Thinking of buying an embroidery machine and starting your own embroidery business?
Well thought. You are about to take control of your own destiny. Working for yourself can be very rewarding for both your mind and your pocketbook.
In these confusing economic times, many people are looking for a second source of income, or even planning a business for an unexpected retraining, or early retirement. An embroidery business is an idea that allows you to work from home while keeping your expenses low and your profits high. Few businesses offer so many possibilities to entrepreneurs for such a small investment. Search, compare and see for yourself …
Everywhere you look, there are people who wear personalized clothes: businesses, schools, associations, bars, etc. Open your eyes wide and prepare a list of everyone you see in the area where you live. Think of all the potential customers an embroidery business has.
Sure you have already thought about them, but we want to compile them for you. If you identify with more than half, you need a change in your life …
This type of business requires very little space, so it adapts easily to your availability: home, small premises, even on the go, in a van …
Full or partial schedule , mornings, weekends, when the children are at school… you choose.
No more ceiling on your income. Your billing and benefits will depend on the time you want to dedicate to the business. Do you want to earn more? Spend more time or improve your level so that clients are willing to pay more for your work.
Embroidery is present in several sectors, but you should choose one to focus on, your own niche: sports, associations, schools, companies, entertainment venues, … If you live in a small town you may need more of a niche, but develop a different strategy for each of them.
It is your business, you are free to set the prices you want. But use your common sense, put yourself in the shoes of your clients and reflect on what is reasonable. Think that this is the success of your business. This business is not an industrial production, you will not have competitors who fight for the customer to the last penny. What you have are fickle end consumers who want a funny product at a reasonable price. And if they are happy, they will return.
The custom embroidery business has a curious paradox: customers come to you for the embroidery, but your benefit is in the garment . Learn this principle well and exploit it for your own benefit, but also in the interest of your client. Besides your livelihood, he is your best advertisement.
It would be preferable to avoid using specific examples, since they depend on many factors (general expenses, garment, size and complexity of the embroidery, number of pieces in the series, …). Despite this, an example is presented below, hypothetical but perfectly possible.
Polo shirt with 5 color embroidery on chest and 5000 stitchesEmbroidered polo shirt
Cost of the garment $3.95
Labor and consumables: $0.95
Total cost $4.90
Recommended PV $9.95
Gross profit $5.05
Despite what has been said, it must be taken into account that operating costs are very difficult to specify with such precision. But on the other hand, being a small, sole proprietorship, this inaccuracy is perfectly acceptable since there is no risk of large unforeseen expenses.
All businesses need an action plan to get started. We want to help you make yours with these 8 basic ideas.
Preparing the Business Plan in writing is like writing the founding act of a business: in it you set your goals and the path to achieve them, you determine how you should or want to grow … it is a starting point that you will later adapt to the circumstances. It is like sowing the seed.
Learn from the competition, find a way to differentiate yourself. If you are lucky enough to not have local competitors, look them up on the Internet to learn about it, they will be your first school. Choose your niche: work clothes, schools, sports riding, …
Salespeople will saturate you with technical data. Listen to them but then reflect on what needs you really need to cover, if you need an embroidery machine of more or less performance, if the machine they propose allows your business to grow … Then think about the company that sells you the machine, in their ability to assist you or support the warranty.
Melco Design Shop picking programPicks are the files that are created for the machine to make an embroidered design. This will be one of your first dilemmas when getting started in embroidery: do I make my own piping or do I subcontract them ? In favor of making them yourself: the agility in the service to your clients, the possibility of distinguishing yourself by a better quality, the economy of a process carried out by you and not an outsourced cost. Against is the purchase of the picking program and the learning process. You may want to focus on other aspects of your business at first, but it is recommended that you learn as soon as possible to do your own picks.
If finding the money to finance the investment is your biggest problem, there are several possibilities. Being a relatively small investment, you can use savings or family help. In case of being unemployed, subsidies or advance payment of unemployment benefit can be requested. But if you need to go to bank financing, we can help you get it. We can also advise you on the grants you can access.
Multicolored PB40 embroidery threadsThe quality of the embroidery depends both on the garment on which you embroider and on all the consumables you use in the process. Brildor has selected the best suppliers for each of them and is the only supplier in Spain capable of offering you absolutely all the threads and consumables necessary to operate your business.
matter how modest your growth plans are, it is important to know that your main supplier offers you an alternative for expansion. Brildor is ready to accompany you in your project, whatever the dimension it may reach. We can help you update your machinery or expand your production capacity in an organized way.