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rebecca15_gw

Home Business making baby blankets?

rebecca15
16 years ago

I am in the process of learning how to start a home business making baby blankets using the interent as a source. Any of do the same? Make Blankets and sell off the net? ARe U successful. I am excited and nervous at the same time. I probably will have tons of questions? Just want to here feed back and get advice! Thanks!

Comments (2)

  • damascusannie
    16 years ago

    Just be sure to pay yourself enough to make it worthwhile. There is a tendency for those of us who work at home to under pay ourselves and when all is said and done, we find that we've given up sewing for ourselves and our families to start a business that doesn't make any money. And remember that once you turn your hobby into a business, it is a JOB. It won't be fun and therefore you need to be compensated adequately to make the trade-off worthwhile.

    Other things:
    Don't invest more into the business than you can afford to lose. Hopefully, you will be successful, but be prepared for things to go more slowly than you had planned. It may take a year or more for your business to take off and you need to be ready to tighten your belt and tough it out until it does.

    Be sure to find a wholesale source for ALL of your materials, including thread, needles, rotary cutting blades, fabric. You cannot buy at retail prices and expect to make a decent profit. Buy volume quantities when you can, but avoid stockpiling inventory that may be hard to move later. With something like this, you will find that there might be a huge demand one year for pink blankets and that the next year everyone wants them in purple. Pick up magazines on the newsstand and follow the current trends in baby clothing and nursery decor.

    Make several samples and work out the most efficient way to produce the product in volume quanities. This means that you need to streamline steps, figure out how to perform similar steps all at one time, cut many units and sew them at the same time, etc...

    You will never be able to compete with the cheap ready-made stuff, so be sure that your quality is top-notch. People will pay more if they know that they are getting a better product.

    Don't forget to research sales tax requirements in your state and keep GOOD records.

    The customer is always right. Don't get into this if you are thin-skinned and be prepared to do whatever is necessary to keep your customers happy.

    Good Luck!

    Annie (professional quilter)

  • teresa_nc7
    16 years ago

    I sell my quilts on Etsy, an online site for selling handmade items. You might have better success if you have a unique blanket style or access to really different blanket fabrics. People are prepared to pay for quality when they buy on Etsy.

    I would suggest you start out with a limited selection at first. You can't be all things to all people. Remember, your competitors are places like Wal-mart and Babies R Us and Baby Depot. Look online for blankets like the type you will make to get an idea of how much to charge, then increase the price for your excellent handmade blanket.

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