Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Paul and Paula Lane. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, Paul and Paula thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?
Paul and I are retired high school teachers. Paul retired first in 2019. With his small retirement package, he decided to invest in a hobby by purchasing quality woodworking equipment. He started creating charcuterie boards and cutting boards and has since expanded into a more diverse inventory such as propagation vessels and nativity scenes. I (Paula) retired 3 years later. When I attended high school, I had a wonderful art teacher. My schedule only allowed me to take art for 1 year, but in that year, I learned a great deal about pottery. We created handbuilt items and learned how to throw on the wheel. When Paul and I married, he built me a potter’s wheel out of plans from the Mother Earth News magazine. I still have that wheel and do all my trimming on it. I bought a used kiln at a garage sale. Essentially, I have dabbled in pottery since 1974 as a hobby. When I retired, we purchased new equipment for my pottery studio, including a new electric wheel, kiln, and slab roller. Then, our business became a reality. We have worked on our items for 3 to 5 years now. We attend our local Farmer’s Market and have a booth to sell our products out of a local Indie bookstore named 4th and Court. Bookshop & Markerspace. We have attended a few different venues but mostly stay busy within our small community. We do a lot of special orders for people with specific needs or wishes. Paul recently built a live-edge coffee table and bench for a former student, and I have been very busy with special orders, including place settings, specific-sized coffee mugs, etc. It has grown from a simple hobby to a busy and rewarding small business.
Paul and Paula, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
Paul and I are retired school teachers. We live in the small rural community of Clay Center, Kansas. We love our community. The people here embrace art. Our community has been recognized nationally for our “Mural movement.” We have an outstanding “Grow Clay County” organization that is progressive in showcasing new businesses and family activities. We have always dabbled in our new business as hobbies while teaching. In retirement, we wanted to stay active and chose to expand on those hobbies. It has paid off as we are busy, constantly improving and changing our products and learning more each day about how to improve our business. We are most proud of putting products in this world that will last a lifetime.
Alright – let’s talk about marketing or sales – do you have any fun stories about a risk you’ve taken or something else exciting on the sales and marketing side?
We started by filling our time with a hobby in our retirement. We got a sales tax number through the Kansas Department of Revenue, combined both of our businesses under that tax number, and launched into sales. We started selling our products at our local Farmers Market. We use social media to let people know when we are going to be set up there and have gained a following on those Saturday mornings. It is rather exhilarating to be accepted in this way. We decided to take a risk and rent a booth at our local community annual event called “Piotique” (combination pioneer and antique). The event was a success, and we had great feedback from the community. We each set up Instagram accounts to show new products, and people contact us if they want to purchase something. We sold mostly out of our home and the Farmers Market until a new business called “4th and Court Bookshop & Makerspace” was looking for vendors to grow their business. We have since sold our merchandise through them. We stay as busy as we would like in our retirement years. At this time, we do not have a website and do not sell on any social media platforms.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
We feel like our products speak for themselves. We use quality materials and strive to represent ourselves in a reputable manner. Word of mouth and getting out in the public generate sales. We donate to local fundraising events as a way of showing our appreciation for those who enjoy our products.
Contact Info:
Image Credits
Sugarsnap Studio