Originally Posted by tealfalcon
Just wondering if there is a market for handquilting? i am trying to find ways to make some extra money for my long arm....so many people around here know i quilt but they dont want to pay the money so therefore i wont make quilts for people here...so i thought maybe i could offer handquilting for others...is there a market? i quilt 8-10 stitches per inch but very consistent stitch length...or is this not good enough to quilt for others? i love the look of a handquilted quilt.
blessings
I do too, which is why I hand quilt! Sorry.
I do have some advice. I read somewhere that for a niche business, the first 25 customers are the most difficult to get. After that, if you offer an outstanding product or service, your problem becomes too MANY orders and not enough time!
There are a lot of good books out there about marketing. One that I found useful was _Guerrilla Marketing_. Not every idea in his book was applicable for my business but enough were that, sure enough, I had more business than I could handle.
Make sure you set a reasonable price for your time from the very beginning. A niche business cannot succeed on the Wal-Mart business model (high turnover with low prices equals lots of profit). Think more in terms of boutique pricing, where you set your hourly fee at a level that reflects your experience and level of quality offered.
Never be afraid to say no to an unreasonable offer, either in the contact stages or after the quilt top has been delivered and you realise that it needs far more work to do than you were led to believe. Considering that a lot of your customers may have quilt tops handed down from years ago, you might even run into quilt tops too damaged (shredded, frayed, stained, sun or insect damage, etc) to be rescued. Don't try to be a hero because 99 times out of 100 it will not be appreciated. Just say no.