Blas Piñar Martínez

I am an artisan and researcher of ornamental gourds. I have a workshop in a rural area in Galicia within the Terras do Miño Biosphere Reserve, where I make my own decoration and lightning products, which I sell through my social networks and my own website (which is being developed while I am writing this). In addition, I collaborate with public institutions to promote initiatives in rural areas and stimulate younger generations in new ways of approaching in the craftmanship sector, with biomaterials that nature itself provides to us.

I am currently working on the consolidation and growth stage of my company, with the aim of making this biomaterial recognized by the public, due to its versatility when being crafted as an eco-designed product.

After years of research on how to grow and transform the different varieties of gourds that exist all over the world, I was inadvertently linked to the craft sector, to such an extent that it transformed the way I live nowadays.

My business objectives are:

• My purpose is to lay the foundations of my project as a company and develop my brand so I can grow at the same time my sales and my crafting skills.
• I want to give visibility to the gourds in the craftsmanship sector, with the aim of expanding my business to new frontiers, where I believe there is a more demanding and interested public in such innovative natural products.
• Continue researching and incorporating new techniques such as 3D printing in my designs.
• Develop my ongoing project related to the circular economy, the environment and craftmanship sector, so that young people see that there are existing materials in the nature that can be transformed into unique eco-design pieces.
• Participate in craftmanship and innovation events and collaboration with designers and architects both nationally and internationally.
• In addition, it would allow me to carry out one of my environmental projects: the recovery of the insect called “bombus terrestris” in the farming ecosystem.

My learnings from the Crafting Business Programme:

• Throughout these months, I have learned to analyse my business, my value proposition and how it differs from other artisans, something that allows me to carry out a proper marketing and sales strategy. Also, it allows me to find a suitable target audience for the innovative design of my products.
• My knowledge of business tools to manage my company has greatly increased, which allowed me to develop my business plan that, before starting the program, I did not have.
• I realized that I needed to focus even more on the development of my craft company, since previously I was only dedicated to designing the final pieces. Knowing how to better calculate the price of my products and quantify the costs associated with the business allowed me to understand and define my target audience.
• To obtain more profitability from the planting, cultivation, drying and transformation of the raw material, which before I only exhibited. Furthermore, in this program I have realized that I have a new line of business to explore by promoting my own project in craftmanship and innovation events all over the country, as well as courses that I can take in my workshop or social networks.
• This program has been the best tool to believe in my project within the craftmanship sector.

My 5 top tips that I have learnt on this journey:

1. I must have my customer segment very well studied.
2. I must define the product lines and know which ones I am going to focus on.
3. Know how to manage and quantify the creativity and innovation in my products.
4. Focus more on the design of my pieces and adapt it to new trends.
5. The value proposition of my product is what defines me, both as an artisan and as a professional, so I must know how to convey it to the public.