So what has kept me so busy that I haven’t had time to even post a few notes here and there. Short answer : Sierra Stitch! Back in May we moved our little shop into another location (better and bigger) located in a 12,000 square foot Martial Arts Dojo. Well after getting moved in to our little space in the back of the facility and getting everything set up and running again we were pretty happy. Business was picking up and it was nice being in the new spot.
Then an opportunity arose that we couldn’t pass up. There were a few rooms located in the very front of the dojo that had been reserved for a chiropractor business that came open. This was about twice the space we currently were in (and twice the rent) but the exposure it offered by being right in front allowed for us to make another long time dream come true. A retail store front.
Now I have about 20 years experience in retail and in the back of my mind I always knew that the embroidery/screen printing business wouldn’t work well with a retail store unless a unique situation happened. Well it has happened!
We are now an in house Proshop / Retail store / Embroidery and Screen Printing shop located in one of the largest Martial Arts Dojos in California. This has brought its own set of challenges for sure. In addition to setting up the store front and filling it with products we now have a steady stream of walk in traffic. Great for exposure but not great for getting contract jobs completed. We are just now figuring out all the new roles we each play and what our priorities are to make the business a success.
It has been a challenge but alot of fun too. I am lucky to have a wife and family that understand and support me and my efforts. I will post more as things happens including our new shirt designs and how the business is progressing. I am also committed to getting our online store actually filled with products. So LOTS more coming soon.
Thanks for reading.
2 responses so far ↓
1 Posy Lane // Aug 18, 2008 at 11:05 pm
If I may ask (we just started our embroidery business a few months back) what ways do you market your embroidery services?
2 sierrastitch // Aug 18, 2008 at 11:35 pm
When I first started out in I was really only trying to be a digitizer and I sent out 1,000’s of flyers all across the country. I got about a 4% response and from those leads I built a customer base. Since then it has been word of mouth for digitizing. As for embroidery I can say that wearing your own products (assuming they are good) and being outgoing and friendly everywhere is one of the ways I have picked up a ton of business. I always carry cards and hand them out everywhere. I also have a small group of close friends (6-8) who carry my cards for me and they bring me a lot of business. I don’t push it on them actually I usually make something for them when I am trying out new techniques (jackets, hats, shirts with their interests on them ie: their classic car or type of dog, horse, etc.). Not only do they love that I thought of them but they show off the custom work to EVERYONE!!! Give them a few cards and the business will come. Hope this helps.
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