Love to Sew but Hate to Sell? I Need your Help.
Recently, inspiration for a product has been so noisy, so constant, it wakes me from a sound sleep. The timing couldn’t be worse since I have a number of plates spinning and deadlines looming but when an idea wants attention so desperately that it keeps jumping around in front of your face, it can no longer be ignored. So, a few nights ago, I woke up at 3AM and doodled down the design, made notes on sourcing materials and marketing the product.
Because any business I create must meet certain criteria that support my core values, I’ve been considering how this project will impact lives. My design is handcrafted and labor intensive so it makes sense to outsource the production. My first thought was to teach women in a developing country to make the product, enabling them to earn a fair wage and support their families. Then I thought about the unemployment rates in our own country and all the women who’d benefit by the opportunity to work from home.
I thought of Detroit and all the families whose incomes were dependent on the auto industry. Having spent years in home furnishings, I know what outsourcing overseas has done to the Carolinas and the affect it’s had on entire communities. So, wouldn’t it make sense to use this idea to create livelihood for families in our own country? I’m going to start here but I need your help. Who do you know who loves to sew and would love to work from home on their own schedule? Let’s see how many women we can help create their own livelihood. Is this you or someone you know? Let’s do this together. I’d love to hear from you.
Hi Terri,
I am following up on an email that I sent you. I decided to leave a comment here as well. Please may I have more information on your sewing work from home project? Thank you so much!
Warm regards,
Karen Fraga
email: mike_fraga@sbcglobal.net
Thank you, Karen for responding. So many people responded that I am going to to write a post on the topic. It appears there are a lot of women who love to sew and hate to market.
I love to sew, I teach 12 girls a month how to sew and be creative. Sometimes I have more girls sometimes less. What I need is to market to get more girls in to the classes. I usually gain 2 from a news article and then maybe lose one to sports. SO in order to create a self employed situation I need about 24 girls a month.
HI, Linda,
It sounds like you have a great start on your teaching biz. Yes, you will need to market to get another 12 girls a month. I suggest you ask yourself the following questions:
Who exactly is my ideal student? Write out a detailed description for yourself. What’s the best way to reach these girls? Do they pay for the classes themselves or do their mothers and depending on the answer, ask yourself:
Who else already has their attention? For example, do they buy sewing machines or fabric from a local store and could you speak with the shop manager about doing a presentation for them? They can see your teaching style and sign up for lessons. Or, is their a private school, YWCA or community center or somewhere these girls gather that would help you promote?
I am sure since you already have 12 students, if you get yourself out there and get noticed, you will be able to build up a successful teaching business. Let us all know how it goes.