Tell me about your business as a ceramic artist?
I’ve been dabbling in pottery since 1992 and serious about it since 2018. I worked at Driving Creek in the Coromandel for three years as the pottery manager when I started to define my own brand, Fredrock Ceramics. My tagline is “Geometric constructs in clay”.
I’m a paid tutor at OPC, Otaki pottery where I teach an 8 week course each term in slab building – my specialty. I’m also the kiln master for two kilns with the Mirek Smíšek Arts Trust.
Why did you become a sole trader?
When I started to make money from pottery, I knew that if I really wanted to do this, I’d better get it right.
When I did a three-month course by Creative Waikato in 2019, it was a real eye-opener. It was called Elevate and taught artistic people like photographers, ceramicists, model-makers and more, how to “elevate” their business. There were lessons on using social media and tax.
In the tax sessions they introduced Hnry. The 1% fee was a no-brainer for me.
What Hnry features can’t you live without?
I’m on the committee at the Otaki Pottery club, and the Treasurer told me exactly how she wants invoices laid out with what information she wants in each line. With Hnry, I could set up invoices for the whole term and schedule them. It’s set and forget. The invoicing side of things is really easy. It’s just so simple.
The Hnry Business Mastercard is also just so good. Every time you use it you get a pop up which prompts you to take a photo of your receipt and put in your expense details. You don’t have to wonder where you put the receipt. This system, and getting into the habit of managing your expenses regularly, makes it so much easier.
I want more time to be creative. I don’t want to be slogged down in paperwork and admin. The quicker I can get that stuff done the happier I am.
Is it hard to balance the craft with the admin of running your own business?
Yes. I have dealt with a lot of other potters and ceramic artists whose other half does the admin, marketing, and accounting. I’m single so I have to do it all myself.
But at least for me, Hnry makes the administrative side of things so easy. I got an email the other day asking if ACC had emailed me their invoice, and if so, to forward it to them – otherwise forget it. You aren’t overwhelmed with notifications from Hnry but when you get one, it’s simple.
If becoming a sole trader was the first time you had to manage your own tax, how did you find the learning curve?
I was lucky that I had an accountant from a previous business but I had to keep all my own records until tax time.
It was so much harder because you had to remember to keep the receipt and get the right kind of receipt. You had to get into a routine. It was a nightmare keeping track of everything. Then at the end of the year the accountant could take weeks to go through what each receipt was for.
Now, it’s easy to manage expenses as I go.
What was the biggest surprise in your journey as a sole trader?
How easy it is when you find the right tools. How difficult it is without the right tools and networks.
Hnry is the big one for me. There are also a number of apps I use to keep track of my ceramic pieces. For me the digital age has been a godsend.
I’m lucky in that I’ve been involved with computers in my previous life as I was in the film and television industry as an editor. I was working heavily with computers in those days so my transfer to the digital era has been quite easy.
What was your sole trader life like before joining Hnry and how is it different now?
Expensive and complicated.
In a way my life as a sole trader before Hnry was not incredibly productive. I wasn’t doing a huge amount because I was working as a pottery manager. I didn’t have a huge amount of time to make and sell stuff. I was selling through the shop at Driving Creek and because my pieces were unique they flew out the door and I couldn’t keep up with that. There was a lot of work involved, keeping track of what I sold and keeping records for tax purposes.
The tax was probably the scariest and hardest thing because you hear stories about people being audited and the tax man coming after you. The cost of an accountant made this expensive and there was a lot of time spent doing the financial admin. The change when I got to Hnry was like light and shadow. I was able to set Hnry up and it worked quietly in the background doing all of my tax. I don’t forget about it because it’s always there in the background but I don’t have to worry about it because Hnry worries for me.
Is there something specific about the Hnry product or service you find beneficial specifically to someone in the pottery industry?
The time factor. There’s more time for making and creating.
A lot of artistic people don’t necessarily have the business skills or the mindset. Having this support frees up a huge amount of time that you can then devote to creation.
Also, I talk about Hnry quite often and the fact that it’s affordable. It’s 1% of each payment and you don’t pay a monthly or annual fee.
