We recently connected with Sarah Raud and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Sarah thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Naming anything – including a business – is so hard. Right? What’s the story behind how you came up with the name of your brand?

I’m pretty proud of the name, actually. I went searching through the Thesaurus with a definite theme in mind. I wanted the name to be specific to metalwork; gritty, but maybe with a bit of humor and a very nerdy human flare to it. I wanted it to say that this business was rustic, artisanal, and carved from the scrap that you’d find discarded at a construction site as opposed to a stagnant clean-cut sort of professionalism devoid of soul. Sustainability, accessibility, and freedom to do what I like has always been more of a focal point for me than making money. I stumbled upon “scoria” pretty quickly and immediately liked the feel of it. Apart from an igneous volcanic rock often used as pumice stones, ‘Scoria’ means the refuse or impurities from the melting of metals or reduction of ores, otherwise known as slag. I opted for something closer to the original Ancient Greek spelling skōria, meaning ‘refuse’ or ‘rust’ derived from skōr, meaning ‘dung’. So, I quite literally named my business rusty crap, which I find hilarious. I started this business by picking up rusty metal scrap and seeing what all I could make with it, so I think it’s more than fitting. Now, slag isn’t something you usually want to deal with in welding, but it’s an inevitability with metal working in general. With iron smelting, for example, slag can sometimes be quite beautiful, like a rough green or blue glass. Conceptually speaking, that’s what Skoria is for me; a way to breathe new life into and appreciation for that which has been underestimated, devalued, and cast aside by finding the beauty or usefulness in it, preferably both.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I provide something a bit different from any other metal fabrication shop. In fact, I don’t necessarily consider Skoria LLC. to be a fabrication shop at all, but more of an artist studio that specializes in welding and metalwork. For starters, I don’t only work exclusively with metal, though it is certainly my favorite material to work with and I’m most comfortable with it as a medium. I often use salvaged wood or epoxy and other materials. I love to experiment. Instead of going to a technical or trade school, I went to college for art and focused on metal sculpture and that had a big impact on the way I approach projects. I bring a level of versatility, creativity, and resourcefulness to the job that I think many of my clients appreciate. I might technically be a blue collar contractor by definition, but I doubt anybody would consider me or the work I do to be typical of that.

While welding may be what Skoria is known for, most of the time-consuming effort goes into material acquisition and the repurposing and redesigning that follows. I try to use as much scrap as I can and I’ll avoid ordering new metal from a major supplier if at all possible, which means not only sourcing the material, but cutting, loading, transporting, organizing, and storing the material until a project comes along where I can use that specific size, thickness, or shape. Even the “newish” material that I get is sourced from a second hand supplier who gets rejected structural steel from a local recycling center.

Using primarily scrap does come with some quirks that I’ve learned to either correct, cut out, or find a way to incorporate into the project. That sometimes requires patience, but I find the troubleshooting process rewarding and the result is often a more beautiful, genuinely rustic piece. I’ll create drawings or CAD files as a visual aid to the client, redesigning old material to fit a new form. I encourage clients to take an active role in the development of these projects and I like to see it as a collaborative effort, so clients can expect a level of communication that you don’t often see in this line of work.

Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.

Skoria definitely started off as part side hustle, part passion project. It seemed to grow pretty naturally, as if the conditions were just perfect and all I needed to do was nurture it. I had been a line cook for thirteen years, but was laid off when the pandemic hit. I wanted to escape the restaurant industry altogether, so I decided to see the situation as an opportunity for redirection. I hadn’t touched a welder in years, but picked up a cheap little Forney flux-core welder and collected some scrap to practice on. I started building myself tables, desks, stools and whatever else through quarantine. As the world opened back up, I was super low on funds so I picked up a landscaping job and ended up doing a few repairs for them and a couple of their clients. I did repairs on trailers, gates, and eventually started fabricating small handrails, all while working 50+ hours per week doing lawn maintenance. I was exhausted, the weather was getting cold and wet, it was obvious that I wanted to weld and I enjoyed the freedom that comes with working for yourself, so I started researching what all would go into starting an actual business. It was intimidating at first. I wasn’t sure if I could pull it off, but I had saved up enough for a little financial buffer and it just seemed like it was the right time. I’d figure it out one way or another. I think I put in my two weeks notice less that a month after receiving my official business license.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

Be honest, thorough, communicative, and do your best. Social media helps with initial exposure, but most of my actual business is spread via word of mouth. If people generally find that you do a good job, you’re honest, reliable, passionate, easy to talk to and hard-working, then the clients will start coming to you. It takes patience, but people talk. You just need to give them something worth talking about. Also, put yourself in the path of others who are likely to need your services and get comfortable with self-promotion. I happen to think that what I do is really cool, so I don’t mind mentioning it if the topic even remotely comes up, but it can feel a little pretentious or desperate unless it’s coming from a place of genuine interest and passion for what you do. You can connect with potential clients in all sorts of ways, but it certainly doesn’t hurt to mention what you do when it’s relevant to the person you’re speaking to. Take note on where to find those people.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/skoria_llc
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/scavengersofskoria
• Linkedin: http://linkedin.com/company/skoria-llc