# Embroidery Business...How long?



## Visualtech (Mar 4, 2014)

Hello, everyone. I'm just curious to the length of time some of you have been in the embroidery business and how are things going for your business today.


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## marzatplay (May 25, 2014)

20 years total with the last 6 of those working for myself. As with any business you have your ups and downs. I'm happy.


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## Visualtech (Mar 4, 2014)

marzatplay said:


> 20 years total with the last 6 of those working for myself. As with any business you have your ups and downs. I'm happy.


WOW, 20 years. That's awesome. I'm sure the machines has changed dramatically through those years.


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## SunEmbroidery (Oct 18, 2007)

Fourteen years for me. It works now although it would be better if it was less time-consuming. It was difficult the first few years largely because I started out selling locally and that had many problems. I live at the shore and at that time I spent many a frustrated weekend struggling through some bad order when everyone else was at the beach. Selling online has worked out great for me and in the process I learned that my favorite thing about the business is maintaining a web site and marketing online. Two things that I never would have guessed a few years earlier. I really appreciate the time flexibility of having my own business especially when my son was young. One of the most important things I've learned is to "fire" bad customers or customers with bad orders. There isn't too much profit in this business and when you consider all the time involved so its important to not get hung up on difficult orders that don't pay well. For me, the trick is to go for the easy orders.


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## Visualtech (Mar 4, 2014)

SunEmbroidery said:


> Fourteen years for me. It works now although it would be better if it was less time-consuming. It was difficult the first few years largely because I started out selling locally and that had many problems. I live at the shore and at that time I spent many a frustrated weekend struggling through some bad order when everyone else was at the beach. Selling online has worked out great for me and in the process I learned that my favorite thing about the business is maintaining a web site and marketing online. Two things that I never would have guessed a few years earlier. I really appreciate the time flexibility of having my own business especially when my son was young. One of the most important things I've learned is to "fire" bad customers or customers with bad orders. There isn't too much profit in this business and when you consider all the time involved so its important to not get hung up on difficult orders that don't pay well. For me, the trick is to go for the easy orders.


Thanks, for sharing your experiences with the new kid on the block.


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## selzler (Apr 4, 2007)

I've been at it for 26 years and maybe go another 10 years. I have down sized to working by myself with 2 single head machines. And this works for me because I'm taking more time off store is open Monday - Thursday 10 am to 5 pm


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## holcomb (Dec 5, 2007)

20 years this month. Started with 3 single head Toyota 830's, now at 23 Tajima heads. Grew it slow and solid. Stayed away from schools (low profit...slow pay) and concentrated on small businesses and walk ins.
I would do it all over again the same way.


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## Visualtech (Mar 4, 2014)

holcomb said:


> 20 years this month. Started with 3 single head Toyota 830's, now at 23 Tajima heads. Grew it slow and solid. Stayed away from schools (low profit...slow pay) and concentrated on small businesses and walk ins.
> I would do it all over again the same way.


Wow, that's inspiring. I'm on the fence about signing a lease for a Melco EMT16 for starters and I must say, it's a little intimidating.


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## holcomb (Dec 5, 2007)

I would go with Tajima.


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## Visualtech (Mar 4, 2014)

holcomb said:


> I would go with Tajima.


Yeah, I've heard great things about Tajima. What do you think about adding a DTG printer along with the embroidery machine for starters? Is that a bit much for beginning?


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## cathyr (Feb 10, 2009)

This is my 28th year. I started with a two head, now run 19 heads. I still look forward to coming to work each day and find it hard to take a vacation because we are pretty busy year round. Embroidery is not for everyone, but those of us that do it, love it and it can be profitable if you aren't afraid to price it right. Good luck to you!!


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## holcomb (Dec 5, 2007)

Forget about the DTG for now. A vinyl cutter and heat press would be better. Farm out the screen printing and learn embroidery first.


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## Visualtech (Mar 4, 2014)

holcomb said:


> Forget about the DTG for now. A vinyl cutter and heat press would be better. Farm out the screen printing and learn embroidery first.


Sounds like the same logic my wife was telling me to do. The reason why I wanted both, embroidery and DTG is for a clothing line I'm trying to promote as well as providing services for both methods. I guess I'm getting a little too excited and need to think more rational.


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## mmoguls (Mar 9, 2009)

I have 2 DTG machines, a one head happy embroidery machine, a 4 color screen press and a roland 52 inch print and cut machine. Far and away, the screen press makes you more money, more quickly, with a smaller learning curve. 

After a year of learning embroidery, I am doing the first jobs to return on that investment. And I bought used! It's hard to make money with a single head machine...unless you have other things to sell them. 

The job I am doing right now is embroidering 50 buck polos, screen printed tees, and sweats, and two partial car wraps. Oh, and a case of sublimated coffee mugs. This is one customer.

The roland makes it's own lease payment every month. It does banners, t shirts, signs, car wraps, and much more. 

So, the question is, do you want to have a shirt line, or make money???


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## skits (Jun 24, 2009)

more than 25 years....now with a total of over 120 heads running 24 hours a day, 6.5 days per week.


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## Visualtech (Mar 4, 2014)

skits said:


> more than 25 years....now with a total of over 120 heads running 24 hours a day, 6.5 days per week.


Are you serious? That's amazing!


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## French lady (Jan 26, 2015)

I have a single head and I've been working very hard for the last few months but I can't even make one payment on the machine...buying all the threads, stabilizers, apparel samples to show, lots of money spent and no money left. Debt accumulating. I am not sure I made the right choice. I can't compete on prices with my competitors who have nice discounts on blanks. I work 20 hours a day.
How can I grow safely?


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## SunEmbroidery (Oct 18, 2007)

Some suggestions:

Find your niche - an area where you specialize in and become an expert in
Offer services your competitors don't
Make sure you're paid for your time
Don't base pricing on the promise of future orders
Refuse bad orders (orders that take up too much of your time, PIA customers)
Refuse orders that you don't have the right equipment for
Contract out when necessary but do it yourself when possible
Add another service that you contract out (type of printing)
Don't buy supplies you really don't need
Charge for samples
Track your expenses.
If you don't receive payment in full up front then require a deposit that will cover your expenses.
Track easy profitable orders so you know what to aim for

Its tough initially partly because every order is a new order and new orders take more time. When you start getting repeat orders you'll produce more volume.


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## French lady (Jan 26, 2015)

Thanks Sunembroidery for your advice, I will take them into account. You said you're selling online...are you selling personnalized apparel? If so, are you using something like Deconetwork or have you created your own personnalizable online store?


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## SunEmbroidery (Oct 18, 2007)

My customers send artwork. Occasionally names must be added. Then the customer is sent an example name in different possible fonts for them to choose from. I use a SanMar customer store.


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## selzler (Apr 4, 2007)

French lady said:


> I have a single head and I've been working very hard for the last few months but I can't even make one payment on the machine...buying all the threads, stabilizers, apparel samples to show, lots of money spent and no money left. Debt accumulating. I am not sure I made the right choice. I can't compete on prices with my competitors who have nice discounts on blanks. I work 20 hours a day.
> How can I grow safely?


What I do a lot of is buy close outs and then go to events and personalize them. Right now waiting for a shipment of caps that I bought for 50 cents each but I bought 2000 caps I sell these at events for 15 and if someone with a small business I can give them brake if they pick from what I have on hand I've sold a lot of them embroidered that way buy 12 @ 2.50 plus embroidery.


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## SunEmbroidery (Oct 18, 2007)

That sounds like a solid plan.


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## smo (May 1, 2015)

I've been in the business for 5 years and run 4 single head Amaya XTS's which can all be running small odd jobs or teamed up to work on longer run jobs.

I also offer vinyl, sublimation and laser transfers depending on the customer requirement and am looking at getting DTG within the next month or so.

The key is to keep overheads low and as others have said dont take on jobs you can't do or from "bad" clients. I recently had to get rid of a very big client becuause 3 months+ for payment was simply too long.


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## n2mouse (Nov 1, 2012)

Hello Skits:

Could you share how your success came about? Did you start with a one head and a website? Or did you buy a multiple head machine right off the bat?

Did you advertise or rely on word of mouth?


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## Visualtech (Mar 4, 2014)

Well, I'm starting with a one head Melco Emt16 and a Roland Versacamm SP-300. Once I finish the learning curve, I will be doing some serious marketing. Wish me luck!


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## LUV DEM TIGERS (Jul 25, 2008)

My wife and I started a monograming business out of our home 11 years ago with a Brother PR-600. About a year in we added a Tajima Neo-2, 4 years ago we opened up a storefront and we offer monogramming/embroidery, heat pressing, vinyl cutting, dye sublimation, and gifts. We are about to add a Roland 30" print and cut for decals and heat press shirts. About 2 years ago we added another Tajima.

Monogramming in the South is very big. Women put their monograms on EVERYTHING. I have even put monogram on thongs. The average day, we average about $500-$700 per day on just monograms on two single head machines. During the month before Christmas and other peak times we probably average $1500- $2500 per day on just monograms.

Business has been GREAT.


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## n2mouse (Nov 1, 2012)

Thank you for sharing your great success story, Craig! I am just starting out and am a little bit at a loss on how to get the word out. Would you be able to remember and share your very beginnings? How did people find out that you started an embroidery business out of your home? What kind of advertisement/marketing did you do? Did you do cold calling or pound the pavement?

I would greatly appreciated a few tips!

Thanks!


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## LUV DEM TIGERS (Jul 25, 2008)

n2mouse said:


> Thank you for sharing your great success story, Craig! I am just starting out and am a little bit at a loss on how to get the word out. Would you be able to remember and share your very beginnings? How did people find out that you started an embroidery business out of your home? What kind of advertisement/marketing did you do? Did you do cold calling or pound the pavement?
> 
> I would greatly appreciated a few tips!
> 
> Thanks!



Word of mouth is a great way to get the word out. Also Facebook and Instagram. The age range for Instagram is considered to be 15-25 and for Facebook is 25-55.


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## Visualtech (Mar 4, 2014)

Awesome Craig! Sounds great and encouraging. Now, I just wish I would have gotten the Tajima instead of the Melco. The Melco is a bit noisy.


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## smo (May 1, 2015)

Visualtech said:


> Awesome Craig! Sounds great and encouraging. Now, I just wish I would have gotten the Tajima instead of the Melco. The Melco is a bit noisy.


The Melco is streets ahead of any Tamija or other embroidery machine....until recently they still used floppy disks for file transfers!


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## Reypromo (May 12, 2015)

My husband started out 6 years ago with a single head Tajima and now runs two more four head tajimas - he build beating the pavement and word of mouth. I joined him three years ago and we got a DTG and are now running two. Though we are now doing very well with the DTG i'd say get a vinyl cutter first (we got one a year ago) before you get a DTG - the learning curve isnt as steep, the investment less, and we found that our corporate clients are buying into the vinyl more than the DTG.

Things said in this thread already that i have to agree with 100%:
Find your niche, what you are doing with buying up stock sounds great

Fired bad clients  Once we learned that you cannot please everyone and trying to do so just costs time and money we fired a few clients and never looked back


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## Visualtech (Mar 4, 2014)

smo said:


> The Melco is streets ahead of any Tamija or other embroidery machine....until recently they still used floppy disks for file transfers!


Being that I am a computer geek, I do like how the Melco Emt16 is connected to the computer.


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## brembroidery (Aug 30, 2014)

We started out in 2011 with a brother pr1000 and a heat press doing transfers from home. 2 months later a second pr then after we got more and more work. We moved into a store front on main St added a used 4 head brother the another single then a 6 head brother a brother dtg a computerised quilter a screen printer etc. then this year we started replacing everything with new barudan 6 heads and by mid June 24 heads runnin 6 days a week. 

We where going to Tajima tmars but backlog on deliver time and lack of local support we went barudan and love them first 12 heads are incredible so can wait for the next 12 in and running in the next few weeks.
M
Now keeping this thing fed may require an outside sales rep to keep orders up and keep machines fed with product


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## LUV DEM TIGERS (Jul 25, 2008)

smo said:


> The Melco is streets ahead of any Tamija or other embroidery machine....until recently they still used floppy disks for file transfers!



I have a Tajima that is almost 10 years old and I use a USB stick to transfer my files.


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## mwehling23 (Feb 16, 2012)

I've been doing machine embroidery for 10 years. I've only been working this as a side business for 5ish years and my husband does vinyl graphics. Your success is totally dependent on how much effort you put in. In my area there are 3 other store-front embroidery/screen printing businesses. My main focus is doing the jobs that the others don't want to do. I specialize in doing small runs and such. I have hooked up with local bars and even a tattoo shop in my area. My main business comes from word of mouth. My biggest customer is a screen printing business in a town that is 30 min away (which happens to be my husbands home town). Like I said, I do this as a side job since I already work a full time job as a nurse. I am able to pay the monthly payment for the machine and supplies. But I do believe that if I put in the time and effort I could make our business very successful. Working for yourself is a hard job. It takes a lot more effort and time than most people believe to get your name out there.


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## Zoey888 (Mar 19, 2014)

I've just worked in embroidery business for 2 years,i 'd like to see the above reply as all of them are in this business for so many years they are enrich of experience


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