Ferne Benson

Ferne Benson is the founder of Excellerated Solutions and the proud owner of Mr. Toad’s Pottery, a thriving paint-your-own-pottery studio in Western Maryland. With over two decades of experience in Excel and small business finance — and more than a decade running her own creative businesses — Ferne knows firsthand the challenges that come with balancing creativity and profitability.

A studio owner at heart with a teaching spirit, Ferne was inspired to launch Excellerated Solutions in 2023 after an impromptu “mini financial conference” she hosted at a retreat with fellow PYOP studio owners. What started as a casual chat about bookkeeping systems quickly turned into an eye-opening session that left her peers empowered, inspired, and urging her to share her knowledge with more studio owners.

Ferne brings a hands-on, step-by-step teaching style to every client interaction, blending her love of spreadsheets with her deep understanding of studio operations. She specializes in helping PYOP studios using Square for Retail and Xero or QuickBooks to create streamlined, sustainable systems that remove the mental clutter from financial management.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and management, and has been working with Excel since middle school — back in the Lotus 1-2-3 days! Her greatest satisfaction comes from seeing creative entrepreneurs regain valuable time, reduce stress, and thrive in their businesses with tools that fit seamlessly into studio life.

When she’s not optimizing a spreadsheet or designing her next SmartStock tool, Ferne can be found sipping coffee, doting on her mini Goldendoodles, or dreaming up new ways to make studio life easier for makers everywhere.