We had the good fortune of connecting with Tim McFadden and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Tim, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I was introduced to glassblowing as a freshman at Salisbury University. After a few semesters, I found myself spending all of my free time working in the glass studio. By my final year of school, I had decided that glass was going to be my focus after college. There weren’t many job opportunities in that field at the time, especially in the Baltimore area, which is where I grew up and planned to return after college. That’s when I decided to try to open my own studio. I spent my final year of school preparing a business plan, looking at potential properties around Baltimore, and trying to line up a startup loan from a bank. I felt like this was going to be the best path towards controlling my own destiny.
What should our readers know about your business?
I think what sets our business apart is that we make glassblowing accessible to all demographics. We host corporate events, school field trips, youth groups, retirement communities, veterans, and parties of all sorts on a daily basis. Our studio focuses on educating the public about the beauty and science of glassblowing. We like to make it accessible, approachable, educational, and fun for all ages. In addition to workshops and events, we make custom projects for clients and designers. Pretty much any concept that is brought to us, we can make it out of glass. Working with clients in helping them to get their ideas to come to life is the most rewarding part of this job.
Since we are in a niche industry, the first five or so years were difficult because people didn’t know that a service like ours existed or that they needed it. Over the years, we were able to broaden our reach and portfolio, which led to more work and business growth.
Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
The concept for my glassblowing studio spawned from a business plan competition hosted by the Perdue School of Business at Salisbury University. Students were invited to propose a business plan each Spring semester in hopes of winning the $5,000 prize for first place. That $5,000 incentive was really what drew my attention to putting my concept to paper. Throughout the process, the university made their professors and business development center available to field questions and work with the students on their individual business plans. The guidance I received from the faculty was priceless. I’m forever grateful to Salisbury University, since that business plan competition encouraged me to put the time into developing the plan that became the cornerstone for my business today. I gave that business plan to the bank upon graduating, which helped me in securing my startup loan. If it weren’t for the encouragement and assistance of the Salisbury University faculty and administrators, along with the Bernsteins for creating and sponsoring this annual event, I don’t know that I would have gotten my ideas to come to life.
Website: Www.mcfaddenartglass.com
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