For those of you thinking of giving up

[Ferret]

It has been said before, but bears saying again, what a wonderful thread. I nearly didn't read it because I am not planning on giving up, and I am so glad I have.

I am just starting to try and build a business. I take my work to any show and tell I can and people like it. I hand out cards. I have a LQS recommending me to customers, but they don't call. I have just had an article published in a quilting magazine here, and a grand total of about 10 hits on my website from it.

It is good to know I am not the only person finding it more difficult to start up than it is presented. As I said I have no intention of giving up and I am planning on giving a book of samples to the LQS, and then working my way around the next closest shops. None of them have and in house service, so I feel I have nothing to lose by talking to them. I am sure that if I can get the word out to people the business will come my way, but it is going to take a lot longer than I had expected.

Ferret

[JudyL]

Because I believe so strongly that there's still plenty of business, I'm going to start with more tips and challenges but I'm going to move it down to the Starting/Running Your Business section. Remember that not everything works for everyone so don't be disappointed if 9 out of 10 suggestions do not work for you. All you need is one good tip can get your phone ringing. You may think some of my ideas are goofy . . you may think they're all goofy . . but if it helps, it's worth trying.

[Ferret]

Hi Judy,

sounds like you are suggesting goofy is bad, in my experience goofy usually works better.

Ferret

[katie.mac]

There's a lot to think about when starting a quilting business. Might be a good idea to make a list of pros and cons and then set your business goals really low at first. If you do better, it will be a welcome surprise!

Katie

http://community.webshots.com/user/katiemcgraw

[shadows4]

I started out looking for a cheap machine and table to do my quilts and to quilt the blankets for our Quilts for Kids ministry at church. I first looked at short arms, then graduated to looking at a mid arms.

In the meantime, we had a house fire that put us out of our house for 3 months. Our electric blanket caught fire while we were in bed. This tragedy for us turned out to be a blessing as far as getting a machine goes.

Then I went to MQS in 2005.. Sue Patten took time to show me the APQS machines and I was sold. I ended up buying a used Ultimate 1 with our money from income tax, and the money we got for doing some of the work on restoring our house.

If I had needed to borrow the $, I know I would have felt pressured to get jobs to pay for the machine. Being able to pay cash has been a huge blessing that God brought out of that awful time. The last year & a half has been the year from h-ll. We had the fire, my sister almost died, being in a coma for 48 hours and totally unresponsive (the Dr's wanted to take her off of life support because they thought she was brain dead) By the way, she is doing great, she's back to nursing in ICU of a local hospital. My brother was diagnosed w/kidney cancer and had to have major surgery, and I had an emergency hysterectomy 2 weeks later because a tumor started hemoraging, then they found a hard tumor in my ovary that was borderline cancer. Thankfully that seems to have been caught in time.

Those are just the tip of the trials. But through it all, God has brought so many blessings, one of the best being my longarm. I've met some wonderful longarmers and quilters because of it, that in itself is worth the $ spent on the machine. I've been so impressed with the APQS longarmers who participate in the chat, the way they build each other up, and give advice with no thought to self or jealousy, just the thought of helping others out. I got to talk to Mary Beth today and found out we live about a mile apart and are so much alike that it's kinda scary! I'm really looking forward to meeting her soon!

My DH has told me that he doesn't care if I ever start getting a bunch of jobs, so the pressure is off. But I would like to start earning $ even to pay for new gadgets and thread and batting, etc. I'm hoping to use some of the tips you all have written, and maybe I'll have a backlog someday.

[Grammie]

Jeanne,

Your story is so moving. Thank you very much for sharing it with us all.

We all need to count our blessings everyday.

Best Wishes and Keep on Quilting,

Grammie

[Susanri]

I have posted ths several times on different threads and maybe here too but its worth a read get the book a "referal of a lifetime" by tim templeton my cpa gave it to me when he asked about my business and marketing plan I was embarresed to tell him its mostly a referal type business in todays high speed media world he just handed me the book and and said get back to him.

its quick read that will change the way you do referals!! and you will be succseful by the end of the year! if you can stay comitted to your dream!

[Merryjo2003]

Hi everyone,

Just my 2 cents worth. I've had my millie for about 6 months. Getting business is hard, but it's sure a blast to quilt! My first customer quilt came 3 weeks after I set Aurora up. I really didn't know what the **()@# I was doing, but I did my 1st panto and a free hand feather border. It turned out great and the customer was really happy.

I have to say, there are a lot of longarm quilters in the area. They all seem to have a back log and I know there's a lot of business around. People are loyal to they're quilter. I've talked to some of the other quilters and some like to do nothing but pantos, I prefer freehand. We have discussed trading off customers! If they want pantos and I don't feel like doing them, I can refer them elsewhere, and vise versa. Also, if someone wants something that is beyond my current skill level, I will refer them. I would rather they are happy with the quilt. If I did it and they weren't happy, then it could potentially hurt my business. I don't do this often quite yet as I feel I still need the experience, but when the time comes I will. Them people can have 2 favorite quilters depending on what they want on a quilt!

So far, I have had a variety of projects, even art quilts. I treat them all as my own. I've done approximately 10 donation quilts. I did 6 quilts for Rosie's (a very large quilt shop in San Diego) and left my business cards there. They turned out great! I loved doing them and will pick up another batch after the first of the year.

Currently, I only have 2 customer quilts in possession. One on the machine, and 1 waiting. When it's slow, I work on my own tops or Mom's tops. (She can keep me really busy herself!) I'm not worrying if it's slow or not. It's nice when I can actually make my payment from quilting. I new I wouldn't be doing that for some time when I started so I don't worry about it. Time marches on and I owe less and less.

Also, I work a full time job with 12.5 hour shifts and an hour commute each way. Every 3 months, we switch from day shift to night shift. I also work at least 2 overtime shifts per pay period (every 2 weeks). That amounts to 125.5 hours/2 weeks not including the travel time. Most full time jobs are only 80 hours/2 weeks. I also work in a very negative, often hostile work environment so quilting is a wonderful, creative, positive (even when I'm frustrated) outlet. I've always loved sewing and started when I was 3 years old on a hand crank chain stitch machine (wish I still had that antique).

I also have a new dog. He's a 2 year old german shepard, very alpha male so he's having a few adjustment issues with our other shepard (an oldie, but goodie). He's awsome and well worth the time now as he will evenually replace the old girl who's well past her prime, but still doing okay.

My 8 year old daughter loves playing with the machine. I sometimes load up some muslin and let her rip! So what if I have to re-time the machine. I needed to learn how to do that anyway! I hope she keeps an interest. When she's in high school, I hope she will want to have a few of her own customers. It would be a job she could work around school activities and make a tidy little sum. It would sure beat flipping hamburgers at Micky D's for minimun wage. I bought her a brother quilting machine for her 1st sewing machine. She made her first quilt top at 7 years old. Used a bunch of Barbie (of course) fat quarters, I rotary cut 6 X 6 squares and taught her how to sew and press seams in opposite directions, etc. Her quilt top is awsome, perfectly matched seams, flat and square. I quilted it for her as one of my first projects on the longarm. She's very proud of it and I'm very proud of her.

Some things are just more important to me than busting my butt getting business. It would be wonderful to have more, but it will come in time and I'm just not going to worry about it.

Okay, I'll get off my soap box now. Love you all. I feel like I know most of you through this forum, even if we never met. Sometime, somewhere I hope to meet some of you anyway! I'll never quit!!

[Bekah]

)Wow Merry Jo! Wish I had your energy!!. Thank you for taking the time to share. Sometimes we all need new prospectives on our own situation.

I only wish one of my daughters or daughters-in-law showed an interest in quilting. so far only my 8 year old granddaughter does but she lives in New Jersey, a bit far from Oregon unfortunately. I am so excited for her to come visit now that I have my Millenium. I know she and I will have great fun in my studio. (My DH says I can't call it a shop any more now it is a designing studio. )

Anyway, thank you for reminding me that this is my passion and joy and it is kind of like "If you build it they will come". If you sew they will eventually come. Just believe in your dream, for they do come true.

[Grammie]

I can relate to you MaryJo. Because of Emergency evacuations I have had to stay in the refinery for as long at 46 hours straight resting when I could. Once I worked 10 weeks straight 12 hour days with two 16 hour shifts a week. I know tired.

Once or twice a year we go on fulltime shift for period of 4 to 6 weeks straight.

Can't wait until I don't have to do it anymore. It will mean giving up a pension and you know I don't really care.

I hate Hurricane Season as we get long hours due to anticipated storm coverage for emergency shutdowns. Rita knocked us down but that was the first Hurricane that came true in my 15 years. I pray we will get thru this season and am hopeful we will.

[qfairy]

I was also asked where did I get all my customers. You might want to think about this too. As we live in a small rural town and enough LA to go around. So there is alot of competition. I've been LA for over 16 years and barely got my machine paid for. Never giving up. Once it was paid for I begin to play with different patterns and designs to improve my skills. Once I was comfortable with that, I went on the internet and a girl from another state confronted me on how much and what my turn around time was. It seems where she was from they were so high and turn around time was unreal she tried me out. From there her friends and the guild she belonged to decided to try me out too. Needless to say there are over 100 of them now keeping on my toes. And always looking for new ideas to put on their works of art.

So just to let you all know that they might not always come from local's but the internet or even advertising in other papers would help in your search to find customers.