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Where do you get most of your business?


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I'm going to start my LA business in the next year or two. I first have to purchase my machine!! However, I'm trying to figure out how I will begin. I have been making quilts for about 10 years, and for the last 4 years I have been quilting them with my short-arm grace frame. Anyway, my question to all of you is where does most of your business come from? I'm thinking it's probably repeat customers for the more experienced, but what about the newbees?? Is it worth having a website, and if so, do you mostly get local business or do a lot of people mail the quilts to you? Thank you for your thoughts!!!!

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Hi Carla,

Welcome to the world of LA quilting.

Buying the machine is the first huge step. Then you start wondering....What was I thinking?:o:)

It's okay, we have all been there.

When I first started I did everything I could to get my name out there. Joined guilds....which did not work around here. Or, if they do work, you need to join and go for about 5 years before you are "one of them". Anyway, the best way for me, was to take classes at my LQS, and just mention that I am a longarm quilter. That said, I only have one customer that is a repeat from that avenue, but it is a good place to start. If your LQS will let you put your cards in the shop...then that is an excellent way....but the very best for me was to develope a very close relationship with the shop owner. She liked me (out of business now) and she was very good about directing customers my way...even her employees would send customers to me.

Make up shop samples, my favorite is one Dawn Cavanaugh suggested - use quilters sateen. Use matching thread. It makes your samples look very, very professional. Then you can show the shop owners your stuff.

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I get most of my business from my guild. I have cards at a few of the shops but I haven't had to really pursue it more than that. There are lots of longarmers in my area and my goal is to keep my business fairly small since I already have 1 full time job! Most of my customers refer friends so word of mouth is very powerful

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I got most of my original customers from 1 local quilt shop then word of mouth. I have a detailed web site and I use brochures over business cards.

I have been very lucky so far, it's as though it was meant to be since everything fell into place pretty easily...remind you my story isn't the norm in this business however.

Good luck.

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Word of mouth works for me. I still have a full time job and keep as busy as I want to be with customer quilts and my own. Am soon hoping to quit my day job, though it is a little scary with the economy to leave a secure job with insurance and benefits. I absolutely love quilting for others and have had the nicest customers so far. Good luck to you!

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I looked into a website but found it to be a little expensive and since I have about a 2-3 mo backlog I don't think I need it yet. Most of my business comes from the local guild, LQS, and believe it or not, from one of my business cards I left in my local cleaners. This woman was so happy to find a quilter that lived near her and she has been a repeat customer (about 5 quilts now). Word of mouth is also important and from what I hear, your reputation is your most important asset next to your machine and skills.

Welcome and good luck, it is great to have a job that you love!

Vicki

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Originally posted by Primitive1

Word of mouth is also important and from what I hear, your reputation is your most important asset next to your machine and skills.

And to elaborate just a bit on what Vicki said...honesty. I don't mean to be the Debbie Doubter here, but it also needs to be said.

If you mess up (and you will, we all have in some manner or fashion), your customer needs to be the first one to know... you need to have a game plan as to how you are going to address the issue. It could be as minor as a design change to an "AHHH SHOOT" I tore a hole into the quilt, be prepared with a step by step and it normally will ALWAYS go in your favor.....

The worst "AHHH SHOOT" I've every seen was a friend of mine who was recovering from Cancer, and she took in binding to make a bit of extra money and it was something to keep her active in the quilting community....she FORGOT she had a candle lit and threw a quilt up and over her ironing board to get up for a drink....I don't know for sure why the quilt didn't smother the candle but it didn't. She came back and sat down, got busy with the TV and something else, could smell the smoke, but didn't know where it was coming from, finally after she saw flames realized what had happened. The quilt wasn't a total loss, and thank God the person who made it had left over fabrics for her to take the WHOLE quilt apart and fix the several blocks and it was up to her to provide the back and batting..and fix it.... Again be prepared.

I've had a couple no matter what I did or could have done it would never have been good enough, and one case the quilt wasn't JUST like the quilt that she saw that had been hand quilted it wasn't good enough. Someone else was hired to take it apart and redo it and from what I hear she wasn't happy about that quilters work either...so go figure.

Haven't had any law suits, and there have been a few on the forum who have so it can go even that direction if you don't have a "CYA" plan...

Get things in writting and be prepared.

Also its great that you are planning a 6 month period for practicing, but if they don't knock your door down that fast don't get panicy....it could take up to several years before your trusted enough in your area or what some quilters would consider good enough to trust their children (quilts) too. Don't take it personal it just happens sometimes, depending on your area.

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In addition to what's been mentioned, I also:

- give a referral coupon with a time limit (usually 6 weeks). If the customer refers someone who brings me a quilt, the customer gets $20 off their next quilt and the referral gets $10 off.

- teach quilting classes and let people know that I longarm

Good luck!

Julia

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Good advice Bonnie,

I couldn't imagine having a customer quilt go up in flames, I think I'd be so stunned I am not sure what I would do...but you are right, having a plan as to how to make things right before you contact someone with an oops is being proactive and helps to move things ahead from the oops.

Everyone on this site gives such good advice - again thanks to everyone for all of their input and experience shared!

We'll look forward to seeing your quilts when you get your machine Carla!

Vicki

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My quilting business is different than most people on here. I don't take in other peoples tops, although I have been asked to. I make quilts, sometimes I make them to order, other times I will bring what I have made to shows and sell them that way. It was never my plan to do this as a business. I have in the past brought some of my pieces to my job and shown them to people. I then had people approaching me asking to have quilts made. Also, once a year we have a little craft show/sale, and I will set up a table and sell things. So to answer your question, I get my business from my real job.

Dianne

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