- 4 hours ago
I Made It at Market S01E05 Contemporary Upholstery and Stone Carving
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00:00Our country is full of incredible makers
00:03dreaming of turning their talent into money-making careers.
00:07It would mean everything to be able to do this full-time.
00:10So, with a team of fantastic professional mentors...
00:14I know your talent and I know what you're capable of doing.
00:16I run a one-of-a-kind boot camp, showing them how to do just that.
00:21Perfect.
00:21My proudest moment, I'll just show that.
00:23Yes!
00:24Now I'm on my way to catch up with those who have made their dreams come true.
00:28Hello!
00:29There he is.
00:29Hello, mate.
00:31I'll be hearing about their amazing achievements.
00:34I've been able to put down a deposit on a house.
00:36This is my full-time job.
00:37And finding out how much money they're making.
00:40A little bit under £40,000.
00:42Around £50,000.
00:43£50,000?
00:44Yeah.
00:44So, join me and meet the fabulous makers
00:47who have transformed their lives and made it at market.
00:50You can kind of say I am living the dream.
00:53I think that's fair to say.
01:03One of the best things about my job is watching our incredible mentors transform people's lives
01:09through their support and expertise.
01:12And today, we're going to check in on two talented makers who are enjoying life-changing success.
01:19Later, we'll be catching up with stone carver Richard from Northumberland.
01:23I would have never thought that I'd be in the situation that I am now.
01:27Having my own workshop, hundreds of orders already through the door, hundreds waiting.
01:32It's changed everything.
01:34But first, I'll be visiting Hayley in Hampshire to find out how her upholstery business has taken off.
01:42She came to my boot camp in the summer of 2023, looking for help that would change her family's lives.
01:50My husband is a plumber and he's got a bad back, which is getting worse.
01:54I need this to take off so that I can support the family.
01:57We can work together on a new journey and adventure and I can just do the thing that I love.
02:02To help Hayley build the business she was hoping for, I set her three challenges.
02:08First up was making a volume piece, something she could make quickly and price affordably.
02:14She chose to make an orange velvet bar stool with both a back and seat pad,
02:19complete with white piping, priced at £125.
02:23The base and the seat back have already been cut out by my husband.
02:27He's put in the air holes for the fabric to breathe and also the threads that my bolts will go
02:31through.
02:32So that I can attach it to the base.
02:35Once she'd marked out the shapes of the baseboards for the back and seat pads,
02:39Hayley used an electric carving knife to cut the foam that would sit on top of them.
02:44It's really satisfying to do that. It just goes through it like butter.
02:48And it's also really good if you have curves to use one of these because you can get the shape
02:53that you want.
02:54As Hayley tried to build the business she was hoping would make life easier for her family,
02:59she was supported by mentor Michaela Sharp.
03:04As a well-known upholsterer and interior designer with a passion for pattern and colour,
03:10Michaela combines carpentry and sewing skills in her own upholstery business.
03:15And she soon spotted a way she could help Hayley.
03:18Can I give you one tip for how I cut my foam?
03:21And there's always loads of different ways of doing things.
03:23Yeah.
03:23I always stick mine onto the wood and then cut around that.
03:27That way you don't get any wiggly edges and when you come to stick the foam down you know it's
03:31exact.
03:32Yeah.
03:32That's such a good tip.
03:33What I would also love to see from you is offering bespoke options.
03:37I think being able to offer people their own combination of colours is what's going to set your stools apart.
03:43Amazing.
03:43Yeah, because I guess you could customise the shapes there.
03:46Think about if you can add in some curved lines or some wiggles just to make sure that they are
03:50really different
03:51from the general stools that people are seeing in the shops.
03:55OK.
03:57After that great advice from Michaela, I wanted to get her thoughts on Hayley's second challenge.
04:02Before she arrived at my boot camp, I asked Hayley to make a high-end piece, something for a bigger
04:09budget.
04:09She brought along a bespoke velvet chair with a playing card design and green trim.
04:15It took eight hours to make and was priced at £650.
04:19I think to have made the shape, to have designed it all, it's got some real quality to it.
04:25I think it can be a bit novel, the fabric choices that she's chosen and the combination of colours as
04:31well with the neons on.
04:32I'd like to see it maybe a little bit more classic.
04:35OK, yeah.
04:36I think somebody's going to have to live with this every day in the house.
04:41Back in the upholstery bar, Hayley had stuck the foam to the seat and seat back of her barstool
04:47and was marking out their outline onto the fabric that would cover them.
04:51I'm just using a chalk pencil to make sure I can get nice and close to my shape.
04:56I need to put in a seam allowance, which is the area that I'm going to sew the fabric together.
05:01For this, I'm actually using 15mm pipe.
05:06My husband is a plumber and it just works really well because it's the perfect seam allowance
05:10and it saves me having to go round with a tape measure and do it slowly.
05:14So it's just a little time-saving thing.
05:18I'm just going to cut this out now on my seam allowance that I've marked out.
05:24With the fabric cut to size, Hayley prepared the piping by sniffing it around the corners
05:29to help it curve nicely.
05:32She then sewed the fabric and piping together.
05:37The trick is to take it slow really because if you go off of your seam allowance,
05:41it affects the whole shape, especially on the corners.
05:44It's, you know, just taking that little bit at a time.
05:50Once Hayley had made the back pad of her bar stool,
05:53she finished off the one for her seat by stuffing the foam base into the fabric cover.
05:58Checking the piping was straight as she went.
06:01I've chosen 7cm for my thickness because my seat back is 3.5cm.
06:07By doubling the seat, it kind of gives that luxurious plump look.
06:11I'm just holding it there.
06:15And I'm going to temporary tack at my north.
06:22We're going to do the same at the south.
06:32So once we've done the north and south, we're going to do corner, corner, corner, corner.
06:37To finish, Hayley trimmed off the excess fabric, stapled around the edges
06:41and made sure the white piping was all nice and straight.
06:45Once I've done that, I'm just going to cut out some black for the base
06:49and then I'm going to get it all screwed together.
06:52Hayley's bar stool took her around four hours to craft.
06:55It was a great piece, simple but with a luxurious finish.
06:59With a make time of four hours, she gave it a price tag of £125.
07:04I think it's priced really affordably, but perhaps a little bit low.
07:09Edging the price up is going to be in line with the quality of the item.
07:14OK, cool. Thank you.
07:15Do you have any advice on how Hayley can sell these?
07:18Yeah, absolutely.
07:19I think while you're building your brand,
07:21looking at other websites online that sell high-end homeware
07:25and drawing on their kind of expertise for marketing and sales
07:29and listing them on sites like that will really help.
07:31That's a great idea. Thank you so much.
07:34Michaela had some great tips for Hayley's first two products
07:37and for her final challenge, we asked her to create her favourite piece
07:42to see if the item she was most passionate about making
07:45could also be a big hit with potential customers.
07:48She decided to make the first product she ever sold,
07:51her Slim Jim Foldstool with fold-away legs.
07:55Covered in decorative recycled polyester and three complementary buttons,
07:59it was priced at £150.
08:04She began by gluing the foam onto her pre-made wooden base
08:08like Michaela showed her for her barstool.
08:11Once it was cut, it was covered with polyester and the top fabric
08:15and stapled down, all ready to add the buttons.
08:19I'm going to start in the centre, pop a pin in
08:27to find the middle.
08:29I'm going to get my needle where my hole is
08:35and I'm going to push it through my foam
08:42and then pop my button in.
08:45Give it a pull to the desired depth that I want
08:48and then once I've got the right tension,
08:50I'm just going to staple it off.
08:58That's one done and then I've just got two more to go.
09:02After finishing the top, Hayley turned her attention to the base,
09:05screwing in the fold-away legs.
09:08It's always good to hand screw the screws in first
09:12because if you tighten one up, then sometimes the others don't fit.
09:17And then once I've got all my bolts in,
09:22I'm just going to use this just to tighten those up
09:25and that just goes down into the threads that I pre-drilled in earlier.
09:30I hope Michaela's going to like it.
09:33I think she'll appreciate the design elements
09:37and the fact that it's really unique.
09:41Having helped start her business,
09:43Hayley's Slim Jim Fold Stool was understandably close to her heart.
09:48It had material costs of around £76 and a price tag of £150.
09:54Such a clever idea.
09:56I think it's so space-saving.
09:57You know, the market for it is huge.
09:59I really believe that getting this out to market
10:02hinges a lot on how you brand it
10:04and I think some videos to show people how easy it is to get it out
10:08and fold up the legs to tuck it away,
10:10how lightweight it is,
10:11will really help bring it to life for people.
10:14What we need to do is get you into some stockists
10:16so that other brands can be championing
10:18this really fantastic design that you have.
10:22Hayley excelled at each of my three challenges
10:24and we sent her back to Hampshire with an action plan
10:27to help her business thrive
10:29so that husband Martin could take a step back from his plumbing work.
10:34First, we wanted her to create curves or wiggles for her bar stools
10:38and offer bespoke options to allow customers to pick their own colours.
10:43Next, she needed to create video content for her social media,
10:47especially for her fabulous fold-away footstool.
10:51Finally, we wanted her to approach stockists
10:53so other brands could champion her work.
10:56The bigger the brand, the better.
11:00After leaving the boot camp,
11:02we gave Hayley eight weeks to work on our advice
11:05and kick-start her business.
11:07And with Michaela's support and husband Martin's help,
11:10she wasted no time coming up with new designs
11:13and picking new fabrics to make her bar stools more bespoke.
11:18My new thumples have arrived!
11:21She also roped in her local blacksmith
11:23to help customise the bar stools' legs.
11:25I'm thinking about adding some wiggles or curves or something in it
11:29just to make it a little bit more unique.
11:31I mean, we'd have to keep it straight here
11:33just to make sure it doesn't, you know, it's nice and solid.
11:37But all of this could be wiggled.
11:40With help from daughter Ellie,
11:41Hayley also focused on creating new videos
11:44and taking photos for her website and social media.
11:47We're having loads of fun in the workshop today
11:48and I've called in a little helper.
11:50We are trying to get ready for a photo shoot this afternoon
11:54so I'm making as much as I can
11:56so we can get everything photographed and put on the website.
12:00Hayley did exactly what we asked of her and so much more.
12:04She made big leaps with her business
12:06and had very positive news to share with us
12:09when she came back to my boot camp eight weeks later.
12:13I have made £7,451.
12:16Did you know that?
12:18Yeah, I'm so impressed.
12:19I'm so happy.
12:21Wow.
12:21You've done amazingly well
12:22but it's a team effort, isn't it, with your husband?
12:24Yeah.
12:25We just make a great team
12:26and I think with his back
12:28we need to just get everything going now
12:30so that he can take a step back on the plumbing
12:33and actually come and do the designing
12:35which he's clearly very good at.
12:38Hayley needed to take off her costs
12:40from her superb sales figures
12:42but she'd made a cracking start
12:44to building a new family business.
12:48Two and a half years later
12:50and having just about picked my jaw off the floor
12:53after finding out about her early success
12:55I've come to Hampshire
12:57to catch up with her and husband Martin
12:59to hear all about their continued achievements
13:02and how much they're earning now.
13:04Hi, you're awake!
13:05Hayley, hello!
13:06Come in, let me show you my sewing room.
13:10Hayley runs her business from home
13:12and has a dedicated space
13:14in what was a spare room upstairs
13:15to do all the clean sewing parts of her work.
13:20Look at this space.
13:21So this is my sewing and finishing workshop.
13:24I feel like I've stepped inside your head.
13:25Yeah, probably a little bit, yeah.
13:28Look at that machine.
13:29Yeah, this is like my industrial sewing machine
13:31where I do everything.
13:32Have you got any other new toys?
13:33I have bought a 3D printer.
13:36Oh, wow.
13:36Yeah, which...
13:38That's exciting.
13:39...is very exciting.
13:40How does that help upholstery, though?
13:42Before now, it's been, you know, pen to paper, old school.
13:44So I thought the best thing would be
13:46to be able to 3D print the models
13:48and we've got some here.
13:49Is this it?
13:50That's some of the models?
13:51Yes, yes, yeah.
13:52Having that 3D printer is going to be so helpful
13:54for the design process of, you know,
13:55developing new products.
13:56You can actually see it.
13:58Yeah, exactly.
13:59And it's super cute.
14:00Of course.
14:02Hayley's sewing studio is a fabulous space
14:05and it's great to hear that she's been investing
14:08in her business.
14:09But I'm keen to find out how much progress
14:12she and husband Martin have made
14:14towards him taking a step back from his plumbing
14:16to help manage his chronic back condition.
14:20I know that building this business
14:22was a lot more than just making money for you.
14:25This was a lot about Martin's health
14:27and obviously supporting your family.
14:29Definitely.
14:29I mean, the last two years has been amazing.
14:32He is working a lot more now in the business.
14:35I'm able to step away from all the heavy work
14:37that I was doing before
14:39and sit and design new products.
14:41It sounds like the business
14:42is going from strength to strength.
14:44Are there any particular products
14:45that's helped that?
14:46I would say the Foldstool.
14:48That is still our bestseller, really.
14:50But we've added some extra features
14:52like a super slim one
14:53and these bar stools.
14:55So we've actually got,
14:56this is the Kayla and the Dom.
14:59Perfect.
14:59I guess you know who the doctor.
15:01Yes, I can get it.
15:02The Dom is definitely one of our bestsellers now,
15:05which is lovely.
15:06I'm glad to hear it.
15:06And I'm not just saying that,
15:07like genuinely.
15:09I'm very pleased to hear
15:11that the new Dom's stall is doing well.
15:14Hayley and Martin's bar stools
15:16and Foldaway footstool
15:17make up 40% of their business.
15:20They're also designing bigger pieces
15:22and they're going to show me
15:24how they make their new chair
15:26called the Luna,
15:27which they've priced at 875 pounds.
15:32To see how they create the frame,
15:34we've headed five minutes down the road
15:36to Blacksmith Alex's workshop.
15:38All right, Mel, mate.
15:40Hayley and Martin have designed
15:42key common features
15:43across lots of their pieces,
15:45which has enabled Alex
15:46to build special jigs
15:48that make it easier and quicker
15:49to bend the metal into shape
15:51perfectly every time.
15:54He's obviously put a lot of work in
15:56to making sure the jigs are correct
15:57so that we can, you know,
15:58replicate and create things.
16:00Because it's important for you
16:01to make sure that every stall
16:02and piece of furniture
16:04is the same.
16:04Exactly.
16:05It's consistent.
16:05Exactly.
16:06And also,
16:06when we design something new,
16:08we always think about
16:09is there a wiggle
16:10we could reuse in some way
16:12with things that we already have.
16:14So, yeah,
16:14it works really well.
16:15That's clever.
16:16Yeah.
16:17Having already made the arms,
16:19Alex is creating
16:20two wiggled bars
16:21for the new Luna chair's sides.
16:23This just shows
16:24how much work
16:25by hand
16:26goes into making.
16:27Exactly, yeah.
16:28Just one component
16:29for the chair.
16:30As a metal worker myself,
16:32it's been great
16:33watching Alex work
16:34and see the chair's frame
16:36coming together.
16:38You make it look so easy.
16:40Wasn't that brilliant?
16:42Yeah.
16:42Once the frame
16:43is fully assembled,
16:44it's taken to be powder-coated
16:46in whatever colour
16:47the customer has chosen.
16:50Back at the house
16:51in their larger
16:52downstairs workshop,
16:53Hayley and I
16:54are going to make
16:54one of the chair's cushions.
16:57All right,
16:58I've got my chalk of choice.
16:59Yep.
16:59I'm ready?
17:00You ready?
17:01We start by marking out
17:03the template.
17:04I need my weight.
17:05Sorry.
17:06Thank you, thank you.
17:11I know these last
17:12two and a bit years
17:14can't have been easy.
17:15You've been so busy
17:16by the sounds of it.
17:18But you've come so far.
17:20Definitely.
17:21Like, there's been
17:21so many highlights.
17:23I think this year
17:24has been
17:24my favourite year
17:26just because
17:27I had a really big contract
17:28with an interior designer
17:29for about six to eight months
17:31of this year
17:31doing all these different things
17:33I'd never done before.
17:34Out of your comfort zone.
17:35And every time I finished one
17:36I was like,
17:37oh my God,
17:37I've just done a sofa.
17:38It's amazing.
17:39Like, oh my God,
17:40I've just done this.
17:41And I think that this year
17:43has really made me feel like
17:45I can do this.
17:47I could do anything.
17:48With the fabric
17:49that will cover
17:50both the top
17:51and bottom
17:51of the cushion
17:52marked out,
17:53it's time to get
17:53the scissors out.
17:54But as it's
17:55a luxurious fabric
17:57costing 110 pounds
17:58per square metre,
18:00I'm pretty nervous.
18:03Perfect.
18:03This isn't terrifying at all.
18:05Come on, Don,
18:06stick to the line.
18:07Stick to the line.
18:07There's a saying
18:08in the upholstery world
18:10which is
18:10measure twice,
18:12cut once.
18:13Yes, yeah.
18:13That carries through
18:14to metal work.
18:15It's OK.
18:16Does it?
18:16Oh, amazing.
18:17Yeah.
18:17I could do the helper
18:18all the time.
18:19I'd get so much done.
18:21A helpful one,
18:21though, not me.
18:23Perfect.
18:25There it is.
18:26Fabulous job.
18:27There it is.
18:28I'm exhausted already.
18:30After cutting out
18:31the material
18:32for the piping
18:32Oh, Hayley,
18:33this is teamwork.
18:34Look at that.
18:35It's going, huh?
18:36We head back up
18:37to the sewing room
18:37where Hayley
18:38sews it
18:39to the edges
18:39of the cushion
18:43before adding
18:44a hidden zip tape
18:45down one side.
18:47Do you want to put
18:47the zip on?
18:48I'd love to.
18:48We need a white one,
18:50the top box.
18:50Can we put a black one in?
18:52We can,
18:53but it will ruin everything.
18:56OK, trick with this
18:57if we start
18:58on a straight festival.
18:58Of course there's a trick.
18:59So you want to put
19:00one side in,
19:01then the other side.
19:02Hold these bits here,
19:04the tails,
19:05together in one hand.
19:07Hang on.
19:08Got it?
19:09I'm not sure
19:10my sausage fingers
19:10are ideal for this.
19:12It's a really small zip as well.
19:14Oh, yeah.
19:14OK, I'm in.
19:15Yeah.
19:15Now grab the tails
19:16with one hand
19:16and pull the zip.
19:20Yes!
19:21Amazing!
19:22First time!
19:23To finish,
19:25Hayley stitches
19:25the remaining three sides
19:27of the cushion cover together,
19:29then turns it
19:30the right way round.
19:31Look how neat that is.
19:33So I can fill it
19:34with the cushion itself.
19:36Perfect.
19:38That's it.
19:39Now you can do it up.
19:41I know this probably
19:42isn't much to you
19:43compared to some
19:44of the other things
19:44that you make,
19:45but that's quite
19:46an achievement for me.
19:47It's perfect.
19:48I've loved seeing
19:50how Hayley and Martin's
19:51Lunar Chair
19:51is put together.
19:52It has a make time
19:54of up to five days
19:55and a price tag
19:56of £875.
19:58Like all of their products,
20:00the colours and fabrics
20:01can be tailored
20:02to each customer,
20:03and it also comes
20:04with a matching footstool
20:05for £275.
20:08It's great to see
20:09they've completely
20:10embraced our advice
20:11about creating
20:12bespoke pieces,
20:13and I'm keen
20:14to find out
20:15what role
20:16the other pointers
20:16we gave them
20:17have played
20:18in the success
20:18of their business.
20:20When you last
20:21left the boot camp,
20:22we sent you off
20:23to try and build
20:24your online presence,
20:25you know,
20:26creating videos,
20:26things like that.
20:27Yeah.
20:27We've invested
20:28in some new camera equipment,
20:29which has been amazing.
20:31The new camera
20:31can, you know,
20:32track my hands
20:33when I'm working,
20:34so I can kind of
20:34just set it up,
20:35leave it and go.
20:37And I think
20:37the more I'm doing stuff,
20:39there's more stuff
20:39that I can just
20:40naturally film.
20:41Another pointer
20:42that Michaela
20:42was very keen
20:43for you to look into
20:43was trying to get
20:44your work into
20:45more shops and stockists.
20:46It's not easy.
20:47Have you managed it?
20:48Yes.
20:49So we,
20:50when I left you
20:51last at the boot camp,
20:52we had gone online
20:53with an online retailer.
20:55Okay.
20:55And we have now
20:57increased that
20:57to a couple more.
20:58People have reached out
20:59and asked to stock
21:00our products,
21:00which is great.
21:01But also the collaborations
21:02that we've done,
21:03we manufacture
21:04some products
21:05for a London showroom
21:07where we use their fabric
21:08and put it on products
21:09for their customers.
21:10So we've definitely,
21:11definitely increased
21:12getting our stuff out there,
21:13which is great.
21:14Well done.
21:15How does that feel?
21:16Amazing.
21:17And it's the best feeling
21:18that we're actually
21:19getting approached
21:19by people who are saying,
21:21we love it.
21:22We want to either
21:22do a variation
21:23or, you know,
21:25we want to stock
21:25what you have now.
21:27Hayley and Martin
21:28have used every bit
21:29of advice Michaela
21:31and I gave them.
21:31And two and a half years
21:33after Hayley first
21:34arrived at my boot camp,
21:35I can't wait to hear
21:37exactly what it all means
21:38for their finances.
21:39The whole idea
21:41behind this business
21:41is really to try
21:42and look after Martin's health
21:43and support the family.
21:44This is a business after all.
21:45Is it paying its way?
21:46How are the figures looking?
21:47So the business
21:48has made £30,000,
21:50which has meant
21:51I've managed to pay myself
21:52a great salary
21:53and we've also been able
21:54to reinvest for next year
21:56for more exciting things.
21:57That's been amazing.
21:58That is incredible.
21:59That's a huge number.
22:00Look at the smiles
22:01on both your faces as well.
22:04It is amazing.
22:05Yeah.
22:06You must be pleased.
22:06So pleased.
22:08Yeah, very pleased.
22:08Yeah, it's just been
22:11like an amazing journey
22:13that is nowhere near ended.
22:15Yeah, no.
22:16Going from selling
22:17next to nothing
22:18two and a half years ago
22:19to making £30,000 a year
22:22after costs
22:22is an incredible achievement.
22:24And there's more good news.
22:27Martin is now spending
22:2870% of his time
22:30working alongside Hayley
22:31in their business.
22:32And I don't think
22:34it will be too long
22:34before he's joining her full time.
22:37It's just so nice
22:39to be doing this
22:39with my husband.
22:41To be able to not only
22:42have a life together
22:43but build a business together
22:44that we love doing.
22:46I know it sounds cheesy
22:47but it's a pinch me moment.
22:50It just feels really wonderful
22:51and I'm very, very proud of us.
22:58The next maker
22:59we're catching up with today
23:01is Richard from Northumberland
23:02who came to my boot camp
23:04in the summer of 2024.
23:06He had a passion
23:08for stone carving
23:09which he discovered
23:10after a not so gentle
23:11nudge from his mum.
23:12My mum was having
23:13renovations done
23:14in her house.
23:15She said,
23:16come down,
23:17meet the stonemason,
23:18you'll love his yard.
23:19He's got sculptures
23:20and things.
23:21As soon as I got out of the car
23:23my mum was like,
23:25this guy's unemployed
23:26if you want to
23:28give him a job.
23:29Took to it like a duck to water
23:31and fell in love with it
23:33from there.
23:34To figure out
23:35the best way
23:36of helping Richard
23:37make money
23:37from his beautiful work
23:39I teamed him up
23:40with professional stone carver
23:42Louis Francis.
23:43Louis is a classically trained carver
23:46who has been honing
23:47his skills for 13 years
23:48and runs a successful business
23:50from his studio
23:51in Norfolk.
23:54Richard is just starting out
23:56with his business
23:57and he's got so much skill
23:59and huge potential
24:01you know,
24:02he never stops.
24:03He's so creative.
24:05I'm really excited
24:06to see
24:07you know,
24:07where he's going
24:08to go with it.
24:09To help Richard
24:10turn his potential
24:11into profit
24:12he also took on
24:14my three challenges.
24:15For his volume piece
24:16he decided to make
24:18a small geometric fox
24:19using Northumberland sandstone
24:21and copper gilding paint
24:23which he priced
24:24at £45.
24:26Having cut the stone
24:28to size
24:28and polished it up
24:29with an abrasive block
24:30he traced on his design
24:32using graphite paper.
24:35Almost done the design
24:36grand reveal
24:38voila!
24:40Now I'm going to take it over
24:41to the table
24:42and get it carved out.
24:45I'm going to be using
24:47tungsten carbide
24:49lettering chisels
24:49and I'm going to use it
24:50to cut a V-cut
24:52to give it that effect
24:53to catch the light.
24:57I was never very good
24:58at school.
24:59I was the most
25:00coasting average student
25:02you've seen.
25:04Stone carving
25:05has changed my life.
25:07I used to work
25:08to fund my passions
25:09and now my work
25:10is my passion.
25:12Whilst Richard
25:13focused on carving
25:14his fox
25:14I caught up with Louie
25:16to talk about
25:16his second challenge.
25:18Before coming to my boot camp
25:20I asked Richard
25:21to bring along
25:21his favourite piece
25:23to see if the item
25:24he was most proud of
25:25could make him
25:26big profits.
25:27My favourite piece
25:29is the large
25:30geometric kingfisher.
25:32It's a foray
25:33into using
25:34extremely bold colours
25:36which is something
25:37that I've been
25:37working towards.
25:39I love it
25:40because it's
25:41one of the designs
25:42that I feel
25:43has secured
25:44my style.
25:46Working once again
25:47with Northumberland
25:48sandstone
25:48Richard decided
25:50to showcase
25:50another beautiful
25:51hand-painted
25:52animal carving.
25:53With material costs
25:55of around £50
25:56and a 20-hour
25:57make time
25:58he gave it
25:58a price tag
25:59of £200.
26:02It's really
26:03really beautiful.
26:05When I saw it
26:06it wasn't
26:07the actual stone
26:07it's not the carving
26:08it's the actual colour.
26:10It's got the colour right
26:11the way it's blended
26:12do you know?
26:15Overall
26:16you know
26:17it's the full package
26:18it's just
26:18wow.
26:20Richard has
26:20an asking price
26:21of £200
26:22for the piece.
26:24I think it needs
26:25to go up
26:25I think it needs
26:26to go up
26:27£200
26:28I think it's
26:29like undervaluing
26:30his artwork
26:30and that really
26:31shocked me.
26:33Back on the stone
26:35carving station
26:35Richard was making
26:37good progress
26:37with his geometric
26:38sandstone fox.
26:42The first time
26:43I sold my first piece
26:44it almost felt
26:46unbelievable.
26:48The idea
26:49that I'd done
26:49something that I love
26:52I'd created
26:53something from scratch
26:54carved it
26:55and then sold it
26:56was just
26:57the icing
26:58on the cake.
27:01Once he'd finished
27:02carving
27:03Richard turned
27:04his attention
27:04to painting the fox.
27:06The painting part
27:06can be stressful
27:07you've spent
27:08time carving
27:09and making sure
27:10that everything
27:12lines up right
27:13and then the idea
27:14of slathering paint
27:15on can be quite daunting.
27:17Majority of the fox
27:18is the copper guild
27:20and then I just
27:21have to go in
27:21and add the black
27:22for the legs
27:23the eye
27:24and the nose
27:25and then just
27:26a little bit
27:27of a glaze
27:28for the eye
27:28to give it
27:29some shine
27:30and then it's done.
27:32I'm feeling pretty
27:32good about it.
27:33I think it's a nice
27:34carve
27:35it's a nice design
27:35and I'm looking
27:37forward to seeing
27:37how Louis
27:38reacts to the
27:39finished piece.
27:43Richard's
27:43Northumberland
27:44sandstone fox
27:45had material costs
27:46of around £9.
27:48It took him
27:49four hours
27:50to create
27:50and had an asking
27:52price of £45.
27:55I think that
27:56you could probably
27:56make two
27:57from one block
27:58if I'm honest.
27:59How?
28:01Make the
28:02sewn thinner.
28:04Cut it in half
28:05so you could do two
28:06and then you could
28:07charge twice as much.
28:09And also
28:10the thinner it is
28:11you know
28:12when you're shipping
28:13it would be lower
28:14postage
28:14you can maximise
28:16your profit.
28:16Had you thought
28:17about making it
28:18slightly thinner?
28:19I'd kept it
28:20quite thick
28:20for stability
28:22but I could
28:23make it thinner
28:23with a diagonal
28:24cut and keep it
28:25tapered.
28:26Richard you've
28:27priced this
28:28at £45.
28:29Yes.
28:31I think you could
28:32sell it for a little
28:33bit more
28:34charge a bit more
28:35because you have
28:36to think about
28:37the cost of
28:37the material
28:39your time
28:40the overheads
28:41and also
28:42you're paying
28:43for tax.
28:45How are you
28:45going to do
28:46that with £45?
28:47Charge more.
28:49Have you got
28:49any other
28:49pointers for
28:50Richard?
28:53The carving
28:54is great
28:54but maybe
28:55you could
28:56try working
28:56with another
28:57stone
28:57like slate
28:58for example.
28:59It takes
28:59time to carve
29:01but you know
29:02it's really
29:03sellable
29:03and maybe
29:03you could
29:04charge a little
29:04bit more.
29:05you know
29:06the material
29:06is gorgeous.
29:07Something to
29:08look into
29:09for sure.
29:09That'll be
29:09interesting for
29:10you then.
29:10Yeah definitely.
29:12You get an
29:12amazing carve
29:13on slate
29:13so that would
29:14be an
29:14exciting
29:14material
29:15to work
29:16with.
29:17Two items
29:18in and
29:19Louis thought
29:20Richard needed
29:20to up his
29:21pricing on
29:22both.
29:22So for his
29:23final piece
29:24he gave him
29:25a challenge
29:25designed to
29:26improve the
29:26profitability
29:27of his
29:28work.
29:29He asked
29:30Richard to
29:31create a
29:31house number
29:32with his
29:32own design
29:33and keep
29:34it under
29:34two kilograms
29:35as the cost
29:36of posting
29:37increased
29:37significantly
29:38above that
29:39weight.
29:40He uses
29:40stone that
29:41is quite
29:42thick so I
29:42want him to
29:43look at the
29:43depth and
29:44to make it
29:44thinner so
29:45that it's
29:45lighter and
29:46it's measurable
29:47and it's
29:48easy to post
29:49and it's
29:49cheaper and
29:50affordable so
29:51he can
29:51maximise
29:52profit.
29:53Once again
29:54Richard used
29:54Northumberland
29:55sandstone to
29:56create his
29:57mentor's
29:57challenge piece.
29:59He decorated
30:00it with a
30:00hummingbird
30:01design adding
30:02colour with
30:03acrylic paint
30:03and gave it
30:04an asking
30:05price of
30:05£90.
30:07The weight
30:08limit to
30:09do with
30:10postage is
30:11a really
30:12interesting
30:13limitation and
30:15it's pushed
30:15me to think
30:16more about the
30:17designs that I
30:18use and the
30:19stone that I
30:19end up with.
30:20Coming up with
30:21my own design
30:21has been an
30:22interesting
30:22challenge.
30:23Normally I
30:24find the
30:25pictures online
30:26and use them
30:27as a heavy
30:28reference whereas
30:29with this there
30:30was a lot of
30:31work getting
30:32it to look
30:33right.
30:34With his
30:35design in
30:35place Richard
30:36is set to
30:37work carving.
30:39If I was
30:40able to do
30:41this to the
30:43point of making
30:44a very good
30:44living that
30:47would be
30:47extremely
30:48good.
30:50I've never
30:51had a career
30:51where you're
30:53actually working
30:54what you're
30:55passionate about.
30:56it was always
30:57working to fund
30:59my other
30:59passions.
31:00So actually
31:01working something
31:02that I enjoy
31:03and I'm
31:03passionate about
31:04would change
31:06my life.
31:09After carving the
31:10last details of
31:11his piece
31:15It's me done.
31:17It was time to
31:18add the paint.
31:20I find with this
31:21paint it tends to
31:22sink in a little
31:24leaving kind of
31:25natural gradient
31:27which I think
31:28looks really
31:28lovely.
31:30It was an
31:31accidental discovery.
31:33I wasn't very
31:34happy about it when
31:35it first happened
31:35and then I
31:37realised it looked
31:37really nice so
31:38accidents happen.
31:41Richard's house
31:42number with
31:43geometric hummingbird
31:44design was another
31:45fantastic showcase of
31:47his skill and creative
31:48talent and he priced
31:49it at £90.
31:52It's gorgeous.
31:53It's gorgeous.
31:54Not just carving.
31:55It's not just a carving.
31:56The colour.
31:57The colour.
31:58It stands out.
31:59It stands out.
32:02Yeah.
32:03Well done.
32:04I'm not going to
32:05hold you in suspense
32:06any longer.
32:07Louis set you the
32:07challenge to make
32:08a house number
32:09under two kilos.
32:11Shall we weigh it?
32:13Let's.
32:13Let's find out.
32:18What have we got?
32:20What have we got?
32:20Let it settle.
32:211.976.
32:24Oh my goodness.
32:27Close.
32:28Oh it's good.
32:29It's good.
32:30Well done.
32:32Richard rose to
32:33every challenge we
32:34set him and as he
32:35made his journey back
32:36to Northumberland we
32:38gave him an action
32:39plan to help turn his
32:40talent into a
32:41successful sustainable
32:42business.
32:44First he needed to
32:45reduce the weight of
32:46his products so he
32:47could post them
32:48cost effectively.
32:50Next we wanted him
32:51to carve on
32:52different materials
32:53like slate to
32:54widen his product
32:55range.
32:57Finally he needed
32:58to review his price
32:59points to value his
33:00work and charge
33:01what his pieces
33:02were worth.
33:08For the next
33:09eight weeks Louis
33:10gave Richard all
33:11the support he
33:12needed to get his
33:13business off the
33:13ground.
33:14He began by
33:16creating lighter
33:16pieces to send
33:18cheaply by post.
33:19Welcome to the
33:20greenhouse.
33:21So following
33:22Louis' advice I'm
33:23now using thinner
33:24cuts of the
33:25Northumberland
33:25sandstone.
33:26Considering the
33:27weight I've
33:29started making
33:30standardised blanks
33:31so I have the
33:32bigger one for
33:33wider designs like
33:34the Kingfisher or
33:36the taller one for
33:37like the fox or
33:38slimmer design.
33:39He also took on
33:41board Louis' advice
33:42about working with
33:43new materials like
33:44slate.
33:45It's called
33:46Heather Slate and
33:48it's kind of like
33:52maroon, purple-ish
33:54but it looks
33:55amazing when it's
33:56wet or in the
33:57end when it's
33:58polished.
34:00After a few weeks
34:02Richard was ready
34:03to show off his
34:03new work.
34:04I'd like to point
34:06out how sharp the
34:07detail is in slate.
34:10Like look at that.
34:12For two months
34:13after the bootcamp
34:14Richard worked hard
34:15on his action plan
34:16and when he came
34:17back to report on
34:18his progress he had
34:19brilliant news.
34:20Do you mind if we
34:21talk about figures?
34:22How much have you
34:23made so far?
34:24I've made 1,160.
34:27In such a short
34:28time.
34:28Wow.
34:29Yeah.
34:30Well done.
34:31Well done.
34:32That is incredible.
34:33It's really nice to
34:33see a four-digit
34:35number.
34:35Yeah.
34:36So good.
34:37Richard had to
34:38deduct his costs
34:39from his sales
34:40but in just a few
34:41short weeks he'd
34:42proved he had what
34:43it took to sell
34:44his work and build
34:45a business.
34:4918 months after he
34:51first arrived at
34:51my bootcamp I've
34:53asked Louis to head
34:54to Northumberland to
34:55find out how he's
34:56managed to maintain
34:57that momentum and
34:58how much money he's
34:59making from his
35:00carving now.
35:02Hey, how are you
35:03doing?
35:04Whoa.
35:05How are you?
35:06I'm good, thank you.
35:07Long time no see.
35:09I know, I know.
35:10Do you want to come
35:11see my workshop?
35:12Definitely, I'm so
35:12excited, let's go.
35:13Awesome, let's go.
35:15When I first met him
35:16Richard was working in
35:17the greenhouse in his
35:18back garden.
35:19Now he's built his own
35:21nine metre squared
35:22workshop with large
35:23double doors to make it
35:25easy to get the stone
35:26he works with in.
35:28Wow, what a beautiful
35:30space.
35:31I moved in about 10
35:33months ago.
35:34So how's it been going
35:35in the last 18 months?
35:36It's been crazy Louis.
35:38I've got hundreds of
35:40orders, I've got a
35:42newsletter with like
35:43three to four hundred
35:44people signed up, I've
35:45been able to send out
35:47potentially new designs,
35:49engage interest, I've
35:51also got a waiting list
35:52on commissions too, so
35:55there's been a lot
35:56happening.
35:58Wow, fantastic.
36:00So you keep yourself
36:00busy?
36:01Yeah, very.
36:03Do you need my help?
36:05If you know an
36:06apprentice, that'd be
36:07good.
36:09I want to ask, which
36:11of your carvings has
36:12been bestseller?
36:14My Kingfisher and my
36:15Fox designs have been
36:17really popular.
36:18I've sold over a
36:20hundred of each and I've
36:21actually made a
36:22different design for the
36:23Fox.
36:26Richard has designed
36:27his new Fox with fewer
36:29sections, so it's quicker
36:30to carve and it will be
36:32finished with a shinier
36:33resin eye.
36:34He's priced it at 65
36:36pounds, which feels a
36:37little low to me, but
36:39he's going to show Louis
36:40how he makes it.
36:41To begin with, he
36:43traces out his new
36:44design onto Northumberland
36:45sandstone.
36:46All right, I'm happy with
36:47how that's looking.
36:48I'm going to start by
36:52carving in the tiny
36:53little indentation for
36:54the eye and then I'll
36:57just start carving the
36:59top of the head.
37:11I'm pleased that
37:12Richard's tweaking his
37:14designs to speed up his
37:15production, but Louis wants
37:16to find out more about how
37:18he's getting on with managing
37:19a growing business.
37:21Can I ask you a question?
37:23Of course.
37:25So, 18 months in the
37:27bootcamp, what's been your
37:28biggest challenge since?
37:30With the work-life balance,
37:31some days I'm working six
37:33days a week and then some
37:34months there's not a day
37:36off.
37:36So, it's something I need to
37:38work on, but the good thing
37:40is that I'm working for
37:41myself, so if I really need
37:43it, I can take the day off
37:44that I need.
37:48Getting the work-life balance
37:49right is an issue many makers
37:51struggle with, but valuing his
37:53time and talent and fixing his
37:55prices are things that would
37:57definitely help Richard, as
37:59they'll enable him to work less
38:00without losing money.
38:03The next stage of making the
38:05fox is rubbing down the stone
38:06with an abrasive block to polish
38:08it and remove any marks.
38:11Then, it's treated with a
38:13weatherproofing solution.
38:15As this needs a day to dry,
38:17Richard's pre-prepared another
38:18one to paint.
38:24Why foxes?
38:26When I was a teenager, I didn't
38:28really get as much sleep as I
38:31probably should have.
38:32So, I'd spend quite a few
38:34evenings or four o'clock
38:35mornings going for walks.
38:39And, ordinarily, there was a
38:41fox around.
38:44So, I've always been relatively
38:46keen on them.
38:49To finish, Richard adds the new
38:51resin eye detail, cures it under
38:53a UV light to set, then adds
38:56rubber feet to the bottom.
38:58I like to add the little feet on
39:00just so that it's not going to
39:01scratch any surfaces that it ends
39:03up going on.
39:05which isn't a problem if you have
39:08a stone hearth.
39:09But if you have a sort of wooden
39:12sideboard or anything, it just
39:15gives it a very good level of
39:17protection.
39:18I'm happy with that.
39:20I think the newer design gives it a
39:22lot more character.
39:23And I much prefer the resin eye.
39:25With material costs of just over
39:28£11 and a make time of just under
39:30four hours, I love Richard's new
39:32£65 geometric fox.
39:35I'm pleased to see he's still using
39:38slimmer, lighter pieces of stone, as
39:40Louis suggested.
39:41And I'm keen to find out if any of
39:43the other advice we gave him at the
39:44boot camp has been helpful as he's
39:47built his business over the past 18
39:48months.
39:51So when I gave you an action plan, I
39:54asked you to try and carve on different
39:56materials.
39:57One of them was slate.
39:58Did you stick with that or did you go
40:00back to sandstone?
40:01I've found it very time consuming
40:04because I got so busy with the stone
40:06orders.
40:07It's something I had to put to one
40:08side just so I could get through those
40:11initial orders.
40:11I would love to come back to it.
40:14It's a fantastic material.
40:16It just, I'm not at the right skill
40:18level yet to be able to dedicate the
40:20time with how busy I am.
40:25So I've asked you to look into the
40:27prices of your work and what they're
40:30worth.
40:31Are you charging the right price or do
40:33you feel like you're undercharging or
40:34you need to increase your prices?
40:36I think I'm still undercharging.
40:39Even after boot camp, I increased them
40:41a little, but with the amount of demand
40:43that I've had and the amount of
40:45supplies that go into it now with it
40:48being such a big operation, I think
40:50it's time to increase them a little
40:52bit more and see where that takes me.
40:57I think it's time to increase your
40:59prices because of postage that's gone
41:02up, stone materials and things like
41:05that, that's gone up, cost of living
41:07that's increased.
41:09There's loads of elements you need to
41:11think about and you need to increase
41:12your prices to reflect that and be more
41:15comfortable.
41:17Louis's absolutely right.
41:19It's great to be so busy, but 18 months
41:22after leaving the boot camp, it's time for
41:24Richard to raise his prices and start
41:26charging what his work is really worth.
41:29Over the past year and a half, he's worked
41:31flat out for filling orders from his
41:33website and doing small commissions like
41:36this stunning owl for £65.
41:39It's time to find out how much money all
41:41this hard work is making him.
41:44It's been a process.
41:45Have you made a lot of money?
41:47You made a living?
41:48I have.
41:49I have.
41:50I've earned £20,000 this year.
41:55£20,000?
41:57Wow, that is brilliant.
42:00It has.
42:00It is.
42:01It's changed my life completely.
42:03Yeah.
42:04I've gone from working in the greenhouse,
42:06doing little local markets, making a few
42:09pieces a week, you know, dragging that
42:10around, and then now I'm exclusively in
42:13my workshop, fulfilling web orders, having
42:16people chomping at the bit to see what's
42:18coming up next.
42:20It's great.
42:21That is fantastic.
42:23Going from next to nothing to earning £20,000
42:27a year after costs in just 18 months is a
42:30remarkable achievement, and with such
42:32incredible demand for his work, things are
42:35only going to get better for Richard.
42:3718 months ago, I would have never thought
42:39that I'd be in the situation that I am
42:41now, having my own workshop, hundreds of
42:44orders already through the door, hundreds
42:46waiting.
42:47It's changed everything.
42:51Want some help?
42:52Building a business that lasts?
42:54Visit the Open University's interactive guide
42:57for practical help to sustain and grow your
42:59business.
43:00Scan the QR code on screen or visit
43:03connect.open.ac.uk forward slash
43:08I made it at market.
43:27I made it at market.
43:28I made it at market.
43:29I made it at market.
43:33Atload.
43:39Catch the rocket.odor活pond
43:39λ said. I made it at
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