He Quit Superyachts to Sell Kilns on Shopify
"This is the largest purchase they make after a car and a house."
Matt Davy spent his twenties fixing engines on 450-foot superyachts, earning six figures tax free. He ran a high-ticket dropshipping store from the engine room, picked pottery because his partner is a potter, then switched to selling his own pottery wheels. Kiln Crafts hit its first £1M in about 900 days. The second million took seven months.
Matt explains why his customers want a phone call, how draft orders became his best-converting Klaviyo flow, and what changed the month he moved his business into Claude Cowork.
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Intro
01:26 From superyacht engineer to entrepreneur
04:24 High-ticket dropshipping from the engine room
07:33 Why pottery, and the move to his own wheels
09:19 Shipping 500 lb kilns in the UK
10:54 Phone sales: who buys and why they call
13:18 The sales team, scripts, and the custom CRM
15:23 Moving the business into Claude Cowork
17:50 Taking phone orders with Shopify draft orders
18:18 The draft order Klaviyo flow
20:09 £1M in 900 days, £2M seven months later
20:58 Inventory: running short on the best seller
22:52 Advice: fall in love with building
GUEST LINKS
Kiln Crafts: https://kilncrafts.co.uk
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kiln.crafts
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@kilncrafts
SPONSORS
Swym - Wishlists, Back in Stock alerts, & more: getswym.com/kurt
Promo Party Pro - Free gifts that drive bigger orders: apps.shopify.com/promo-party-fgwp
Zipify - Build high-converting sales funnels: zipify.com/BFCM
WORK WITH KURT
Apply for Shopify Help: ethercycle.com/apply
See Our Results: ethercycle.com/work
Free Newsletter: kurtelster.com
The Unofficial Shopify Podcast is hosted by Kurt Elster and explores the stories behind successful Shopify stores. Get actionable insights, practical strategies, and proven tactics from entrepreneurs who've built thriving ecommerce businesses.
