Time to dip into the mailbag again…

I received this question from Lynn May a little while ago (tough to answer all the great questions!), and wanted to get an answer to Lynn and Nina, who both had some of the same concerns:

Hi to all and to Chuck – Couple of things of interest. One, how to fit a quilting business into my full-time job and make a little extra money; and, two, how to price my quilts and small projects like table runners. It is hard to compete with Walmart, Target, Penney’s, etc., with quilts when you can buy one for $69.95. It costs a lot of time and money to make a quilt of excellence as we all know. So, is there a market out there for pricing a queen quilt at $300, $500 or $750? I would be very interested in knowing.

Lynn May

And here’s Nina’s comment…

I agree with Lynn May, how to begin a Quilting Business while keeping a full time job!

Here’s my answer…

To begin with, staying motivated with any business endeavor can be a problem.  When I have a full-time job, it is very difficult to keep up with the Quilting Business website and stay motivated to keep working on the site when there’s plenty of things that need to be done around the house (and as I’m typing this, I’m in the middle of a huge batch of laundry!), there’s family responsibilities (I don’t remember this many kids activities when I was younger), and there’s always a good book or TV show waiting to take up our attention.

So, how do you stay motivated to work on a part-time business (with hopes of going full-time) while keeping a “real” job and having a life.  Here’s my advice:

• Block out your time.  You need to treat your part-time business like a business, and block out specific time to work on it.  Depending on how motivated you are, set aside one, two, or three hours a day that are going to be set in stone and let the people you love know that these are your business hours and that you need to have them respect these hours (i.e. “leave me alone during this time!”).
• Stick to your time.  As part of blocking out your time, you need to make sure you stick to it, each and every day, each and every week.  It can be challenging, but once you get into a groove, you’ll get into the habit of using this time for business, and business alone.
• Work on your focus.  It’s going to be very easy to be distracted during your business hours.  Every time you find yourself wanting to check your email, or surf the Internet, re-focus yourself and get back to business.  You can spend all the time you want on your business, but if you’re not working productively, it can be wasted just as easily as if you’re watching TV.  Focus is like a muscle – the more you work it, the better it gets.
• Make your plans.  Take some time – like right now! – to map out your plans for the week, the month, the next three months, the next six months, the next year, and the next three years.  Spend some time detailing your goals and what you plan for your business, and then turn these goals into specific tasks that need to be accomplished to obtain these goals.  Then, figure out what you need to do RIGHT NOW to move towards your goals.  A daily “to do” list helps you focus on what’s important.
• Evaluate your performance.  In most job, a performance evaluation is a yearly assignment.  But in your part-time job, you should be evaluating your performance on a monthly basis against your plans.  Maybe even a weekly basis.  And certainly, at the end of the year, take a look at your accomplishments, what you can improve, and compare it with your goals.  Based on your business at that time, you may need to reevaluate your goals and come up with a new 12 month plan.  Change is the only constant, and you need to make sure you’re on track for success.
• Be reasonable in your goals.  Every business is going to take time to establish itself, and this is especially true with a part-time business.  Be realistic with your goals, and make sure you’re not trying to become the next WalMart from day one.  Success builds upon success, but you need to make sure  your expectations are in line with the time and effort you can put in on a part-time basis.
• Expect doubts, and then overcome them.  As a new business owner, you’ll constantly be doubting yourself.  When you start to wonder why you’re doing all this work for so little reward, take a step back and look at your goals and expectations.  Also, realize that everyone has doubts, and the only way to conquer fears and doubts is by action.  Do a little something towards your business goals each and every day and your doubts will be replaced by tangible results.
• Have fun and roll with the punches.  When you’re working on a part-time business, you need to be doing something you love, or it becomes a chore.  If you’re only doing it to make money, you might as well take a part-time job or try and secure a better full-time job.  Part-time businesses usually start with a passion, and if you can keep at it, you might be able to build a full-time business.  The key is having fun while doing all the hard work (if that makes sense).

There are lots of great resources for time management, which is the key to making a part-time business work while juggling a full-time job and a busy life.  Search Google for “time management” or go to Amazon.com and look for the time management book that seems to work with your personality.

Good luck!

Chuck

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Some people have asked me why I decided to come back to the Quilting Business website, even though it doesn’t count as a full-time income and it takes quite a bit of my spare time (if there is such a thing).  This email reminded me of one of the 1,000s of reasons why I do this…

Chuck,

Thanks for letting me know about In A Good Way. We have material that we would be willing to donate to them.

By the way, You are the greatest. About 4 years ago I sent you a note about making 1,000 quilts for the Katrina victims. You posted it on your website. Within 24 hours I had e-mails from NY, CA, GA, ND asking if they could help. Within a short time I had received quilts from GA and NY to send to the kids in Mississippi. I still receive quilts and stay in contact with my friend in NY.

We delivered the quilts to MS, became a non profit, bought a building last month and have delivered over 2,000 quilts to US, Mexico orphanage, Eastern Europe through World Vison, Cameroon Africa, Uganda Africa, and Haiti. Who would have guessed that we would be on our way to our Million quilts for kids around the World. You showed me we are all connected. At the time I e-mailed you in 2005 I just started with one quilt. Check our website at kidzquiltz.homestead.com and our blog at kidzquiltz.blogspot.com.

Some may unsubscribe, but I think you are the greatest. You encouraged me to JUST DO IT, and I did with about 1,000 other people helping me.

Thanks for everything,

Wilma Hamilton, President
Kidz Quiltz Inc.
303-857-8600

When you receive an email like this, it makes the time spent pulling together this site and sending out the ezines well worth the effort.  Wilma has been a great supporter and community member, and her charity is a wonderful organization that is doing something wonderful for children who need a little quilted love!

Keep up the good work, Wilma, and thanks for the wonderful note.  And if you can help Wilma and Kidz Quiltz, please visit the website.

Chuck

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I received an unsubscribe request a week or two ago, and because the advice was so good, I wanted to personally respond to the unsubscriber. Here’s the note she included in her unsubscribe request (and yes, I did remove her from the email list):

Hi Chuck, just a quick word of advice:

When a reader writes in, always respond to them with a personally written message, even if you get 50 emails in one day.

Don’t respond by sending out a second newsletter. It’s rude and makes you appear to not care about your individual readers at all.

Your business will only be as good as the time and energy you put into it.

Good luck.

So why am I bringing this up?  Turns out that the person who unsubscribed is Leah Day, and she has an incredible approach to her quilting business.  She has a website where she is giving away a free motion quilting filler design every day for an entire year.  She’s challenged herself to come up with a brand new filler design every day for 365 straight days, and you can find out about it at her blog:

www.freemotionquilting.blogspot.com

So what is she hoping to get out of giving away a free motion quilting filler design every day for a year?  Here’s her explanation:

“What do I hope to get out of this project?

Honestly, I want to become a better quilter. I’m young enough to know that I’m pretty good, but old enough to know that pretty good isn’t good enough, if you know what I mean.

I want to start planning my quilts with 5-10 different free motion designs and I’m definitely planning to use all 365 designs when creating my quilts (though maybe not all in the same quilt!)

This project is going to give me a reason to sit down at my sewing machine each day and play. It’s also going to give me a reason to carry a camera and snap photos of things that make me think in thread.”

Leah does offer some quilting products via her other websites, and she is starting to sell her free motion quilting filler designs in packages of 20 (complete with book and optional DVD), but the free motion quilting filler design blog offers all of this great content for free.

Free is an unbelievable marketing tool that any quilting business can use to great effect.  I do sell some quilting business books, but all the content on this site is free for anyone.  I do this because it makes me feel good to give, and it also makes it more likely that when I do have something to offer the Quilting Business community, you will at least check it out to see if it’s right for you.  No pressure, and I don’t mind if you never spend a dime because I don’t do this solely for the money.  And Leah offers her designs for free because she’s learning and she enjoys giving back to the quilting community.

You can check out the blog using the link above, and if you want to see what else Leah has to offer, check out her website at www.DayStyleDesigns.com.  Leah may be young, but she’s taught me a thing or two about marketing.

Oh, and before I forget… Leah was absolutely right about responding to emails.  As with any business, if you don’t communicate with customers and prospects, you’re not going to make a lot of friends.  And one bad customer experience can result in the offended party telling all their friends, and then they tell their friends, and so on…

I will do my very best to keep up with emails and respond as quickly as possible.  I may be working on a few things right now, but there’s no excuse for poor customer relations.  So please feel free to call me out if you catch me not responding!

Best regards,
Chuck

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I received a great question from Karen about how to best handle when a competitor goes out of business.  Here’s the question:

Chuck,

The nearest competitor to us closed on Monday. Is there any way we can capitalize on her closing without appearing as over zealous or gloating . How or what should we advertise to capitalize on the closing? Or so we just let nature take its course.

Thanks,

Karen

This can be a difficult situation since  you certainly don’t want to come off as happy that your competitor has failed because you want to make their customers comfortable with choosing you as the alternative.  Here is my answer to Karen:

Hi Karen,

When a competitor goes out of business is certainly no time for gloating.  Besides the obvious fact that someone just had to give up on their own dream business, there’s the loyal customers who had invested a lot of time and money with this business because they either like the service, the products, or the owners.  Sensitivity is key, but you definitely want to make these customers start to love your business just as much.

Here’s what I would suggest:

1. Make an honest appraisal about all the good things about your failed competitor’s business.  Why did customers enjoy going to that business instead of yours?  Are there things that you can learn from and modify for your business? Think about the physical environment, the product and service selection, and their customer service.
2. Try to determine the cause for their failure.  Was it poor finances or management?  Bad product or service selection?  Shoddy customer service?  If some of these were factors in the business failure, then can you use these (in a tasteful manner) to craft your own marketing messages or improve your business?
3. Were you friendly, or at least cordial, with the business owners?  If so, there may be a way to approach them to discuss the best way to help their customers find alternatives, and hopefully your business.  This would have to be handled with a lot of sensitivity and tact, but if the business closed for reasons other than economic – perhaps they were just tired of running a business – then it may be possible.  Just be careful and empathetic.
4. Try to determine how the failed business used to attract customers and browsers. If there is a local newspaper or other advertising vehicle (cable access, radio, coupons, etc.), the other business used, then take a look at the pricing and whether it makes sense for your business.
5. Think of a way to get in to the local newspaper with a new product or service, or a special event.  If you could pull together some kind of special event around a charity or a holiday quilting class, it would give you an opportunity and reason to talk to your local business editor about the competitor’s closing (bringing in how the economy is affecting local businesses) and how you would love to welcome customers to your business.  You could even write up an article yourself so you get across what you want to say.  They will probably re-write it, but at least you will give them a starting point.
6. Poll your customers (do you have a mailing list or email list?) about what you can do to make the customers from the other business more comfortable, and how you can improve your business.  It’s a great time to bond with your list, and many of your customers may know people who frequented the other business.  Let your community know that everyone is welcome, and you will be doing your best to make your business even better now that you’re the only game in town.
7. You could have a special discount sale for customers coming from the other store.  Of course, you want to make sure you have a sale for your existing customers as well so they don’t feel left out.  Have some fun with it, and make sure everyone feels welcome.
8. Try to get referrals.  You can ask people if they know of customers of the other business.  Let them know that you’re doing everything you can to make sure the needs of the quilting community in your area are being taken care of to the best of your ability.  If you want, give them an incentive to refer new customers (a good idea any time) by giving out cards they can sign and hand out.  When someone brings one in, the referrer gets some kind of discount or points towards some small item.
9. Just work on making your business the best possible.  Provide excellent customer service and listen to the needs of your customers.  When you deliver an outstanding experience for the customer, they will be more likely to spread the good word about you and your business.

When a competitor fails, it can be a great opportunity to pick up new business, but you’re right in being cautious.  Don’t ever bad-mouth the failed competitor, and always show sympathy.  Word gets around about a poor attitude, so you definitely want to err on the side of being empathetic and supportive.

Good luck, and here’s hoping you have even more success.

Chuck

I hope this helps anyone who has suddenly found themselves with a little less competition.

Chuck

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From time to time, I get requests to pass along information about quilting-related charities, and I’m more than happy to help.  Below is a message from Teddi Irwin about In A Good Way, Inc., a halway farm based in Oregon.  I’ll let Teddi explain the rest:

Glad you’re back.  I am involved with an organization trying to help Native American men re enter society after incarceration.  We are trying to provide as homey a look as possible in their rooms and of course quilts are at the top of the list. We are at present gathering scraps and folks to piece the quilts and the thing that is missing is someone who will quilt the quilts. I hope that is a service that you might be able to provide for us.  We will advertise for you in all publications.

Do you think this is possible.  I am sending you our mission statement, Purpose and Philosophy. Thank you for considering our project.

IN A GOOD WAY

PHILOSOPHY
IN A GOOD WAY, Inc. is a nonprofit goal-oriented halfway farm based in Oregon that provides tools to improve the lives of Native American men returning to society and family life after time spent in prisons and jails. It provides an actual home and a range of services including skill assessment, educational assessment and assistance, job training, job placement assistance, drug and alcohol counseling, and social and emotional support. We provide what is needed for an independent, responsible, and productive return to the community.

Please note that this document is phrased in the present tense, although much is yet to be accomplished.  It is our belief that what we already believe is then more easily achieved.

MISSION STATEMENT
IN A GOOD WAY provides tools to improve the lives of Native American men returning to society and family life after time away in prisons and jails.

By teaching life skills necessary for successful re-entry to the community and family life, we reduce both recidivism and crime.

Our focus on fostering independence, success, and responsibility boosts competence necessary to integrate successfully back into families and society.

PURPOSE
Exiting incarceration is difficult for all human beings.  For Native Americans, perhaps more so in that many did not have solid job skills and safety nets to fall back on before incarceration.

By providing the supportive program at IN A GOOD WAY, we not only give men the skills needed to reintegrate into their families and society, but to help prevent them going back to prison.

Our clients have paid their debt to society and can now benefit by a boost in confidence and competence. Our program provides support to our residents by teaching independent living skills in a supportive, home-like environment.  Through a mentor program, recovery counseling, social, cultural, and spiritual support to our clients we instill the belief that with education, hard work, spiritual and personal effort…

“The best is yet to come.”

Here is a list of things that IN A GOOD WAY needs in case you can help out:

• 100% cotton material in earth tones can be as small as 8 ½  X 2 ½  as we are doing 24 scrap quilts. We will be sure any left over material will be put to good use.
• Folks who want to piece the quilt
• Quilting for the quilts once they are together

In addition to the men who will reside with us and need the quilts,  we will  teach the women of our community to quilt and to give them a new vocation where they can help support their families.  We will also be instilling our cultures to all who come in contact with IN A GOOD WAY.  Of course we want to educate them about the history of quilt making including Seminole piecing.  We will offer our classes to anyone in the community.

Thanks ever so much.  It’s folks like you who will be responsible for us achieving our goal. Thank you thank you.

If you’d like to get involved, you can contact Terri at inagoodway (at) ymail.com.  If you leave a phone number, Terri will call you back.

Good luck Terri!

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