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Posted by off kilter quilter @somewhereq on August 6, 2006, 6:24 pm
Thanks for the suggestions Sharon! I have contact with a few girls in
the right age range from church, not really from the neighborhood.
Hmm...then there's our realtors step-daughters....that might work as
well. WIll add this to the file of things to think about in the
immediate future.
Sharon Hays wrote:
> > Okay, after much discussion, DH has kept encouraging me to try and get
> > back into the barely started business I hade in NY. Just prior to us
> > moving, I had gotten into the "seamstress" book at the local Joanns. I
> > ended up doing 2 costumes and a "renaissance" style bridesmaid dress,
> > plus a wedding dress and 2 bridesmaid dresses for a friend (long story
> > with that one). I want to talk with the principal at the local high
> > school about doing formals and such, if that is allowed.
> >
>
>
> Listen to Cea. ;) She's so smart and has been a tremendous asset to my
> biz.
>
> I have always worked under my own name as well. But I added "Custom Sewing
> and Alterations by" on my business cards. I figure that's short and sums up
> exactly what I do. If someone gets hold of one of my cards and calls me to
> make them a custom sub zero parka, I would tell them that's outside my range
> (I'd add that I do know someone, might be long distance, but Penny could
> sure get it done!!) I've never felt the need to put Everything I do or
> don't on my business cards. Just painted it in broad terms and got the
> contact info on there. There really isn't room for much more than that.
> The Avery "clean edge" printable business cards are the way to go. About
> $10 for 100 of them at Wally World. Just about any program will work with
> them. Publisher, Print Shop, etc.
>
> As far as doing prom type dresses. You don't want to go to the principal.
> You want to get to some of the kids directly. Couple things that have
> worked for me... Do you know any girls in your target market? Like from
> church, or through one of your hubby's coworkers? Anything like that. What
> I did was offered to make a prom dress for one of the gals I knew through
> working at the community theatre. I explained to her that I was looking to
> start up my biz (this was when I was still in Indiana.) I offered to make
> her dress if she would by the fabric, etc. I wouldn't charge her any labor,
> but I would give her a stack of my cards. Then I basically sent her out to
> do PR for me. Did that ever work! Not only did she come back to me for 2
> more formals and a marching band uniform, she sent me a TON of work. And I
> do mean a ton! Another custom marching band costume. A gal who brought me
> alterations just about every other month, and custom work a couple times a
> year. Several batches of bridesmaid alterations. You name it. That was
> the best move I ever made. The other thing that worked really well was
> doing costumes. I did costumes, at half my normal rate, for the community
> theatre and the high school drama department. Not only did that get me in
> touch with some other folks who turned into regular customers, both the
> theatre and the high school would print my business cards as an ad in their
> programs. (I also got a credit line in the program under costume design.)
> Some folks would say I was nuts for doing that much work for half pay. But
> what the ad would have cost me to purchase, and the other work it brought
> in, more than made up for it as far as I'm concerned. Plus costuming is
> something I really enjoy.
>
> Since you also want to do baby bedding, you might see if you could get a
> baby furniture shop to display some of your stuff. You could make up a set
> and take it in to show them. You could ask them to consign it for you, or
> just put it up to show. Or at the very least, they could put your business
> cards out. They might or they might not. But remember if you don't ask, the
> answer is always no.
>
> HTH
>
> Sharon
>
>
> --
> Never try to teach a pig to sing. It's a waste of time and just annoys the
> pig.
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