Beer, Bikes & Building a Following on Social Media: Meet Geoff Franklin from Walnut Studiolo

Chances are if you're an avid cyclist, you've already seen Walnut Studiolo’s leather six-pack carrier. The perfect gift for anybody who loves beer and bikes, this product has been featured on the pages of countless magazines and websites across the world.

But despite this recent success, creator Geoff Franklin had no idea how popular his bike accessories would become when he first started making them.

We caught up with Geoff to find out how he and his wife Valerie manage to separate out life from work, the biggest pricing lesson he's learned so far and the social media tricks he's hoping to master next from *you.*

Let's hear his story!

Name: Geoff Franklin

Business: Walnut Studiolo

Started: October 2009

How did you create your awesome job?

I’ve always had an interest in design and graduated with a major in Architecture from the University of Oregon before going on to work for a few architecture firms.

When my wife Valerie and I moved to inner Southeast Portland in 2007, I started commuting to work by bike — and it changed my life. I no longer had to rely on a car or public transport, and the sense of freedom it gave me was incredible. My ride, an old cream and brown Bianchi, became very important to me. As I spent more and more time on it, I began thinking of ways I could improve its usefulness. I started looking for add-ons I had dreamed up, like U-lock holsters and frame carry handles, but I couldn’t find what I was looking for so decided to create my own. 

When I started designing bike products, I chose to make them out of leather because I see the bicycle as the modern horse and my accessories as the tack. When my wife saw what I’d made, she suggested we sell them on Etsy. 

At first, we grew our business on the side while working full-time jobs, but in 2011 we were both laid off. Fortunately, by this point we were ready to take Walnut Studiolo full-time, so we jumped right in. Now I do all the designing and making, and Valerie runs the business side of things.

Who was your very first customer?

Our very first customer came through Etsy back in 2009. We found that it was the perfect platform for getting started, especially as we were the only bike accessory maker on the site at the time. 

Etsy brings an audience to our store who already value hand-crafted products and understand the process. They know, expect and even sometimes *want* the product to take awhile and for it to be custom created just for them.

When did you know your business was going to work?

The exact moment was on December 2, 2011 when the holiday gift-buying rush began. 

Valerie was working on Walnut full time, but always thought she’d have to find another job eventually. That year had been great for us. We were fortunate enough to have our work featured in lots of major print magazines, including TimeOut Chicago and Bicycling Magazine and on websites like Gizmodo and WIRED. We also got such a rush of orders for the holiday season that we both had to work on the business full-time.

After the dust settled, during the New Year, we looked at the numbers for 2011. We realized then that if Valerie put her full-time effort into growing our business, she might not need to find another job ever again.

What has been the biggest surprise so far after starting your own business?

This started out as a hobby, but even when we began selling a few things on Etsy, I never realized it would grow to the point it’s at today. 

But the biggest surprise is how much I enjoy it. I love choosing my own hours, being my own boss and being able to spend all my working days at home with my wife.

How do you price your products?

We use a spreadsheet that Valerie put together, which takes all the costs of our materials, labor and shipping and then marks up as needed. 

The biggest pricing lesson I've learned is to not undervalue my work. I’m often tempted to lower my prices after they come out of the spreadsheet to what "feels right," but when I’ve done this in the past it’s often turned out to be a mistake.

What does a typical day look like for you?

We enjoy breakfast together at 7am then go down to the workshop. I now have a space outside my house, which is great because it means I can separate the business from home life more easily. 

I spend the morning making products, while Valerie handles the shipping. We break for lunch upstairs at the house and play a game of cribbage or check emails while talking over how to respond to customer questions. If the weather is gorgeous here on the Oregon Coast, we might even allow ourselves a short trip to the beach. 

Afterwards, we go back down to the studio where I continue to fill orders and sneak in a bit of time here and there for prototyping. Valerie usually spends the afternoon on the computer, responding to emails and marketing our products. We break again for dinner, then usually put on a movie while I hand sew some products. I keep a stitching horse and all my tools in our living room and bring pieces back and forth from the shop throughout the evening.

If you could go back in time, what's the one thing you would do differently when starting your business?

We didn’t expect the business to turn into much, so we didn’t spend very much time on the name. We reused the word "Walnut" from an architecture practice I started with a friend and chose "Studiolo" because it means tiny workshop in Italian. 

I still love how the name sounds, but it’s not really fitting for a company that mainly makes leather goods.

What would you like to learn today from a community of other small business owners and self-employed professionals?

The biggest thing we’re struggling with at the moment is social media. 

Which platform should we be investing most of our time in if we want to find new customers?  

Let's see if we can help Geoff out!

Do *you* have tried-and-true tactics that have helped you find success on social media? Which social media platforms do you recommend Geoff and Valerie tackle next if they want to find more customers and get the word out about their handmade leather goods?

Give us your best tips in the comments below! :-)