Key Takeaways
- Antima Jain and Pooja Choudhary met 11 years ago through a mutual companion at a gathering in Minnesota.
- They were the two immigrants from India, had a lot in common and lived three minutes distant from all other.
- They ultimately pooled their individual finances to open their own Color Me Mine paint-your-own pottery studio franchise in March 2025.
A few months ago, a client walked into Antima Jain and Pooja Choudhary’s Edina, Minnesota pottery-painting studio, Color Me Mine, alongside a scheme to propose to his girlfriend.
Color Me Mine allows customers to choice a part of pottery akin a mug, dish or bowl, and coat it. The studio afterward glazes and fires it, and the client can choice up in concerning a week.
The client wanted to coat a jewelry tray alongside the question, “Will you wed me?” and use it to propose. Usually it took concerning seven days for Jain and Choudhary to procedure a customer’s pottery following they painted it. This time, they accepted to have his part prepared sooner.
Jain and Choudhary additionally helped create the ambiance that the client wanted in the studio. Later, the brace brought them a save-the-date cardstock that mentioned the studio. For Jain and Choudhary, it was a reminder of their impact. They were creating a area anywhere customers could nexus and build enduring memories.
A lot in common
That awareness of association is additionally the basis of their partnership. Jain and Choudhary met 11 years ago through a mutual companion at a gathering in Minnesota. Both had moved to the United States from India, were raising children and enjoyed imaginative projects.
“We started talking and realized we have so many things in common, and fair akin all other’s company,” Choudhary tells Entrepreneur in a new interview. “We started gathering up.”
They lived a three-minute run from all other. As their children grew additional independent, the allies began imagining construction a endeavor together. When they started their hunt in 2023, they explored franchises and visited a nearby Color Me Mine studio.
“We fair loved the entire vibe,” Jain says. “It was specified a spotless environment, extremely organized, extremely colorful. It fair felt calming. We the two had the identical impression.”
They ultimately pooled their individual funds and spent concerning $300,000 to open their own Color Me Mine location in March 2025. But before becoming endeavor partners, they made a pact: Friendship would arrive first. Whatever challenges arose, they would keep talking fairly than let the endeavor distinct them.
The following discussion has been edited for dimension and clarity.
Their immigrant stories
Tell me concerning your backgrounds before you became franchise owners.
Jain: I archetypal came to the United States in 2003 since of my husband’s activity project. We went rear and onward between India and the U.S. a few times, and afterward we came current in 2012 and have been current since.
I have a bachelor’s flat in commerce from India. I taught preschool there, and current I worked at Kumon. I was operating part-time during my kids were expanding up. Now they’re the two in college, so this seemed akin the ideal period to enter item we would bask and have period to allocate in.
Choudhary: My hubby was already current whenever we got married, and I moved to the United States afterward. I completed my master’s in electric engineering. We lived in distinct states before coming to Minnesota about the identical period Antima did.
I have an funding asset endeavor on the side, which I motionless continue. I have two girls: one in elevated academy and one finishing center academy at the period of this interview.
Deciding to franchise
Why choose a franchise fairly than create an autonomous studio?
Choudhary: We didn’t have cognition operating this benevolent of business, and that was the scary part: How were we going to do it?
A franchise felt akin a balance between owning an autonomous endeavor and operating in a company environment. They provision the platform, but we motionless have independence in operating the studio.
Jain: Everything was laid out for us. The direction and assistance have helped a lot. Even following our archetypal year, they were motionless introducing things to create the endeavor easier to operate, including a new point-of-sale scheme throughout Color Me Mine studios. We haven’t regretted choosing a franchise.
How did you discover your location and prosperity the business?
Choudhary: The franchisor gave us a territory, and we hired a genuine asset delegate to assistance discover a space. We looked at many places before choosing our location in Edina. There are parks and buying nearby. The franchise squad helped us shortlist locations and think concerning what to appearance for, including visibility.
Jain: The startup disbursal was approximately in the low-$300,000 range. We the two invested from our individual accounts fairly than taking out a loan. Being partners made it easier to divided that investment.
Acquiring customers
How have you worked to bring in customers and grow?
Jain: We joined the local area of commerce, which helped dispersed the word. We participated in an art celebration near our location and held Mother’s Day and Father’s Day events. We run recurring promotions and contain discount cards alongside completed pieces to advance group to come back inside a month. We additionally advertise through a phase the franchise recommended.
Choudhary: We’ve donated to local organizations and participated in academy fundraising, too. That has helped.
The realities of ownership
What amazed you most concerning functioning the studio?
Jain: Hiring. I never idea keeping a complete personnel would be specified a challenge. It’s a changeless procedure of hiring and rehiring since most of our workforce activity part-time.
We provision opportunities to elevated academy and university students. Their learning comes first, and whenever they complete elevated school, they may depart for college. We comprehend that, but before opening, we hadn’t really idea concerning how continuously we would need to activity on staffing.
What does a representative day appearance akin for you?
Choudhary: It’s busy. We don’t currently have a full-time manager, so we grip staffing ourselves. Sometimes we’re the two at the studio; sometimes we substitute days. There’s additionally glazing, payroll, social media, the calendar and another online work. Every day, item needs attention.
Beyond staffing, what has been difficult?
Jain: Calling customers whenever item happens to their pottery in the kiln. They may have spent hours creating a piece, and afterward it doesn’t arrive out perfectly. Telling them that is hard. It happens extremely rarely — we evaluation small than 1% of pieces — but we motionless dread those calls.
Choudhary: We recommendation a replacement part and waive the studio fee so they can arrive rear and coat again. We try to do any we can to create the cognition better.
Planning onward and protecting the partnership
How do you keep endeavor disagreements from affecting your friendship?
Choudhary: We knew things would happen since we were new to this. We accepted to keep an open conversation and conversation if item wasn’t working. We’re doing this because we’re friends. If we weren’t going to remain friends, there would be no item in having the endeavor together.
Jain: We’re akin sisters. There volition be disagreements; we can’t continually agree. But I wouldn’t have chosen anyone alternatively to do this endeavor with. If I open another studio, I’ll do it alongside Pooja.
What are your goals for the business?
Jain: We would affection to open another studio. We additionally desire to attain the top five in the franchise’s revenue rankings. We’ve been in the top 25 and reached sixth location for one month, but we haven’t made the top five yet.
Choudhary: We have akin goals and the identical imagination for the studio. That alignment is what makes the alliance special. Most of the time, we’re thinking alongside the identical lines.
