red-fox Posted April 9, 2007 Report Share Posted April 9, 2007 I would like to here how hard others doing this as a business found it to get your business up and running and why? How long did it take to know it was a sucess, and you could realy make a living? Any pitfalls you experienced? How hard was it to get a steady customer base? I would realy apreciate any advice that can help! Thanks so much in advance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewsew Posted April 9, 2007 Report Share Posted April 9, 2007 There is a very good book on starting a long arm business by Linda V. Taylor ,"The ultimate guide to longarm machine quilting" also"Professional machine quilting" by Carol A . Thelen I purchased mine on Amozon.com ,they were a little cheaper . I have had my machine for a couple of years and bought the compuquilter eleven months ago. So far I haven't made enough to pay for the machine or the CQ. All of the business I have has been word of mouth . Since I bought the CQ my work is a lot better . It does stuff that I can't do freehand .It takes a while to learn how to freehand and lots of practice. That's my two cents , good luck to you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mary Beth Posted April 9, 2007 Report Share Posted April 9, 2007 There are lots and lots of post of some of us whining about our business, (was that us or just me?). Just look at some of the posts here in this thread. For me, I was not "in" with a quilt store or a guild, so that can make it very difficult. My business did not take right off. I have been at this for 3 years and I go for several months without a phone call....then it seems like everyone wants their quilts done at once. Take a gander through some of the posts, then look at some recent posts. It is pretty interesting to see how far some have come. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrsbishwit Posted April 10, 2007 Report Share Posted April 10, 2007 It depends on where you live for the most part, is there quilt shops in your area?, are there a lot of other long armers in your area? do you have a passion for quilting?, do you have a good relationship with your local quilt shop and or guild? If you are thinking that this business is easy to get up and running and that you can quit your full time job as soon as you get your machine than you would be wrong. There are many on this forum that do this as a side job in hopes that some day they will be able to do it full time but there is a lot of expenses in starting this kind of business not to mention a lot of hard work to get your name & reputation established. I started mine in the fall of 2005 I bought a new liberty with a 12 ft table and was lucky enough to get to know a new owner of a local quilt shop who didn't play favorites to any longarmer. I made up detailed brochures, was fortunate to be married to a computer geek that not only created my website but we host the site ourselves on our own servers (this way I have unlimited space on my website and no monthly fees). Good promotions, fair pricing that is standard in your area is a must, and being flexible whith your time when the customers call to schedule appointments. I have found that customers like to see where every thing takes place...they come to my home for their appointments since that is where I run my business/ have my machine they like to see the machine they like to see the threads and they like to talk about what brought them there in the first place, quilting, LOL. If you say you are going to have it done by a certain time then make it happen by the deadline. I also was fortunate enough to already be a stay at home mom (all of my 5 kids are now in school full time) so I didn't have an income that I was leaving to make this happen, also my DH makes good $ at his job so the cost of my machine (I didn't go top of the line when I started) was not an issue as far as making an income right away to pay off a machine. My DH was sckeptical at first when I told him I wanted to do this but now after a year and a half, a good solid customer base and a steady profit each month he is liking the extra income that it is bringing in (not to mention that my quilting is no longer a strain on the household budget, like it was before I started my business). I say about 55% of my customers come from the LQS and the other 45% comes from satisfied customers spreading the word about my business. Location, the right timing, and passion for quilting is a must to make it successful. Joann Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewingupastorm Posted April 10, 2007 Report Share Posted April 10, 2007 There are a million variables in this profession. I have been in business for a little over a year and do it part time. So far this year has been pretty steady. I pay for the machine and a little extra. My customer base is growing slowly but they are not busting down the door yet. There is quite a bit of competition in my area but word is slowly getting around that they like my work. Some people are off and running right away and others never get up and running. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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