How To Start a Quilting Business in 7 Easy Steps

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Dreaming of turning your passion for quilting into a thriving business?

Whether you're an experienced quilter or just starting out, the journey to launching your own quilting business can be incredibly rewarding.

But starting a quilting business can seem overwhelming — luckily, you don’t need to worry. In this blog, we'll walk you through seven easy steps to show you how to start a quilting business and equip you with all the tools and knowledge you need for success.

Step 1: Define Your Quilting Business Vision

Before you start your business, you need to have a vision. A clear vision will set the course for the entire process of starting your quilting business. It’s time to put pen to paper and write down what you want to achieve and where you see your successful quilt store going.

First, identify your niche within the quilt market. How do you want to set yourself apart from other quilting and fabric stores in your area?

Do you want to specialize in specific quilting, like baby or memory quilts? Maybe you want to emphasize quilting classes more than other stores in your area. Or you might want to focus on selling high-quality machinery like sewing machines and long arms. No matter what your niche is, make sure it’s obvious as you start your quilting business.

When crafting your business vision, list both long-term and short-term goals using the SMART goal method. This ensures your goals are action-oriented, promoting continuous improvement for your quilting business.

Remember: Writing your goals down is a critical step before starting a quilting business. It’s the perfect way to ensure you start off on the right foot.

Step 2: Research and Plan

There’s no need to start blindly. Many quilting shops in your area have different specialties that you can learn from.

Unfortunately, competitor research is often overlooked — but you can’t really understand how to start a quilting business without it.

First, research other quilting stores in your area. Ask community members what they like and dislike about those stores. Find gaps in the market that you can fill. Properly conducting competitive research will give you incredibly valuable insights.

But don't stop at researching local quilting businesses — explore stores nationwide. Visit online forums like Facebook and Reddit to understand your target market's interests in quilting.

Conduct target audience research simultaneously with your competitive research. Don't forget who you're selling to. Understand your target customers and what they value to make those values shine in your new quilting store.

Luckily, conducting target market research isn’t difficult. Simply ask questions to as many quilters as you can find. The more questions you ask, the more customer insights you’ll gain.

When you’ve finished all of your research, create a plan. Go back to your vision and fill it in with the information you’ve learned. Now, you know who you’re selling to, what your competitors are doing, and what gaps you’re going to fill.

Look back at your goals and add to them or adjust them as needed. Constant research and goal setting is exactly how you should start a quilting business — it’s the best way to start with success.

Step 3: Implement a Point of Sale System

You can’t have a successful quilting business without an efficient point of sale (POS) system — it’s how you get your money. But your point of sale system should do more than simply facilitate transactions.

An efficient POS system will be tailored specifically for your quilting business. A quilt-specific POS includes preloaded catalogs with popular quilting products, simplifying inventory management.

It also gives you proper sales and customer reporting. If it holds customer data, you can easily market to all of your past customers so that they return to your quilting shop.

There’s no need to settle for a POS system that doesn’t work for your specific needs. If you have a quilt-specific, all-in-one POS system, you won’t have to carry all of the operational stress. Virtually everything will be automated and you can spend time where it matters most — with your customers.

Step 4: Source Quality Materials and Tools

Quality is important when it comes to quilting — low-quality materials make low quality quilts, so you should make sure you’re giving your customers quality products to choose from.

This step is easy if you’ve done your customer research correctly. Listen to your target customers to find out which products and brands they like most. Research different quilting manufacturers so that you can ensure that you’re buying quality quilting products.

Selling quality quilting materials and tools creates a positive perception of your quilt store in customers’ minds. People prefer shopping at appealing stores, so present your products as high-end wherever possible.

A proper POS system will help you with vendor management and will have preloaded catalogs so that you can have confidence in the products you’re selling to your customers.

Remember to conduct thorough product research before starting your quilting business. Quality is everything in retail. Source high-quality materials and tools from reputable manufacturers to ensure your customers have confidence in what your quilting business sells.

Step 5: Set Up Your Workspace

Now, your vision is ready to come to life — your quilting business is coming together.

The location you choose can make or break your business. You want your quilting store’s location to make sense. Choose a location that’s surrounded by other commercial buildings, rather than settling on the outskirts of town (if it makes sense financially).

Don’t just think about where you’re going to put your quilting business, though. Plan what you want your store layout to look like. Organize your store and inventory by type of product and brand.

Place eye-catching items like high-end sewing machines or quilting long arms at the front of the store to attract customers. Showcase the quality of your store through its layout. Ensure it makes sense to both you and your customers for the best experience.

Step 6: Establish Your Online Presence

Today, starting a business isn’t just about opening a brick-and-mortar store. You have to think about e-commerce, too.

Find a user-friendly, drag-and-drop website builder to create a professional-looking store without the expense of hiring a website designer. Many software options make website building seamless, even without coding experience.

Your inventory management at your physical location should be synced with your quilt store website. This way, your customers can accurately tell if you have an item that’s out of stock or not.

Ultimately, you want to provide the best shopping experience for your customers. Many people browse online — even if they plan to visit the store to find exactly what they need — because they want to make sure that the product they’re looking for is in stock.

E-commerce is essential for your quilting business' success. It offers a better customer experience and can double your shop's sales. Don’t undervalue e-commerce — a quilting website will elevate your business.

Step 7: Launch and Promote Your Quilting Business

Before you open your doors, it’s crucial to plan your promotional strategy to ensure a successful launch. Here are some tips to help you attract customers and turn them into loyal patrons:

Offer opening day promotions: Special deals can draw in customers and encourage repeat visits.
Leverage social media and print ads: Promote your grand opening on social platforms and through local print ads. Utilize your existing email and contact lists to spread the word.
Maximize your reach: Aim to attract as many people as possible. Even if they aren't interested in quilting, they may know someone who is.

Remember: There’s no single correct way to advertise. The key is to spread the word widely and connect with as many potential customers as possible to ensure a successful opening day.

How To Start a Quilting Business With Like Sew

Now, you’ve learned how to start a quilting business in seven steps. Always remember:

Define your business vision.
Research and plan.
Implement a point of sale system.
Source quality materials and tools.
Set up your workspace.
Establish your online presence.
Launch and promote your business.

You don’t have to launch a successful quilting business alone. Like Sew is an all-in-one POS system that is the perfect solution for your new quilting store.

Like Sew makes the point of sale process seamless. It’s easy for your customers to make payments, and is simple to set up. Plus, if you ever have a question or concern, Like Sew's customer success team is always there to help your quilting store succeed.

But Like Sew doesn’t just do payment processing. Its website builder makes e-commerce easy. Your quilting website will look professional without having to spend countless hours on putting it together.

And like Sew doesn’t just manage your in-store inventory — it covers your online store, too. As a cloud-based system, you can manage your business from anywhere — everything is live and in sync. As a quilt-specific software, Like Sew has catalogs with endless amounts of quilt and fabric products that you can add to your inventory with just a click of a button.

In addition to the operations of your quilt store, email and text marketing is simple with Like Sew because it’s a customer relationship manager (CRM) that holds your customers’ data like past purchases, phone numbers, and email addresses. In minutes, you can send mass promotional emails and texts to all of your customers.

Like Sew grows with your business from the beginning. Starting a quilting business can be difficult to manage on your own, but wth Like Sew’s automation and management capabilities, you don’t have to worry about taking on additional operation stress. Schedule a demo today to see how Like Sew can help you take your quilting business to the next level.