027 – Gabriel Hargett of Oowee Products on the Magic of Craftsmanship, Lean Manufacturing, and Transitioning from Full-Time Employee to Full-Time Boss

If I post a job posting…I get all these awesome applicants and most of them read like: ‘I know my resume is all restaurants and banking, but I just wanna make stuff with my hands.’ And I can relate to that. It’s like this primal instinct or something where you just want to create something because it’s so gratifying.” – Gabriel Hargett

In this episode, we interview Gabriel Hargett, the founder and owner of Oowee Products. Oowee is a handcrafted leather goods company based in Asheville NC. They create all sorts of custom leather products, from high-quality pint glass sleeves to leather-patched hats and more. And you know what else? They employ a hardworking team of adults that are on the Autism spectrum to help them with hand sewing and packaging up their products. Pretty rad. We know.

Here’s What You’ll Learn:

  • How Oowee products got its start (hint hint: it’s connected to the brewery industry)
  • Where the name Oowee came from
  • What it was like for Gabriel to transition from a full-time day job to a full-time business owner
  • Why Gabriel decided to employ adults on the autism spectrum
  • Oowee’s marketing strategy
  • How Gabriel is applying the concept of lean manufacturing to his business
  • Gabriel’s favorite things to do in Asheville

Check out the full episode below!

Show Notes

Oowee Products creates custom, high-quality leather goods handmade in Asheville, NC. They are proud to employ adults on the autism spectrum to assemble all of their products. Connect with them on their website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Mountain Biz Works is a local non-profit organization that helps offers small businesses learning and lending opportunities. This is where Gabriel and his team took business classes that helped improve their marketing and business strategy.

Lean manufacturing is a concept that calls for constantly improving and tweaking the manufacturing process by eliminating unnecessary and unhelpful steps. Gabriel is constantly applying this concept to his business.

The Goal by Eliyahu M. Goldratt is a parable business book on the process of ongoing improvement. It’s a powerful book for anyone who works in the manufacturing industry.

The Wedge is where Gabe likes to enjoy a casual beer.

Mellow Mushroom is where Gabe goes for consistently good pizza with a groovy vibe.

Bent Creek is one of Gabe’s favorite places to go mountain biking.

Curious to learn more about what we do?

Making It in Asheville is a podcast where we go behind the scenes with artists, creatives, and entrepreneurs in Asheville. We learn about what they’re making and how they’re making it in Asheville.

Making It in Asheville is powered by Making It Creative, our boutique marketing and business consulting agency. We help passionate small business owners build and improve their sales and communication strategies. Learn more here.

Show us some love, will ya?

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To recommend an interviewee, visit MakingItInAsheville.com/podcast

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021 – Jack Roche of Old North Unpacks the “Audacity” of Selling $300 Jeans in Asheville

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“I’m a Ferrari-in-a-bathroom-doing-donuts-kind-of-person,”

– Jack Roche

And that he is. Jack is truly a Renaissance man, constantly involved in multiple projects and businesses, always in pursuit of learning the next thing.

This conversation was a thrill-ride. Jack, as the owner and founder of Old North, has built a business that is both fulfilling and allows him to constantly pursue new curiosities — like sailing from the Caribbean to Maine or living in the jungles of the Amazon.

Here’s What You’ll Learn:

  • Old North’s origin story as a retail store in Asheville (it opened at the worst possible time)
  • The importance of pivoting early and often when you’re a new business
  • The logic of understanding and diversifying your risk as an entrepreneur
  • Why positive reinforcement is so important in entrepreneurship
    How critically important resilience is — especially in a seasonal business
  • Jack’s thoughts on working in the clothing industry, why he loves it and why he hates it
  • Lessons on buying products for a retail shop (larry vs nick), including the differences between creating your own private label vs. carrying other brands
  • Jack’s shares some thoughts on his marketing and brand strategy
    We talk about men’s fashion, women’s fashion and what it means to communicate with your clothes
  • What to do if you don’t know where to begin with improving your personal style
  • Jack shares his perspective on the community in Asheville and his favorite restaurants/bars in town

Show Notes

Old North is a boutique clothing store specializing in exceptional quality from American, Japanese, and European manufacturers. Think: timeless tees, casual cargoes, and durable denim made for the effortless stylists. You can connect with them on their website and on Instagram

Books and concepts mentioned during this episode:
During the episode, we talked about a couple of concepts from noteworthy books. One was the idea of building a muse business as referenced in the 4-Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss. The other was accessing a state of “flow” as discussed in depth in the book Flow: The Psychology of the Optimal Experience by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi.

Jack’s Favorite Restaurants & Bars in Asheville:

  • Bull & Beggar – “Consistently the best restaurant experience I’ve ever had in my life.”
  • Crucible – “I don’t drink beer — it smells like farts, so this is my favorite bar.”
  • All Souls Pizza – “It reminds me of portland in the 80s.”

Music by Commonwealth Choir

Curious to learn more about what we do?

Making It in Asheville is a podcast where we go behind the scenes with artists, creatives, and entrepreneurs in Asheville. We learn about what they’re making and how they’re making it in Asheville.

Making It in Asheville is powered by Making It Creative, our boutique marketing and business consulting agency. We help passionate small business owners build and improve their sales and communication strategies. Learn more here.

We appreciate your support!

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, like, review, and/or share. Each review means than you might think as they help this episode get discovered on podcast players.

To recommend an interviewee, visit MakingItInAsheville.com/podcast

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020 – Connie Matisse, Co-Founder of East Fork Pottery, Shares Lessons on Growing Pains, Relationship Building, and Honest Storytelling

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“I think trusting that your customer can handle the truth and treating them like a human you might see in the street really goes a long way.”

– Connie Matisse

Here’s What You’ll Learn:

  • The behind-the-scenes story of how East Fork got its start
  • Connie explains how East Fork grew from a small pottery company to a national brand and shares some of the growing pains they experienced along the way
  • Advice for deciding whether or not you should go into business with your friends and loved ones and how to maintain a balanced relationship once you do
  • The unique customer service and care approach that East Fork follows
  • East Fork’s strategy for creating engaging Instagram and newsletter content in order to nurture and gently guide their customers
  • How to know if you should turn your craft into a business
  • The three East Fork products Connie recommends for first-time buyers
  • Connie’s perspective on the city of Asheville and how it’s changed over the years
  • Connie’s favorite spots in Asheville
  • Exciting initiatives coming up in the future for East Fork

Show Notes

About East Fork
East Fork Pottery makes beautiful ceramic dinnerware and pottery using materials from the local Blue Ridge Mountains. Founded in 2009 by Alex Matisse, Connie Matisse, and John Vigeland, the company has grown quickly from a small group of friends and artists who had a good “hunch” and creative sense of style to a full-blown, nationally-recognized ceramic business with multiple product lines, an ever-growing need for warehouse and factory space, and an executive team. Despite its growth, East Fork has strived to remain true to its mission: create beautiful, durable, and timeless ceramics in the U.S. following sustainable and ethical practices.

Connect with East Fork on their Website, Instagram (@EastForkPottery and @EastForkAsheville), and Facebook.

Connie’s Top Asheville Picks
Here are a few of Connie’s favorite places to hang out at in Asheville (among many others on the East Fork Recommends list we mentioned in our Trusted Advisor Theory blog post).

Music by Commonwealth Choir

Curious to learn more about what we do?

Making It in Asheville is a podcast where we go behind the scenes with artists, creatives, and entrepreneurs in Asheville. We learn about what they’re making and how they’re making it in Asheville.

Making It in Asheville is powered by Making It Creative, our boutique marketing and business consulting agency. We help passionate small business owners build and improve their sales and communication strategies. Learn more here.

We appreciate your support!

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, like, review, and/or share. Each review means than you might think as they help this episode get discovered on podcast players.

To recommend an interviewee, visit MakingItInAsheville.com/podcast

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004 – Gillie Roberts of Ware on How to Open a Small Retail Shop (and Be Sustainable, Too)

Gillie, a Brevard native, opened shop less than a year ago after finally realizing her dream of combining her love of art and fashion with her degree in sustainability.

Here’s What You’ll Learn:

  • the defining moment when Gillie decided to open a retail front
  • the steps she took to raise capital funds, source products, and find the right name for her business
  • how Gillie thinks about marketing and community engagement
  • advice and tips for practicing sustainability in your own life

We hope you enjoy Gillie’s go-getter attitude and inspiring story.

Ware Asheville

Show Notes

Check out Gillie’s shop, Ware.

Gillie hosts community events frequently in her shop and is always getting in new eco-friendly products. To stay up-to-date with the latest happenings, follow Ware on Instagram.

Gillie’s Asheville Favorites:

Music by Commonwealth Choir.

Curious to learn more about what we do?

Making It in Asheville is a podcast where we go behind the scenes with artists, creatives, and entrepreneurs in Asheville. We learn about what they’re making and how they’re making it in Asheville.

Making It in Asheville is powered by Making It Creative, our boutique marketing and business consulting agency. We help passionate small business owners build and improve their sales and communication strategies. Learn more here.

We appreciate your support!

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, like, review, and/or share. Each review means than you might think as they help this episode get discovered on podcast players.

To recommend an interviewee, visit MakingItInAsheville.com/podcast

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