Are you trained in sewing and sewing clothes or other items for yourself and your family or friends? You can use your creative skill and start your own sewing business from home. It is easy for you to start and will give you a good income apart from creative satisfaction.
Sewing in any form, like clothes, embroidery, alteration or bags, jackets, etc. has a steady demand in the market. If you do your research properly and get hold of the right customers, you can earn a good income from your Sewing Business. With hard work and good planning, you will be able to make your business bigger and build up a brand for your business.
To make your home-based sewing business successful, you have to follow the necessary steps one after the other. Let us have a look at the steps you should follow to start your Sewing Business.
15 Steps to Start A Sewing Business From Home
1. Understand the market and its trends
The first step in starting your Sewing Business starts before you open the business. You need to do good market research on the people in the area of your business and their needs. Study the types of people in the area, their average age, affordability, demands, and choices.
Get a good idea of the local stores and the trends they follow. Also, try to find out how open they are to new and innovative ideas regarding clothes or fashion. Watch the younger generation of the area and try to understand their style statement.
The climate of the area also plays an important role in setting trends and demand. You have to consider all these factors before starting your business. These will help you plan your Sewing Business accordingly.
2. Create a Sewing Business Plan
After doing the research and gathering the necessary information, plan your Sewing Business carefully. First of all, you have to decide on the place of your business. It can be done from your home. That will save you the cost of rent or lease and also give you the freedom and comfort of working from home.
Remember, you have to do the details of planning in writing. Otherwise, it may get haphazard. Write down each point of your Sewing Business. This will include the cost of starting the business, wherefrom you will get the money, which area of sewing will you take up, market trends, prospective clients, legal formalities, expenses, how to sell your products, marketing, and publicity strategies, etc.
In short, your business plan will be the blueprint of your Sewing Business. You can take the help of business and finance professionals in drafting your business plan.
3. Choose Your Niche
Before you start your Sewing Business, you have to decide on the niche, or area of sewing where you want to work. There are certain common areas of sewing:
- Clothes for Men, Women, or Kids. You can take up any of these or the full range.
- Tailoring Services.
- Repair and Alteration Services.
- Sewing Home Décor like curtains, cushion covers, etc.
- Handbags or leather jackets.
- Special Costumes for weddings, shootings, or fashion shows.
If you have experience in any of these or other fields, you can specialize in them. Otherwise, you can choose anyone or two related areas to start with. However, don’t try to start with too many areas. That will create difficulties in building your brand.
4. Name your Business
After you have decided on the niche, you have to give the name of your Sewing Business. Think of a name that quickly relates to your business idea. The name should not be too long or difficult to spell or pronounce. It must be easy for your clients to remember.
You have to get a domain in the name of your business as a website is a very important part of your business. If you don’t get a domain in the name of your business, you have to change the name to get the domain.
Learn More: How to Name Your Business
5. Register your Business
Now that you have decided on the name of your Sewing Business and got the domain, you have to legalize your business. Every country and state offers different company structures as per the scale of business.
For example, in the United States, there are several forms of business organization Partnerships, Proprietor, corporations, or LLCs. You can choose any of them.
Read: Top LLC Formation Service Companies in the United States
You also need EIN or Employer Identification Number from the IRS. You have to apply for it and you will get it free of cost.
6. Get the License and Permits needed
To run your Sewing Business you need a certain license and permit both on the local as well as federal levels. The local license and permits depend on the area of your business. If you do not have the necessary license and permits, you may have to pay huge fines. Therefore, be very particular about these.
You also have to pay the necessary taxes applicable to your Sewing Business.
7. Buy Business Insurance
You also need to get your business insured, for the total safety and security of the business. You will need business insurance and employee insurance if you are hiring employees. The insurance will protect your business in case of an accident or other mishap.
8. Bank Account and Accounting
After the legal formalities, open a bank account in the name of your business. This will help in keeping your business finance organized and separate from your personal finance. Also, apply for a credit card for your business to avail of the facilities of credit.
From the very beginning, maintain the accounts of your business very carefully covering every minute detail. You can take the help of an experienced accountant in maintaining the accounts of your business.
9. Equipment Needed for Sewing Business
It is better to start your Sewing Business on a small scale so that you can handle the work of sewing. The sing-most equipment that is needed is the sewing machine. For beginners, it is advised to buy a sewing machine from reputed brands like Brother and Singer.
If you are planning to buy online check out the two popular sewing machines with a low budget at Amazon.
Other than the sewing machine, other basic equipment you will need is the following:
- A simple sewing machine of a reputed brand
- A table for cutting clothes
- An iron and iron board
- Chairs
- A serger
- Full-length mirror
- Measuring tapes
- Mannequins
- Thread, needles, clothes
- Design catalogs both printed and digital
- A computer for creating designs and drawing patterns
- Separate Computer for maintaining accounts along with a printer
- Necessary software
- Racks and Wardrobe for garments and clothes
- Bill and invoice books
Keep your workplace organized so that you don’t have to waste time finding things. Also, keep the place clean and well-decorated so that both your customers and you feel good.
10. Cost of starting your Sewing Business from Home
As you are planning the sewing business home-based, the startup will be reduced to a great extent as you don’t need to pay rental costs. The major initial fixed cost will be buying the sewing machine.
A new sewing machine will cost you approximately in the range of $900 to $2000. Hiring an accountant, marketing person and an assistant will be your running cost which may amount to approximately $500-$750 per month, as you will hire them on an hourly basis.
11. How to find the Buyers for Sewing Business?
Finding buyers or customers for your Sewing Business depends on the nature of your services. If you are starting your business with one sewing machine, and you as the main working force, it is better and more profitable to start a tailoring and alteration service.
In this Business your customers may be a would-be brides, coming for sewing the wedding gown, or fashion models or model agencies to sew the ramp outfits. You can also sew school or office uniforms and different kinds of daily or festive clothes for both men and women. Alteration service is also a much-in-demand service among all.
Your contacts will help you in a great way to get clients. You will also have to take the help of advertisements and publicity materials like flyers and pamphlets for getting clients. Your online presence will also get you, clients.
12. Recurring Expenses in Home-Based Sewing Business
The expenses of your Sewing Business will depend on the scale of your business and the niche you select. There will be regular expenses on raw materials like clothes, thread, buttons, maintenance of the machine, salary of the staff, website maintenance, rent (if you are not operating from your home), publicity, marketing, etc.
13. Where to Sell your Sewing-Related Products?
If you are offering tailoring and alteration services in your sewing business, then you have fixed buyers as you are sewing against an order. If you wish to make ready-made clothes or other items like bags or jackets, then you have to sell them to different stores, boutiques, or individual buyers.
You can sell your products online and also directly from your workshop. Your contacts, family, and friends will help you get buyers. Putting colorful banners and hoardings on local stores, malls or supermarkets will also help you get buyers.
Word of the mouth publicity is the most viable way to promote your products if you are a beginner. Satisfied customers will often refer your name to other customers. Another method of selling is by taking orders from different stores and supplying them. You can also sell online through your website or social media platform.
14. How to Earn Money from Sewing Business?
Earning money is the ultimate goal of your Sewing Business. If you provide tailoring and alteration services, you get paid for each service which ranges between $3 to $50 per work of dressmaking or alteration.
If you wish to sell readymade things, then you will get paid for each dress or other item you produce or get a bulk payment for bulk orders.
According to the present rate a sewing business run by a single person with one sewing machine can earn between $ 15,000 and 62,000 annually. If you increase the number of machines and hire more employees, you can earn much more.
15. Promote Your Sewing Business and Build a Brand
a) Web Presence
Your web presence is a must. You have to make your website a good platform for your publicity as well as sales. Design your website in a very planned and skillful manner. Make arrangements for online selling of the dresses and home delivery and online payment.
b) Social Media
Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, etc. Create a page in the name of your Sewing Business on social media platforms.
c) Advertisement and Publicity
Use the traditional tools of advertising like flyers, pamphlets, newspaper and television ads, hoardings, and banners at prominent places. Make the publicity materials attractive and colorful, highlighting your specialties.
d) Good Personal Contact
Remember, your good personal contact will help you in many ways in promoting your business. Keep good contact with local people, schools, colleges, offices, and different ad agencies
e) Value Addition
Customers always prefer value-added service. You can provide value additions like customized embroidery, different color options through shade cards, home delivery of dresses, quick alteration, etc.
f) Establish Your Brand
In all your marketing and publicity strategies for your Sewing Business, always try to establish your brand name. Every creation of you should carry the name of your brand. Whenever you host an exhibition or fashion show, highlight your brand name. For any sponsorship, use your brand name. Above all, the brand name will give you recognition and with time, people will remember your brand.
These are the basic points you should follow to establish your Sewing Business. If you are passionate about sewing and know the skill well, you can start your Sewing Business and gradually expand the business.
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 business. Our aim is to educate the entrepreneur on the various stages of entrepreneurship.
