About the Business
The Pottery Chew Valley, run by ceramicist Michelle McTigue, is a creative studio offering pottery workshops and handmade ceramics. What began as a solo venture has grown into a thriving business with strong demand and a growing customer base, as well as running her own pottery business: Michelle McTigue.
The Challenge
As the business grew, Michelle began to face some common challenges experienced by micro-business owners:
- Limited visibility and inconsistent bookings
- Time-consuming manual processes, including bookings and daily admin
- Capacity constraints due to limited equipment and space
- Difficulty balancing creative work with running the business
Michelle recognised the need to streamline operations, increase visibility, and build a more sustainable business model.
The Support
Michelle accessed support through the funded Bath and North East Somerset Business Support Service, delivered by Cool Ventures.
Through this, she received tailored guidance to support her in starting her business, alongside targeted one-to-one support through the Start and Thrive programme. Working with business expert Katie Sands, Michelle was able to strengthen her marketing approach and build greater confidence in how she promotes her business.
This included:
- Developing a clear and structured social media strategy
- Building confidence and skills in digital marketing
- Introducing automated booking and payment systems
- Creating processes to support customer retention and future growth
The support enabled Michelle to take a more strategic approach, freeing up time and creating space to focus on growing the business.
The Impact
With the right marketing systems and strategy in place, The Pottery Chew Valley experienced significant growth:
- A rapid increase in online visibility, with social media reach growing dramatically
- 8-week campaign secured £3.3k in bookings within 24 hours.
- Overall business income doubling within 12 months
- Expansion of the studio, increasing equipment and capacity
- Transition from a solo business to employing workshop support staff
Michelle is now able to focus more on high-value opportunities, including wholesale growth and developing the business further.
Looking Ahead
With improved systems, stronger marketing, and increased capacity, The Pottery Chew Valley is well positioned for continued growth. The business has moved beyond survival mode and is now building a sustainable and scalable future.
Client Feedback
“The Thrive programme has been a huge support in helping me grow my business at The Pottery Chew Valley. Through the support from Bath Digital Marketer, I’ve improved my online presence, built a following, and seen a real increase in bookings. As a single woman running my own creative business, it has also given me the confidence to move forward and believe in what I’m building. Now that my studio is established, I’m able to spend more time developing my own pottery brand, Michelle McTigue, creating beautiful, handmade, functional pieces from scratch. I would absolutely recommend the Thrive programme to other business owners looking for practical support and real results.”
About The Pottery Chew Valley
Check out Michelle’s amazing pottery designs.
