We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Sharie Dodge. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Sharie below.
Hi Sharie, thank you for being such a positive, uplifting person. We’ve noticed that so many of the successful folks we’ve had the good fortune of connecting with have high levels of optimism and so we’d love to hear about your optimism and where you think it comes from.
I try to remember that optimism is a choice. Not to say that one should completely ignore what could go wrong, but focusing on the negative does not improve the situation. As the Dalai Lama XIV said, “Choose to be optimistic, it feels better.”
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
We stumbled upon our knack for making pottery with the help of Sharie’s uncle Lex; a man of many talents, and a longtime potter. Ever practical, he suggested we temper our wild ambitions of making large planters and start with smaller items to learn the basics of working with clay and plaster molds. It turned out the idle suggestion of making small plant watering spikes spoke to us right away! We studied the characteristics of our clay so we could dial in the ideal thickness and experimented with different spike lengths to disperse water most economically. We became enthralled with this most elemental material, and the fusion of antient and modern technology. It wasn’t long before we had repotted and accessorized most of our houseplants with our creations and needed some sort of outlet if we would like to keep making stuff and feeding our talent. That’s when we turned to Etsy and, after a while, Mountain Mudworks took off and took over.
In 2020 we started converting our garage into a pottery studio, purchased a kiln and went all in. Logan stopped bartending and committed fully to MMW the same year. He is responsible for most of the production process, from mold making to loading the kiln and everything in between. Sharie stepped away from her nonprofit career to give her
full attention to our micro business in late 2022. She handles the vast majority of finishing work from cleaning and painting each piece to sharing the results of our efforts with the world on social media.
Our process is a long one, in ideal conditions, tracking a single piece from liquid clay to ‘ready-to-ship’ product takes a minimum of 6 weeks. Every item in our shop is hand made by us. From mixing dry powders to make slip and plaster molds, to casting, cleaning, glazing, firing, and ultimately, packaging them to be sent to you. Our products are designed with quality and functionality at the forefront, our fun and creativity are baked in naturally. We are eagerly growing our skills and ambitions. Check out MountainMudworks.com to see our original designs The amount of time, energy and love that goes into these items is immense, and we are so pleased when they bring joy to someone’s life. Keep an eye out for new designs as our repertoire grows with us, follow @Mountain Mudworks on Facebook and Instagram.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
I think the most important thing is to have a mission statement. Knowing your why will help you as you reach hurtles and struggle through hard times. If you are starting a business just to make money, you may quickly learn there are easier ways to make money. Next, honing the skills it takes to capture or create compelling images is a must. Whether it is a digital graphic or a photograph, a good image can explain you, your vibe, and your style in an instant. As they say, an image is worth a thousand words. And finally, one of the most obvious and recurring characteristic of an entrepreneur is tenacity. There will be failures. There will be setbacks. Learn from it and do better next time. Great products requires multiple iterations.
All the wisdom you’ve shared today is sincerely appreciated. Before we go, can you tell us about the main challenge you are currently facing?
Right now, growth is our biggest challenge.
Since we seem to have reached the capacity we’re able to contribute as just two humans, we have started thinking about hiring a partner or employee. For us, this huge next step comes with all sorts of challenges to consider.
From putting in place all of the legal requirements that allow us to be an employer, to simplifying and streamlining our existing procedures and formally documenting our processes; just getting the groundwork laid is a monumental task.
Of course, we want to make choices that are smart and sustainable without sacrificing momentum as we explore new possibilities for expansion. To accomplish that, simply putting one proverbial foot in front of the other is the trick. Making small moves towards this grand goal keeps things in focus and provides bursts of feel-good progress that only motivates us further.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.mountainmudworks.com
- Instagram: @MountainMudworks
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/mountainmudworks
