What are the key things that most hobbyist embroiderers miss when they first start becoming professional embroiderers? This commercial embroiderer has 6 answers (to start).

Yeah, That’s me- proving that even a pretty machine can’t make me look too much better. 😉

I usually favor my Friday posts being all-new work, but a post I recently wrote for my Ghost in the Embroidery Machine blog under the banner of the always interesting Mr. X Stitch has been receiving so much attention and sparking so many discussions that I believe it merits re-sharing here.

I suggest you read the full article for the most enjoyment, but for you time-crunchers and skimmers, here are the key points, boiled down to their most essential form:

Be ready for the ‘boring’ bits

Creative or not, if you are running a business, there will be paperwork, management, and money talk.

Focus, focus, focus.

Find a direction, an audience, a specialty, and stick with it. Give it it’s proper season and effort, and prune away what doesn’t fit with the direction you are moving.

Know what it costs to do the work.

Know your monthly overhead, your material costs, and the time it takes to do any job and factor that in to your pricing. If you don’t know what work costs you, how can you price for profit?

Have the audacity to ask for what you are worth.

Don’t undervalue your labor or discount it at random. Know the value you provide, and get paid for it. You have to ask, so make peace with talking about price.

Be ready to sell.

Sales doesn’t have to be a dirty word. If you believe in the value you provide, then sharing/promoting it and making sure you are paid enough to continue doing that work is a benefit for everyone.

Set firm boundaries.

Especially if you are home-based, this is a must. Set work hours and work those hours reliably, but don’t let them spill too far into the time you need to recharge and develop your business. Physical, time-based, and even emotional or relationship boundaries are all important to securing your business.

Hey, I have a little home machine on my desk at home, too- can I be in both camps now? 😉

There’s more detail in the full post, and I’ll be hitting this topic more and more in the coming months, but I can’t stress enough that even if these tips don’t all apply to you, there are so many who need to read them if their fledgling businesses are to survive and thrive.