Top 10 Mistakes That Can Kill Your Embroidery Business

Starting your own embroidery business is easy. You need the right equipment, software, and skills to excel. But running the business successfully is a challenging task. It would be best if you had careful planning and precise steps to achieve your business goals. Are you working hard but still not getting what you deserve?

Here are 10 common mistakes you might be making that can kill your embroidery digitizing business.

• Financial errors

The basis for starting a business is finance. More than the skills, you need money to purchase equipment and raw material. It would help if you had listed expenses like tax, equipment, labor payout, set-up cost, and overall business expenditure. The average cost of a startup is 11,000$ per step-by-step business. Plus, you must be aware of the additional costs like equipment repair and the changing marketing costs.

Secondly, you must have a separate business account for your business finances. You can keep your personal and business finances separate. It becomes easier to calculate and saves you from future tensions.

Thirdly, many newbies make rash decisions and need help knowing where to spend money. You might waste your money on useless things. Therefore, you must calculate the expenses beforehand and maintain a solid financial record to run a successful business.

• Equipment errors

Once you have purchased an embroidery machine, you must learn how to use it. You should know the type of fabric, needles, and threads (all these are the equipment I have mentioned already) you will use for a particular design.

• Fabric type: if you are doing surface embroidery, it requires a forming fabric with a thread count of more than 28 stitches. If you select the right fabric, the stitches will be well-formed.

• Needle size: You should keep the right needle size according to the fabric. A large needle will make holes in the fabric, and a small needle might pull the fabric causing inappropriate stitches.

• Needle type: always use a sharp needle for surface embroidery when the needle has to go through the fabric. On the other hand, use a ball-point needle when moving between the threads without piercing the fabric.

• Thread thickness: The thickness of the thread matters a lot and can make fine or messy embroidery. A thicker embroidery thread will make thicker embroidery, and a thin strand will make fine embroidery.

• Thread type: Craft threads are inexpensive threads commonly available in the market. They need to be right to make embroidery. They easily pull out from the embroidery, making it frayed or patchy. Plus, they also lose color on wash and can destroy the products.

• Faulty time management

Time management is challenging when you shift from an office to a home-based job or business. You will feel that the timetable is very flexible and you can work anytime. You might delay the work and end up losing clients. Therefore, you must make a schedule and work accordingly.

Depending on your workload, you should work 5-6 hours or more a day. Plan each day and work according to your schedule. You need to do many tasks like marketing, designing, taking orders, responding to emails, etc. time management is necessary to keep things going smoothly.

• Wrong pressing

The embroidered fabric needs a different pressing rather than the usual iron press. You might destroy the delicate artwork. Instead, follow these tips to create a perfect finish.

• Put a towel on the iron table and place the embroidered fabric on it, with the backside of the embroidery facing the iron.

• Satin thread needs a lower temperature as compared to cotton stitches.

• For thick stuff like denim or linen, you can try misting and pressing it, but always ironing on the backside.

• Lastly, store the ironed fabric carefully, so it does not get creases.

• Not taking advantage of promotional platforms.

Do you want to know where to get customers? Do you need to get clients? Then a solid reason behind it is that you are not using promotional platforms. Social media is the biggest platform for selling your products and services. It gives you free promotions and helps to gain clients. Make webpages and social media pages on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

The second step is to join an organization, collaborate with social media influencers, and speak on public forums about your products. You can also give your products to small businesses for free or make embroidered uniforms for offices or teams. Investing in the right places can get you more clients.

• Over-promising or overestimating

The biggest mistake any newbie digitizer can make is overestimating himself or overpromising the clients. It would help if you kept the margin for mishaps. For example, if a customer placed a bulk order with a week's deadline, you might be able to complete it, but always ask for some time. What if you run out of fabric or thread? What if the machine breaks down? What if the software does not work properly?

It would help to keep all these factors in mind before making a final deal. Otherwise, you might dissatisfy the customer, and he would have a negative impression of you.

• Need to read the instructions carefully.

Remember that every client has a special requirement when you claim to offer 'customized' embroidery. If you have a lot of orders, you might mix up the instructions. It is better to list things like thread type, colors, stitch pattern, and the number of strands to ensure you get everything right. Keep rechecking the list to ensure you are going right.

• Low maintenance of equipment

Like any other machine, your embroidery machine also needs proper maintenance. There is an instruction book that tells you how to keep the machine working in proper order. It is more likely to wear off if you have a lot of working time with the machine. Therefore you must:

• Keep the machine lubricated

• Cover the machine after use

• Place the needles properly

• Attach and detach the hooks properly

• Lack of digitizing expertise

Embroidery digitizing needs a lot of practice. Even if you have a skill, you must work hard to polish it. You might need help with working on the orders. You always learn something new with every design that you create. It is ok to make mistakes; this is how you grow. Therefore, you must be patient with the process and not give up.

• Wrong pricing estimate

You might have got the tip of low pricing to attract customers. Many small businesses and newcomers underestimate their work and charge very low for their services. This policy will not help you generate the revenue that you want. You have to pay the bills and taxes. Plus, you are spending your time and energy on some work.

Add up the cost of materials and then your hourly rate. (the pricing completely depends upon the digitizer, there’s no fixed amount) Make a competitive price range but do not sell at a loss. Moreover, low prices can sometimes make a bad impression and make the clients think you are offering low-quality work.

Conclusion

Embroidery is a growing industry and has a lot of margin for earning. You can save time if you conduct some research and look up some common errors. These small errors can kill your business. So, always plan on your expenses and devote proper time to learn new tech regarding embroidery to keep up with the competition.