Can a woman lift with her own strength? own business? How to open a successfully developing, promising sewing studio and make it competitive in a provincial town?
Our interlocutor, Svetlana Nikolaevna Antonova, owner of her own, will tell you about this and more. sewing studio "Christina", located on the central street of the city of Usman.
- Hello Svetlana. Tell us how it all began?
I did not study at any specialized educational institution to become a seamstress, tailor, clothing designer or other professions related to sewing. The time just came, back in school, when I wanted to do this. So I started sewing and have been sewing for 20 years now.
At first, I sewed using ready-made patterns, then the popular magazine “Burda” came out, and I already took something from there, learned something on my own.
- How did you decide to open your own clothing sewing and repair shop?
I worked for many years at a local sewing factory as a pattern maker and learned a lot there. Then she got a job at the Victoria L clothing factory, but as a clothing designer. The time has come, and I realized that it was time to open my own business.
- How to open a tailoring shop from scratch? Where did you start?
A sewing studio is a business that requires significant investment. To begin with, I decided to take an increased subsidy from the state to support business - 300,000 rubles.
It is very important to note here that this was the first year when this money could be received not only by beginning entrepreneurs under 30, but also by those over 30. And I was very fortunate to get into this wave.
- Here, if possible, in more detail. What documents did you collect to receive the subsidy? I know that for such a high amount, there is a very big competition. Do you need to submit a detailed business plan for a sewing studio?
- Indeed, I should have:
- Register with the employment center as unemployed;
- Apply for individual entrepreneur status;
- Create a clearly defined standard for sewing and repairing clothes;
- Submit all these documents to the district administration for approval to receive funds.
- To know how to open a studio, is a business plan required or is it only needed to approve a subsidy?
Of course, the program involves many nuances that every aspiring entrepreneur should know. Otherwise, the business is simply doomed. This is a kind of cheat sheet, a hint on how to run your business so as not to go broke.
For example, a worker helped me understand the following issues:
- What kind of premises is required to open the atelier I have planned;
- How many people need to be hired in order to process the expected number of orders;
- Agree, each region has different situations. It happens that a studio will hire a dozen workers, and they will sit idle for a couple of weeks, waiting until they bring some trousers to be hemmed. And sometimes the demand is such that even these 10 people are not enough. That is, it is also very difficult to calculate;
- A set of regulatory norms of laws, requirements for premises;
- Competitiveness analysis, since in our city there are about 3-4 sewing workshops;
- Calculation of funds and expenses required for starting;
- Approximate time frame for which I will recoup my investment and be able to develop my business.
- Have you downloaded a ready-made business plan for a tailoring studio in the form of a template, on the Internet, or contacted a consulting agency to process the data?
Neither one nor the other. I spent a long time and carefully studying on the Internet how to correctly compose work program, consulted with experts in this field.
I drew up a draft business plan myself, since I already had a rough idea of the main figures for my expenses and knew exactly in which direction we would develop. Then, I took my draft to the analyst and he, in turn, processed it into a ready-made, working business plan.
The Christina atelier from the city of Usman employs true professionals in their field.
- Did you receive a subsidy? What did you spend it on?
Yes, sure. I received the money. I spent it on purchasing equipment and sewing machines.
- Did you buy the equipment second-hand or in a store?
In the shop. All our machines and machines are new. It was possible to buy used, now a lot of advertisements can be found on the Internet and in newspapers. But then spending a lot of money on their repairs + losing orders due to equipment downtime is somehow impractical.
- Did you have enough money from the subsidy to open an atelier?
Of course no. This is only said loudly - “here, we received these 300,000 rubles.” Of course, this was not enough even for initial needs. We bought additional fabrics, equipment, accessories, threads and much more.
Photos of related products sold in the store sewing studio"Christina"
- Approximately how much money did it cost you to open the studio?
Initially, about a million rubles were spent. This is considering that I started with my own accumulated accessories. If it were necessary to buy more of it - 2,000,000, it would definitely be spent.
- How did you find the premises? Did you buy it or rent it with the option to buy it?
I don’t think that in Usman, the practice of renting with the right to buy operates. I initially decided that I would buy the building, because I understood that the rent would cost me a significant overpayment.
Of course, it was possible, as famous business women write in many magazines - “so, I started sewing somewhere at home or in the basement, first myself, then I hired another seamstress...
The first floor of the building in which we are located was sold as an ordinary residential premises. I also had to collect documents to transfer him from residential to non-residential, as required by law. With all the decoration, the building cost me a little over a million rubles.
Creative approach and creativity distinguish the products of the Christina atelier
- There are many similar studios in the city. How have you made your business competitive in this environment?
To begin with, we carefully studied what our competitors offer and created a lot of advantages in our studio, for example:
- Other workshops offer a limited range of services - this is either simply sewing, creating some specific models, designing, repairing. One or two points from this list. We decided to combine everything at once - we sew clothes according to ready-made templates, customer’s sketches or we offer our own, we repair things, make any types of clothing - from work uniforms to chic wedding dresses;
- We are the only ones with display cases that display products that can also be ordered from us, for example, spectacular sofa cushions;
- There is a showcase with inexpensive, high-quality goods for young craftswomen - beads, threads, locks, buttons;
- We also produce original gift souvenirs, appliqué paintings, and kanzashi.
- I saw some very interesting reticules in your window. Are they also homemade?
Yes, we make bags according to our own drawings and they can also be purchased. They are in great demand because they are original, and we can make an exclusive handbag in an ensemble with a suit, which, you see, is important for every woman.
- Tell me, have you already paid for your business? Has it started generating income?
How can I tell you... I have a property purchased with a mortgage loan. The atelier is only 2 years old and, of course, I’m still paying off the loan.
In this sense, the business pays off, as you said - many people rent premises, but I own it. There is profit, of course, but at the moment, almost all of it goes into business expansion, for example, the purchase of consumables - accessories, threads.
Video about another sewing studio owner
- I heard about your masters, a lot of positive reviews. Your studio, despite the fact that it is still relatively young, is considered one of the best in the city of Usman
Well, at least we’re definitely not sitting without work. We, including myself, employ 5 craftsmen. There are a lot of orders and they are very diverse - for example, we recently sewed a gorgeous wedding dress to order.
- What would you like to wish or advise to aspiring entrepreneurs who are still wondering how to open a clothing repair and sewing studio?
I would like to wish you patience. It is necessary to stock up on an unprecedented amount of patience and wait for more than one year until their business begins to pay off. 2 years is the minimum.
The real story You can learn about creating an inexpensive business plan from this interesting article:
A large number of cases of creating highly profitable businesses from existing entrepreneurs can be read
You can select, download or buy a working business plan for any business in this catalog:
My business will be 2 years old only in the summer, and although we are developing steadily, there is, of course, no significant profit yet, such that I can afford to buy an expensive car or an apartment in the center of Moscow.
At the same time, I am at work all the time. This is daily, painstaking work. During the day I sew, and at night I make crafts and gift souvenirs. Nothing comes easy.
Moreover, success again depends on the region. Before you start, you should carefully study the needs of the population, market saturation, conduct a competitiveness analysis, evaluate own strength and patience.
- Have you heard that you want to open a handicraft school?
Yes, my master girls and I dream of opening a small school where everyone could learn sewing, decoupage, and kanzashi techniques.
- What are your plans for the future?
Pay off the loan and begin to slowly expand production. I am sure that even in such a small town as Usman there are enough prospects for this.
If you want to open a mini clothing repair shop, then, of course, you must have sewing skills. It is best if you have received special education. Although these days you can learn the basics of cutting and sewing in courses, and even on your own. The main thing is that you are not the one or the one for whom it is difficult to sew even a button, and such people, says the heroine of our article, an experienced tailor and owner of a mini-atelier Lyubov Domracheva, are often encountered.
Love for this business is also important, because it is known that the skill of a seamstress or tailor requires patience and perseverance. Are you ready to do this for many hours every day? You should also consider the difference between tailors and seamstresses. A tailor is someone who knows how to cut, draw up drawings and make patterns. Consequently, he has a better understanding of how things are sewn and can suggest more options repair and tailoring. A seamstress, as a rule, does not have such high qualifications.
Lyubov Domracheva
I studied at the lyceum for four years, mastered the basics of cutting, sewing, design, and learned to understand fabrics. For an atelier, it’s good to be able to sew both outerwear and light clothing. Although many people stop only at light clothes, because it is difficult to work with furs and leather, but I take it. The creative component is important in our work. Creativity is needed even in repairs: there are many options for how to fix a hole in a jacket, which one is best? Sometimes other artists send their clients to me with the words: “She’ll figure out how to do it.”
Also, to create a mini-atelier you need to have artistic taste and a desire to improve and learn new things. fashion trends, see what best suits the client, be able to advise, choose fabric, style.
How to assess the potential market and demand? There is always a demand for clothing repair services, even in the smallest towns and poor areas.
Repair shop services are especially in demand during economically turbulent times. Elderly people and pensioners do not dare afford new clothes, so they take them to be altered in the studio: who can shorten the length according to modern fashion, who needs to redo the collar. But you need to be prepared for the whims of clients.
One grandfather brought a jacket - sackcloth, wooden pork skin, fur from Soviet times. First I wanted to insert a zipper, then shorten it, then sew on pockets. He spent about 2 thousand rubles on all this, he could have added another thousand and bought himself a new jacket, but... the thing is dear to his heart, still his father’s.
How can you get ahead of your competitors and attract people to you? At first, says the heroine of our article, only by dumping, lowering prices - then people will come. And the prices in mini-ateliers today are very different: in outlying areas from 20 rubles to sew on a button or sew up a small hole (they bring that too!), to 5-6 thousand rubles if a fur coat needs to be altered. In areas where renting premises is more expensive, the cost of services will be 2-3 times higher.
Lyubov Domracheva
owner of a mini clothing repair shop
At first, I would advise opening a clothing repair shop. Because sewing clothes takes a lot of time: taking measurements, choosing a model, fabric, accessories, making patterns, then numerous fittings, the whims of the client who wants to remake this one thing or the other... And how will the atelier live on all this time? ? If you want to start earning money from day one, then it’s better to do repairs. In addition, for a tailoring studio you need more people(at least three people), more machines - which means more initial investment.
If you open a mini clothing repair shop, be prepared for a variety of clients to come to you. Sometimes even schoolchildren who were given the task of sewing an apron during labor lessons come to our heroine. Teenagers come in whose jacket zippers keep breaking. Pensioners are the most frequent visitors. Young women come in to shorten and alter dresses, skirts, and trousers. And don’t think that rich people don’t repair their clothes - there are such clients.
Investment size
Personal experience
When I opened two years ago, I only had 20 thousand rubles. I bought one sewing machine for 10 thousand, brought two of my own machines and an iron from home and paid 5 thousand rubles for rent.
There is also the possibility to get financial assistance to open a business through the labor exchange. In Kazan, currently, after approval of a business plan, the state issues 120 thousand rubles (excluding taxes), and the requirements are such that you do not have the right to close for two years, and you also need to submit reports periodically. With the money you receive you can buy more expensive cars, as well as consumables (threads, needles, etc.).
Rent in remote areas of Kazan now costs 500 rubles per 1 sq.m., in areas with developed infrastructure - 1000 rubles per 1 sq.m. The most minimal room for an atelier - 3 by 3 meters. But keep in mind that the smaller the room, the fewer machines you can put in it, so 10-12 square meters is best: the visitor trying on the item will also feel comfortable here.
First of all, you will need to buy one industrial machine (it costs about 20 thousand rubles), one overlocker (also about 20 thousand rubles) and one household machine for zigzags and loops (up to 10 thousand rubles).
If you want to work with furs and leather, then you can also buy machines for them in the future (used ones will be cheaper). A cover-stitching machine for knitted materials is very useful; the industrial version costs about 70 thousand rubles.
So, minimum investment to open a mini clothing repair shop - 50 thousand rubles. This takes into account the fact that you will bring a table, an iron, and lamps for lighting from home.
Lyubov Domracheva
owner of a mini clothing repair shop
The first month I worked only for rent, while there was no clientele. If possible, you can hand out business cards and post advertisements. But word of mouth works best. If you prove yourself from the very beginning a good master, if you don’t refuse, do it quickly and on time, then people will come to you.
What are the running costs of this business? If you work alone, then most of the money goes towards rent. Consumables (threads, needles, trouser braid, zippers, dublerin) are purchased once every six months to a year, and a little is spent on them in wholesale warehouses - 2-3 thousand rubles. If you have employees, then add 10-15 thousand rubles of salary per person to the expenses.
Step-by-step instruction
Although a mini-atelier is a small business, it also has relationships with suppliers. Having learned about your existence, traders of various accessories, fabrics, zippers, and so on may come to you. You can negotiate with them and periodically buy the necessary goods. You can also establish cooperation with wholesale centers and stores.
The promotion and development of any business in the service sector, and mini-atelier is no exception, depends on the quality of work and the integrity of its performer.
A mini-atelier is quite suitable for working alone, but if you feel strong and have many clients, you can hire more employees. For example, our heroine has an assistant. You can search for employees through friends, through work sites and advertisement sites. It is difficult to immediately understand how qualified a specialist came for an interview.
Personal experience
One girl told me that she also opened an atelier, but it didn’t work out for her. I thought: this means the person knows how to sew well. But it turned out that the person overestimated herself too much; she could not do basic things.
Be prepared for the fact that very few young people aspire to work in a tailor shop. Today this profession is not attractive to young people. Specialized lyceums produce seamstresses and tailors, but most of them do not work in their specialty.
Lyubov Domracheva
owner of a mini clothing repair shop
One woman worked for me, and it happened that she did something wrong, but did not want to redo it and said: “Clients still don’t know how it should be done correctly!” I don't agree with this approach. The client sees everything. One day, my employee was making a lining for a fur coat, everything turned out well, I checked, but the client immediately realized that it wasn’t me who did it.
How to organize work? You can take orders and work even every day if you have the strength and time. Of course, such a schedule is convenient when two people work.
Where is the best place to open? It is clear that for successful work mini-ateliers should be opened in high-traffic areas. There should be many retail outlets nearby, a market, a shopping center, hairdressers, and so on. The studio should be located next to residential buildings- to make it convenient for people to come from home. Moreover, it doesn’t matter if you open in a shopping mall, rent a room on the ground floor of a high-rise building, or stay in a trailer, it is important that people can easily find you there.
There are no special requirements for the premises. Based on ergonomics and your own ideas about convenience. Well, of course, remember that the first impression you make on the client plays a big role.
Documentation
To start working, you need to register an individual entrepreneur. All registration costs will be about 2 thousand rubles; registration will take about a week. It is best to open as an individual entrepreneur and pay tax on imputed income (approximately 28 thousand rubles per year if you work alone).
Opening checklist
Is it profitable to open
A business in an atelier for sewing and repairing clothes can recoup the initial investment in just six months, after which it will bring the owner about 100 thousand rubles. monthly income. Such a project can be a way out for those who know how to sew and want to open a sewing studio, or it can result in a good family business.
- Where to start opening a clothing tailoring and repair shop
- How much can you earn from a clothing tailoring and repair shop?
- Premises and equipment
- What equipment should I choose for a clothing tailoring and repair shop?
- What documents are needed to open a clothing tailoring and repair shop?
- Optimal taxation system
- Why can't you open a studio at home?
Where to start opening a clothing tailoring and repair shop
The first thing you need to determine before opening a tailoring and clothing repair shop is its location. There are several approaches, namely:
- locate the studio in a crowded place, for example, a shopping center;
- provide tailoring and clothing repair services in a residential area of the city.
Proponents of the first approach argue that if the studio is located in a shopping center, then the flow of customers is higher. When people make purchases, they immediately try to fit new clothes to fit themselves, which is why they turn to the seamstress, who is located in the same building.
This is true. To be convinced of this, just look at the workload of ateliers located in crowded places: in clothing markets, near (or inside) department stores and shopping centers.
Proponents of the second approach argue that not everyone has time to give purchased items to the studio, which are located near the place of purchase. In addition, it is even more common to need to repair previously purchased clothing. It is extremely inconvenient to go specifically to the center for this. In such cases, studios located in residential areas are very helpful.
The advantage of the second approach is that the rental cost is lower than in the city center. If you have to pay 35-60 thousand rubles for a room of 12-18 m2 in a shopping center. per month or more, then in a residential area renting a similar premises will cost 1.5-2 times cheaper.
Another approach to starting your own business is to buy a franchise. The positive thing about this approach is that you have to go through the steps proposed by the franchisor, which have previously led to the success of more than one enterprise. There is no need to figure out how to open a clothing tailoring and repair shop; you just need to follow all the recommendations, each of which has already been tested in practice.
Many people believe that buying a franchise only increases the initial investment. But if you calculate how much an entrepreneur’s mistakes will cost when launching a project and bringing it to the estimated profit, then these costs can be several times higher than starting a franchise business.
Despite the fact that before opening his own studio, an entrepreneur can make a very detailed business plan, in reality, this document will have to be adjusted to one degree or another. And if the business owner is also new to this business or has little understanding of business processes, then real numbers will differ greatly from the calculated ones.
This happens when a seamstress who does her job well, but has a very vague idea of how to organize and promote a business, becomes an entrepreneur. As a result, she has to comprehend this order, making mistakes that result in loss of income.
How much can you earn from a clothing tailoring and repair shop?
The owner of the project must take responsibility for its promotion. It’s good when he knows all the production aspects. But he needs this not in order to fulfill orders himself, but so that, based on this knowledge, he can optimize his business.
Expect that 1 order will bring an average of 300 rubles. If there are 10-15 orders per day, the company will receive 90-135 thousand rubles. IN best case scenario taking into account monthly costs, the profit of the enterprise will be 40 thousand rubles. Already with 20 orders per day, the enterprise’s income can range from 50 to 95 thousand rubles.
The task of a businessman is to ensure required amount orders that will allow the company to make a profit of 100 thousand rubles. and more. Additional profit comes from sales of fabric and accessories, so the project can be organized as an atelier-shop.
Remember that before you open an atelier from scratch, it is recommended to consider this project as a business, and not as workplace at home.
This approach will require more investments, it incurs more regular costs, but the entrepreneur also has more room for maneuver.
A clothing repair shop is unlikely to bring fabulous profits, but you can count on a stable income. You can spend pennies on rent if you move into a small basement room in a residential area far from the metro, but you will still find clients: everyone needs to have their trousers hemmed, the clasp on their sheepskin coat changed, or their favorite jacket sewn at least once a year. According to H&F estimates, the profit from a clothing repair shop can be from 100,000 rubles per month. It will take about the same amount to maintain it.
A small workshop with one or two dressmakers who can take on urgent repairs, will easily compete with online repair services. There are several such workshops in Moscow, for example “House of Byta”. They are usually a collection point where you can donate clothes, shoes, jewelry and other items in need of repair. Old clothes can be repaired in any tailor shop where they sew to order, but the price tag here will be higher. There are several seamstresses working in the atelier; they have more than complex equipment, so you need to earn more from each order.
Room
A small one is suitable for a repair shop. basement, whose size may not exceed 10 m2. Neither sanitary services nor firefighting organizations have any special requirements for repair shops. You can find out about the requirements of Rospozhnadzor for enterprises providing household services to the population. Space for a workshop or reception center can be rented from subtenants - owners of pavilions at the entrance to department stores. Often repair shops open in shopping centers, counting on buyers who need to hem their trousers immediately after purchase. On the one hand, this is a good idea, on the other hand, as a rule, things are not brought from home to such workshops. Meanwhile, in the autumn-winter period, most of the revenue of workshops near residential buildings accounts for the repair of fur coats, sheepskin coats, and down jackets. Renting a room on average can cost 100,000-300,000 per year.
Repair
If the room is located in a residential building, it will be enough to simply refresh the walls and decorate the waiting room and workplace. Most likely, you will have to install additional lighting: if there are no windows in the room, the craftsmen will need a lot of artificial light. Repairs can cost several thousand rubles.
Documentation
Ateliers and small repair shops simply need to provide a notification to Rospotrebnadzor about the start of their activities. The procedure for submitting a notification can be found on the department’s website. The State Services portal allows you to submit an electronic application. Along with the application, you must provide: information about the registration of the legal entity, an extract from the Unified State Register of Legal Entities indicating OKVED codes, and others. To start activities, it will be enough to register an individual entrepreneur, codes for individual entrepreneurs for 2013 can be found.
Other expenses
Staff
It’s good if you know how to sew and repair clothes yourself. Then you can quickly understand the tailor’s qualifications and ensure that he does not steal accessories and fabric from the customer. For a small workshop, one worker is enough if he can be trusted not only with clothing repairs, but also with clients’ money. The salary of a seamstress, depending on qualifications, is 25,000-65,000 rubles. If the employee will also take orders, you can add another 10,000-15,000.
Equipment
If you need to save money, you can find used equipment; it is offered in large quantities by bankrupt studios and workshops on specialized websites. For normal operation you will need a single needle sewing machine lockstitch, which can work without reconfiguration on several types of fabric. A Japanese Juki or Jaguar will cost about 10,000-20,000 rubles, European and Chinese analogues are half that price. To stitch and stitch the edges you will need an overlock machine; they are produced by the same companies. Overlockers are a little cheaper. For the winter season, it is worth purchasing a sewing machine for heavy materials or a furrier's machine.