Originally Posted by
ckcowl
if you are going to treat your 'hobby' as a business you need to write up a 'business plan' including budget, operating hours, policies, prices...once you have it figured out in black & white it is easier to manage your time (and money)
I forgot about this. The book The Ultimate Guide to Longarm Quilting by Linda Taylor has an excercise for making a business plan. I did this back before I started. And I had talked to LAQs who were getting burn out. They realized their hobbie was no longer the pleasure it had been before they went professional. They were cutting back before they gave up entirely. So I decided to start very slow. I've done very little advertising. Due to my own quilts, I have a reputation locally, so people find me. I have enough business. I wouldn't mind doing a little more, so I've put flyers at a store where I teach classes. It grows slowly so as I encounter new issues, I can take the time to figure it out.
On QB I've seen prices for LAQ that seem very low to me. And there are quilters locally who do the same thing. They're always busy. They must love doing LAQ. I figured, I'm not working for minimum wage. I guestimate (that's estimate with experience) how long it takes to quilt a twin size, x price/hr + overhead, then turn into cents/sq in. I'm sure my price eliminates many people, but that's OK with me.
I rent out my machine for $50/day with my constant presence. This includes enough instruction and practice to do a decent job and time to finish the quilt. I also help them load their quilt. This is the bargain I offer. I'd rather see someone enjoy their own quilt, all the way to finished.