Pottery workshop layout. Pottery as a business. Selection and arrangement of premises for the workshop

On the manufacture of ceramic products, you can build profitable business, both in large-scale and full-scale production, and as part of the opening of a small pottery workshop. The latter option, as experience shows, is even more cost-effective.

Basically, this direction of activity is chosen by entrepreneurs who already have some experience and are familiar with the specifics of pottery.

In this case, it will be faster and much more efficient to implement a business idea, but, on the other hand, lack of experience is fixable, and to study the nuances of manufacturing ceramic products under the power of everyone, there would be a desire. Moreover, such products are now in great demand, which is growing every year.

room

To accommodate a pottery workshop, a room of about 70-80 sq.m. will be required, which should be divided into a production area, a warehouse for raw materials and finished products, staff room with shower and toilet.

It is recommended to separately equip a room for glazing products, since the composition of the glaze contains substances that are harmful and hazardous to health, for example, lead, work with such a composition requires the use of respirators, professional system ventilation, as well as water supply and electricity supply.

As for the location of the pottery workshop, large ceramic manufacturers, if possible, place their workshops closer to suppliers of raw materials or clay deposits. A small pottery workshop can be located within the city, but not necessarily in the center, this will help reduce rental costs.

Equipment

Necessary equipment for a pottery workshop - directly production units (potter's wheel, clay kneading machine, oven, glaze mill, scales and ready-made stencil forms for small items), handy tools (potter's knives, shovels, threads, files, compasses, spoons and other pottery tools), furniture for craftsmen (tables, chairs), equipment for storage and storage of raw materials (tanks, racks, shelves).

Approximate calculation of costs at this stage:

Potter's wheel - from 900 to 1500 dollars;
Clay kneading machine - 950 USD;
Scales - from $ 180;
Tool - from $ 150 and above.

Firing of ceramic products is carried out in muffle furnaces. The average cost of one furnace is 2-2.5 thousand dollars.

Some pottery specialists, in order to save on the purchase of a muffle furnace, manage to convert electric stoves for the needs of firing.

Raw material

The cost of purchasing the first batch of raw materials (clay, enamels, paints, glazes) will be 1500-1600 USD. Clay is imported mainly from Ukraine. One ton can be purchased at a price of 100 USD. and higher.

Staff

Usually in small pottery workshops up to 50 sq.m. 2-3 masters work. The salary of such workers is 400-450 dollars per month, it all depends on the fullness of employment, the level of qualification of specialists.

Where can I get money to start my own business? This is the problem faced by 95% of new entrepreneurs! In the article, we have revealed the most relevant ways of obtaining start-up capital for an entrepreneur. We also recommend that you carefully study the results of our experiment in exchange earnings:

An accountant is also needed, the functions of a manager for the purchase of raw materials and sales are often assumed by the owner of the workshop, appearance products are handled by an incoming or full-time designer, graphic designer. The model range and success of the manufactured products will depend on the imagination and creative flight of thoughts of this specialist.

Specificity of activity

It is most profitable to start such a business in resort areas and cities with high tourist attendance, then ceramic products - original and authentic - will definitely be in demand. Of course, it is important to take into account the fact that there are competitors or suppliers of a similar group of goods.

Many believe that it is difficult for local pottery manufacturers to compete with cheap Chinese products. But it is worth remembering that a mass product is not as interesting as an individual development, besides, Chinese products, although cheap, are not of high quality.

When creating products, it is important to remember that each region of the country has its own history and traditions, which are reflected in ceramic souvenirs and paintings. And the clay, which has been mined for centuries and the way it is processed, is a kind of calling card areas, for example, Slavic, Gaivaretskaya, Cherry ceramics and others appeared, which Chinese manufacturers certainly cannot repeat.

It is not necessary at the first stages to engage in the manufacture of a huge range of ceramic products at once. The most popular dishes, decorative plates, mugs, magnets, vases.

The sources of income for the pottery workshop are the profit from the sale of the products themselves, as well as the recently popular services of holding master classes in pottery, courses and renting out the workshop and equipment.

Prices for such services: the cost of a master class per person - from 10 dollars, the rent of a workshop - from 35 USD. at one o'clock.

Markets and distribution mechanisms

The main sales markets are retail chains, small firms, flower and gift shops, souvenir shops, wholesale markets, small boutiques of gifts and souvenirs in large shopping and entertainment centers.

Effective advertising of services and sale via the Internet, own website, presence of an online store, promotion of goods through social media, electronic bulletin boards. In such electronic and printed sources, it is convenient to place information with a price list on products, as well as prices for pottery training services.

Investments and profit

The starting price for a simple clay product (using a stamped magnet as an example) is $1.5-1.8.

At a cost of 0.7-0.9 c.u.

Summing up, we note that the total investment for starting a business will be 7800-8000 dollars.

The payback period of a business project with intensive advertising promotion, active sales and search for potential customers, high quality products, unique design and creative fantasies of the artist does not exceed 12 months.

Video: pottery workshop from the inside

Do you want to open own business, but do not have serious funds for investment? It doesn't matter - you can always find a niche where you don't need a serious start-up capital, but at the same time it brings good profit. One of these niches iswhich we will talk about in this article. Its organization does not require anything supernatural or complex - anyone can open it.

Introduction

Clay products are still popular, despite the fact that more practical and reliable materials are on sale. Today, pottery is used mainly as souvenirs - in any store you can find plates, vases, cups, toys, tablets, frames and other clay products. They are very popular with buyers and demand, as a rule, greatly exceeds supply.

Pottery - good business for beginners

Why do you need a workshop if you can produce products in an apartment? Basically, on initial stage you may well organize production in a garage or office, but if it is a business, then you should still think about legalization and a separate room. You will need equipment, drying tables, you will be able to organize excursions for children, conduct master classes, which will significantly expand the number of your customers and will be a good marketing tool.

How to start

Before starting any kind of business, you must:

Study the market. Go around the souvenir shops in your city, see what they offer, at what price. Try to find manufacturers and find out their selling prices.
Create a buyer persona. Your clients will be tourists from 22 to 50 years old, as well as teenagers from 8 to 14 years old who will attend master classes.
Learn manufacturing technology. There is nothing complicated about this - on YouTube you will find hundreds of videos on how to make certain types of pottery.
Find a place. Let's just say - the apartment is not suitable. In principle, if you have your own house, then you can equip a barn or garage for this, but keep in mind that groups of people will come to you. Usually the equipment is installed in the yard.
Make a business plan. Many aspiring entrepreneurs skip this step. We do not recommend doing this - firstly, you will be able to collect all thoughts and ideas into one whole, and secondly, it will be for you as a reminder of where you wanted to move and what to achieve.
Register with the tax authorities. Registration is an important stage of legalization. If you want to provide services and sell products, then do not miss it.
Start working. After the premises are found, you purchase equipment and raw materials, and then get down to business. We recommend that you first focus on souvenirs in order to get a constant influx of money, and then organize excursions.

As you can see, there is nothing supernatural in this regard - with the proper desire and desire, you can open a workshop in a couple of weeks.

How to register

To register, you need to contact tax office at the place of residence. You can choose a system of work - an individual entrepreneur or a company with limited liability. For a potter, the first option is enough.

Attention:Setting up a sole proprietorship is much easier and cheaper than an LLC. IP reporting is also simpler, so we recommend choosing it.

When registering, select OKVED codes:

2, section C - manufacturing.
23 - manufacture of non-metallic products.
23.4 - manufacture of other ceramic products.
23.41 - production of decorative and household items from ceramics.

In principle, the above is quite enough for work, but if necessary, you can also specify retail and provision of consulting services. In principle, the number of OKVED codes is unlimited, so enter them without fear. But if you want to do something that is not included in the codes during registration, you will have to contact the tax office again, so it is better to indicate them in advance.

There is nothing difficult in pottery

Since your business is guaranteed to employ less than 5 people, you can choose a simplified system of work, which will allow you to refuse to fill out tax returns and keep records.

Premises selection

For work you need a room of 50 m2. This is sufficient to accommodate pottery workshop equipment and a small warehouse (recommended at least 15 m2).

Attention:choose a room on the ground floor to make it easier for you to take out finished products and bring in raw materials. Also keep in mind that visitors will come to you.

Where to choose a room? You do not need the central streets of hypermarkets, where rent is very expensive, a sleeping area or even the outskirts of the city near the traffic intersection is quite suitable for you. The requirements for the premises are simple: sufficient volume, the presence of running water, electricity and heating. It is desirable that it has ventilation (because the room will be damp), but in extreme cases, you can organize normal ventilation. Special repairs in the room are not needed - just plaster the walls or leave the brick - it looks good in the interiors.

We select equipment

So, we have already decided on the main issues. Next, consider what equipment you will need for work:

High quality pottery wheel. They exist with a foot drive and with a motor. We recommend purchasing modern motor options so as not to be distracted during work.
Scales for weighing raw materials and finished products. Two scales are usually needed - one measuring in grams (from 1 to 3000 grams) and the second measuring in hundreds of grams.
A machine for kneading clay. Of course, this can be done manually, but for this you will have to spend time and effort, and kneading qualitatively large volumes manually will not work.
A special kiln for roasting, with the help of which the products are dried and brought to condition. A classic oven will not work - you need a special temperature regime.
Various molds for making figurines and more.
A set of brushes and special paints for ceramics.

In 2018 prices, you will spend about 300 thousand rubles on the purchase of equipment and execution of all documents. This is quite an affordable amount for starting your own business.

Attention:if you are on a budget, you can always buy used equipment - this will reduce costs by about 30%.

Organizational matters

It is necessary to immediately decide on who exactly will work in the workshop. In principle, for starters, you can do it yourself in order to master the process and learn all its tricks. But then we recommend hiring people, as souvenirs will take as much time as possible to make. You will need at least two people - one will knead the clay and shape it, and the second will do the art painting. You can take on the duties of a manager, selling goods and organizing various events.

Conducting master classes, you will attract new customers

The manufacturing technology is quite simple:

The required amount of clay is poured with a certain amount of water, the solution is kneaded in the machine until a homogeneous mass is obtained. It is very important to achieve uniformity and lack of lumps so that the product does not have defects.
Giving clay the desired shape. Part of the clay is placed in molds, and part is sent to the potter's wheel for processing. The resulting product is dried so that it can be transferred to the oven.
Roasting of finished products. It is placed in an oven and kept at a certain temperature. During the firing process, the clay crystallizes and turns into ceramics - a dense and durable material that is not afraid of moisture.
After the product has cooled down, it goes to the artist's table. He paints it, giving it unique features. In some cases, special paints are used, which must be baked to obtain a glazed surface.

How much can you earn

Next, we move on to the most interesting - financial matters. You already know what is needed to organize a workshop, what equipment is needed, what exactly is produced and how ceramics are made. Now let's see how quickly the investment will pay off.

It is best to sell your goods in bulk, handing them over to souvenir shops. Usually they work as a network, so you need to contact the owner and interest him by offering favorable conditions. Keep in mind that chains need a large number of products - they sell dozens and hundreds of products a day.

Second source of income training courses and master classes. Most parents are happy to enroll their child in pottery workshop for children for creative courses, and regular visits from groups bring a good profit. You need to think in advance how exactly you will work, because working with children requires a special person, so you will either have to do it yourself or expand the staff.

Do not forget about large companies that often order souvenirs for the entire team - by getting contracts for such transactions, you can provide yourself with work for several weeks. In this article, we will not give exact numbers, because they simply do not exist - it all depends on your desire, location, products and the correct organization. Let's just name the general figures for the business - on average, a workshop working in one shift brings at least 3 thousand rubles of net profit per day, minus the cost of raw materials, rent and wages. You will earn about 90 thousand per month, recouping the investments made in 4-5 months (it should be borne in mind that you are unlikely to reach this amount right away). Practice shows that six months after the opening, the workshops are firmly on their feet and expand, launching new product lines, organizing various courses and circles, attracting visitors to master classes and lessons.

Pottery is always at the peak of popularity. The technology of their manufacture has not changed for several thousand years. Even materials such as glass, metal or plastic could not influence the popularity of these products. Since demand constantly exceeds supply, pottery can become a promising direction for creating a small and quite profitable business.

Where to start a business?

At first glance, it may seem that it is enough to simply open a pottery workshop, purchase raw materials and equipment, and you can start earning money. In fact, you need to carefully prepare before opening such a business. To be successful, you need to become a master potter. The manager who manages the business must carefully study the production process, as well as familiarize himself with the basics of pottery.

Legal registration

Such a line of activity should be registered under the code “Production of decorative and household ceramic products”. If issued individual entrepreneur, the number of hired workers should not exceed 5 people. In this case, you can choose a simplified taxation system. Thanks to this, you do not have to keep accounting records and fill out tax returns.

room

To organize pottery production at home, you need a small room with an area of 50 square meters. meters. In addition, it is necessary to allocate a separate area for a warehouse, with an area of 15 sq. meters. There you will store the finished product.

It is desirable that the pottery workshop be located on the first floor of the building. As for communications, the premises must have electricity, sewerage and running water. Also, do not forget about air conditioning and ventilation.

Equipment

For the manufacture of ceramic products, you must purchase a potter's wheel.

In addition, you will need:

Scales;
Clay kneading machine;
Kiln for roasting;
Forms for frames and various figures;
Paints and brushes.

You will have to invest about 300 thousand rubles in the production of pottery. This is a small starting capital that any novice entrepreneur can raise.

Before purchasing equipment, it is necessary to study the special literature in order to familiarize yourself with some important nuances.

Do not immediately buy new equipment. Sometimes you can find used pottery equipment in excellent condition through advertisements in newspapers and the Internet.

Staff

If you have an irresistible desire, as well as a certain amount of perseverance, you can do everything production processes on their own. But it is much more efficient to use hired labor.

To work in a pottery workshop, you can hire people:

For kneading clay;
Product molding;
Roasting;
Artistic design and painting of finished products.

Technology for the manufacture of clay products

Home production of pottery is as follows:

A solution of a certain consistency is kneaded from clay and water. Different grades of clay are used as feedstock;
The mixture is sent to the potter's wheel, where the master makes dishes from it. Various figurines are made using special molds on a potter's table;
Roasting in a kiln. This is the longest process. The longer the product is fired, the more durable and stronger it is;
Finished product coloring.

If you are interested in pottery production, you can watch videos on the Internet on specialized resources. Also, see other ideas for making money in the field of manufacturing materials and products, for example,.

Income

Pottery almost always finds its buyers. To organize the sale of finished products, you can take it for sale in supermarkets or souvenir shops. This is not the most profitable way, so you should try hard to become a regular supplier of a large souvenir chain. In this case, the volume of one batch of products will be at least 1000 pieces.

It is worth noting that pottery as a business brings good profits. To increase income, you can open training courses at the workshop. Many modern people who are tired of the daily hustle and bustle are happy to be creative. You can also organize refresher courses. In this case, you will have to purchase additional equipment for pottery production and consumables.

In addition, you can engage in the manufacture of pottery to order. Large companies often order large batches of souvenirs with their logo or symbols. The pottery business will be successful if you choose a competent pricing policy. For regular wholesale buyers it is necessary to provide a special system of discounts.

Purchase of raw materials

It is important to know that clay for pottery production can be of different varieties - white, red, and also with lime or sand impurities.

Before you start purchasing equipment, decide what kind of clay you will be working with. The choice of equipment and its cost largely depend on this.

Experienced potters mostly use red clay. The most important thing is that it contains a little lime. Experts advise finding one specific place where you can constantly take raw materials. It is desirable that the clay be oily and contain no more than 1% metal oxide. You can learn about the deposits of such material from local geologists or local historians.

Features of pottery

Before you start sculpting, you need to prepare the mixture. The traditional technology of pottery production involves squeezing air bubbles out of the clay. That is, the mixture must be thoroughly interrupted. To do this, the workpiece must be rolled up several times on a wooden board. With the help of a wire, it is cut into pieces and thrown against the table with force. After that, the workpiece must be twisted several times in a spiral. This is very important process, on which the amount of marriage largely depends.

Many aspiring entrepreneurs are interested in how to learn pottery? The most important thing is to be patient, because this art requires a long polishing of skill. If something doesn't work for you, don't be upset. Think of those potters who worked several thousand years ago. They did not have special equipment and literature from which to draw necessary knowledge, but despite this, they created real masterpieces.

Summing up

Nowadays, finding courses in pottery is not difficult. Therefore, having a desire, you can easily master this profession.

Experts recommend not to turn your apartment into a workshop. Use for this cottage, garage or rent a room. Otherwise, you will pollute all the rooms, burn the wiring, clog the sewers and, as a result, quarrel with all the neighbors.

The pottery workshop will bring good profit if you have a large enough number of customers. After you settle organizational and production issues, immediately look for reliable distribution channels.

Use advertising for this, and also take part in various art exhibitions. Offer souvenirs to small shops in the city center, at train stations and airports. If you take into account all these recommendations, the pottery workshop will become a profitable and promising business.

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Alexey Belousov and Alyona Shoiko from Novosibirsk sold their car to buy a clay kiln. Such an "exchange" opened the way for them to their own ceramics workshop - so they have never regretted the car since then. As well as the fact that they left their jobs and became entrepreneurs. The founders of the Formo studio told the Biz360 portal about how to stand out from the competition and why the focus was not on the production of products, but on training.

26 years; , 32 years; entrepreneurs from Novosibirsk, founders of a pottery workshop Formo. Alena graduated from the Siberian Academy public service(Faculty of Psychology), Alexey - University of Consumer Cooperatives (specialty " crisis management"). The Formo workshop opened in October 2017.

Sold the car, bought a stove

Alexey Belousov had never thought before that he would become a potter. Prior to that, he was engaged in various projects in completely different areas - from marketing campaigns before starting your franchise. But Alena Shoiko dreamed of ceramics since childhood. It was she who convinced Alexei to open a workshop.

“I always studied everything I could find about ceramics, then I got into a children's circle and stayed there for an indecently long time - I became too old for the circle, but I still went. I was able to work on the potter's wheel only a few years ago. I studied privately and immediately with a serious goal - to place my hands correctly. Then she worked as a pottery teacher herself, and then I had my own circle. And since I put it at home, Alexey, of course, tried it - and also fell in love with this activity. Now he has practiced so much that he will give me a head start. And it’s great, after all, potter is a male profession.”

“For a long time my life was connected with computers. In the end, I decided that I wanted to move from virtual to something real, tangible, - Alexey explains. “If I was primarily interested in money, I would hardly have taken up pottery - this is not the most profitable business in the world.”

At the same time, entry into this not the most profitable business today is not cheap. The main tool of the ceramist - a kiln for firing clay products - cost the beginners from Novosibirsk 250 thousand rubles. Another 80 thousand cost a potter's wheel. To buy a stove, Alena and Alexei sold the car.

“In the Papa Johns pizzeria, next to our workshop, there is a poster where it says that the creator sold his favorite car to open his own business and buy the first oven. This phrase amused us, because we had a similar story, - says Alexey. – I must say, we were lucky: we managed to buy equipment of a very high level, although it is usually difficult to find such models on the secondary market. At one time, we also acquired our car by accident on favorable terms. We then doubted whether we needed it at all. But, as it turned out now, if it weren’t for the car, there wouldn’t be a stove - and a workshop.”

“It was immediately clear to us that investing in equipment is an investment in the future,” Alena adds. “Therefore, we did not try to get by with a home-made wheel and oven, as some novice potters do, but immediately bought high-quality ones.”

"I'm shaping", "we're shaping"...

At first, Alyona and Alexey were going to make a workshop for personal creativity. Therefore, the stove was sent to the balcony, and the potter's wheel settled in the room of their apartment. But it soon became clear that it was inconvenient to live like that. “It's not just about the equipment. You also need to order clay (you can’t buy it in Novosibirsk, so we take it in Spain and Ukraine). It is always necessary to order in large volumes, and then store it somewhere, ”explains Alena.

They began to look for a separate area for the stove - and as a result, they came to the Formo space with master classes in clay modeling. It is they who today occupy 70% of the working time of Alexei and Alena - and singled them out against the background of other similar organizations.

Prior to ceramics, Alena was a photographer for six years, and also taught dance, different types needlework and, in fact, pottery. Alexey also had experience in design and photography. All of this ended up being very useful in their new business.

“My education as a psychologist also helped. After all, I communicate with people a lot now, but here you can’t do without psychology, ”says Alena.

The name came to the mind of novice masters by chance: from the word "shaping". “Education” in this context is associated with master classes, and the word formo in Portuguese means “to be formed”. In addition to the semantic load, the name of the workshop also sounds modern and international.

According to Aleksey, few competing workshops paid due attention to the name - and in vain. It can play a big role in business scaling. In particular, when entering the federal and international level with its products.

Loft Residents

There are a number of special requirements for placement under a ceramic workshop - first of all, according to fire safety. You won't go to the office center with such a project. However, Alexey and Alena were lucky again: pretty soon they found a site in the Novosibirsk Loft-Nsk loft in the city center. Formo started on about 30 square meters and is now spread over 50.

The place required serious renovation. Basically, Alexei did it himself. So out production premises with ventilation shafts and openings for elevators turned out to be a workshop.

“It was scary to launch: it seemed to us that no one would come to the opening, except for our friends,” Alena admits. - But in the end, the loft itself provided us with informational support. Plus, the information spread on social networks. We did not launch any special advertising there for the opening - we just hung an announcement. As a result, there weren’t many acquaintances at the opening, but mostly strangers came.”

Entrepreneurs immediately began to offer master classes, which turned out to be in demand. Almost from the very opening, a large flow of people went to Formo, and so far entrepreneurs have not encountered any downtime. “Also, we immediately began to receive orders for dishes from Novosibirsk companies,” says Alexey. “So we started both work with training sessions and sculpting to order at the same time.”

Dates and birthdays with clay

Formo lessons take at least 100 kg of clay per month, it is ordered from various suppliers in Spain and Ukraine. At the master classes, Aleksey and Alyona give students a chance to try different modeling techniques (by hand and on a potter's wheel) and applying glazes (dipping, watering, spraying). The main goal of the creators of the studio is for the guests to get quality work, not children's crafts. After the class, the items are fired, so that the participants then take home the finished ceramics of their own production.

There are days in the schedule of master classes for a week when you can come and sculpt on a free topic, and there are at least three group thematic classes in hand modeling. Individual pottery master classes are also held every day (in the near future, group classes on the circle will also be held in the studio). Sculpting on a free topic is paid on time: 400 rubles per hour for an adult, 300 for a child. A lesson on the potter's wheel for one person will cost 800 rubles, for a couple - 1200.

At the same time, 12 people can attend a group master class. But if necessary, the number can be increased to 30 (for example, for a corporate party). “The advantage of our loft is that we can rent additional space and hold classes for a large audience,” says Alexey. - As far as I know, this is also one of our competitive advantage: Many other studios don't have that option."

Families and couples often come to Formo - especially for a lesson called "A date for the potter's wheel". Also among the visitors are people who are simply interested in self-development and they attend many courses and classes. In addition, the workshop has a service for children's birthday parties.

Greek Cup

As for their products, for the time being this direction is developing in the workshop rather according to the residual principle - when there is time left free from teaching others. Alexey and Alena's products can now only be bought in their small showroom at Formo.

Basically they create dishes. “Before the New Year, we tried to participate with our products in the market. And even about the very popular decorative garnet in the world of ceramics, people asked - how can it be used? That is, it is applied items that are in great demand, - Alena states. - Crockery is interesting. Jewelry and figurines can be made from many other materials. And the dishes are mostly only made of clay.”

For the next year, the creators of Formo are planning to develop the direction of their production and establish online sales. Hopes are pinned on Instagram: according to Alexei, ceramics are selling well there. Today, it is there and on VKontakte that the studio is moving forward. Plus, the masters are going to open their own online store.

“While we are working together, we only have time for content for our main Instagram profile. And time to practice and ceramic profile for sale, not enough, - says Alena. So for the time being, we only take orders from time to time. But we already have a growing team, so we will develop this direction soon.”

Nevertheless, among these rare commissioned works, Formo masters already have a foreign one. Recently visited Novosibirsk musical group, in which the keyboardist was from Greece. And this man from the homeland of pottery, where there are entire villages of ceramists, ordered a cup from Formo. He collects them: he buys one in every city he visits.

There will be more potters

According to Aleksey, his studio not only has competitors, but, most likely, there will be more. However, Formo has already reached a leading position in the city, because the studio was heavily invested at every stage of work.

“There are people who have worked for us for years, and yet in many ways we have become pioneers,” says Alexey. - For example, not every workshop has a brand, but we tried to make it; Not everyone even has a website. We launched your website. Let it be a C for now, but it’s better to do it that way than to keep the perfect one in your head and not do it at all. ”

Entrepreneurs say they are lucky that they know how to train, that is, train personnel themselves: in the near future they intend to expand Teaching Staff. This is necessary to launch full-fledged courses in ceramics - for those who want not just to try themselves, but to learn this business. Subsequently, the creators of Formo also plan to develop coworking in their space.

“If you look at the Internet, it may seem that ceramics has become very popular and there are even too many offers,” summed up Alena. - But if we talk about specific cities, in reality it is not so. New studios in our city will certainly appear again.”

“Novosibirsk is big, and the potters in it today can be counted on the fingers – that's why everyone has clients,” Alexey adds.

Investments: from 135 000 rubles

Payback: from 4 months

An excellent option for an aspiring entrepreneur with creative potential would be to open your own pottery workshop. This, at first glance, non-obvious idea can be a worthy object for investing effort, money and time. How to implement this project you will learn from this article.

business concept

Ceramics has been a companion of our everyday life since time immemorial and to this day does not go out of fashion. And the growing popularity hand made products makes it even more relevant. Clay products can be very diverse - purely utilitarian or purely decorative. Dishes made on the potter's wheel: jugs, plates, mugs, dishes, etc. - can be used for their intended purpose or as decoration. You can make souvenirs, jewelry, decorative tiles, photo frames and much more from clay. If there is a sufficiently large assortment, there will be no shortage of potential buyers. There are also many options for selling products. You can sell products in bulk for subsequent sale through stores, make products to order, and put them up for sale in various souvenir shops. It is also possible to sell goods directly to customers - directly in the workshop or through your own shop or shop.

Various kinds of master classes are quite popular at present, including those on the manufacture of ceramic products. Equipping your workshop additional tools and potter's wheels, as well as providing enough publicity to attract customers, it is quite possible to organize classes for everyone.

What is required for implementation?

You need a suitable space to work. It shouldn't be big, but it should be able to fit everything. necessary equipment, materials and finished goods. If you plan to conduct courses and master classes, then you should choose a room with a convenient location, as well as equip it with additional furniture and fixtures.

The main tools will be a potter's wheel, a clay kneading machine, scales and, perhaps, the most expensive element - a kiln for firing products. Finding material for modeling - clay - is not difficult.

Pottery wheels come in various designs (manual, foot, table, floor, mechanical, electric). Each master selects a circle individually, based on personal preferences and convenience.

For the production of standard products, such as souvenir magnets, it is convenient to use ready-made molds. This will speed up the process and get the same neat products.

At the initial stage, the entrepreneur himself can work in the workshop on his own or with one assistant. While the volume of work is small, it is quite possible to combine production and organizational work. However, as the business develops and the volume of work increases, additional staff will be required.

In no case should you neglect advertising. As in any other business, it is the engine of trade. The more potential clients and customers learn about the workshop, the more likely to succeed. One of the most effective channels today is the Internet. You can organize your own website and online store or use the services of existing resources.

For legalization entrepreneurial activity it is advisable to open an IP of this kind.

Step by step start instructions

Market analysis, study of competitors, demand for products, possible sales options.
Drawing up a business plan and seeking funding.
IP registration.
Search and rental of premises (repair, if necessary).
Selection and purchase of furniture and equipment, tools.
Search for suppliers of raw materials and purchase of the first batch of working material.
Advertising and promotion of a business project.

Financial calculations

A pottery workshop is a business that requires investment. An entrepreneur cannot do without initial costs, because funds will be required to rent premises, purchase equipment and materials for work.

The amount of start-up costs for each individual project will differ depending on the scale of the activity. As an example, consider the option of a small pottery workshop in which the entrepreneur works independently.

Start-up capital

The initial investment will include:

rent of premises - from 20 thousand rubles per month;
potter's wheel - from 30 thousand rubles;
kiln for firing products - from 40 thousand rubles;
clay mixing machine - from 30 thousand rubles;
scales - from 5 thousand rubles;
advertising - about 10 thousand rubles.

In total, the minimum amount required to open your own small pottery workshop will be 135 thousand rubles.

Monthly expenses

TO monthly expenses will include rental payments for the premises and advertising costs, which together will amount to about 30 thousand rubles.

Payback periods

The pottery business can pay off in 4-5 months.

Business features

Opening a pottery workshop is one of those cases where a simple hobby can grow into your own financially successful project.

This type of activity is ideal for people who are passionate about working with clay. Otherwise, you will have to first master this craft or immediately hire professional craftsmen.

Just making pottery is not enough. It is necessary to first find out which of them will be in demand, otherwise the entrepreneur risks being left with unsold goods. The best option is to work on pre-order.

Outcome

Own pottery workshop a good option for a novice entrepreneur, allowing you to realize your creative potential and receive stable income. The risks associated with such a business are minimal, and relatively small amounts of financial costs allow you to start operating almost immediately.

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