What started as a hobby is now a full-fledged business — and Michelin-starred restaurants are among my clients

• Belle Yeoh was burned out from her corporate job at an asset management fund.
• After discovering her passion for pottery during a workshop in March 2022, she quit to start her own business.
• She now runs Buttersage Pottery in Penang, Malaysia, where her clients include Michelin-starred chefs.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Belle Yeoh, 34, the owner of Buttersage Pottery in Penang, Malaysia. It has been edited for length and clarity.

My interest in pottery started with a single workshop I attended in March 2022. The instructor told me I had a knack for it. From that moment on, I was hooked.

Back then, I was a marketing representative for an asset management firm in Penang, Malaysia. It was a steady job, and I had supportive managers who allowed me to take ownership of my work.

It was a client-facing role, and over time, I realized it wasn’t the best fit for my personality, even though I learned and grew a lot from the job.

After the pandemic, I started feeling burned out. Deep down, I always knew a 9-to-5 wasn’t meant to be my long-term path.

I managed to get past that for the financial stability, until I realized I couldn’t do it anymore.

The problem was, I didn’t know what else I could do.

In the months that followed, I’d go to the beach, spend time at the park, or find a quiet spot to read — anything that would clear my mind.

That was how I ended up at the pottery workshop, where I quickly discovered my love for shaping clay and creating pieces with my own hands.

Very soon, I started looking into buying tools and equipment so I could try it at home. Things snowballed, and five months later, I quit my job and gave myself a year to see if I could turn this passion into something more.

I started Buttersage Pottery at the end of 2022. At first, I tried selling pieces online and did some marketing, but it was hard to find buyers and build a presence.

I realized that I had to put myself out there, so I started doing occasional pop-ups at a local Sunday market in Penang. It gave me the chance to connect directly with customers, and I gained a lot of confidence from hearing their thoughts on my products.

It usually takes me about four to six weeks to complete an order.

Cups typically cost 80 to 130 Malaysian ringgit, or $20 to $30, while bowls and plates, depending on their complexity, cost 100 to 180 ringgit.

One of my earliest bulk orders came from Su Kim Hock, the chef behind Au Jardin, one of the first restaurants in Malaysia to receive a Michelin star in 2022. We still work together to this day. Between cutlery rests, jars, and vases, I’ve made almost 500 pieces for him so far. Since then, I’ve also worked with Dewakan, a 2-star Michelin restaurant in Kuala Lumpur.

In May, I opened a small retail space called Stride and Pott with my husband, who runs a specialty running store. It’s a shared space where we both stock our wares.

Now, half of my sales come from off-the-shelf pieces, while the other half comes from commissions and custom orders.

Running a business often blurs the line between work and personal life

After all, this business is so personal to me. I try not to take work home, but it’s always on the back of my mind. It is very difficult to switch off.

It takes time to build confidence as an artist, and the first few months can feel quite uncertain. For creative ventures, it’s a great idea to start as a side hustle since it gives you the freedom to explore and learn without giving up the financial security of your original job.

In my case, my overheads were low since I started out in a small studio just 10 minutes from home. I bought my current pottery wheel for about 600 Malaysian ringgit, and I had savings from my years in a corporate job.

It’s important to be realistic about timelines and be prepared that you may not see results right away.

Like every other small business owner, I wear many hats at once: marketing, production, and even packing for delivery.

Hiring some help could solve the problem, but I’ve held back because I enjoy working alone. After all, that’s what drew me to this in the first place.

Expanding might change the dynamics of my business and my art, and I’m not quite ready for that yet. I’ll just keep doing what I’m doing and then see where that takes me.

Do you have a story to share about leaving a corporate job to start a small business? Get in touch with the reporter at [email protected].

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