A hobby where the community is ever-growing, embroidery is forever growing in popularity around the world. Due to this, it’s no surprise so many have begun their own business in embroidery projects ranging from fashion to accessories to home décor. Thankfully it’s never been easier to set up your own embroidery business! So whether you’re starting from a corner in your room or a more extensive scale location, we’re here to explore things you need to know before starting.
What Skills Will I Need?
Before starting any business, it’s essential to understand what skills you need to know first. If you don’t know a skill, that doesn’t mean you can’t start a business; it only means it’s time to pick up a new skill! Don’t forget that you can also reach out to friends and family you want to work with who already have those skills you need.
Machine Operation:
Handling an embroidery machine is exciting, and while it comes with a small learning hill, once these machines are set up, they’re an exciting new thing to use! An embroidery machine like the Tajima Sai is perfect for businesses and hobbyists who want to upgrade. Its software, Tajima Writers Plus, converts text to embroidery data or creates embroidery data by combining registered designs and text. It’s easy to switch thread color, set embroidery positions, make adjustments, and more using its digital screen, helping new users handle the machine easier.
Design Software and Creating Art:
When opening up an embroidery business, the vital thing to keep in mind is that you don’t need to be artistic, just creative! Like the Tajima Sai, some machines come installed with their Writer Plus Software used for digitizing, editing, and font software and are accessible on its LED screen. Finding a machine with built-in software is one the best ways to start an embroidery business, as this will keep you from having to purchase another part for your machine separately.
When it comes to creating artwork, you need your PC and machine. For example, computerized embroidery machines require vector images. This can be accomplished through software like Adobe Illustrator. By designing art on Adobe Illustrator, a popular application with many guides and how-to-use references on the internet, you can create your artwork. Once it comes to downloading these new artworks onto the machine, it’s dependent on what form of software you have.
An Illustrator Embroidery Plugin is plugin software that converts a vector image into an embroidery pattern. You can also choose Embroidery Software, such as Tajima Sai Writer Plus Software, which can import your Adobe Illustrator vector image and transform it into a pattern used by an embroidery machine. Keep in mind that these programs are likely to work on the machine they’re created for and not others in choosing Embroidery Software.
What Equipment Will I Need?
The Machine:
While this will depend on the size of your business looking to set up, you’re going to need to start with one machine. There are many different options on the market, and this will be your most valuable asset. When choosing a suitable machine it should be able to keep up with productivity (think of machine speed and consistency) and easy to operate. The Tajima Sai, for example, was created with small businesses in mind. This means it’s compact, easy to use for beginners, comes with the programs you need, and includes the accessories you need for embroidery. Finding the right package when purchasing a machine can also save money in the long run, as this will keep you from needing to buy accessories or extra programs at a later date.
Embroidery Merchandise:
There are two options you can follow when starting your business, made to order or order to be made. The concept behind these is that you can choose to have constant inventory or keep a list and only create when an order is placed. While these two things can be changed, it’s best to always have stock of items you’re going to embroider on ready to be used.
Some popular items we recommend are:
- T-shirts
- Polo Shirts
- Home Décor
- Handbags
- Sweaters
- Caps
When you start choosing items for your shop, think of who you’re selling to and focus on what type of items customers in your niche are purchasing embroidered.
How Do I Market My Business?
The first thing to do when marketing your new small business is to determine what your goals are. What do you want to achieve? Is it a revenue goal or a profit goal? How many sales per month do you need to generate that revenue? Having a clear idea of what success is to you will help you to define a budget.
Website:
The first thing we recommend having is a shop base like a website or Etsy shop. Think of this as the public face for your online or at-home business. Here you’ll be able to share your company message, introduce yourself to buyers, and showcase your products and services in a way that’s unique to your brand. Keep in mind ‘Key Words’ (In terms of Search Engine Optimization, better known as SEO, they’re the words and phrases that searchers enter into search engines, also called “search queries.”) Using the right keywords on your website for your product will help you show up in higher ranking on search engines.
Advertising:
Once you have your budget think of where your audience is based. Free marketing you can start with is creating social media accounts that you’re audience uses. For example, if your audience is between the ages of 30-55, you’ll have a high chance of finding sales on Facebook. If your audience is mothers, you can post on Pinterest and Instagram. Ways to be found on social media rely on hashtags, geo-location (when you tag a city or spot), and getting others to put your name out there.
Paid advertising differs, but it’s still important to keep in mind what websites and google searches your audience is doing to promote correctly. Startup businesses can look into programs like Google ads, Yahoo Ads, and paid Facebook and Instagram Ads.
Opening up Shop
Once you have your machine, products, and website up, it’s time to start putting yourself out there! Take advantage of social media sites and use these as a platform to reach and interact with your audiences. So many people enjoy finding new items to buy on their social pages, and getting yourself on there is a great way to reach customers.
There’s a reason why embroidery businesses do well. Whether it’s the fun in personalization that’s available, or the opportunity to purchase from a small business something unique and in their interest, the market is always welcoming new ideas. To keep your company successful, focus on what you can control and make sure you choose the right equipment and programs. With these being the foundation to a long-lasting business, it’s essential to choose suitable materials.
We hope this helps give a glimpse into the beginning of opening your own embroidery business! Visit here to check out JUKI’s Tajima Sai embroidery machine to learn more about its Writer plus Software, the machine’s speed, features, and more!
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