48-year-old turned his side hustle into a business that brings in over $6.6 million a year: ‘I feel like I'm living the dream'During a typical day at Jono Pandolfi's Union City, New Jersey, pottery studio, he and his 30-person team unload over a thousand pieces out of their 13 kilns, and ship the plates, bowls and mugs to restaurants and home chefs around the world.
"I think it's safe to say that it's pretty hard for a ceramic artist or someone who studied clay to build a business that's bringing in over $6 million per year," Pandolfi, 48, says."I feel like I'm living the dream of a ceramic artist." While labor remains the business's biggest expense, firing and glazing the bowls also requires a financial investment. Once the studio started taking on high profile clients, like Anthropologie and Crate & Barrel, it needed more kilns to keep up with the demand. The business has taken out three loans, each between $100,000 and $200,000, starting in 2016, Pandolfi says."The kilns pay for themselves, really," Pandolfi adds.
Feeling out of the loop? We'll catch you up on the Chicago news you need to know. Sign up for the weekly