WEST ALLIS, WI — Colleen Volland has spent over a decade building a thriving pottery community at Cream City Clay, marking a significant milestone in a state where women-owned businesses are working to gain a stronger footing.
"A huge community of people, people that want to come in and work together, they're excited, they have something they're looking forward to. They're starting to develop friendships," Volland said.
In May, the studio celebrated 10 years in business, beating challenging odds. About 65% of new businesses fail before reaching the 10-year mark, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
For the 179,000 women-owned businesses in Wisconsin, about 89% don't employ anyone outside the owner, according to Census data.
Watch: Pottery studio marks 10 years as women's businesses grow in Wisconsin
Kathryn Dunn, president of the Wisconsin Women's Business Initiative Corporation (WWBIC), is working to change that statistic.
"Wisconsin has seen definitely growth in women-owned businesses. I think we have lagged behind other parts of the Midwest in sort of keeping up pace in that growth," Dunn said.
In the last 10 years, WWBIC has provided training to almost 15,000 women exploring entrepreneurship and distributed almost $30 million in loans.
Volland took one of those classes almost 15 years ago and credits WWBIC for some of her success.
"It means a lot to me, it means that women are more supported in opening businesses and places like WWBIC are helping to do that," Volland said.
While Cream City Clay has expanded physically, the real growth has been in the people. Volland has helped former student MaryAnne Roethle progress from never touching clay to selling her own creations.
"She's already gone through this process herself, and she's been a great mentor in helping me think through what are the first steps you need to work through in order to establish your presence as an artist," Roethle said.
Volland is already planning for the next 10 years of Cream City Clay's future in West Allis.
This story was reported on-air by Brendyn Jones and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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