I need discounts - NOW

I was just getting ready to ship out an item and print out my packing list and label when the printer runs out of ink. With the prices of ink cartridges I dread going into town to buy one. My Lexmark printer requires the $21 and $45 dollar ones. I will still need to get an ink cartridge today but in the future I am going to use gogoshopper.com to find some bargains on those darn things. Go Go Shopper is a one stop place for coupons and freebie search. They link to most of the current stores' websites and list their coupons and deals.

Come to think of it they also have JoAnn's coupons on there and Walmart's specials. I'll have to look around some more on their site to see if I can get business software or t-shirt blanks.

Keeping your equipment safe

How often have you stored your sewing machine in a back room when not in use? Do you allow the back room to get colder or hotter than the rest of the house? If you do then you might be damaging your machine. Treat your sewing machine like you would your computer or other electronic device. Do not expose it to extreme temperatures or excessive humidity. The humidity factor would also apply to your supplies like fabric. If you live in a high humidity area consider installing a dehumidifier in the area that stores your sewing machine and supplies. After all they are how you make a living and to loose your machine to just being badly stored is not going to make you any money at all.

Is your business card working?

I made the mistake of using a generic business card when I first started out. Everyone told me to keep it simple - how wrong they were. Using artwork or photos on your business card to attract attention is necessary to make your business stand out. For example I like the business card above for a sewing business. It would even work for a florist or artist. You can find more like that one here at business cards online.

Remember to keep your business card unique and in line with your business. You can even have different business cards for each division of your clients. If you tailor and also make handbags you can have 2 business cards. One to give to people that are interested in alterations and another for your craft items to give out at fairs.

Are you over priced?

Have sales been slow lately? You can say it is the economy but the truth is you are probably over priced. One great way to see if your items are over priced is to put an item on eBay and start it off at 99 cents. If you get no bids or the item sells at 99 cents you either have a non-demand item, item is poorly made or 99 cents is all that people are willing to pay for it. Shelf that item or product line until the demand goes up or you make improvements to the item line. Unfortunately you are competing with not only other people in the same line of business but small business in China and India that flood the market with their cheap items.

Do you need help with your small business?

Often people need outside help with their small business in the way of advice or just showing them step by step how it is done. AT&T is stepping up to the plate and wants to give a helping hand. They have started a new website called the AT&T Small Business InSite. It is a place where small businesses can get information on using technology in their business. To kick off the new website AT&T will be having a contest and is giving away phones, one year of service, websites, business promotion tools and one-on-one help with your business in the form of a personal adviser. The contest will have only one grand prize winner. The winner also gets their own server.


The contest just started on July 13th so you had better enter if you would like to win the small business makeover that AT&T is giving away. In order to win the contest you just need to tell them why you deserve a small business make over. I personally would love someone to give me some personal one on one advice for marketing and what types of technologies could my embroidery business utilize.

The AT&T business site has a nice section on home based businesses where they have lots of helpful articles. If you are thinking that most of the articles are pushing cell phones you would be wrong. They cover home office set ups to green based businesses. Lots of how-to articles on setting up a website. Go and explore, you might find something that is useful for your small business.

Another Friday and it is slow online

Have you ever noticed that your visitors to your blog or website slows down on Fridays? People tend to stay off line on Fridays and during the first part of the weekends. I have been noticing that trend for a few years now.

Selling websites like eBay actually have better sales on Sundays and the first part of the week. Sunday evenings also tend to be the start of website visitors for the week.

Have you been keeping track of when your sales and visitors take place on your website? If you haven't then it is time your should.

Your internet provider, dial up versus satellite internet and DSL

If you are selling items on the internet you should have a reliable internet provider. Forget the old dial up service. I got rid of dial up about 5 years ago. If you are running a business dial up will kill it. I know it is cheaper than DSL or satellite internet but can you afford to spend the extra time up loading photos of your items or even trying to manage a website with dial up?

If you live in a rural area your internet choices can be limited. Almost everywhere can get coverage via satellite internet. I was lucky enough to have DSL where I live out in the boonies and it has made running my online business much easier than the old dial up. Even selling items on eBay was easier due to the faster connection.

Take a good long look at your internet provider and if you can upgrade or cut costs and still have a fast, reliable connection I would advise you to change it. Don't stay with the same ISP just because you have had them for years, think about your business first.

Don't let the hot weather slow your sewing down

I can't knit or crochet in the summer months due to the fact my hands sweat. Sewing on the other hand is much easier. I make sure that my sewing area is in an air conditioned area. Even if you cannot afford an air conditioner for your whole home you should be able to have a window air conditioner for your sewing room.

Don't let the heat slow down your business.

Small easy to make items

Some of your quickest ways to make money with your sewing is to make small elegant gifts or party favors. Making your items unique or personalized will generate an interest in the rest of your work. If you need ideas just check out these bridal shower favors. The items are not sewn but they will give you some great ideas to work with.

With summer in full swing you can also make unique childrens party favors for outdoor parties. Keep the items easy to make but have them look like they took ages to put to together.

How to sew video

Below is a sewing video on how to sew from a pattern. The general information is there but the presentation of the buxom actress is not what I would call your regular how-to video. For those of you who can sew, promise you won't laugh too loudly. Video below:

Emailing your customers

Because I have a website I get spam email. Most of it is geared toward selling me SEO or website design but lately there is one company that is an embroidery company in China that has been trying to sell to me.

This brings up the point that as a company you never want to contact your competition. The email that I got was so full of spelling errors and looked like a kid put it together it looks more like a scam than an actual company. Here is the email without the pictures:

Subject: The first order free embroidery version
Sender: emb@aaastitchs.com
Recipient: sales
Date: Tue 19:58

Hello~
We are AAAstitchs Digitizing & Embroidery .CO.LTD in China .Our company has rich experiences in embroidery digitizing for caps, shoes, sportswear, patch,curtain, water-soluble material.

Smaples:


We have Advantages in digitizing

★$3/1000stitches (the height price is $150)

★24 HR turnaround

★First order free(within 10000 stitches)
★Free quote service

Payment On-Line

We will prefer to take the payment via paypal or by credit card. You can also send us deatil via mail about your preferred payment method.

Email : emb@aaastitchs.com

wesite: www.aaastitchs.com


kitty

The number one mistake this company made is sending the email to another company that also does digitizing and embroidery - me. The next mistake was to mention payment arrangements right up front. That smacks of a paypal or credit card scam. Let's just say that the company in China will not be getting any jobs from customers here in the USA anytime soon.

Happy 4th of July

In honor of the 233th celebration of the 4th of July I have designed a red, white and blue horse. You can purchase the DST file format here or just visit my embroidery designs website at the link at the top of the blog.

Sewing for an industry

If you really want to have your sewing business grow then you should stop thinking about catering to just regular families and people in general and start aiming your business to an industry. I sew for the horse, farm and ranch industries. I know the trends of those industries and keep up with them. Some well known small companies cater to camping or the outdoors. There is one small company in the Northwest that makes water proof shopping bags for stores. Another company, carhartt clothing makes protective clothing for industries that need protective gear for their employees.

Take a look at industry trends and see if you can come up with something that you can sew and sell to those industries. Use your own knowledge of a trend or talk to your family that works in an industry and listen to what they say their company needs.