1 00:00:00,650 --> 00:00:05,590 Our country is full of incredible makers dreaming of turning their talent... 2 00:00:05,740 --> 00:00:07,040 into money -making careers. 3 00:00:07,360 --> 00:00:10,380 It would mean everything to be able to do this full -time. 4 00:00:10,640 --> 00:00:15,260 So, with a team of fantastic professional mentors... I know your 5 00:00:15,260 --> 00:00:16,500 know what you're capable of doing. 6 00:00:16,740 --> 00:00:20,800 I run a one -of -a -kind bootcamp showing them how to do just that. 7 00:00:21,040 --> 00:00:25,540 Perfect. My proudest moment. I'll just share that. Yes. Now, I'm on my way to 8 00:00:25,540 --> 00:00:29,460 catch up with those who have made their dreams come true. Hello. There he is. 9 00:00:29,520 --> 00:00:30,520 Hello, mate. 10 00:00:30,820 --> 00:00:33,440 I'll be hearing about their amazing achievements. 11 00:00:33,720 --> 00:00:37,280 I've been able to put down... . . 12 00:00:37,280 --> 00:00:44,720 . 13 00:00:44,720 --> 00:00:45,720 . . . . 14 00:01:03,240 --> 00:01:08,300 One of the best things about my job is watching our incredible mentors 15 00:01:08,300 --> 00:01:10,940 people's lives through their support and expertise. 16 00:01:12,720 --> 00:01:17,540 And today, we're going to check in on two talented makers who are enjoying 17 00:01:17,540 --> 00:01:18,540 -changing success. 18 00:01:19,520 --> 00:01:23,180 Later, we'll be catching up with Stone Carver Richard from Northumberland. 19 00:01:23,440 --> 00:01:27,880 I would have never thought that I'd be in the situation that I am now, having 20 00:01:27,880 --> 00:01:31,760 own workshop, hundreds of orders already through the door, hundreds waiting. 21 00:01:32,480 --> 00:01:33,480 It's changed everything. 22 00:01:34,220 --> 00:01:39,140 But first, I'll be visiting Hayley in Hampshire to find out how her upholstery 23 00:01:39,140 --> 00:01:40,380 business has taken off. 24 00:01:42,500 --> 00:01:47,640 She came to my boot camp in the summer of 2023, looking for help that would 25 00:01:47,640 --> 00:01:49,060 change her family's lives. 26 00:01:49,860 --> 00:01:53,640 My husband is a plumber and he's got a bad back which is getting worse. 27 00:01:54,220 --> 00:01:57,140 I need this to take off so that I can support the family. 28 00:01:57,360 --> 00:02:01,920 We can work together on a new journey and adventure and I can just do the 29 00:02:01,920 --> 00:02:02,639 that I love. 30 00:02:02,640 --> 00:02:06,940 To help Hayley build the business she was hoping for, I set her three 31 00:02:06,940 --> 00:02:12,120 challenges. First up was making a volume piece, something she could make quickly 32 00:02:12,120 --> 00:02:13,600 and price affordably. 33 00:02:14,080 --> 00:02:19,000 She chose to make an orange velvet bar stool with both a back and seat pad, 34 00:02:19,160 --> 00:02:22,360 complete with white piping, priced at £125. 35 00:02:23,550 --> 00:02:26,570 The base and the seat back have already been cut out by my husband. 36 00:02:27,070 --> 00:02:31,010 He's put in the air holes for the fabric to breathe and also the threads that my 37 00:02:31,010 --> 00:02:34,030 bolts will go through so that I can attach it to the base. 38 00:02:35,030 --> 00:02:38,950 Once she'd marked out the shapes of the baseboards for the back and seat pads, 39 00:02:39,230 --> 00:02:43,450 Hayley used an electric carving knife to cut the foam that would sit on top of 40 00:02:43,450 --> 00:02:44,450 them. 41 00:02:44,570 --> 00:02:47,750 It's really satisfying to do that. It just goes through it like butter. 42 00:02:48,010 --> 00:02:52,690 And it's also really good if you have curves to use one of these because you 43 00:02:52,690 --> 00:02:53,790 get the shapes that you want. 44 00:02:54,630 --> 00:02:58,870 As Hayley tried to build the business she was hoping would make life easier 45 00:02:58,870 --> 00:03:02,410 her family, she was supported by mentor Michaela Sharp. 46 00:03:04,310 --> 00:03:09,150 As a well -known upholsterer and interior designer with a passion for 47 00:03:09,150 --> 00:03:14,130 and colour, Michaela combines carpentry and sewing skills in her own upholstery 48 00:03:14,130 --> 00:03:15,130 business. 49 00:03:15,330 --> 00:03:18,170 And she soon spotted a way she could help Hayley. 50 00:03:18,690 --> 00:03:22,390 Can I give you one tip for how I cut my foam? And there's always loads of 51 00:03:22,390 --> 00:03:26,510 different ways of doing things. I always stick mine onto the wood and then cut 52 00:03:26,510 --> 00:03:29,790 around that. That way you don't get any wiggly edges. And when you come to stick 53 00:03:29,790 --> 00:03:31,800 the foam down, you know it's... Exactly. Perfect. 54 00:03:32,360 --> 00:03:35,800 That's such a good tip. What I would also love to see from you is offering 55 00:03:35,800 --> 00:03:36,800 bespoke options. 56 00:03:36,960 --> 00:03:41,100 I think being able to offer people their own combination of colours is what's 57 00:03:41,100 --> 00:03:42,260 going to set your stools apart. 58 00:03:42,800 --> 00:03:45,980 Amazing. Yeah, because I guess you could customise the shape first. 59 00:03:46,220 --> 00:03:49,800 Yeah, think about if you can add in some curved lines or some wiggles just to 60 00:03:49,800 --> 00:03:53,600 make sure that they are really different from the general stools that people are 61 00:03:53,600 --> 00:03:55,020 seeing in the shops. 62 00:03:55,240 --> 00:03:56,240 Okay. 63 00:03:57,380 --> 00:04:01,780 After that great advice from Michaela, I wanted to get her thoughts on Hayley's 64 00:04:01,780 --> 00:04:02,780 second challenge. 65 00:04:02,960 --> 00:04:07,260 Before she arrived at my bootcamp, I asked Hayley to make a high -end piece, 66 00:04:07,480 --> 00:04:09,100 something for a bigger budget. 67 00:04:09,440 --> 00:04:14,100 She brought along a bespoke velvet chair with a playing card design and green 68 00:04:14,100 --> 00:04:18,339 trim. It took eight hours to make and was priced at £650. 69 00:04:20,000 --> 00:04:24,060 I think to have made the shapes and have designed it all, it's got some real 70 00:04:24,060 --> 00:04:25,060 qualities to it. 71 00:04:25,200 --> 00:04:30,160 But I think it can be a bit novel, the fabric choices that it's chosen and the 72 00:04:30,160 --> 00:04:33,640 combination of colours as well with the neons on. I'd like to see it maybe a 73 00:04:33,640 --> 00:04:34,640 little bit more classic. 74 00:04:34,820 --> 00:04:38,180 OK, yeah. I think somebody's going to have to live with this every day in the 75 00:04:38,180 --> 00:04:39,180 house. 76 00:04:41,020 --> 00:04:45,920 Back in the upholstery barn, Hayley had stuck the foam to the seat and seat back 77 00:04:45,920 --> 00:04:46,920 of her barstool. 78 00:04:47,230 --> 00:04:50,630 and was marking out their outline onto the fabric that would cover them. 79 00:04:50,930 --> 00:04:55,850 I'm just using a chalk pencil to make sure I can get nice and close to my 80 00:04:56,370 --> 00:05:00,670 I need to put in a seam allowance, which is the area that I'm going to sew the 81 00:05:00,670 --> 00:05:01,670 fabric together. 82 00:05:02,430 --> 00:05:08,570 For this, I'm actually using 15mm pipe. My husband is a plumber and it just 83 00:05:08,570 --> 00:05:12,030 works really well because it's the perfect seam allowance and it saves me 84 00:05:12,030 --> 00:05:15,690 to go round to the tape measure and do it slowly. So it's just a little time 85 00:05:15,690 --> 00:05:16,690 -saving thing. 86 00:05:18,750 --> 00:05:22,970 I'm just going to cut this out now on my seam allowance that I've marked out. 87 00:05:24,450 --> 00:05:29,010 With the fabric cut to size, Hayley prepared the piping by snipping it 88 00:05:29,010 --> 00:05:30,990 the corners to help it curve nicely. 89 00:05:32,590 --> 00:05:35,170 She then sewed the fabric and piping together. 90 00:05:36,870 --> 00:05:41,110 The trick is to take it slow, really, because if you go off with your seam 91 00:05:41,110 --> 00:05:44,950 allowance, it affects the whole shape, especially on the corners. It's, you 92 00:05:44,950 --> 00:05:46,670 know, just taking that little bit at a time. 93 00:05:50,030 --> 00:05:54,650 Once Hayley had made the back pad of her barstool, she finished off the one for 94 00:05:54,650 --> 00:05:59,190 her seat by stuffing the foam base into the fabric cover, checking the piping 95 00:05:59,190 --> 00:06:00,350 was straight as she went. 96 00:06:01,390 --> 00:06:06,830 I've chosen seven centimetres for my thickness because my seat back is three 97 00:06:06,830 --> 00:06:07,469 a half. 98 00:06:07,470 --> 00:06:10,830 By doubling the seat it kind of gives that luxurious plump look. 99 00:06:11,230 --> 00:06:17,630 I'm just holding it there and I'm going to temporary tuck at my north. 100 00:06:22,210 --> 00:06:24,890 We're going to do the same at the south. 101 00:06:32,270 --> 00:06:35,870 So once we've done the north and south, we're going to do corner, corner, 102 00:06:35,910 --> 00:06:36,910 corner, corner. 103 00:06:37,310 --> 00:06:41,970 To finish, Hayley trimmed off the excess fabric, stapled around the edges and 104 00:06:41,970 --> 00:06:44,830 made sure the white piping was all nice and straight. 105 00:06:45,390 --> 00:06:49,470 Once I've done that, I'm just going to cut out some black for the base and then 106 00:06:49,470 --> 00:06:50,470 I'm going to get it all screwed together. 107 00:06:51,950 --> 00:06:54,970 Hayley's barstool took her around four hours to craft. 108 00:06:55,210 --> 00:06:58,970 It was a great piece, simple but with a luxurious finish. 109 00:06:59,420 --> 00:07:03,260 With a make time of four hours, she gave it a price tag of £125. 110 00:07:04,140 --> 00:07:08,620 I think it's priced really affordably, but perhaps a little bit low. 111 00:07:09,160 --> 00:07:13,540 Edging the price up is going to be in line with the quality of the item. 112 00:07:13,920 --> 00:07:17,660 OK, cool. Thank you. Do you have any advice on how Hayley can sell these? 113 00:07:18,320 --> 00:07:22,360 Yeah, absolutely. I think while you're building your brand, looking at other 114 00:07:22,360 --> 00:07:27,080 websites online that sell high -end homeware and drawing on their kind of 115 00:07:27,080 --> 00:07:30,460 expertise for marketing and sales and listing them on sites like that will 116 00:07:30,460 --> 00:07:32,860 really help. That's a great idea. Thank you so much. 117 00:07:34,600 --> 00:07:37,660 Michaela had some great tips for Hayley's first two products. 118 00:07:37,900 --> 00:07:42,720 And for her final challenge, we asked her to create her favorite piece to see 119 00:07:42,720 --> 00:07:46,920 the item she was most passionate about making could also be a big hit with 120 00:07:46,920 --> 00:07:52,300 potential customers she decided to make the first product she ever sold her slim 121 00:07:52,300 --> 00:07:57,980 jim fold stall with fold away legs covered in decorative recycled polyester 122 00:07:57,980 --> 00:08:04,820 free complimentary buttons it was priced at 150 pound she 123 00:08:04,820 --> 00:08:09,580 began by gluing the foam onto her pre -made wooden base like michaela showed 124 00:08:09,580 --> 00:08:10,580 for her bar stool 125 00:08:11,660 --> 00:08:16,380 Once it was cut, it was covered with polyester and the top fabric and stapled 126 00:08:16,380 --> 00:08:18,320 down, all ready to add the buttons. 127 00:08:18,840 --> 00:08:22,120 I'm going to start in the centre, pop a pin in 128 00:08:22,120 --> 00:08:28,840 to find the middle. 129 00:08:29,480 --> 00:08:35,720 I'm going to get my needle where my hole is and 130 00:08:35,720 --> 00:08:38,620 I'm going to push it through my foam. 131 00:08:42,440 --> 00:08:44,140 And then pop my button in. 132 00:08:45,100 --> 00:08:49,780 Give it a pull to the desired depth that I want. And then once I've got the 133 00:08:49,780 --> 00:08:51,720 right tension, I'm just going to staple it off. 134 00:08:58,320 --> 00:09:00,460 That's one done, and then I've just got two more to go. 135 00:09:01,840 --> 00:09:06,200 After finishing the top, Hayley turned her attention to the base, screwing in 136 00:09:06,200 --> 00:09:07,200 the fold -away legs. 137 00:09:08,540 --> 00:09:10,600 It's always good to hand screw. 138 00:09:11,420 --> 00:09:15,960 the screws in first because if you tighten one up then sometimes the others 139 00:09:15,960 --> 00:09:20,140 don't fit and then once I've got all my bolts in 140 00:09:20,140 --> 00:09:26,640 I'm just going to use this just to tighten those up and that just goes down 141 00:09:26,640 --> 00:09:29,120 the threads that I pre -drilled in earlier. 142 00:09:30,600 --> 00:09:36,760 I hope Michaela's going to like it. I think she'll appreciate the design 143 00:09:36,760 --> 00:09:39,860 elements and the fact that it's really unique. 144 00:09:40,910 --> 00:09:45,090 Having helped start her business, Hayley's Slim Jim Fold Stall was 145 00:09:45,090 --> 00:09:47,070 understandably close to her heart. 146 00:09:47,810 --> 00:09:52,890 It had material costs of around £76 and a price tag of £150. 147 00:09:54,110 --> 00:09:55,430 Such a clever idea. 148 00:09:55,730 --> 00:10:00,030 I think it's so space -saving. You know, the market for it is huge. I really 149 00:10:00,030 --> 00:10:04,070 believe that getting this out to market hinges a lot on how you brand it. 150 00:10:04,410 --> 00:10:08,990 And I think some videos to show people how easy it is to get it out and fold up 151 00:10:08,990 --> 00:10:13,310 the legs, tuck it away, how lightweight it is, will really help bring it to life 152 00:10:13,310 --> 00:10:13,989 for people. 153 00:10:13,990 --> 00:10:17,770 What we need to do is get you into some stockists so that other brands can be 154 00:10:17,770 --> 00:10:20,890 championing this really fantastic design that you have. 155 00:10:21,630 --> 00:10:24,170 Hayley excelled at each of my three challenges. 156 00:10:24,710 --> 00:10:28,690 And we sent her back to Hampshire with an action plan to help her business 157 00:10:28,690 --> 00:10:32,710 thrive so that husband Martin could take a step back from his plumbing work. 158 00:10:34,240 --> 00:10:39,080 First, we wanted her to create curves or wiggles for her bar stools, and offer 159 00:10:39,080 --> 00:10:42,240 bespoke options to allow customers to pick their own colors. 160 00:10:43,260 --> 00:10:48,060 Next, she needed to create video content for her social media, especially for 161 00:10:48,060 --> 00:10:49,900 her fabulous fold -away footstool. 162 00:10:50,980 --> 00:10:55,420 Finally, we wanted her to approach stockists, so other brands could 163 00:10:55,420 --> 00:10:57,580 work. The bigger the brand, the better. 164 00:11:00,620 --> 00:11:04,740 After leaving the boot camp, we gave Hayley eight weeks to work on our advice 165 00:11:04,740 --> 00:11:06,300 and kick -start her business. 166 00:11:06,660 --> 00:11:11,840 And with Michaela's support and husband Martin's help, she wasted no time coming 167 00:11:11,840 --> 00:11:16,480 up with new designs and picking new fabrics to make her barstools more 168 00:11:18,220 --> 00:11:20,080 My new sandals have arrived! 169 00:11:21,160 --> 00:11:25,560 She also roped in her local blacksmith to help customise the barstool's legs. 170 00:11:25,820 --> 00:11:30,000 I'm thinking about adding some wiggles or curves or something in it just to 171 00:11:30,000 --> 00:11:31,100 it a little bit more unique. 172 00:11:31,420 --> 00:11:35,380 I mean, we'd have to keep it straight here just to make sure it doesn't, you 173 00:11:35,380 --> 00:11:39,440 know, it's nice and solid. But all of this could be wiggled. 174 00:11:39,680 --> 00:11:44,120 With help from daughter Ellie, Hayley also focused on creating new videos and 175 00:11:44,120 --> 00:11:46,840 taking photos for her website and social media. 176 00:11:47,140 --> 00:11:49,800 We're having loads of fun in the workshop today and I've called in a 177 00:11:49,800 --> 00:11:54,570 helper. We are trying to get ready for a photo shoot this afternoon, so I'm 178 00:11:54,570 --> 00:11:57,930 making as much as I can so that we can get everything photographed and put on 179 00:11:57,930 --> 00:11:58,930 the website. 180 00:12:00,170 --> 00:12:03,790 Hayley did exactly what we asked of her and so much more. 181 00:12:04,170 --> 00:12:09,130 She made big leaps with her business and had very positive news to share with us 182 00:12:09,130 --> 00:12:11,730 when she came back to my boot camp eight weeks later. 183 00:12:12,780 --> 00:12:16,360 I have made £7 ,451. 184 00:12:16,760 --> 00:12:19,200 Did you know that? Yeah, I'm so impressed. 185 00:12:19,460 --> 00:12:20,560 I'm so happy. 186 00:12:20,780 --> 00:12:24,040 Wow. You've done amazingly well, but it's a team effort, isn't it, with your 187 00:12:24,040 --> 00:12:28,580 husband? Yeah, we just make a great team. And I think with his back, we need 188 00:12:28,580 --> 00:12:33,020 just get everything going now so that he can take a step back on the plumbing 189 00:12:33,020 --> 00:12:36,960 and actually come and do the designing, which he's clearly very good at. 190 00:12:38,160 --> 00:12:41,740 Hayley needed to take off her costs from her superb sales figures. 191 00:12:42,160 --> 00:12:45,680 that she'd made a cracking start to building a new family business. 192 00:12:48,600 --> 00:12:52,980 Two and a half years later, and having just about picked my jaw off the floor 193 00:12:52,980 --> 00:12:58,000 after finding out about her early success, I've come to Hampshire to catch 194 00:12:58,000 --> 00:13:02,840 with her and husband Martin to hear all about their continued achievements and 195 00:13:02,840 --> 00:13:04,320 how much they're earning now. 196 00:13:04,700 --> 00:13:08,800 Hi! Hayley! Hello! Come in, let me show you my sewing room. Thank you. 197 00:13:10,150 --> 00:13:14,930 Hayley runs her business from home and has a dedicated space in what was a 198 00:13:14,930 --> 00:13:18,870 room upstairs to do all the clean sewing parts of her work. 199 00:13:19,790 --> 00:13:21,150 And look at this space. 200 00:13:21,490 --> 00:13:23,670 So this is my sewing and finishing workshop. 201 00:13:23,970 --> 00:13:27,450 I feel like I've stepped inside your head. Yeah, probably a little bit, yeah. 202 00:13:27,850 --> 00:13:28,850 Look at that machine. 203 00:13:29,150 --> 00:13:32,130 Yeah, this is like my industrial sewing machine where I do everything. 204 00:13:32,550 --> 00:13:33,610 Have you got any other new toys? 205 00:13:33,930 --> 00:13:35,550 I have bought a 3D printer. 206 00:13:35,830 --> 00:13:36,789 Oh, wow. 207 00:13:36,790 --> 00:13:42,290 Yeah, which is very exciting. How does that help upholstery, though? Before 208 00:13:42,350 --> 00:13:44,210 it's been, you know, pen to paper, old school. 209 00:13:44,780 --> 00:13:48,000 So I thought the best thing would be to be able to 3D print the models. 210 00:13:48,300 --> 00:13:49,300 And we've got some here. 211 00:13:49,620 --> 00:13:51,320 Is this it? They're some of the models? Yes, yes. 212 00:13:51,880 --> 00:13:55,460 Having that 3D printer is going to be so helpful for the design process of 213 00:13:55,460 --> 00:13:58,680 developing new products. You can actually see it. Yeah, exactly. 214 00:13:58,880 --> 00:13:59,880 And it's super cute. 215 00:13:59,900 --> 00:14:00,900 Of course. 216 00:14:02,820 --> 00:14:05,560 Hayley's sewing studio is a fabulous space. 217 00:14:05,860 --> 00:14:08,840 And it's great to hear that she's been investing in her business. 218 00:14:09,680 --> 00:14:13,880 But I'm keen to find out how much progress she and husband Martin have 219 00:14:13,880 --> 00:14:18,300 towards him taking a step back from his plumbing to help manage his chronic back 220 00:14:18,300 --> 00:14:19,300 condition. 221 00:14:20,160 --> 00:14:24,820 I know that building this business was a lot more than just making money for 222 00:14:24,820 --> 00:14:28,620 you. This was a lot about Martin's health and obviously supporting your 223 00:14:28,840 --> 00:14:31,720 Definitely. I mean, the last two years has been amazing. 224 00:14:32,000 --> 00:14:34,620 He is working a lot more now in the business. 225 00:14:35,040 --> 00:14:39,860 I'm able to step away from all the heavy work that I was doing before and sit 226 00:14:39,860 --> 00:14:41,060 and design new products. 227 00:14:41,580 --> 00:14:44,000 It sounds like the business is going from strength to strength. 228 00:14:44,200 --> 00:14:47,960 Are there any particular products that help that? I would say the fold stools. 229 00:14:48,040 --> 00:14:50,280 That is still our bestseller, really. 230 00:14:50,520 --> 00:14:55,000 But we've added some extra features like a super slim one and these bar stools. 231 00:14:55,080 --> 00:14:57,960 So we've actually got, this is the Kayla and the Dom. 232 00:14:58,939 --> 00:15:01,480 Perfect. I guess you know who they're named after. Yes, I can guess. 233 00:15:02,160 --> 00:15:06,300 The Dom is definitely one of our bestsellers now, which is lovely. I'm 234 00:15:06,300 --> 00:15:08,500 hear it. And I'm not just saying that, like, genuinely. 235 00:15:09,820 --> 00:15:13,300 I'm very pleased to hear that the new Dom stall is doing well. 236 00:15:14,380 --> 00:15:18,920 Hayley and Martin's Fast Stalls and Foldaway Footstall make up 40 % of their 237 00:15:18,920 --> 00:15:19,920 business. 238 00:15:20,440 --> 00:15:25,020 They're also designing bigger pieces, and they're going to show me how they 239 00:15:25,020 --> 00:15:26,600 their new chair called the Luna. 240 00:15:27,000 --> 00:15:29,080 which they're priced at £875. 241 00:15:32,320 --> 00:15:36,480 To see how they create the frame, we've headed five minutes down the road to 242 00:15:36,480 --> 00:15:37,820 Blacksmith Alex's workshop. 243 00:15:38,360 --> 00:15:39,420 All right Mel, mate. 244 00:15:40,300 --> 00:15:45,080 Hayley and Martin have designed key common features across lots of their 245 00:15:45,240 --> 00:15:49,860 which has enabled Alex to build special jigs that make it easier and quicker to 246 00:15:49,860 --> 00:15:52,960 bend the metal into shape perfectly every time. 247 00:15:54,089 --> 00:15:57,970 He's obviously put a lot of work into making sure the jigs are correct so that 248 00:15:57,970 --> 00:15:59,950 we can, you know, replicate and create things. 249 00:16:00,410 --> 00:16:03,990 It's important for you to make sure that every stall and piece of furniture is 250 00:16:03,990 --> 00:16:04,729 the same. 251 00:16:04,730 --> 00:16:08,810 Exactly, exactly. And also, when we design something new, we always think 252 00:16:08,870 --> 00:16:13,250 is there a wiggle we could reuse in some way, you know, with things that we 253 00:16:13,250 --> 00:16:16,230 already have. So, yeah, it works really well. That's clever. Yeah. 254 00:16:17,010 --> 00:16:21,990 Having already made the arms, Alex is creating two wiggled bars for the new 255 00:16:21,990 --> 00:16:23,090 lunar chair's sides. 256 00:16:23,740 --> 00:16:28,800 This just shows how much work by hand goes into making. Exactly, yeah. Just 257 00:16:28,800 --> 00:16:30,300 component for the chair. 258 00:16:30,740 --> 00:16:35,640 As a metal worker myself, it's been great watching Alex work and see the 259 00:16:35,640 --> 00:16:36,740 frame coming together. 260 00:16:38,100 --> 00:16:39,720 You make it look so easy. 261 00:16:40,660 --> 00:16:41,680 Wasn't that brilliant? 262 00:16:41,880 --> 00:16:46,620 Yeah. Once the frame is fully assembled, it's taken to be powder -coated in 263 00:16:46,620 --> 00:16:48,560 whatever colour the customer has chosen. 264 00:16:50,000 --> 00:16:54,230 Back at the house in their larger downstairs workshop... Hayley and I are 265 00:16:54,230 --> 00:16:55,830 to make one of the chair's cushions. 266 00:16:57,370 --> 00:16:58,690 All right, I've got my chalk of choice. 267 00:16:59,030 --> 00:17:00,370 Yep. I'm ready. You ready? 268 00:17:01,250 --> 00:17:03,390 We start by marking out the template. 269 00:17:03,730 --> 00:17:04,730 I need my weight. 270 00:17:05,270 --> 00:17:06,690 Sorry. Thank you, thank you. 271 00:17:11,069 --> 00:17:15,369 I know these last two and a bit years can't have been easy. 272 00:17:15,589 --> 00:17:17,550 You've been so busy, by the sounds of it. 273 00:17:17,849 --> 00:17:19,210 But you've come so far. 274 00:17:19,970 --> 00:17:22,150 Definitely. It's like there's been so many highlights. 275 00:17:23,160 --> 00:17:27,940 I think this year has been my favourite year just because I had a really big 276 00:17:27,940 --> 00:17:31,520 contract with an interior designer for about six to eight months of this year, 277 00:17:31,720 --> 00:17:33,880 doing all these different things I'd never done before. 278 00:17:34,300 --> 00:17:37,340 Out of your comfort zone. And every time I finished one, I was like, oh, my God, 279 00:17:37,360 --> 00:17:38,360 I've just done a sofa. 280 00:17:38,580 --> 00:17:40,860 It's amazing. Like, oh, my God, I've just done this. 281 00:17:41,100 --> 00:17:47,080 And I think that this year has really made me feel like I can do this. I can 282 00:17:47,080 --> 00:17:48,080 it. I could do anything. 283 00:17:48,520 --> 00:17:52,280 With the fabric that will cover both the top and bottom of the cushion marked 284 00:17:52,280 --> 00:17:54,320 out, It's time to get the scissors out. 285 00:17:54,660 --> 00:18:00,620 But as it's a luxurious fabric costing £110 per square metre, I'm pretty 286 00:18:00,620 --> 00:18:01,620 nervous. 287 00:18:02,800 --> 00:18:04,780 Perfect. This isn't terrifying at all. 288 00:18:05,000 --> 00:18:07,440 Come on, Donna, stick to the line. Stick to the line. 289 00:18:07,640 --> 00:18:12,680 There's a saying in the upholstery world, which is measure twice, cut once. 290 00:18:12,920 --> 00:18:16,740 Yeah, yeah, that carries through to metalwork. Yeah, does it? Oh, amazing. 291 00:18:17,020 --> 00:18:19,200 Yeah. I could do with a helper all the time. 292 00:18:19,440 --> 00:18:20,840 I'd get so much done. 293 00:18:21,080 --> 00:18:22,080 A helpful one, though, not me. 294 00:18:23,440 --> 00:18:24,440 Perfect. 295 00:18:25,620 --> 00:18:28,680 There it is. Fabulous job. There it is. I'm exhausted already. 296 00:18:30,200 --> 00:18:34,280 After cutting out the material for the piping... Oh, Hayley, this is teamwork. 297 00:18:34,420 --> 00:18:35,419 Yeah, I know. 298 00:18:35,420 --> 00:18:39,820 We head back up to the sewing room where Hayley sews it to the edges of the 299 00:18:39,820 --> 00:18:46,120 cushion... ..before adding a hidden zip tape down one side. 300 00:18:46,850 --> 00:18:48,370 Do you want to put the zip on? I'd love to. 301 00:18:48,710 --> 00:18:51,390 We need a white one, the top box. Can we put a black one in? 302 00:18:52,130 --> 00:18:53,910 We can, but it will ruin everything. 303 00:18:55,430 --> 00:18:59,370 OK, trick with this, if we start on a straight first. Of course there's a 304 00:18:59,590 --> 00:19:04,310 So you want to put one side in, then the other side. Hold these bits here, the 305 00:19:04,310 --> 00:19:06,790 tails, together in one hand. 306 00:19:07,390 --> 00:19:08,390 Hang on. 307 00:19:08,490 --> 00:19:09,309 Got it? 308 00:19:09,310 --> 00:19:13,290 I feel my socket fingers are ideal for this. It's a really small zip as well. 309 00:19:14,040 --> 00:19:16,980 Oh yeah, okay, I'm in. Yep, now grab the tails with one hand and pull the zip. 310 00:19:20,640 --> 00:19:22,920 Yes! Amazing, first time! 311 00:19:23,680 --> 00:19:27,680 To finish, Hayley stitches the remaining three sides of the cushion cover 312 00:19:27,680 --> 00:19:28,680 together. 313 00:19:29,140 --> 00:19:30,940 Then turns it the right way round. 314 00:19:31,340 --> 00:19:32,820 Look how neat that is. 315 00:19:33,040 --> 00:19:34,940 So I can fill it with the cushion itself. 316 00:19:35,780 --> 00:19:36,780 Perfect. 317 00:19:38,340 --> 00:19:39,159 That's it. 318 00:19:39,160 --> 00:19:40,500 Now you can do it up. 319 00:19:41,480 --> 00:19:43,020 I know this probably isn't much for you. 320 00:19:43,390 --> 00:19:46,530 compared to some of the other things that you make. But that's quite an 321 00:19:46,530 --> 00:19:47,950 achievement for me. It's perfect. 322 00:19:48,570 --> 00:19:52,470 I've loved seeing how Hayley and Martin's lunar chair is put together. 323 00:19:52,730 --> 00:19:57,350 It has a make time of up to five days and a price tag of £875. 324 00:19:58,650 --> 00:20:02,750 Like all of their products, the colours and fabrics can be tailored to each 325 00:20:02,750 --> 00:20:07,130 customer. And it also comes with a matching footstool for £275. 326 00:20:08,280 --> 00:20:13,080 It's great to see they've completely embraced our advice about creating 327 00:20:13,080 --> 00:20:17,640 pieces. And I'm keen to find out what role the other pointers we gave them 328 00:20:17,640 --> 00:20:19,520 played in the success of their business. 329 00:20:19,820 --> 00:20:24,820 When you last left the boot camp, we sent you off to try and build your 330 00:20:24,820 --> 00:20:28,470 presence. you know creating videos things like that yeah we've invested in 331 00:20:28,470 --> 00:20:32,890 new camera equipment which has been amazing the new camera can you know 332 00:20:32,890 --> 00:20:37,430 hands when i'm working so i can kind of just set it up leave it and go um and i 333 00:20:37,430 --> 00:20:40,650 think the more i'm doing stuff there's more stuff that i can just naturally 334 00:20:40,650 --> 00:20:44,490 another point that michaela was very keen for you to look into was trying to 335 00:20:44,490 --> 00:20:46,210 your work into more shops and stockists 336 00:20:46,960 --> 00:20:48,180 It's not easy. Have you managed it? 337 00:20:48,520 --> 00:20:54,420 Yes. So when I left you last at the boot camp, we had gone online with an online 338 00:20:54,420 --> 00:20:59,200 retailer. And we have now increased that to a couple more. People have reached 339 00:20:59,200 --> 00:21:01,120 out and asked to stock our products, which is great. 340 00:21:01,320 --> 00:21:06,280 But also the collaborations that we've done, we manufacture some products for a 341 00:21:06,280 --> 00:21:09,800 London showroom where we use their fabric and put it on products for their 342 00:21:09,800 --> 00:21:13,440 customers. So we've definitely, definitely increased getting our stuff 343 00:21:13,440 --> 00:21:15,600 there, which is great. Well done. How does that feel? 344 00:21:16,300 --> 00:21:19,940 Amazing. And it's the best feeling that we're actually getting approached by 345 00:21:19,940 --> 00:21:24,860 people who are saying we love it. We want to either do a variation or, you 346 00:21:24,900 --> 00:21:26,040 we want to stock what you have now. 347 00:21:27,140 --> 00:21:32,180 Hayley and Martin have used every bit of advice Michaela and I gave them. And 348 00:21:32,180 --> 00:21:36,600 two and a half years after Hayley first arrived at my boot camp, I can't wait to 349 00:21:36,600 --> 00:21:38,860 hear exactly what it all means for their finances. 350 00:21:39,790 --> 00:21:42,970 The whole idea behind this business was really to try and look after Martin's 351 00:21:42,970 --> 00:21:46,150 health and support the family. This is a business, after all. Is it paying its 352 00:21:46,150 --> 00:21:47,410 way? How are the figures looking? 353 00:21:47,690 --> 00:21:52,250 So the business has made £30 ,000, which has meant I've managed to pay myself a 354 00:21:52,250 --> 00:21:56,150 great salary, and we've also been able to reinvest for next year for more 355 00:21:56,150 --> 00:21:57,810 exciting things. That's been amazing. 356 00:21:58,110 --> 00:22:00,270 That is incredible. That's a huge number. 357 00:22:00,470 --> 00:22:02,550 Look at the smiles on both your faces as well. 358 00:22:03,290 --> 00:22:05,050 It is amazing. 359 00:22:05,410 --> 00:22:06,610 Yeah. You must be pleased. 360 00:22:06,870 --> 00:22:07,870 So pleased. 361 00:22:08,170 --> 00:22:09,170 Yeah. 362 00:22:09,690 --> 00:22:14,850 It's just been an amazing journey that is nowhere near ended. 363 00:22:15,210 --> 00:22:21,550 Going from selling next to nothing two and a half years ago to making £30 ,000 364 00:22:21,550 --> 00:22:24,170 year after costs is an incredible achievement. 365 00:22:24,710 --> 00:22:26,490 And there's more good news. 366 00:22:26,770 --> 00:22:31,770 Martin is now spending 70 % of his time working alongside Hayley in their 367 00:22:31,770 --> 00:22:36,090 business. And I don't think it will be too long before he's joining her full 368 00:22:36,090 --> 00:22:37,090 time. 369 00:22:37,710 --> 00:22:42,490 It's just so nice to be doing this with my husband, to be able to not only have 370 00:22:42,490 --> 00:22:45,590 a life together, but build a business together that we love doing. 371 00:22:46,110 --> 00:22:50,910 I know it sounds cheesy, but it's a pinch me moment. It just feels really 372 00:22:50,910 --> 00:22:53,250 wonderful. And I'm very, very proud of us. 373 00:22:58,430 --> 00:23:03,150 The next maker we're catching up with today is Richard from Northumberland, 374 00:23:03,150 --> 00:23:05,590 came to my boot camp in the summer of 2024. 375 00:23:06,620 --> 00:23:11,280 He had a passion for stone carving, which he discovered after a not -so 376 00:23:11,280 --> 00:23:12,420 nudge from his mum. 377 00:23:12,640 --> 00:23:17,460 My mum was having renovations done on her house. She said, come down, meet the 378 00:23:17,460 --> 00:23:20,440 stonemason, you'll love his yard, he's got sculptures and things. 379 00:23:21,020 --> 00:23:26,720 As soon as I got out of the car, my mum was like, this guy's unemployed, if you 380 00:23:26,720 --> 00:23:29,240 want to give him a job. 381 00:23:29,640 --> 00:23:33,340 Took to it like a duck to water and fell in love with it from there. 382 00:23:34,700 --> 00:23:38,600 To figure out the best way of helping Richard make money from his beautiful 383 00:23:38,600 --> 00:23:42,840 work, I teamed him up with professional stone carver Louis Francis. 384 00:23:43,540 --> 00:23:48,160 Louis is a classically trained carver who has been honing his skills for 13 385 00:23:48,160 --> 00:23:52,240 years and runs a successful business from his studio in Norfolk. 386 00:23:54,000 --> 00:23:59,520 Richard is just starting out with his business and he's got so much skill and 387 00:23:59,520 --> 00:24:00,520 huge potential. 388 00:24:01,620 --> 00:24:02,920 You know, he never stops. 389 00:24:03,630 --> 00:24:04,730 He's so creative. 390 00:24:05,250 --> 00:24:08,350 I'm really excited to see, you know, where he's going to go with it. 391 00:24:09,430 --> 00:24:14,330 To help Richard turn his potential into profit, he also took on my three 392 00:24:14,330 --> 00:24:20,270 challenges. For his volume piece, he decided to make a small geometric fox 393 00:24:20,270 --> 00:24:25,370 Northumberland sandstone and copper gilding paint, which he priced at £45. 394 00:24:26,470 --> 00:24:30,860 Having cut the stone to size and polished it up with an abrasive block, 395 00:24:30,860 --> 00:24:33,260 traced on his design using graphite paper. 396 00:24:34,940 --> 00:24:36,240 Almost done the design. 397 00:24:36,700 --> 00:24:37,700 Grand reveal. 398 00:24:38,200 --> 00:24:39,200 And voila. 399 00:24:40,040 --> 00:24:43,620 Now I'm going to take it over to the table and get it carved out. 400 00:24:45,160 --> 00:24:50,600 I'm going to be using tungsten carbide letter and chisels and I'm going to use 401 00:24:50,600 --> 00:24:53,580 it to cut a V -cut to give it that effect. 402 00:24:53,920 --> 00:24:54,920 Catch the light. 403 00:24:57,100 --> 00:24:58,680 I was never very good at school. 404 00:24:59,230 --> 00:25:02,950 I was the most coasting average student you've seen. 405 00:25:04,310 --> 00:25:09,570 Stone carving has changed my life. I used to work to fund my passions, and 406 00:25:09,570 --> 00:25:10,750 my work is my passion. 407 00:25:11,870 --> 00:25:16,610 Whilst Richard focused on carving his fox, I caught up with Louis to talk 408 00:25:16,610 --> 00:25:17,610 his second challenge. 409 00:25:18,110 --> 00:25:22,370 Before coming to my boot camp, I asked Richard to bring along his favourite 410 00:25:22,370 --> 00:25:26,850 piece to see if the item he was most proud of could make him big profits. 411 00:25:27,880 --> 00:25:30,880 My favourite piece is the large geometric kingfisher. 412 00:25:31,740 --> 00:25:37,380 It's a foray into using extremely bold colours, which is something that I've 413 00:25:37,380 --> 00:25:38,660 been working towards. 414 00:25:39,260 --> 00:25:44,800 I love it because it's one of the designs that I feel has secured my 415 00:25:45,720 --> 00:25:50,380 Working once again with Northumberland sandstone, Richard decided to showcase 416 00:25:50,380 --> 00:25:53,360 another beautiful hand -painted animal carving. 417 00:25:53,880 --> 00:25:59,060 With material costs of around £50 and a 20 -hour make time, he gave it a price 418 00:25:59,060 --> 00:26:00,220 tag of £200. 419 00:26:02,100 --> 00:26:03,500 It's really, really beautiful. 420 00:26:05,120 --> 00:26:09,680 When I saw it, it wasn't the actual stone, it's not the carving, it's the 421 00:26:09,680 --> 00:26:13,140 colour. He's got the colour right, the way it's blended, do you know? 422 00:26:15,440 --> 00:26:19,160 Overall, you know, it's the full package, it's just wow. 423 00:26:19,940 --> 00:26:23,080 Richard has an asking price of £200 for the piece. 424 00:26:23,950 --> 00:26:26,990 I think it needs to go up. I think it needs to go up. 425 00:26:27,310 --> 00:26:31,670 £200, I think it's like undervaluing his artwork and that really shocked me. 426 00:26:33,710 --> 00:26:38,090 Back on the stone carving station, Richard was making good progress with 427 00:26:38,090 --> 00:26:39,630 geometric sandstone fork. 428 00:26:42,230 --> 00:26:46,990 The first time I saw my first piece, it almost felt unbelievable. 429 00:26:47,770 --> 00:26:50,550 The idea that I'd done something that I love. 430 00:26:52,440 --> 00:26:57,580 I created something from scratch, carved it, and then sold it. It was just the 431 00:26:57,580 --> 00:26:58,580 icing on the cake. 432 00:27:01,240 --> 00:27:05,540 Once he'd finished carving, Richard turned his attention to painting the 433 00:27:05,860 --> 00:27:07,480 The painting part can be stressful. 434 00:27:07,780 --> 00:27:12,780 You've spent time carving and making sure that everything lines up right. 435 00:27:13,000 --> 00:27:16,400 And then the idea of slathering paint on can be quite daunting. 436 00:27:16,900 --> 00:27:19,140 The majority of the fox is the Copper Guild. 437 00:27:20,010 --> 00:27:24,350 And then I just have to go in and add the black for the legs, the eye and the 438 00:27:24,350 --> 00:27:25,350 nose. 439 00:27:25,610 --> 00:27:29,470 And then just a little bit of a glaze for the eye to give it some shine. 440 00:27:30,070 --> 00:27:31,130 And then it's done. 441 00:27:31,830 --> 00:27:35,630 I'm feeling pretty good about it. I think it's a nice carve, it's a nice 442 00:27:35,850 --> 00:27:39,750 And I'm looking forward to seeing how Louis reacts to the finished piece. 443 00:27:43,150 --> 00:27:47,510 Richard's Northumberland Sandstone Fox had material costs of around £9. 444 00:27:48,560 --> 00:27:53,240 It took him four hours to create and had an asking price of £45. 445 00:27:55,000 --> 00:27:58,480 I think that you could probably make two from one block, if I'm honest. 446 00:27:59,420 --> 00:28:00,420 How? 447 00:28:01,300 --> 00:28:03,080 Make the stone thinner. 448 00:28:03,880 --> 00:28:07,760 You know, cut it in half so you could do two. Then you could charge twice as 449 00:28:07,760 --> 00:28:08,760 much. 450 00:28:09,020 --> 00:28:14,120 And also, the thinner it is, you know, when you're shipping, it will be lower 451 00:28:14,120 --> 00:28:16,320 postage. You can maximise your profit. 452 00:28:16,810 --> 00:28:18,570 Had you thought about making it slightly thinner? 453 00:28:19,010 --> 00:28:24,190 I'd kept it quite thick for stability, but I could make it thinner with a 454 00:28:24,190 --> 00:28:25,810 diagonal cut and keep it tapered. 455 00:28:26,710 --> 00:28:28,890 Richard, you've priced this at £45? 456 00:28:29,170 --> 00:28:30,170 Yes. 457 00:28:31,710 --> 00:28:36,270 I think you could sell it for a little bit more, charge a bit more, because you 458 00:28:36,270 --> 00:28:42,590 have to think about the cost of the material, your time, the overheads, and 459 00:28:42,590 --> 00:28:43,590 you're paying for tax. 460 00:28:45,130 --> 00:28:46,730 How are you going to do that with £45? 461 00:28:47,670 --> 00:28:48,669 Charge more. 462 00:28:48,670 --> 00:28:50,510 Have you got any other pointers for Richard? 463 00:28:53,450 --> 00:28:57,790 The carving is great, but maybe you could try working with another stone, 464 00:28:57,790 --> 00:28:58,850 slate, for example. 465 00:28:59,130 --> 00:29:03,870 It takes time to carve, but, you know, it's really sellable, and maybe you 466 00:29:03,870 --> 00:29:04,870 charge a little bit more. 467 00:29:05,610 --> 00:29:07,030 You know, the material is gorgeous. 468 00:29:07,530 --> 00:29:11,350 something to look into. That'll be interesting for you then. Yeah, 469 00:29:11,610 --> 00:29:16,070 You get an amazing carve on slate, so that would be an exciting material to 470 00:29:16,070 --> 00:29:17,070 with. 471 00:29:17,710 --> 00:29:22,950 Two items in, and Louis thought Richard needed to up his pricing on both. So for 472 00:29:22,950 --> 00:29:27,190 his final piece, he gave him a challenge designed to improve the profitability 473 00:29:27,190 --> 00:29:28,190 of his work. 474 00:29:29,490 --> 00:29:34,310 He asked Richard to create a house number with his own design and keep it 475 00:29:34,310 --> 00:29:35,310 two kilograms. 476 00:29:35,760 --> 00:29:39,500 as the cost of posting increased significantly above that weight. 477 00:29:39,820 --> 00:29:44,100 He uses stone that is quite thick, so I want him to look at the depth and to 478 00:29:44,100 --> 00:29:49,040 make it thinner so that it's lighter and it's measurable and it's easy to post 479 00:29:49,040 --> 00:29:52,120 and it's cheaper and affordable so he can maximise profit. 480 00:29:52,800 --> 00:29:57,500 Once again, Richard used Northumberland sandstone to create his mentor's 481 00:29:57,500 --> 00:29:58,500 challenge piece. 482 00:29:58,820 --> 00:30:03,480 He decorated it with a hummingbird design and in colour with acrylic paint. 483 00:30:03,880 --> 00:30:05,900 and gave it an asking price of £90. 484 00:30:07,700 --> 00:30:13,700 The weight limit to do with postage is a really interesting limitation, 485 00:30:13,900 --> 00:30:19,460 and it's pushed me to think more about the designs that I use and the stone 486 00:30:19,460 --> 00:30:20,319 I end up with. 487 00:30:20,320 --> 00:30:22,740 Coming up with my own design has been an interesting challenge. 488 00:30:23,240 --> 00:30:29,580 Normally I find the pictures online and use them as a heavy reference, whereas 489 00:30:29,580 --> 00:30:30,900 with this there was a lot of... 490 00:30:31,970 --> 00:30:33,370 getting it to look right. 491 00:30:34,230 --> 00:30:37,790 With his design in place, Richard's set to work carving. 492 00:30:39,490 --> 00:30:44,770 If I was able to do this to the point of making a very good living, 493 00:30:44,950 --> 00:30:48,970 that would be extremely good. 494 00:30:50,230 --> 00:30:55,570 I've never had a career where you're actually working what you're passionate 495 00:30:55,570 --> 00:30:59,750 about. It was always working to fund my other passions. 496 00:31:00,320 --> 00:31:04,360 So I'm actually working something that I enjoy and I'm passionate about. 497 00:31:05,160 --> 00:31:06,160 Wood pins, really. 498 00:31:09,020 --> 00:31:12,160 After carving the last details of his piece... 499 00:31:12,160 --> 00:31:16,660 Are you done? 500 00:31:17,260 --> 00:31:19,020 It was time to add the paint. 501 00:31:19,980 --> 00:31:25,760 I find with this paint, it tends to sink in a little, leaving a kind of natural 502 00:31:25,760 --> 00:31:29,020 gradient, which I think looks really lovely. 503 00:31:30,860 --> 00:31:32,380 It was an accidental discovery. 504 00:31:32,940 --> 00:31:35,540 I wasn't very happy about it when it first happened. 505 00:31:36,120 --> 00:31:39,900 And then I realised it looked really nice. So accidents happen. 506 00:31:41,480 --> 00:31:46,040 Richard's house number with geometric hummingbird design was another fantastic 507 00:31:46,040 --> 00:31:50,660 showcase of his skill and creative talent. And he priced it at £90. 508 00:31:52,120 --> 00:31:53,120 It's gorgeous. 509 00:31:53,160 --> 00:31:54,099 It's gorgeous. 510 00:31:54,100 --> 00:31:55,200 Not just carving. 511 00:31:55,480 --> 00:31:56,480 It's not just a carving. 512 00:31:56,660 --> 00:31:57,259 The colour. 513 00:31:57,260 --> 00:31:58,099 The colour. 514 00:31:58,100 --> 00:31:59,740 It stands out. It stands out. 515 00:32:00,900 --> 00:32:07,440 out yeah well done i'm not gonna hold you in suspense any longer louis set you 516 00:32:07,440 --> 00:32:13,580 the challenge to make a house number under two kilos should we weigh it let's 517 00:32:13,580 --> 00:32:20,520 let's find out what we got what we got let 518 00:32:20,520 --> 00:32:25,380 it settle 1 .976 Oh, my goodness. 519 00:32:25,680 --> 00:32:29,060 Oh, you heard it good. 520 00:32:29,720 --> 00:32:30,720 Well done. 521 00:32:31,840 --> 00:32:36,840 Richard rose to every challenge we set him, and as he made his journey back to 522 00:32:36,840 --> 00:32:41,120 Northumberland, we gave him an action plan to help turn his talent into a 523 00:32:41,120 --> 00:32:43,140 successful, sustainable business. 524 00:32:43,860 --> 00:32:48,240 First, he needed to reduce the weight of his products so he could post them cost 525 00:32:48,240 --> 00:32:49,240 -effectively. 526 00:32:50,040 --> 00:32:53,900 Next, we wanted him to carve on different materials, like slate. 527 00:32:54,240 --> 00:33:00,320 to widen his product range finally he needed to review his price points to 528 00:33:00,320 --> 00:33:03,000 his work and charge what his pieces were worth 529 00:33:03,000 --> 00:33:09,640 for the next eight weeks 530 00:33:09,640 --> 00:33:14,060 louis gave richard all the support he needed to get his business off the 531 00:33:14,060 --> 00:33:20,100 he began by creating lighter pieces to send cheaply by post welcome to the 532 00:33:20,100 --> 00:33:24,950 greenhouse so following louis advice I'm now using thinner cuts of the 533 00:33:24,950 --> 00:33:25,970 Northumbrian sandstone. 534 00:33:26,570 --> 00:33:32,270 Considering the weight, I've started making standardised blanks. So I have 535 00:33:32,270 --> 00:33:37,630 bigger one for wider designs like the kingfisher or the taller one for like 536 00:33:37,630 --> 00:33:39,190 fox or slimmer design. 537 00:33:39,730 --> 00:33:44,950 He also took on board Louis' advice about working with new materials like 538 00:33:45,730 --> 00:33:51,970 It's called heather slate and it's kind of like maroon. 539 00:33:52,920 --> 00:33:53,920 Purple -ish. 540 00:33:54,140 --> 00:33:58,600 But it looks amazing when it's wet. Or, in the end, when it's polished. 541 00:34:00,520 --> 00:34:04,340 After a few weeks, Richard was ready to show off his new work. 542 00:34:04,880 --> 00:34:08,340 I'd like to point out how sharp the detail is in slate. 543 00:34:10,060 --> 00:34:11,060 Like, look at that! 544 00:34:12,080 --> 00:34:16,840 For two months after the boot camp, Richard worked hard on his action plan. 545 00:34:16,840 --> 00:34:20,219 when he came back to report on his progress, he had brilliant news. 546 00:34:20,659 --> 00:34:21,900 Do you mind if we talk about figures? 547 00:34:22,360 --> 00:34:23,719 How much have you made so far? 548 00:34:24,060 --> 00:34:25,760 I've made 1 ,160. 549 00:34:26,920 --> 00:34:29,560 In such a short time? Wow. Yeah. 550 00:34:29,880 --> 00:34:30,880 Well done. 551 00:34:31,080 --> 00:34:35,199 Well done. That is incredible. It's really nice to see a four -digit number. 552 00:34:35,460 --> 00:34:36,460 Yeah. So good. 553 00:34:37,260 --> 00:34:41,880 Richard had to deduct his costs from his sales, but in just a few short weeks, 554 00:34:42,060 --> 00:34:45,679 he'd proved he had what it took to sell his work and build a business. 555 00:34:49,330 --> 00:34:54,050 18 months after he first arrived at my boot camp, I've asked Louis to head to 556 00:34:54,050 --> 00:34:58,590 Northumberland to find out how he's managed to maintain that momentum and 557 00:34:58,590 --> 00:35:00,730 much money he's making from his carving now. 558 00:35:01,690 --> 00:35:03,230 Hey, how are you doing? 559 00:35:04,510 --> 00:35:06,130 How are you? 560 00:35:06,430 --> 00:35:08,410 I'm good, thank you. Long time no see. 561 00:35:08,690 --> 00:35:09,690 I know, I know. 562 00:35:10,090 --> 00:35:11,390 Do you want to come and see my workshop? 563 00:35:11,790 --> 00:35:13,330 Definitely, I'm so excited, let's go. 564 00:35:13,610 --> 00:35:14,610 Awesome, let's go. 565 00:35:14,960 --> 00:35:19,300 When I first met him, Richard was working in the greenhouse in his back 566 00:35:19,660 --> 00:35:24,600 Now he's built his own nine -metre squared workshop with large double doors 567 00:35:24,600 --> 00:35:26,980 make it easy to get the stone he works with in. 568 00:35:28,360 --> 00:35:30,520 Wow, what a beautiful space. 569 00:35:30,820 --> 00:35:33,340 Thank you. I moved in about ten months ago. 570 00:35:34,360 --> 00:35:36,220 How's it been going in the last 18 months? 571 00:35:36,760 --> 00:35:40,200 It's been crazy, Louis. I've got hundreds of orders. 572 00:35:41,280 --> 00:35:46,000 I've got a newsletter with like 300 to 400 people signed up. I've been able to 573 00:35:46,000 --> 00:35:49,540 send out potentially new designs, engage interest. 574 00:35:50,720 --> 00:35:54,160 I've also got a waiting list on commissions too. 575 00:35:54,780 --> 00:35:56,480 So there's been a lot happening. 576 00:35:58,060 --> 00:36:00,900 Wow, fantastic. So you keep yourself busy? 577 00:36:01,600 --> 00:36:03,440 Very. Do you need my help? 578 00:36:04,740 --> 00:36:07,400 If you know an apprentice, that would be good. 579 00:36:09,240 --> 00:36:13,020 I wanted to ask, Which of your carvings have been bestseller? 580 00:36:13,820 --> 00:36:18,380 My Kingfisher and my Fox designs have been really popular. 581 00:36:18,620 --> 00:36:23,620 I've sold over 100 of each and I've actually made a different design for the 582 00:36:23,620 --> 00:36:24,620 Fox. 583 00:36:26,460 --> 00:36:31,080 Richard has designed his new Fox with fewer sections so it's quicker to carve 584 00:36:31,080 --> 00:36:34,180 and it will be finished with a shinier resin eye. 585 00:36:34,400 --> 00:36:38,380 He's priced it at £65, which feels a little low to me. 586 00:36:38,810 --> 00:36:40,950 But he's going to show Louis how he makes it. 587 00:36:41,430 --> 00:36:46,110 To begin with, he traces out his new design onto Northumberland sandstone. 588 00:36:46,410 --> 00:36:47,810 Right, I'm happy with how that's looking. 589 00:36:48,610 --> 00:36:54,590 I'm going to start by carving in the tiny little indentation for the eye. 590 00:36:56,030 --> 00:36:59,330 And then I'll just start carving the top of the head. 591 00:37:11,760 --> 00:37:16,160 I'm pleased that Richard's tweaking his designs to speed up his production. But 592 00:37:16,160 --> 00:37:20,080 Louis wants to find out more about how he's getting on with managing a growing 593 00:37:20,080 --> 00:37:21,080 business. 594 00:37:21,560 --> 00:37:22,740 Can I ask you a question? 595 00:37:23,120 --> 00:37:24,120 Of course. 596 00:37:24,620 --> 00:37:29,740 So 18 months in boot camp, what's been your biggest challenge since? 597 00:37:30,100 --> 00:37:31,140 With the work -life balance. 598 00:37:31,460 --> 00:37:35,860 Some days I'm working six days a week and then some months there's not a day 599 00:37:35,860 --> 00:37:39,060 off. So it's something I need to work on. 600 00:37:39,850 --> 00:37:43,910 The good thing is that I'm working for myself, so if I really need it, I can 601 00:37:43,910 --> 00:37:44,990 take the day off that I need. 602 00:37:47,930 --> 00:37:52,010 Getting the work -life balance right is an issue many makers struggle with. 603 00:37:52,290 --> 00:37:56,930 But valuing his time and talent and fixing his prices are things that would 604 00:37:56,930 --> 00:38:01,130 definitely help Richard, as they'll enable him to work less without losing 605 00:38:01,130 --> 00:38:02,130 money. 606 00:38:03,310 --> 00:38:07,470 The next stage of making the fox is rubbing down the stone with an abrasive 607 00:38:07,470 --> 00:38:09,730 block to polish it and remove any marks. 608 00:38:11,570 --> 00:38:14,290 Then it's treated with a weatherproofing solution. 609 00:38:14,750 --> 00:38:19,010 As this needs a day to dry, Richard's pre -prepared another one to paint. 610 00:38:23,570 --> 00:38:24,850 Why foxes? 611 00:38:25,310 --> 00:38:31,450 When I was a teenager, I didn't really get as much sleep as I probably should 612 00:38:31,450 --> 00:38:32,450 have. 613 00:38:32,680 --> 00:38:37,740 So I'd spend quite a few evenings or four o 'clock mornings going for walks. 614 00:38:38,540 --> 00:38:41,420 And ordinarily there was a fox around. 615 00:38:43,640 --> 00:38:47,060 So I've always been relatively keen on them. 616 00:38:48,800 --> 00:38:54,420 To finish, Richard adds the new resin eye detail, cures it under a UV light to 617 00:38:54,420 --> 00:38:57,240 set, then adds rubber feet to the bottom. 618 00:38:57,900 --> 00:39:01,740 I like to add the little feet on just so that it's not going to scratch any 619 00:39:01,740 --> 00:39:08,160 surfaces that it ends up going on, which isn't a problem if you have a stone 620 00:39:08,160 --> 00:39:15,160 hearth, but if you have a sort of wooden sideboard or anything, it just gives 621 00:39:15,160 --> 00:39:17,200 it a very good level of protection. 622 00:39:18,280 --> 00:39:19,320 I'm happy with that. 623 00:39:20,080 --> 00:39:24,460 I think the newer design gives it a lot more character, and I much prefer the 624 00:39:24,460 --> 00:39:25,460 resin eye. 625 00:39:25,690 --> 00:39:31,530 With material costs of just over £11 and a make time of just under four hours, I 626 00:39:31,530 --> 00:39:34,670 love Richard's new £65 geometric fox. 627 00:39:35,710 --> 00:39:40,150 I'm pleased to see he's still using slimmer, lighter pieces of stone, as 628 00:39:40,150 --> 00:39:44,570 suggested, and I'm keen to find out if any of the other advice we gave him at 629 00:39:44,570 --> 00:39:48,690 the boot camp has been helpful as he's built his business over the past 18 630 00:39:48,690 --> 00:39:49,690 months. 631 00:39:51,130 --> 00:39:52,990 Gwen, I gave you an action plan. 632 00:39:53,560 --> 00:39:56,540 I asked you to try and carve on different materials. 633 00:39:56,880 --> 00:40:01,020 One of them is slate. Did you stick with that or did you go back to sandstone? 634 00:40:01,320 --> 00:40:07,340 I found it very time consuming because I got so busy with the stone orders. It's 635 00:40:07,340 --> 00:40:11,100 something I had to put to one side just so I could get through those initial 636 00:40:11,100 --> 00:40:13,380 orders. I would love to come back to it. 637 00:40:13,860 --> 00:40:15,760 It's a fantastic material. 638 00:40:16,980 --> 00:40:21,680 I'm not at the right skill level yet to be able to dedicate the time with it, 639 00:40:21,720 --> 00:40:22,720 how busy I am. 640 00:40:24,740 --> 00:40:30,800 So I've asked you to look into the prices of your work and what they're 641 00:40:31,060 --> 00:40:34,800 Are you charging the right price or do you feel like you're undercharging or 642 00:40:34,800 --> 00:40:35,920 need to increase your prices? 643 00:40:36,420 --> 00:40:38,280 I think I'm still undercharging. 644 00:40:38,940 --> 00:40:42,820 Even after boot camp I increased them a little but with the amount of demand 645 00:40:42,820 --> 00:40:48,400 that I've had and the amount of supplies that go into it now with it being such 646 00:40:48,400 --> 00:40:49,400 a big operation. 647 00:40:50,110 --> 00:40:54,310 I think it's time to increase them a little bit more and see where that takes 648 00:40:54,310 --> 00:40:55,310 me. 649 00:40:57,010 --> 00:41:02,250 I think it's time to increase your prices because the postage, that's gone 650 00:41:03,350 --> 00:41:06,110 Dining materials and things like that, that's gone up. 651 00:41:06,610 --> 00:41:08,250 Cost of living, that's increased. 652 00:41:08,930 --> 00:41:12,870 There's loads of elements you need to think about and you need to increase 653 00:41:12,870 --> 00:41:15,330 prices to reflect that and be more comfortable. 654 00:41:17,530 --> 00:41:19,110 Louie's absolutely right. 655 00:41:19,520 --> 00:41:24,040 It's great to be so busy, but 18 months after leaving the boot camp, it's time 656 00:41:24,040 --> 00:41:28,200 for Richard to raise his prices and start charging what his work is really 657 00:41:28,200 --> 00:41:29,200 worth. 658 00:41:29,300 --> 00:41:33,660 Over the past year and a half, he's worked flat out for filling orders from 659 00:41:33,660 --> 00:41:37,920 website and doing small commissions like this stunning owl for £65. 660 00:41:38,940 --> 00:41:42,940 It's time to find out how much money all this hard work is making him. 661 00:41:44,000 --> 00:41:45,000 What is the process? 662 00:41:45,420 --> 00:41:47,520 Have you made a lot of money? Have you made a living? 663 00:41:48,030 --> 00:41:49,650 I have. I have. 664 00:41:49,870 --> 00:41:53,250 I've earned £20 ,000 this year. 665 00:41:54,770 --> 00:41:56,790 £20 ,000. £20 ,000. 666 00:41:57,210 --> 00:41:58,210 Wow. 667 00:41:58,550 --> 00:41:59,770 That is brilliant. 668 00:42:00,090 --> 00:42:00,549 It has. 669 00:42:00,550 --> 00:42:03,570 It is. It's changed my life completely. Yeah. 670 00:42:04,570 --> 00:42:08,790 I've gone from working in the greenhouse, doing little local markets, 671 00:42:08,790 --> 00:42:12,870 few pieces a week, you know, dragging that around. And then now I'm 672 00:42:12,870 --> 00:42:18,250 in my workshop, fulfilling web orders, having people chomping at the bit, see 673 00:42:18,250 --> 00:42:19,250 what's coming up next. 674 00:42:19,510 --> 00:42:20,790 It's great. 675 00:42:21,550 --> 00:42:22,710 That is fantastic. 676 00:42:23,250 --> 00:42:29,230 Going from next to nothing to earning £20 ,000 a year after costs in just 18 677 00:42:29,230 --> 00:42:31,450 months is a remarkable achievement. 678 00:42:32,120 --> 00:42:36,260 And with such incredible demand for his work, things are only going to get 679 00:42:36,260 --> 00:42:37,260 better for Richard. 680 00:42:37,380 --> 00:42:41,240 18 months ago, I would have never thought that I'd be in the situation 681 00:42:41,240 --> 00:42:45,640 now. Having my own workshop, hundreds of orders already through the door, 682 00:42:45,760 --> 00:42:47,880 hundreds waiting, changed everything. 683 00:42:51,260 --> 00:42:53,720 Want some help building a business that lasts? 684 00:42:54,100 --> 00:42:59,120 Visit the Open University's interactive guide for practical help to sustain and 685 00:42:59,120 --> 00:43:00,120 grow your business. 686 00:43:00,810 --> 00:43:07,730 Scan the QR code on screen or visit connect .open .ac .uk forward slash 687 00:43:07,730 --> 00:43:09,190 imadeitatmarket.