The inspiring story of how one small idea, born between late nights and spare weekends, turned into a community success story.
Quick Take
What begins as a side project for extra income often ends as another forgotten idea. But for Emma Rodriguez, a high-school art teacher from Santa Rosa, California, a simple hobby turned into a full-time creative business that now employs six people, ships nationwide, and inspires hundreds of local entrepreneurs to start something of their own.
The Spark
It started in 2019 — when Emma began painting custom mugs in her garage after work. “I just wanted a creative outlet,” she recalls. “I’d sell a few pieces at the farmer’s market on weekends and spend the rest of the week experimenting with designs.”
She called her tiny venture “Fired Up Ceramics.”
At first, it was slow. A few local buyers, a handful of online sales. But something changed when a local coffee shop featured her work in a corner display. Within weeks, she was flooded with orders.
The Struggle
Like most small business stories, the early growth brought chaos. Emma still worked full-time as a teacher, packaging mugs late into the night.
“I was learning everything at once — taxes, shipping, social media, inventory,” she laughs. “There were moments I thought, ‘This is too much.’”
Her breakthrough came when she discovered the power of community storytelling. Instead of running ads, she shared short videos about how each mug was made, who it was made for, and the meaning behind each design.
Customers didn’t just buy a product — they bought her story.
The Turning Point
The 2020 lockdowns changed everything. When local markets closed, Emma set up a simple website and began live-streaming her creative process from her kitchen table.
Her audience exploded. Within three months, Fired Up Ceramics went from 10 orders a week to over 200. Local news outlets picked up her story as a “pandemic pivot success,” and by 2021, Emma had quit teaching to run the business full-time.
Today, her studio produces thousands of pieces annually and sells to coffee shops and gift stores across Northern California.
The Strategy That Worked
Emma’s success wasn’t about luck — it was about connection.
Here’s what she credits for her growth:
- Authentic storytelling: “People support people, not logos.”
- Community partnerships: She collaborates with small cafés and artists to cross-promote.
- Customer engagement: Every purchase includes a handwritten note and a photo of her studio.
- Sustainability: All packaging is recycled, and materials are locally sourced.
Her formula was simple: purpose + persistence = presence.
The Spotlight
Five years later, Fired Up Ceramics is more than a business — it’s a local symbol of creativity and resilience.
Emma’s story has been featured in Good Morning America Local, SF Gate, and several entrepreneurship podcasts.
But she still keeps her original garage table — the one where it all began.
“It reminds me that every big story starts small,” she says. “You just have to start before you feel ready.”
Advice for Other Founders
Emma’s advice to aspiring entrepreneurs:
“Start with what you have, where you are. Don’t wait for perfect — momentum matters more than mastery.”
She believes small businesses thrive when they reflect who we are and what we love. And sometimes, that’s enough to turn a late-night project into a headline-worthy success.
Final Word
Stories like Emma’s remind us that entrepreneurship isn’t about overnight success — it’s about showing up, adapting, and staying inspired.
Every city has its own “garage story.”
Headliner.fm is here to tell them.