How To Start An Embroidery Business [Our How To Guide]

If you have, in your free time, been interested in the art of embroidery and have, through effort, developed a skill that could even bring you some profit, you might be interested in how to start an embroidery business.

Your creativity and passion for this art form can be turned into a profitable business venture. With the embroidery market projected to reach $10 billion by 2027 (globally), now is the time to get started. It would be nonsensical not to tap into this growing industry.

Key Takeaways

Whether it be a home-based embroidery business developing custom embroidery products or an embroidery company, a few things should be kept in mind:

The Embroidery Supplies Needed

First of all, to start an embroidery business, you must have embroidery skills and own an embroidery machine to be a part of the competition.

It could even be a computerized embroidery machine! So, the supplies needed to start an embroidery business are as follows:

1. An embroidery machine
2. Different fabrics or clothes which you can decorate with embroidery (t shirts, heats, etc)
3. Embroidery thread
4. A spare room in which you can work undisturbed
5. An easy-to-follow embroidery design that you can further develop as you gain the speed necessary to make multiple embroidery-decorated pieces or gift items

Starting An Embroidery Business

Maybe friends or family have asked you to make them something with a cute design and that could be a relaxing hobby, but if your plans are oriented towards being a business owner and making an income, you must further develop your skills and invest in professional equipment:

1. Offer the option of making custom designs so that your customers can have most of the creative freedom and you will therefore not have to worry about coming up with ideas
2. Get a bigger office space area, maybe even outside of your house, to work with no distractions.
3. Look into developing your own embroidered patches (this could be a business within a business!)
4. Have multiple embroidery designs that you have practiced thoroughly for your customers to choose from
5. Join local markets and local businesses to spread the word about your products and services.

Types of embroidery machines

When pursuing this hobby/business opportunity, the first thing that you should invest in is an embroidery machine. Here are a few types of them:

1. Single needle embroidery machines (cost between $800 and $4000)
2. Multi-needle semi-professional machines that contain between 4 and 10 needles
3. Multi-needle professional machines that contain between 9 and 16 needlesAnother way to distinguish the different types of embroidery machines is:
   • Free-motion machines (leave a zig-zag pattern that can be limiting)
   • Computerized embroidery machine

Starting An Embroidery Home-Based Business

Embroidery is extremely profitable. Everybody buys embroidered goods, even other business owners, regardless of their size! So, if your plans are a bit more down-to-earth but you still want to start an embroidery business, a few things should be kept in mind:

1. The easiest way to go about this is to own a website, and open your own embroidery shop! One of the most popular websites to do this on is Etsy.
2. You should buy a stock of materials/clothes that you will work on, but be careful to stay within your business plan and not spend all your budget at once!
3. Being a business owner and building your own embroidery business can take over a decade of hard work, so if you want this hobby to prove profitable, be ready to put a lot of time into building it
4. You could opt for commercial embroidery to appeal to larger companies, but this might require your business to grow abruptly
5. Have a business plan and think of a business name, also have a financial plan and balance sheet
6. Keep in mind that smaller businesses should leave an effect of authenticity so maybe even consider the technique of hand embroideryHand embroidery

Hand embroidery is the practice of embellishing a piece of material with thread and beads. These designs are usually floral or nature-based, but depending on who you are and what kind of an embroidery business you own, you can switch up your designs into something more innovative and out-of-the-box! Maybe you could even start a custom embroidery business that would give your customers all the creative control. The three main types of this kind of embroidery are:

1. Free/Surface embroidery
2. Counted embroidery
3. Needlepoint/Canvas work. Depending on the size of your art piece and the technique that suits you the best, one of these options should be chosen.In order to start an embroidery business you should know the following types of stitches:
   • Running stitch
   • Backstitch
   • Split stitch
   • Satin stitch
   • French knot
   • Chain stitch

To conclude, in order to turn your passion for embroidery into either a small business administration or a bigger one, proper supplies and organization skills should be acquired. The most important piece of equipment for this business is an embroidery machine that should be picked out based on your business expectations and budget.

The best embroidery depends on your requirements! There are different embroidery techniques and supplies in this line of business. But in order to have a successful embroidery business, you should take time aside to properly organize and decide which options are the best for you.

How Will Customers Find You?

Another thing to consider is how you will promote brand awareness and business. There are many ways to market your product and increase orders. These include:

1. Word of mouth advertising-simply telling the people around you about your business
2. Online marketing, also called search engine marketing. If someone is researching embroidery businesses, your new businesses will show up.
3. Outreach – an ongoing effort to meet people. This could be achieved by going to trade shows and meeting prospective customers there and in that way becoming a part of the embroidery industry.

How Profitable Is An Embroidery Business?

If you run your machine for 8 hours, you can make up to 2,000 dollars every day. Home-based embroidery business can be very profitable as you have reduced overheads.

Is It Worth It To Start An Embroidery Business?

I think so! PROFITING – embroidery is profitable in a home-owned business. Many of the customers who started out with 15 needle embroidery equipment are now getting 4 heads, with plenty of customers. The low cost of embroidery equipment makes this a great business venture.