Archana Deshpande
Founder
VictoryTales with its objective to bring more inspiring stories around the world, this time introduces Archana Deshpande, Founder at PotteryDen.
Ms. Archana Deshpande, fascinated by pottery and well-presented tablescapes. The idea of startup PotteryDen was born through her real urge of creating the bridge between traditional and trendy tableware. She is inclined to have an eco-friendly sustainable product line. She also believes that Art has to be functional to be part of life and stay in everyday life to make it beautiful. Ms. Archana wanted products that can be used from morning tea to special occasions to sit down at the dining table.
Ms. Archana followed her heart's voice to work for her startup PotteryDen with traditional ways to make Pottery with earth, water, and fire.
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PotteryDen
PotteryDen designs and makes traditional Pottery which is the most widespread decorative hand-painted & textured collection Pottery piece. PotteryDen works with its motive to make the best quality earthen Pottery for its customers with their traditional art with Earth, Water, and Fire.
Pottery is a very Interesting and fundamental traditional Art. It is earth, it is water, and with fire, It takes on the form of Life. PotteryDen designs & makes hand-painted & hand textured exclusive collection pieces, which bridges the gap between tradition & style. With a contemporary touch, PotteryDen's range is widely appreciated for adding beauty & aesthetic appeal to any space hence referred to as Lifestyle Designer Pottery! We believe art needs to be trendy & functional to be alive, not only to be seen but also to be felt.
PotteryDen is a Pune, Maharashtra, India company and caters to all domestic and international locations.
On inquiring from where did the idea to start something like “PotteryDen” came from and requesting her to tell us about her background and her journey as an entrepreneur, Ms.Archana Deshpande apprised that;
The journey to start something like PotteryDen began when I was in the United States for a considerably long period and when I returned back to India in the year 2016, as I wanted to take a break from my monotonous work of the Mortgage Banking field and start something of my own. I was always fascinated by pottery and basically, I am always fascinated by well-presented tablescapes. PotteryDen was born through my real urge of creating the bridge between traditional and trendy tableware and most importantly inclined to have an eco-friendly sustainable product line. I believe that Art has to be functional to be part of life and stay in everyday life to make it beautiful. I wanted products that can be used from morning tea to special occasions to sit down at the dining table.
On inquiring from Ms. Archana Deshpande, why has she chosen to become an entrepreneur over a job? she apprised that;
I made the decision of entrepreneurship when I had a good substantial amount of experience with the passage of time and it was a big plus on my side in making this bold decision. I always wished and wanted to work from home so it will help us as a family to sell a bit easier in India. I believe that entrepreneurship gives you that flexibility to work according to your wish and a set routine line. As an Entrepreneur you get to do so many things from scratch and seeing your venture grow is a totally out of the world joy to experience.
On asking about her source of motivation, Ms Archana expressed that;
My source of motivation is my client’s appreciation because from day one they have appreciated PoeryDen’s products so much, so it makes us do beer every day. Our clients understood and valued the intention behind the PotterDen collection product line and the importance of pure clay, hand-painted, and hand-textured pieces. Every day our clients motivate us so much to make beer designs, textures, and functional pottery pieces.
How many hours a day do you work on average to bring such beautiful clay utensils?
I do work around 8-10 hours a day but my working hours are normally flexible so I could manage my other priorities as well. When you are an Entrepreneur you can not define hours or days in your works, it becomes part of your daily life and when you enjoy what you do, nothing like it.
On enquiring from Ms. Archan about the uniqueness of her startup, she replied that;
Pottery is a very interesting and fundamental art. It is earth, it is water and with fire, it takes on a form of life. PotteryDen designs and makes hand-painted and hand textured exclusive collection pieces, which bridges the gap between tradition and style. With a contemporary touch, Potteryden’srange is widely appreciated for adding beauty and aesthetic appeal to any space. Hence CONFIDENTIAL referred to as Lifestyle Designer Pottery! We believe art needs to be trendy and functional to be alive, not only to be seen but also to be used and felt.
On enquiring about how she handles the pressure and manages stress? Ms. Archana apprised that;
I try to be organized as much as possible to minimize the pressure or stress. I think advance preparation helps me to get things done on me as planned. But yes there are deadlines to match, client's orders to complete on me and get ready for different events of promotion, etc. My family support plays a big role to get me grounded. Delegation of work helps to relieve you from pressure and sometimes gives you a different approach to look at the situation.
How do you generate new ideas?
For generating ideas, I do make myself PotteryDen’s first client and also we do take feedback or polls from clients' likings or what categories they are looking for. Normally all the Designs are solely mine so that is my own feelings, and our designs are very much close to nature, seasons, tradition, modern and vibrant as well.
On enquiring about how did she came up with the name for her company, she replied that;
We were looking for a name that will clearly say what we do and PotteryDen seems to do it very efficiently.
What piece of advice would you give to college graduates who want to become entrepreneurs?
Entrepreneurship is a big self-driven responsibility. It is like you have to live your vision through every day in small bits and pieces. The best way is to enjoy the experience of creating an entity and see it grow. The most important is to love this journey and not think too much about the destination.
