative ideas upon returning. Just as a battery needs recharging to function optimally, you too need a break to maintain your creativity and productivity. We can’t be “on” all the time, it’s just not possible! A vacation is the perfect opportunity to hit the reset button on your mind. Exploring new places, trying new activities, or simply resting can spark new ideas and solutions you might not have thought of when constantly pushing yourself to your limit with no break in sight. Although taking a vacation can be hard, I ensure I prioritize at least one full week off per year. While I do take additional days off here and there throughout the year, I find that a day or so here and there doesn’t quite bring the clarity and new creativity that a full week away provides. So, don’t hesitate to take that well-deserved vacation – it’s an investment in your own well-being and the continued success of your entrepreneurial and creative endeavors.

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.

I’m Callie Cullum, an award-winning designer, entrepreneur, and potter. I have a Fine Arts degree and 15 years experience in the design world. I co-founded and work as the Creative Director of award-winning branding agency, The Look & The Feel, based here in Atlanta and in Asheville, NC. We provide branding services to entrepreneurs, businesses, and organizations who are putting good into our world. I decided to create this business upon my move to Atlanta from San Francisco after a 5 year stint in the corporate world. I realized that the corporate grind just wasn’t for me and I craved more autonomy and creativity than I was allowed while working under someone else. Now, The Look & The Feel is seven years old and we have a small but mighty team. We love supporting other entrepreneurs and creatives who are doing things differently and creating their own paths. In addition to my design work, I have always maintained the itch to create with my hands. This lead me into pottery and ceramics in 2018. I began taking night classes, fell in love with the art, and eventually built my own home studio during the pandemic. Since then, I have founded Sunny Ceramics, where I create handcrafted pottery to brighten your day. It’s truly a passion and has brought me so much joy and reprieve over the past few years. I sell my work online and participate in a few markets throughout the year around Atlanta. I’d love for you to check my art out!

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

In a post-pandemic world, it seems at times that morale is lower than ever. We’re burnt out, tired, and still working to understand the societal effect that the pandemic has had on us. Managing a team during this time can be tough. In my business, I’ve found that it helps to have clear brand values and ethos and ensuring you share this with all your team members. For example, one of ours is “We prioritize self care and wellness”. Having these values shared with team members from the beginning gives them the understanding and confidence to express their needs and take what they need to ensure they are doing their best work, which in turn creates retention, increased satisfaction, and higher morale. If you haven’t had a chance to create these for your team, you should take the time to do so. You can ask yourself questions such as: what do I most value in my working environment? Or, what does a successful team look like to my business? What qualities and priorities do I need from my team members to ensure success? I have found that always ensuring my business is standing by it’s values helps all members feel empowered to speak up, say no when appropriate, ask for help when needed, and hold their own boundaries. This creates a team with high morale and overall enjoyment in their work.

How’d you think through whether to sell directly on your own site or through a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc.

This question speaks to my pottery business, Sunny Ceramics. I sell my work online through Squarespace. My main reason for doing this is that I’m a highly-experienced Squarespace designer and developer. There are pros and cons to choosing to sell on your own site vs. a platform like Etsy. With your own site you do not need to pay listing fees however you do have to have decent SEO for others to find you. In addition to my reasoning above, I have found that utilizing tools like Pinterest can really help build your online presence. It takes a lot of time, but with the effort required you can build a strong online presence and sell directly on your own site, which will save you lots of money in platform fees in the long run!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.sunnyceramics.me
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sunnyceramicsatl/
• Other: www.calliecullum.com www.lookandfeelbranding.com