Conversations with Scott Neff

Today we’d like to introduce you to Scott Neff.

Hi Scott, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I was born and raised in the Valley of the Sun. I went to Scottsdale High School, then Arizona State University. After 20 years in the corporate world, I guess I was having a mid-life crisis and wanted to do something different. My wife and I started looking at franchises, but could not find the right one. I was having lunch with my brother, who knew the original owners of As You Wish, and he mentioned they were looking to sell the business. We met, and to make a long story short, the planets all lined up and we purchased the business. At the time, As You Wish had four locations with a new studio under construction. We now have eight locations and number nine is under construction and will be open later this year. As You Wish celebrated its 30th Anniversary this past year! We are honored to be a part of the communities of Metro-Phoenix and love our customers. We also have the best employees in the business, or Wishers as we fondly call ourselves. Many of our WISHERS grew up painting in our As You Wish studios, and now they work here. I want to point out that we are not a franchise, but a family owned and operated business. My wife and I are starting to pull back and our kids are moving into the leadership roles. We know our communities are our customers so we are very generous in supporting schools, religious organizations, and amazing local non-profits such as the Girl Scouts and Make-A-Wish Arizona. We know it is important to give back. Our vision is to be the memory making destination across our communities, and we want to do that by creating special memories that last a lifetime for each and every customer.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Literally right after we purchased the business, the housing market crashed. Times got scary, but our customers continued to support us. Probably the roughest time was during COVID. The government really forced our hand in how we had to operate our business. While certain businesses had to close their doors, we were able to remain open. Luckily, because we are a small ,local business, we were able to shift gears quickly. At one point, we could not have customers in our studios, so we created “pottery to-go” kits and did curb side delivery and pick-up. We were forced to have layoffs and some landlords were willing to work with us, but others were not. It was a very difficult time for most businesses, but again, our customers continued to support us and we survived. It has been through the support of our amazing customers and dedication of our employees that we have been able to weather the rough patches and flourish for over 30 years now.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I knew nothing about pottery, nor am I an artist, but I do know business. After graduating from Arizona State University with a degree in accounting, I became a CPA and went to work for Deloitte. After public accounting, I worked for such companies as FINOVA, Tosco, Intel and Checker Auto Part in either accounting, finance or internal audit roles. These 20 years of experience made me well rounded to run a business, regardless of what we were selling. My wife also came to the table with banking, accounting and human resource experience. We have staff that are amazing artists and know pottery ins and outs, and of course, customer service. My wife and I bring the “business” part of the equation to the table. We also believe in the old business motto of surrounding yourself with the “best and the brightest” and that is what we have done. We have an amazing executive team, group of managers and associates. We want As You Wish to have a family run business feel to it. We also want our associates to remember working at As You Wish as their most favorite job ever.

We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
I think any small business owner understands the concept of risk taking. It is scary “signing your life away” on loan documents, lease agreements, and personal guarantees. Risk is part of the game, but you have to mitigate risk through research and education. Also, without risk, there are no rewards. While we did not come up with the concept of As You Wish, we did buy a solid, cash flowing business. You have to believe in yourself and be willing to do whatever it takes to be successful. Hard work is a requirement to success. We get nervous every time we open a new location. There is a lot of money involved and no guarantee the location will be successful. Again, you have to do your research about the location, the demographics and traffic flow. You have to believe in yourself, your team and your business. Have we made mistakes? Absolutely! At one point we had studios in Utah and California. We have since pulled out of both of these states. The key is to learn from your mistakes and grow from them!

Pricing:

• Studio Fees are $10 and cover unlimited paint, supplies, glazing and firing in the kiln.
• Pottery prices start at $5.00 and go up from there. We have a large selection in the $18 to $25 range.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.asyouwishpottery.com
• Instagram: https://Instagram.com/asyouwishpottery
• Facebook: https://Facebook.com/asyouwishpottery
• Youtube: https://YouTube.com/asyouwishpottery