Issue link: https://docs.hic.us/i/403552
Take The Time To Practice & Experiment It's quite normal to want to rush right out and start knocking on doors in search of business. But spend some time learning how to do things right. Practice with your machine and software. Create forms for taking orders. Develop a system to track and archive invoices. Decide how to store and track embroidery designs and their accompanying information. Set policies on things like returns, payment methods, rush orders, shipping, turn-around time, design ownership, etc. Your business will be much more efficient and productive if you take the time to make the necessary preparations before you take that first order. But even more important, learn the embroidery process! Practice Makes Perfect While it may appear that the embroidery process is quite simple, and the machine does all of the work, there are a lot of variables that must be identified and understood. Before you take your first order , get proficient with the machine operation, software manipulation and sewing process. You must understand embroidery to sell it, as there are many limitations to design size and placement. Also different fabrics behave differently when sewing. Embroidering a logo on a sweater will produce a different "look" than when it's sewn on denim. The best way to master the processes is to buy a variety of different fabrics and start sewing. Look at how the quality is affected by the texture of the fabric. It's important to learn how to deal with the characteristics of different types of apparel, in advance, rather than practicing on someone's order. Also experiment with different backings and toppings to see how they affect the quality of the embroidery. These are tools that you will use on a daily basis, so get comfortable with their use. Don't worry, it takes some time to learn, but before long it becomes instinctive and automatic. NOTE: See Attachment D for a list of Practice Sewing Exercises Take The Time To Experiment Though it's not a good idea to experiment with a customers order, always dedicate some time each week towards experimentation. It's easy to get into a rut of doing the same things the same way. By expanding your horizons, you may be able to offer something that the competition doesn't know how to do. Suddenly you have a new sales angle. Example: In the early days of commercial embroidery, pique mesh gold shirts were quite popular, but most Embroiderers avoided them because of quality issues. Due to the textured surface, the embroidery would appear uneven and ragged. A few Embroiderers found an easy solution and cornered the market, at least for a while. Today, that method is known by all and taken for granted as a standard practice. What is it? Use a www.hsi.us care@hsi.us 67