StoryMold.com

Turn heritage into high-value custom orders

Score: 7.3/10UKMedium BuildReady to Spawn
Brand Colors

The Opportunity

Problem

UK ceramics manufacturers in Stoke-on-Trent face imminent factory closures and loss of centuries-old skilled trade without additional government support beyond the £120m package.

Solution

StoryMold helps Stoke factory owners create compelling digital showrooms that tell the human and historical story behind every piece. Designers and architects can browse, customize, request samples, and track orders end-to-end. This opens premium revenue streams that make factories less dependent on low-margin commodity work.

Target Audience

Ceramics factory owners and operators in Stoke-on-Trent’s Potteries employing 100-500 skilled artisans

Differentiator

AI storytelling engine trained on 300 years of Potteries history that generates authentic, emotionally compelling narratives for each product and technique.

Brand Voice

inspiring

Features

Digital Heritage Showroom

must-have45h

Beautiful catalog with rich storytelling for each collection

AI Story Generator

must-have50h

Creates authentic narratives based on your factory's history

Custom Order Portal

must-have40h

B2B clients can configure products and submit detailed briefs

Approval Workflow

must-have35h

Visual proofing and client sign-off system for custom designs

Production Tracker

must-have30h

Shared timeline visible to both factory and client

Lead Generation Forms

must-have25h

Capture inquiries from museums, hotels and designers

Sample Request Manager

nice-to-have30h

Streamlined physical sample ordering and tracking

SEO & Social Assets

nice-to-have25h

Auto-generates optimized copy and images for marketing

CRM Integration

nice-to-have35h

Sync leads with popular CRM platforms

Total Build Time: 315 hours

Database Schema

organizations

ColumnTypeNullable
iduuidNo
nametextNo
founded_yearintYes
heritage_storytextYes
created_attimestampNo

Relationships:

  • has many products
  • has many orders
  • has many users

products

ColumnTypeNullable
iduuidNo
organization_iduuidNo
nametextNo
storytextYes
image_urltextYes
base_priceintYes

Relationships:

  • belongs to organization
  • has many custom_orders

custom_orders

ColumnTypeNullable
iduuidNo
product_iduuidYes
client_nametextNo
client_emailtextNo
statustextNo
valueintYes
created_attimestampNo

Relationships:

  • belongs to product
  • belongs to organization

stories

ColumnTypeNullable
iduuidNo
product_iduuidYes
contenttextNo
ai_generatedboolNo

Relationships:

  • belongs to product

API Endpoints

POST
/api/products

Create new product with AI story generation

🔒 Auth Required
GET
/api/orders

List all custom orders with current status

🔒 Auth Required
POST
/api/generate-story

Generate AI heritage narrative for a product

🔒 Auth Required
GET
/api/public/showroom

Public endpoint for designer-facing catalog (no auth)

Tech Stack

Frontend
Django + HTMX + TailwindCSS
Backend
Django
Database
PostgreSQL
Auth
Django Allauth
Payments
Stripe
Hosting
Railway
Additional Tools
OpenAI APICeleryDjango Channels

Build Timeline

Week 1: Django setup and auth

30h
  • Project scaffolding
  • Authentication system
  • Factory profile builder

Week 2: Product and story engine

42h
  • Product catalog CRUD
  • OpenAI story generation integration
  • Rich text editor

Week 3: Client-facing showroom

38h
  • Public catalog with beautiful design
  • Inquiry and custom request forms

Week 4: Order workflow system

45h
  • Visual approval workflow
  • Shared production timeline
  • Status notifications

Week 5: Payments, marketing assets and launch

25h
  • Stripe checkout for samples
  • SEO optimization
  • Final testing
Total Timeline: 5 weeks • 255 hours

Pricing Tiers

Starter

$0/mo

Maximum 5 inquiries per month

  • 1 collection
  • Basic storytelling
  • Public showroom

Pro

$19/mo

Unlimited

  • Unlimited collections
  • Full AI storytelling
  • Custom order portal
  • Approval workflow
  • Lead capture

Heritage

$49/mo

Unlimited

  • Everything in Pro
  • Priority AI model access
  • Custom domain showroom
  • Analytics on visitor engagement
  • Dedicated success manager

Revenue Projections

MonthUsersConversionMRRARR
Month 12025%$95$1,140
Month 68540%$646$7,752

Unit Economics

$75
CAC
$940
LTV
3%
Churn
81%
Margin
LTV:CAC Ratio: 12.5xExcellent!

Landing Page Copy

Your Factory's Story Is Your Most Valuable Product

Transform centuries of Stoke heritage into premium custom orders from designers, hotels and museums.

Feature Highlights

AI Heritage Storytelling
Designer Custom Order Portal
Visual Approval Workflow
Lead Generation Tools
Beautiful Public Catalog

Social Proof (Placeholders)

"'We landed a 200-piece order from a Mayfair hotel after they fell in love with our origin story.' — Owner, Tunstall Ceramics"
"'The platform made us look like a much bigger operation. Incredibly professional.' — Sales Director"

First Three Customers

Identify 20 interior designers and architects who have previously specified British ceramics via LinkedIn. Offer them free access to curated showrooms from the first 3 factory partners. Run co-branded webinar with the Potters Council on 'Selling Heritage in 2025' to drive inbound factory signups.

Launch Channels

ProductHuntDezeen jobs and projects newsletterLinkedIn (interior design + heritage marketing)British Ceramic ConfederationInstagram via pottery influencer partnerships

SEO Keywords

heritage ceramics digital showroomstoke pottery custom order platformbritish ceramics storytelling toolpottery b2b sales softwareartisanal manufacturing crm

Competitive Analysis

Squarespace

squarespace.com
$16/mo
Strength

Beautiful websites

Weakness

Generic templates with no ceramics workflow or AI storytelling

Our Advantage

Deep domain workflow from inquiry to production tracking

Flodesk + Shopify

flodesk.com
Combined ~$50/mo
Strength

Email + basic e-commerce

Weakness

No B2B custom order approval system or heritage narrative engine

Our Advantage

Purpose-built for factories selling to designers and institutions

🏰 Moat Strategy

Rich library of verified Stoke heritage narratives and relationships with UK interior designers that compounds as more factories join and contribute authentic content.

⏰ Why Now?

Post-pandemic demand for authentic, story-driven premium products has surged while AI writing tools have matured enough to help small factories tell their stories at scale.

Risks & Mitigation

marketmedium severity

Designers may prefer established platforms

Mitigation

Focus on exclusive Stoke factory network and superior storytelling quality

legallow severity

IP concerns around historical stories

Mitigation

Use only factory-provided or public domain historical facts with clear disclaimers

Validation Roadmap

pre-build14 days

Interview 8 factory owners and 8 interior designers

Success: Clear confirmation that storytelling drives purchase decisions and current solutions are inadequate

mvp30 days

Create showrooms for 4 factories and share with 15 designers

Success: Minimum 3 paid orders generated through the platform

Pivot Options

  • Become a full B2B marketplace for British craft manufacturers
  • Pivot to virtual museum exhibition platform
  • Offer white-glove storytelling services for luxury brands

Quick Stats

Build Time
255h
Target MRR (6 mo)
$2,800
Market Size
$0.7M
Features
9
Database Tables
4
API Endpoints
4