I Found a Flaw in My Business.

July looked a little different around here! 

For the first time in a long time, I took a proper break from workshops and markets — well, almost. There was one market in there, but otherwise, July was all about stepping back from events and focusing on something my business has desperately needed: stock.

And in doing that, I realised I’d accidentally created a bit of a flaw in my business.

I attend a lot of markets. They’re a huge part of Hallo Ceramics, and thankfully, people tend to like buying things when I’m standing in front of them with a table full of colourful ceramics. Which is brilliant!  But the problem is that I’ve often been making stock specifically to take to markets, and because demand at those events is high, my online shop can end up looking rather… sad.

Sold out. Sold out. Sold out.

Great news if you’re standing at my market stall. Not quite so great if you live nowhere near the market or can't make it down, see something you love on Instagram and then discover it’s unavailable online. (you can always message me to order directly, but I appreciate that isn't always clear)

It’s not exactly a terrible problem to have, but it’s something I’ve realised I need to fix.

So, I’m changing my focus.

My summer plan has been pretty simple: make. a. lot.

I’ve been using the quieter months to build up as much stock as I possibly can, rather than constantly making for the next event on the calendar.

That means restocking the online shop properly, tying up any open commissions, getting ahead on new pieces and, perhaps most importantly, making all of my autumn and winter stock before autumn and winter actually arrive! Not to mention making the most of the warmer days to ensure pieces are dry enough to fire.

Because once that busy season starts, it really starts. 😮💨

Markets, workshops, Christmas shopping, orders, making, glazing, packing… all while attempting to maintain some semblance of a normal life.

And this year there’s a slight extra thing to squeeze into September too..

I’m getting married!

So between making approximately a million pieces of pottery, preparing for my busiest season and running a small business, I’ll also be getting married and disappearing off on honeymoon.

(you've got this Heather!)

The difficult bit about having a quiet summer

Of course, there’s another side to taking a step back from workshops and markets: income.

When your business is your income, choosing not to run events for a whole month can feel… uncomfortable.

Even when you know why you’re doing it. Even when you know that building stock is productive.

Even when you know that the whole point is to create a better, more sustainable business in the long run.

There’s still that little voice in your head asking whether you should be doing more.

Should I run another workshop? Should I book another market? Should I be selling more Why is this month quieter? Is everyone else doing better than me?

It’s very easy to look at a quieter month and immediately interpret it as something going wrong. But I’m trying not to do that. Because a quieter month doesn't mean my business is failing.

It means I’m making a conscious decision to shift where my time and energy are going. And that’s actually quite a difficult thing to remember when you’re self-employed.

 

Not everything has to happen immediately

One of the biggest things I’m trying to work on with Hallo Ceramics is thinking beyond the next market, the next workshop or the next month's income.

I want to build a business where the online shop is properly stocked.

Where I have time to make new things because I’m not constantly scrambling to replace everything I sold last weekend. Where I can prepare for busy periods instead of being completely overwhelmed by them. Where I can take some time off without immediately feeling like everything is going to fall apart.

That doesn’t happen overnight.

And, unfortunately, it also doesn’t happen without a few quieter months along the way.

So if your summer has felt a little slower than expected, whether that’s in business, work or life generally, I’m right there with you.

It can be hard to trust that you're doing the right thing when the results aren't immediately visible.

But sometimes the quiet work is still work. Sometimes stepping back is actually moving forward. And sometimes your business isn't failing..

You’re just building it into something better!

So that’s what I’m doing this summer: making as much as humanly possible, getting my ducks (and ceramics) in a row, preparing for the chaos of autumn and winter, and trying to enjoy the fact that I’m getting married somewhere in the middle of it all.

Hopefully, the next time you visit the Hallo Ceramics shop, there’ll be considerably fewer “sold out” signs. And lots more ceramics coming your way!

That’s the plan, anyway..

Stay tuned! 🤓