What was your childhood ambition?

When I was very young I wanted to become a singer. I got involved in amateur dramatics from a very early age and took part in quite a few local performances but then I started to have problems with my throat so I decided to give it a rest.

I was pretty good at school I was in the top set for most of the subjects and I really loved art so when it came to options time I picked the arty subjects. My mum and dad were very supportive in whatever I wanted to do.

My dad was a ceramics antique dealer so I was always interested in pottery. From the age 13 all I wanted to do was to become a ceramic designer.

What did you do after you left school?

After Wolstanton High, I went to study for a BTEC National Diploma in ceramic design at the Burslem College of Art.

When did you start your own business?

After I completed the first year of the course we decided to set up LJB Ceramics at the former Artone pottery in Burslem.

We really were starting completely from scratch. Neither dad nor I had done anything like it before, and it was scary, but very exciting at the same time.

When I first started it was very studio based work. During the time there was a revival of art deco. Changing Rooms became really popular and there was a focus on bright yellows and purples and the work of Lawrence Llewelyn-Bowen. I expanded on my designs and they seemed to really capture people’s imaginations.

At first we were selling toby jugs and tea pots that were being made by companies which went out of business, such as Woods Potters of Burslem. We gave my designs out free with orders but they became more popular than the products we were selling.

In 1998 we went a trade show at the King’s Hall with Ceramic Showcase and that’s when I got to show off my own designs.

The response was overwhelmingly good and gradually, retailers and collectors became interested so we were able to expand into new premises at the Crownford Works in Newcastle Street, Burslem.

A real key point came at the trade fair a year later when I met someone from the popular collectors magazine, Collect It!, who wrote about me.

What happened after that?

They ran a readers’ offer with one of my pieces. It was on the front cover, and within seven-and-a-half hours it was completely sold out. It was the most popular offer they had ever had.

After that, things really changed. We suddenly became known to the general public and in four weeks the collectors’ club membership had gone from 100 to 1,500.

We dropped the other lines, just made Lorna Bailey and we took on more people.

What are your roles and responsibilities?

I am the sole designer and design products from start to finish then we decide which ones should go into production.

I am very hands on so I will paint straight on to the pottery and see what works, I don’t tend to put things down on paper.

Because it is a small family business I get involved with all parts of the business, whatever needs doing but I lucky to have my dad there who oversees everything. Having a great team means I can have three days off to spend with my husband and daughter.

How was it running a business from the age of 17?

It was very difficult. I was very young, but I was very fortunate to be working with my family who have been fantastic.

The first four years were really hard - we had no holidays and worked seven days a week, but that’s what you have to do when you start you own business.

My social life wasn’t what it should be for a person of that age, but I did burn the candle at both ends on many occasions.

It was madness when it all took off after the magazine article. I was only 20, it was awesome and I never envisaged it would turn out like that. A year later I won Sentinel Business Woman of the Year. I was so shocked by how popular my designs had become.

Did you think that the business would become so successful?

Not at all. The response to the magazine article was unbelievable, It was complete madness, the phone never stopped ringing. But I guess I have been in the right places at the right time.

Why do you think the business has been so successful during a time when the pottery industry has declined?

Because we are in a niche market; we choose our stockists carefully and don’t allow more than one in the same town so they are not competing against each other.

My designs are unique and we have stayed small, we don’t make large numbers and we only keep our items in production for eight weeks, which is very short.

People want to buy handcrafted pieces made in Stoke-on-Trent, especially the Australians and Americans, although our biggest market is the UK.

The collector’s club has been instrumental. Because we inform members about forthcoming designs and offer exclusive items we have build up loyalty. People have become attached to my designs, they have watched me grow since I started.

Some collectors have been with us since we started.

Is there are future for the ceramic industry in the UK?

I think we are always going to have a pottery industry in Stoke-on-Trent, but the face of it will change. I think there will be more smaller manufacturers supplying to niche markets. A lot of people who have been laid off from the bigger houses are now starting their own businesses.

How did the contract with the Beatles Story museum come about and what does it mean for the company?

It is fantastic for us. It enables us to reach a huge audience. The museum has 41,000 people on its database. To have a Beatles collection in the museum of their home city is fantastic.

I met John Lennon’s sister, Julia Baird, at a charity event at the Coppice Special School in Newcastle.

A teacher at the school, Garry Marsh, knew her. We got chatting and she said she really liked my work.

Julia has a Polaroid photo taken by John Lennon’s sister outside their Aunt Mimi’s house, where he lived following his mother’s death. She held the copyright and allowed me to produce my own interpretation of it and since then I have produced a range of products for the museum’s shop.

What does the future hold for Lorna Bailey Artware?

It is a really exciting time for us with the Beatles range and England products with the World Cup coming up. I am working on lots of projects including a tie up with the Hanley Economic Building Society which is great because it is local companies supporting each other.

We are happy with the way things are and the fact that we are small and niche.

I hope the popularity of the designs continues and people are buying and collecting them for years to come. Obviously if Izabella wants to continue the family business it would be nice but we will support her in whatever she decided to do.