A leather bag-making business can be initiated can be started by any individual who has a creative mind with moderate start-up capital. A person having an idea or training in fashion design and leather trade will certainly have an added advantage in this business.
You can come up with a line of designs that you can get into manufacturing or retailing. Bags made of synthetic material are considered consumer-durable items. All machines and raw materials used for its manufacturing are easily available from indigenous sources and not much technology is involved in manufacturing.
Is Leather Bag Making Business Profitable?
A market report suggests the revenue in the Clothing Accessories & Other Clothes segment amounts to US$41,386m in 2018. The market is expected to grow annually by 2.0%
In recent years, the demand for Leather items has grown worldwide. Consumer demand has been shifting toward new designs and innovative leather products with changing fashion trends and lifestyles.
The scope of manufacturing this item is increasing due to the growing demand of bag users carrying different types of things like a laptop, office files, and notepads in their day-to-day official and business activities. The varieties of leather bag items have a very good demand all across the globe.
The demand for leather bag items like handbags, purses, belts, and wallets is a never-ending one. As a result, this business is recognized as an inflation-free business.
10 Steps to Start Leather Bag Manufacturing Business
1. Learn How to Make Leather Bags
The first step towards starting leather making business is obviously to learn the process of making it. If you are not aware of any place where you can learn the art of bag making, the best way to find out is to search Google by typing leather bag-making courses near me. Hopefully, you will find trainers or training institutes providing tutorials on how to make leather bags.
To be successful in this business, your ability to create uniquely designed leather bags will play a big role. If you are starting from home, it is best to create a small inventory of your item and taste the market. Many beginners make the mistake of creating a huge stock and are unable to sell it off.
2. Do Some Market Research
Take some time off and meet people in your immediate locality to understand the trends of buying leather bag items. Conducting extensive market research of the local market will do a world of good in creating saleable items.
3. Business Plan For Leather Bag Making
Outline your goals and write down your leather bag making a business plan in detail with all financial information and also information about your target audience. A business is only successful when it has customers, so before you open your doors, determine who will be buying your leather items. What they look like. Where do they live? What are their demographics? Will you focus on a special category of a leather bag such as a laptop bag or will you go for a variety of leather goods?
Some of the topics that must be included in your leather bag business are the following:
- Startup & recurring costs
- Target customers
- Products & USPs
- Pricing strategies
- How do you plan to sell your leather items?
4. Setup your Leather Bag Making Unit
You don’t need much space to make leather bags if you planning to start at home. The amount of space will depend on the kind of leather bags you are making. In addition, you need to ensure enough space to stock inventory, equipment, etc.
It is important to have sufficient lighting arrangements in your setup so that you can take good-quality photographs of your items. You can hire a professional photographer to do the job for you.
5. Naming Your Leather Bag Manufacturing Company
Selecting a proper name is very important. The name of your company must relate to the kind of bags you are making. It becomes easier for customers to recognize you with your product. Check this article to learn more about naming a business.
6. Pricing Leather Bag Items
Fixing prices is the most tricky part of any business. It is the same here too. You must ensure the price must take care of all the expenses you incur while making the items. you also need to keep in mind the audience you are targetting. If it is a luxury item, you can go for value-based pricing, and if a general one, consider cost-plus pricing.
7. License/Permits For Leather Bag Making Business
The first thing you need to do is to choose the business structure under which you are going to run the leather-making unit. It is better to consult with an attorney for the pros and cons of how to go about it. If you are from the United States, forming an LLC will provide you with certain benefits. In addition, check with the local concerned authority about the necessary licenses or permits required.
8. Bookkeeping
If you are starting small and from home with a low budget, you won’t be able to afford to hire bookkeeping personnel initially. Hence, good easy accounting software is much needed so that you can maintain it on your own.
9. Sell Online
Create a decent and informative website for your leather bag-making business, displaying all your products with detailed specifications. In addition, if you want to catch the big online market, make an online store to sell your leather bag products.
10. Promote Your Leather Bag Making Business
Create marketing materials and tools and get them In front of your target market. You can start the business on a retail consignment basis or can go for a distributor network. There are low-cost ways of promoting your product if you are starting with a shoestring budget. Go for some outdoor advertising. Concentrate on corporate clients. Leather bags have a wide demand for customized promotional gifts.
About the Author: 99businessideas.com led by Rupak Chakrabarty is committed to helping beginners, entrepreneurs, and small business owners in starting, managing, and growing their businesses.
