GEP Posted April 20, 2010 Report Share Posted April 20, 2010 Hi everybody, I invite you all to follow me on a research project this year, as I attempt to calculate my hourly earnings as a professional potter. The first of these calculations is now on my blog. I will repeat this math throughout the year on various aspects of my business (wholesale vs. art festival vs. open house, etc). I hope that by this time next year, I will have resolved all of my murky doubts about pottery as a profession. I hope that professionals and aspiring professionals will find it useful, and maybe perform the same calculations and share them as well. Just a warning, this blog post explains all of my motivations and methodologies, therefore the post is very looooong. The subsequent posts should be much shorter. My blog can found at http://goodelephant.blogspot.com Thanks for looking, and enjoy! -Mea Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wendy Durand Posted April 21, 2010 Report Share Posted April 21, 2010 Hi everybody, I invite you all to follow me on a research project this year, as I attempt to calculate my hourly earnings as a professional potter. The first of these calculations is now on my blog. I will repeat this math throughout the year on various aspects of my business (wholesale vs. art festival vs. open house, etc). I hope that by this time next year, I will have resolved all of my murky doubts about pottery as a profession. I hope that professionals and aspiring professionals will find it useful, and maybe perform the same calculations and share them as well. Just a warning, this blog post explains all of my motivations and methodologies, therefore the post is very looooong. The subsequent posts should be much shorter. My blog can found at http://goodelephant.blogspot.com Thanks for looking, and enjoy! -Mea Hi Mea -- The blog is really interesting and very useful to me as a newer potter who struggles with pricing, etc. Thank you. I look forward to reading more! Wendy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JBaymore Posted April 22, 2010 Report Share Posted April 22, 2010 Unfortunately, I think this concept is like saying, "What is the hourly wage for a plumber". There are plumbers and then there are plumbers. Some plumbers are barely skilled enough to solder two pipes together without leaks. Some are master craftsmen who can do complete site design and manage multiple sub-contractors. Some plumbers are highly skilled but have no idea how to run a business. Some plumbers are hacks but have the gift of gab, the face of an angel, and the abilty to market themselves. Some plumbers work mainly in blue collar neighborhoods. Some plumbers work where McMansions are the staple of the day. Some plumbers use plastic pipes. Some plumbers use all copper and iron pipes. Some plumbers only do septic systems. Some plumbers put in anything anyone needs. Some plumbers know what their time is worth. Some plumbers do not know what their time is worth. Some plumbers are fortunate to have a partner that has significant business skills. Some plumbers are "flying solo". Some plumbers sub-contract out a huge part of their work. Some plumbers do all the work themselves. Some plumbers know how to keep accurate business books. Some plumbers write financial notes on napkins. Some plumbers have a spouse that works also. Some plumbers bring in all the family income. The different "types" of plumbers are leigon. As are potters. In the end.... meaningful comparisons with anyone else are likely looking at oranges and apples. Remember that this informational self-study will only be for one of the "plumbers"........ and we really will not know which one it actually represents. That being said, and while the running docuumentary is certainly good info for a potter to look at, the real important "story" is ONLY the Schedule C at the end of the year. The best measure is to simply keep track of your annual hours spent and divide that total into the Net Profit or Loss line on the Schedule C. That's what you made an hour. (BTW I just saw that the median American's income tax filing is now something like $50,000 a year.) best, ..................john Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GEP Posted April 22, 2010 Author Report Share Posted April 22, 2010 John, you wrote ... "In the end.... meaningful comparisons with anyone else are likely looking at oranges and apples. Remember that this informational self-study will only be for one of the "plumbers"........ and we really will not know which one it actually represents." Not sure if you actually read my blog entry, but if you did you'd see that I am totally agreeing with this. My point is for potters to stop trying to assign a universal value to an hour of work for a potter, but for every potter to figure out for themselves what they made individually. -Mea Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmeriSwede Posted April 25, 2010 Report Share Posted April 25, 2010 Unfortunately, I think this concept is like saying, "What is the hourly wage for a plumber". There are plumbers and then there are plumbers. Some plumbers are barely skilled enough to solder two pipes together without leaks. Some are master craftsmen who can do complete site design and manage multiple sub-contractors. Some plumbers are highly skilled but have no idea how to run a business. Some plumbers are hacks but have the gift of gab, the face of an angel, and the abilty to market themselves. Some plumbers work mainly in blue collar neighborhoods. Some plumbers work where McMansions are the staple of the day. Some plumbers use plastic pipes. Some plumbers use all copper and iron pipes. Some plumbers only do septic systems. Some plumbers put in anything anyone needs. Some plumbers know what their time is worth. Some plumbers do not know what their time is worth. Some plumbers are fortunate to have a partner that has significant business skills. Some plumbers are "flying solo". Some plumbers sub-contract out a huge part of their work. Some plumbers do all the work themselves. Some plumbers know how to keep accurate business books. Some plumbers write financial notes on napkins. Some plumbers have a spouse that works also. Some plumbers bring in all the family income. The different "types" of plumbers are leigon. As are potters......... So where does 'Joe the plumber' fit in? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JBaymore Posted April 25, 2010 Report Share Posted April 25, 2010 So where does 'Joe the plumber' fit in? Good "Joe-k". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lydia Posted June 1, 2010 Report Share Posted June 1, 2010 I look forward to seeing your future posts - I think this is a fantastic idea and it will be very interesting to see how it works out over several orders. Thank you for sharing this information! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GEP Posted June 1, 2010 Author Report Share Posted June 1, 2010 I look forward to seeing your future posts - I think this is a fantastic idea and it will be very interesting to see how it works out over several orders. Thank you for sharing this information! Thanks Lydia, a new one will be posted in about 2 weeks (mid-June). -Mea Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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