Dodge Station Pottery
www.dodgestationpottery.com
Online Sales Success for Family Pottery Business
SBDC Entrepreneurial Training Program Helps Entrepreneur Expand Family Business
Two years ago Ericka Napp left a successful career as a product designer in the corporate world to join the pottery business her parents, Cherie and Jeff Napp, started more than 30 years ago. Her expertise along with some assistance from the UW-Madison Small Business Development Center (SBDC) has enabled this Westfield-based business to expand its market and increase sales.
“I decided to come home and join the family business, to promote it, create the Web site, create the marketing strategy, the branding strategy and really turn it in to a business with a branding statement,” says Napp. Before moving forward with her plans, she took the Entrepreneurial Training Program at UW-Madison SBDC. Napp says she learned not only from the material presented in the class, but also from fellow students. “It was a really supportive group of like-minded individuals to bounce ideas off of. We could network and learn from each other. The teachers were great too. We had different teachers every day.”
SBDC advisor Linda Davis was assigned as Napp’s advisor as she wrote her business plan and developed her strategy to grow her parents’ business.
Capitalizing on a Trend
The unique handmade stoneware at Dodge Station Pottery is described as a product “created with love and pride.” “People want handmade, sustainable, made in America - something made with human hands,” says Napp. “I know that the trends are evolving back to handmade, quality products. My parent’s pottery is a product that can be passed on for generations.”
Now people throughout the U.S and the world have access to this quality product. In addition to the Web site, the Napps market their pottery at art shows throughout the state. Though Ericka Napp now shares her time between Dodge Station Pottery and another product design job, she remains very involved in the family business and intends to return to it fulltime again in the future.
“I want to be a part of this going forward. I would love to continue to grow this business, with online sales but also by getting into stores in the Chicagoland area and other areas in Wisconsin and the U.S. With my background in product design and retail, that is the next step.” And as she grows this family business, she stays in touch with her business advisors. “I know if I ever have a question or problem, I can call the SBDC.“
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