Two Immigrant Friends Self-Fund a Franchise Studio in Minnesota
Combining personal savings, an engineer and a teacher launch a creative retail franchise.
1Shared Journey Toward Entrepreneurship
Antima Jain and Pooja Choudhary, both Indian immigrants residing in Minnesota, met eleven years ago and formed a close bond. As their children grew older and gained independence, the longtime friends decided to combine their varied backgrounds to build a collaborative business venture in their local community.
2Self-Funding the Franchise Investment
In March 2025, the duo opened a Color Me Mine pottery studio franchise in Edina, Minnesota. To finance the venture, they chose not to take commercial loans, instead pooling roughly $300,000 from their personal savings accounts to fully fund the initial startup and build-out costs.
3Leveraging Franchise Support Systems
Lacking direct retail experience, the partners deliberately selected a franchise model over an independent studio. This structure provided essential operational guidance, territory selection assistance, real estate scouting criteria, and centralized technology updates, including an upgraded point-of-sale system rolled out across the entire studio network.
4Community-Driven Local Marketing
To build steady foot traffic, Jain and Choudhary integrated the business into the local neighborhood. They joined the regional chamber of commerce, engaged in school fundraising initiatives, attended local art festivals, and distributed return discount vouchers alongside finished pottery to incentivize repeat customer visits.
5Persistent Part-Time Staffing Challenges
Operational management revealed unexpected friction in recruitment and labor retention. Because the studio largely employs high school and college students, turnover remains continuous as academic priorities shift. Without a full-time general manager, the co-founders personally oversee hiring cycles, shift scheduling, payroll, and day-to-day administration.
6Managing Technical Production Risks
Operating a pottery studio involves technical kiln firings that carry minor failure risks. While defective firings occur in under one percent of items, managing customer disappointment remains sensitive. The co-founders resolve these incidents by offering complimentary replacement items and waiving studio fees entirely.
7Protecting Partnership Dynamics
Before signing franchise agreements, the partners established a formal commitment to prioritize their friendship over commercial friction. Maintaining transparent daily communication allows them to navigate operational disagreements, share physical studio duties, and align long-term commercial goals without undermining their personal relationship.
8Scaling Toward Expansion Goals
The Edina studio has already achieved strong systemwide performance, reaching sixth place in network sales rankings for a single month. Looking forward, the co-founders aim to break into the franchise's top five performers and eventually leverage their partnership model to open a second studio location.