For some, with all your children in school,  it will mean more time for quilting projects, taking workshops, teaching workshops, and venturing into areas you haven’t explored before.

If you have a quilting business, either in your home or online, it may mean more moms with time to take classes, purchase fabrics for upcoming projects, take workshops, too.  So that means more business for you.

If you work or teach at a quilt shop, you should have more time for projects there when youngsters are in school.

However, will there be school activities that require getting youngsters to and from school or these?  You’ll have homework to help with, school projects to oversee.

If you homeschool and tie your schedule to the public school year (as many parents do), your days will become more structured.  You may be able to coordinate some of your lessons in with quilts and quiltmaking.

To accomplish everything efficiently: 

 Plan ahead so you won’t have too many unexpected interruptions.

Brainstorm (paper and pen in hand) about how “back-to-school” will affect your home business and what plans you have to make to accommodate this.  

  How is “back-to-school” affecting your quilting and your business (positive and negative) and how are you adjusting?   

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How Will “Back-to-School” Affect Your Quilting & Quilting Business?

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Juggling Your Quilting Business with a Family

Laura Spencer at Writing Thoughts has reviewed a book, The Ernst & Young Business Plan Guide, that’s worthwhile to consider when you’re developing your business plan.

           “It’s basically a book that teaches the business person how to create an effective business plan,” Laura says.  She also mentions, in her review,  reasons why a business is never too small to develop a business plan and how this book might help you.

(Although Laura writes a column basically for writers, her business information has application for any small business, including a quilting or fabric arts business, a quilt fabric shop, or related venture.)

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A Book to Help You Develop a Quilting Business Plan

Often we get so caught up into the challenges of our quilting business, the busyness,  the pressure of meeting deadlines, and the balancing act between business and family  that we forget to have fun.  We forget why we decided to develop our quilting/fabric art hobby or interest into a home business in the first place.

We forget to stop, if only for a half hour, to do something purely enjoyable that will refresh us.   Take a day off to get away and come back with new enthusiasm.  Visit a quilt show…take a workshop…teach a class.

I recall getting so caught up in deadlines, especially when a quilting project took longer than anticipated, a family crisis arose, or a customer wanted it finished earlier than agreed.  The pressure mounted and I wondered, “Is this worth it?”  So I had to learn to get through those times.

Find ways to have fun while working at your quilting/fabric arts business, enjoy what you’re doing and the people you’re working with.   Also, make a list of what you consider the advantages or rewards of operating your quilting business, either parttime or full time, and keep them in front of you.  You might make changes, too, that will cut down on the stress and eliminate some of the disadvantages.

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Having Fun With Your Quilting Business

         “Focusing on the little details is where the key to successful business and brands lies,” mentions Ron Elizondo, in his b5media Brand Curve blog post, “Marketing the small things…”Ron is talking about any business, but this applies to quilting businesses, too.  He emphasizes “the need to offer superb service in order to create and maintain customer loyalty.”

So to do this, you need to focus on those aspects of production and service that often seen negligible but mean so much.  Ron uses examples of various businesses and the little things they can do that make an impression on the customer.

Take a look at your quilting business.  Are their things that you can do, things you often don’t even think about, that can make a difference?

*Smile when customers enter your place of business. 

*Smile when you answer the phone.  This makes your voice much more pleasant.

*Answers inquiries as soon as possible…whether in person, e-mail, or by phone.

*Meet deadlines…or let people know before deadline if there will be a delay in an item you’re making for them.

*Let your customers/clients know they’re important.

Do you have any special techniques that have made a difference with your customers? 

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Pay Attention to the Small Details in Your Quilting Business

So….how does a business generate such loyalty in their customers?  How will you develop your business so customers return repeatedly, whether to your shop, your online ordering site, your booth at shows, or your workshops.

*Produce a quality product; never shortcut on quality.

*Always meet deadlines; if you can’t, let your customer know and have a good reason.  Then let them know when you will complete the job.  Sometimes situations crop up that keep us from getting things done exactly as planned.  Be sure you let your customer know.  Usually they’re understanding, as long it doesn’t mix up their plans.

*Have return policies and guarantees stated from the very beginning, in your shop, online, or in a contract.  Then there is less chance of misunderstanding and miscommunication.

*Have a payment policy stated beforehand. This leads to less misunderstandings. (For instance, when I made quilts, I asked for one half upon starting the item…this gave me most of what I needed to purchase supplies…and the remainder before mailing it or when the customer picked it up.)  If you’re selling online or by mail order, it’s very important to have payment agreed upon.

*Decide beforehand how you’ll handle difficult customers.  You can’t anticipate every situation, but have a good idea how you will do this. 

*Become a good communicator.  Lack of communication often leads to dissatisfaction and thus displeased customers.

*Smile…even when you aren’t face to face with your customers.  It comes across in your voice.

Customer loyalty is an important factor when you’re developing a business from your quilting and fabric art.  Building friendships, common interests, and a reputation for good work and integrity goes a long way toward developing customer loyalty.

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Developing & Maintaining Quilting Customer Loyalty

Also, if you go to a bank for any type of loan for your business, they generally will want to see that you have a busiiness plan.  This lets the bank/lending institution know you’re serious about what you’re doing.  For some, this is a requirment for the loan.

A business plan need not be a lengthy document, simply stating your weekly, monthly, and annual goals.  You might have a 5-year plan that maintains where you desire to be after that length of time. 

 A business plan also helps keep you on track. This isn’t to say you won’t vary this as you try new directions, find something doesn’t work as well as you thought, have new opportunities open up, etc.

My quiltmaking business, years ago, evolved from a dressmaking/alterations business.  When the demand for quilts grew at my mother’s country general store, she suggested I use some of my fabric scraps from sewing to make some quilts for her to sell.  (The lady providing them at that time couldn’t keep up with orders.)  So I took Mother’s suggestion and made some quilts.  Eventually, my business evolved into a quilt business rather than the dressmaking.  Yet I still was involved in a home business that dealt with sewing and could be operated from the home.

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Developing a Business Plan for Your Quilting/Fabric Arts Business