How These Friends Opened a Color Me Mine Pottery Franchise

Just a few months in the past, a buyer walked into Antima Jain and Pooja Choudhary’s Edina, Minnesota pottery-painting studio, Coloration Me Mine, with a plan to suggest to his girlfriend.

Coloration Me Mine permits clients to select a bit of pottery like a mug, plate or bowl, and paint it. The studio then glazes and fires it, and the shopper can choose up in a few week. 

The client wished to color a jewellery tray with the query, “Will you marry me?” and use it to suggest. Normally it took about seven days for Jain and Choudhary to course of a buyer’s pottery after they painted it. This time, they agreed to have his piece prepared sooner.

Jain and Choudhary additionally helped create the environment that the shopper wished within the studio. Later, the couple introduced them a save-the-date card that talked about the studio. For Jain and Choudhary, it was a reminder of their affect. They had been creating an area the place clients may join and construct lasting reminiscences. 

Lots in widespread

That sense of connection can be the inspiration of their partnership. Jain and Choudhary met 11 years in the past by a mutual pal at a celebration in Minnesota. Each had moved to america from India, had been elevating kids and loved inventive initiatives. 

“We began speaking and realized we now have so many issues in widespread, and similar to one another’s firm,” Choudhary tells Entrepreneur in a brand new interview. “We began assembly up.” 

They lived a three-minute drive from one another. As their kids grew extra unbiased, the buddies started imagining constructing a enterprise collectively. Once they began their search in 2023, they explored franchises and visited a close-by Coloration Me Mine studio. 

“We simply beloved the entire vibe,” Jain says. “It was such a clear atmosphere, very organized, very colourful. It simply felt calming. We each had the identical impression.”

They in the end pooled their private funds and spent about $300,000 to open their very own Coloration Me Mine location in March 2025. However earlier than turning into enterprise companions, they made a pact: Friendship would come first. No matter challenges arose, they’d hold speaking relatively than let the enterprise divide them.

The next interview has been edited for size and readability.

Their immigrant tales

Inform me about your backgrounds earlier than you turned franchise house owners.
Jain: I first got here to america in 2003 due to my husband’s work venture. We went forwards and backwards between India and the U.S. a couple of occasions, after which we got here right here in 2012 and have been right here since.

I’ve a bachelor’s diploma in commerce from India. I taught preschool there, and right here I labored at Kumon. I used to be working part-time whereas my youngsters had been rising up. Now they’re each in school, so this appeared like the proper time to get into one thing we might get pleasure from and have time to spend money on.

Choudhary: My husband was already right here once we obtained married, and I moved to america afterward. I completed my grasp’s in electrical engineering. We lived in numerous states earlier than coming to Minnesota across the identical time Antima did.

I’ve an funding property enterprise on the facet, which I nonetheless proceed. I’ve two ladies: one in highschool and one ending center college on the time of this interview.

Deciding to franchise

Why select a franchise relatively than create an unbiased studio?
Choudhary: We didn’t have expertise operating this sort of enterprise, and that was the scary half: How had been we going to do it?

A franchise felt like a steadiness between proudly owning an unbiased enterprise and dealing in a company atmosphere. They supply the platform, however we nonetheless have independence in operating the studio.

Jain: Every part was laid out for us. The steerage and help have helped quite a bit. Even after our first yr, they had been nonetheless introducing issues to make the enterprise simpler to function, together with a brand new point-of-sale system throughout Coloration Me Mine studios. We haven’t regretted selecting a franchise.

How did you discover your location and fund the enterprise?
Choudhary: The franchisor gave us a territory, and we employed an actual property agent to assist discover a area. We checked out many locations earlier than selecting our location in Edina. There are parks and procuring close by. The franchise group helped us shortlist places and take into consideration what to search for, together with visibility.

Jain: The startup value was roughly within the low-$300,000 vary. We each invested from our private accounts relatively than taking out a mortgage. Being companions made it simpler to separate that funding.

Buying clients

How have you ever labored to usher in clients and develop?
Jain: We joined the native chamber of commerce, which helped unfold the phrase. We participated in an artwork competition close to our location and held Mom’s Day and Father’s Day occasions. We run recurring promotions and embrace low cost playing cards with completed items to encourage folks to return inside a month. We additionally promote by a platform the franchise beneficial.

Choudhary: We’ve donated to native organizations and took part at school fundraising, too. That has helped.

The realities of possession

What shocked you most about working the studio?
Jain: Hiring. I by no means thought maintaining a full workers can be such a problem. It’s a relentless means of hiring and rehiring as a result of most of our workers work part-time.

We give alternatives to highschool and school college students. Their training comes first, and after they end highschool, they might go away for faculty. We perceive that, however earlier than opening, we hadn’t actually considered how constantly we would wish to work on staffing.

What does a typical day appear like for you?
Choudhary: It’s busy. We don’t at the moment have a full-time supervisor, so we deal with staffing ourselves. Typically we’re each on the studio; typically we alternate days. There’s additionally glazing, payroll, social media, the calendar and different on-line work. Each day, one thing wants consideration.

Past staffing, what has been tough?
Jain: Calling clients when one thing occurs to their pottery within the kiln. They might have spent hours creating a bit, after which it doesn’t come out completely. Telling them that’s laborious. It occurs very not often — we estimate lower than 1% of items — however we nonetheless dread these calls.

Choudhary: We provide a alternative piece and waive the studio charge to allow them to come again and paint once more. We attempt to do no matter we are able to to make the expertise higher.

Planning forward and defending the partnership

How do you retain enterprise disagreements from affecting your friendship?
Choudhary: We knew issues would occur as a result of we had been new to this. We agreed to maintain an open dialogue and speak if one thing wasn’t working. We’re doing this as a result of we’re mates. If we weren’t going to remain mates, there can be no level in having the enterprise collectively.

Jain: We’re like sisters. There might be disagreements; we are able to’t at all times agree. However I wouldn’t have chosen anybody else to do that enterprise with. If I open one other studio, I’ll do it with Pooja.

What are your objectives for the enterprise?
Jain: We’d like to open one other studio. We additionally need to attain the highest 5 within the franchise’s gross sales rankings. We’ve been within the high 25 and reached sixth place for one month, however we haven’t made the highest 5 but.

Choudhary: We have now comparable objectives and the identical imaginative and prescient for the studio. That alignment is what makes the partnership particular. More often than not, we’re considering alongside the identical traces.