Images_December_2019_Digital Edition

KB www.images-magazine.com 36 images DECEMBER 2019 BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Do you like this difficult work? My friends overwhelmingly enjoy non- apparel embroidery projects. Carolyn loves the freedom and collaboration with customers: “This is the time- consuming part and it’s the most rewarding at the end of the job. When a client lets me be me and says, ‘I trust your decision’ – be it colour, concept or size – that is the ultimate joy.” Laura enjoys being consulted as an embroidery expert, and relishes the opportunity to work on unique projects: “There’s a certain amount of prestige involved in working on these one-of- a-kind, high value jobs and knowing that the (upholstery) shop I deal with shares my high standards. The fact that they have chosen only me to work with gives me a sense of pride. We started out as a business partnership and we’ve become friends as well.” Final thoughts Jane points out that you don’t necessarily have to do this difficult work yourself to benefit from the market. “Look beyond the shirts, jackets and caps. If your machine won’t easily accommodate these items, contract it out to a shop that can do the work for you.” Carolyn cites the importance of cultivating your creative experiences while you learn how to handle these materials and applications: “Be willing to explore what you can embroider; play with items; go ahead and create something for the fun of it.” From the high premium you can charge, to the volunteer sales force you gain in these creative customers, to the name you can make for yourself as a one-of-a-kind service provider, there’s much to be gained from looking beyond apparel for embroidery work. Get creative, know your overheads, and share your work with the people who can help you to be seen. Embroidery’s frontier may be harder to reach, but it’s far less crowded than our usual marketplace. Erich Campbell is an award-winning digitiser, embroidery columnist and educator, with more than 20 years’ experience both in production and the management of ecommerce properties. He is the programme manager for the commercial division of BriTon Leap. www.erichcampbell.com Logos may not differ, though you will have to take speciality materials into account and charge accordingly for the labour and learning it takes to use them effectively [Image courtesy of Laura Jastrzemski] Even sports team logos you might usually expect on caps can get in on the act: these coordinating colours and custom placements can fetch a high price [Image courtesy of Laura Jastrzemski] Businesses can still be the consumers of these non-standard accessories. In the case of this piece, knowing the desirable brands and getting the finished piece in front of the right person can help you make sales [Image courtesy Swan Threads; Houston, Texas] One of my favourite non-apparel pieces was this design for shower curtains in an upscale hotel. The initial exploration was difficult and required a great deal of re-hooping and labour for the in-house sample, but the finished pieces were outsourced to a company that could use its border-sash frames to execute the entire span at once [Image courtesy of Erich Campbell] There’s a certain amount of prestige involved in working on these one-of-a- kind jobs