279
7 min 55 sec

Farm Certification Specialist Turns Pottery Passion Into Hustle

What if you have more than one passion? It probably means you’re normal. In today’s episode, a California man integrates his love for agriculture and pottery.
Arts & Crafts Creativity Design Low Startup Potential Product

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What It's About

A man in Santa Cruz takes a passion and shapes it into a profitable side hustle.

Business Model
Arts & Crafts
Skills Required
Ceramics & Design
Complexity
Medium
Profit Potential
Medium

Words of Wisdom

The revenue that Drake brings in with his pottery ranges seasonally, from a few hundred bucks during the slow months to a lot more during the holiday season. Regardless, Drake’s annual costs are more than covered, leaving him with some extra income from a passion that he would have pursued anyway.

Moral of the story—if you're going to do something anyways, why not get paid for it?

Fun Fact

To celebrate his very first sale, Drake bought more clay so that he could get back into the studio to tinker with the design of future mugs. He was so excited by the idea that someone wanted to buy his usable art that he couldn’t wait to get his hands back in the clay.

Notes from Chris

Episode 279

Today’s side hustle comes from the beach town of Santa Cruz, California, where Drake Bialecki has two very different passions that he’s managed to integrate into his life. By day he works as a Farm Certification Specialist. Drake provides customer service for organic farmers. He makes decisions that comply with the national organic regulations on new labels, input materials, suppliers, products and new land. This satisfies his passion for supporting organic, sustainable agriculture, but he has another, more artistic passion that he nurtures on evenings and on weekends.

As a freshman in high school, Drake took a beginning ceramics class and was hooked. From the very first time he got his hands on the clay and turned it into something usable, he knew that this art form would always play a big role in his life. Throughout high school, he gifted his finished pottery pieces to friends and family and even started selling his pieces.

His grandma bought his first decent mug, which as he described it, “I was totally stoked! I couldn’t believe she wanted to buy a mug from me. That moment was a huge confidence booster for me. If it wasn't for the support of my family early on, this side hustle might not have developed at all.”

During his time in college, he managed to land apprenticeships at a couple local pottery studios.

He noticed that people were most excited about functional pottery—things like mugs, tea cups, bowls, plates, serving platters, teapots and even olive oil bottles—that they could use and enjoy every day. So he naturally gravitated toward creating those kinds of pieces, as opposed to the works of art that sit on a shelf and get used maybe once a year.

The revenue he brings in ranges seasonally, from a few hundred bucks during the slow months to a lot more during the holiday season. Regardless, Drake’s annual costs are more than covered, leaving him with some extra income from a passion that he would have pursued anyway.


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Inspiration is good; inspiration combined with action is better. Now get back to work!

Yours in the revolution,

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Quote of the Day
"Nothing excites me more than a satisfied customer telling me about their morning coffee ritual with one of my mugs or family friends talking me through their Thanksgiving dinner that was served on handmade serving platters, dinner plates, gravy boats, and the like."
—Drake Bialecki #SideHustleSchool

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To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau