How to open a tailoring and repair shop: instructions and recommendations

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

Repair and tailoring services are in demand in any city. Some businessmen are sure that starting such a business is easy, but, as practice shows, this is far from the case. This article discusses in detail the question of how to open a studio.

Most newcomers leave the business without waiting for profitability. In order for the atelier to improve and bring a stable profit, it is necessary to take into account many details that distinguish the clothing business from other areas of business activity.

Expert advice

Before you start looking for space, staff and finances, there is one key factor to consider. Many of the owners of such establishments are capable tailors, fashion designers and cutters. Simply put, people who know the nuances of sewing and the market. If a businessman does not understand anything about fashion trends and has never come across the word “patterns”, then you should think about other areas of business.

Of course, a capable manager knows how to open an atelier from scratch. But only a man who held a needle and thread in his own hands and sewed manyproducts, understands the needs of the client and knows what details to pay attention to. If an entrepreneur is only interested in means, and he is far from the creative process, it is better to choose another area, since you need to put your soul into this business. An atelier is not a tailor's factory, in which thousands of pieces of overalls were given to order.

Where to start

The main thing you need to open an atelier is to decide on its location. There are a number of options, namely:

• Open it in a crowded area, like a mall.
• Provide repair and tailoring services in a peaceful area.

Fans of the first option say that if the institution is located in a shopping center, then the traffic is greater. People, doing shopping, at the same moment want to fit the purchased clothes for themselves, which is why they go to the tailor located in this center. It really is. To be sure of this, you just need to observe how busy the sewing workshop, which is located in a crowded place, is.

Fans of the second option say that not everyone prefers to give things to the tailor immediately after shopping. In addition, even more need arises for the repair of previously purchased clothes, and it is uncomfortable to go to a shopping center away from home for this purpose. In this situation, the sewing studio, which is located next to the house, is very helpful.

The advantage of the second option is that the rental price is significantly lower than in the city center. If for a room with a quadrature of about 15 m2in the shopping center must be givenon average 40-45 thousand rubles and more, then in a quiet area you can rent the same premises at several times the cost.

Another method for those who want to open an atelier, but don't know where to start, is to purchase a franchise. The advantage of this method is that you will have to implement the steps given by the franchisor, which up to this point have made many companies profitable. There is no need to figure out how to open a tailoring and repair shop, you just need to follow all the tips that others have tested before.

Many entrepreneurs believe that acquiring a franchise only increases start-up capital. However, if you calculate how much it costs to open an atelier alone, then these costs are quite capable of increasing the start-up capital of a franchise business by a certain number of times.

Despite the fact that before opening a sewing studio, a businessman is able to write a very detailed business plan, in practice it will need to be edited in any case. If the owner of the establishment is still a novice entrepreneur and does not quite clearly imagine doing business, then the real numbers from the calculated ones will be very different.

Most often this happens when a tailor becomes a businessman, doing an excellent job of his own, but very poorly imagining the list of formation and promotion of an entrepreneurial business. In the final, he will need to master such a list, stuffing "bumps", expressed in the form of a loss.

What to do: repair or tailoring

Experts advise to immediately open an IPatelier repairing clothes, spin it up to a good level in order to fill a decent customer base, and only after that start tailoring to order.

Arguments:

1. Hemming trousers, narrowing or embroidering a skirt, adjusting a suit to size - work that is accessible. But tailoring to order is very expensive.
2. Inhabitants of the area should know that the establishment employs experienced staff who can easily be trusted with a very sophisticated order.
3. Need to build a customer base. Satisfied clients will recommend the atelier to their friends and relatives. Don't miss the fact that word of mouth is the best PR.
4. The cost of a tailor shop is substantially less than that of a tailor shop.
5. The number of things that need minor or major repairs is constantly overtaking the number of custom-made suits or dresses.
6. Employees are given a unique opportunity to gain experience in order to successfully fulfill difficult orders in the future.

Costs

It is important to determine whether it is profitable to open an atelier. The smallest deposits reach an average of 350,000 rubles. These funds will be enough to create a small organization. The income at first will be insignificant, the overall profitability will be small.

But after promotion, the institution is able to give a constant profit of about 80 thousand rubles per month with normal customer traffic (about 10 customers per day). The average check value is 250rubles, these are only approximate numbers, which are proof that the maximum payback period is 2-2.5 years.

Funds will be needed for:

• Paying rent.
• Equipment purchases.
• Shopping consumables.
• Wages of tailors.
• Accountant pay.
• Finishing the premises, equipping the workplace and customer rooms with everything necessary.
• Advertising.

If a businessman is thinking about how to open an atelier for tailoring to order, then you should know that investments in starting a workshop will be much more, on average 3.5 million rubles. The fact is that products in such establishments are made unique, from expensive fabrics and most often for peculiar figures. Therefore, every whim of the customer will have to be taken into account.

You will need expensive original equipment, premium fabrics and branded accessories up to sliding tailor's mannequins from a famous brand. In addition, elite-class cutters and professional seamstresses are needed. It is also important to have a good repair of the premises, a trendy appearance and expensive finishing materials. No matter how it sounds, a reputable customer will not come to the "barn" more than once.

The main nuance is the popular name of the cutter or fashion designer that customers know. An experienced tailor will not work forever for a penny. At first, prices for his services can be reduced in order to attract clientele, but after some time you need to be ready to pay for the experience andunique approach.

Design

Of course, before you open a studio, you need to collect the required documents. Firstly, a newcomer to entrepreneurial activity will have to apply to the tax structure. The ideal solution is to register an individual entrepreneur, but an LLC should not be excluded either. In addition, it is necessary to obtain approval from the SES and firefighters. You will also need to carry out an occupational he alth and safety check. On average, it will take about 2 months to collect a package of documents.

Which taxation to choose

In order to simplify the establishment tax payments, the ideal option is to apply for the choice of UTII. Alas, not in every region of the state, local government structures make it possible to conduct business under this tax system.

In this regard, the most popular is the simplified system (USN). It makes it possible to pay businessmen either 6 percent of total profits or 15 percent of pre-tax income. If an entrepreneur does not submit an application regarding the choice of taxation, then he will automatically be included in the group of individual entrepreneurs who operate on a common basis.

Why you shouldn't run an atelier at home

Businessmen who decide to personally become employees in their project need to pay attention to promoting the case, and not get involved in the work process. An entrepreneur should work on a project, not in it - this is the key difference between an employee and a businessman.

The idea to open an atelier for tailoring and repairing clothes at home hassignificant disadvantages, namely:

• Limit in development.
• Colossal dependence on position in the family or home.
• Residence becomes work.

The limit in development is that it is difficult to leave in your house or apartment employees with whom you are not familiar. And it’s better not to hire people with whom you have strong relationships at all, because relationships will lose their strength for some time, in addition, the loss of an employee.

In the end, it looks undignified when a businessman lists an apartment in the promotion, in particular, if it is located on the upper floors of an apartment building. In general, such an organization is difficult to advertise and develop through hiring.

The dependence of the position in the family or home is that not everyone will be curious about the activities of a businessman. There will be envious neighbors who can become a hindrance not only in the form of grumbling next to customers, but also in the form of a pile of garbage on the site.

A perfectly natural case when the number of customers suddenly decreases to a minimum, and only after a while one of the former customers will say that the neighbor said something out of envy. In such a situation, the word of mouth, which until now was an effective tool, will turn into an active enemy.

Where to open a studio

To repair clothes, there will be enough room in a large shopping center, where there are shops with proper products. Customers regularly require services foradjusting the length, as well as fitting to the figure. A businessman needs to be ready for high-quality and fast work. The only downside is the substantial rental fee.

The second method is a room that is located on the ground floor of an apartment building in a quiet area or in a small row near a crowded place. In this case, the rental price will be less. In some cases, they do it as follows: the order acceptance point is located in the center, and the workplace is on the periphery.

The method will be an ideal solution for the execution of orders that do not need prompt execution. In any case, the smallest dimensions of the room should be an average of 10 m2. After some time, if the client base has become larger, it makes sense to expand.

Equipment

The key equipment, of course, will be a sewing machine, preferably a multifunctional one. A specialized cutting table, a sliding dressmaker's mannequin and other devices will also come in handy for a businessman: needles, threads, scissors, and so on. The approximate price for equipment fluctuates, starting from 20 thousand rubles.

Staff

It is very important to take this issue seriously before opening an atelier, since it is in the qualifications of the employees that the success of the entire project lies. In particular, it is recommended to resolve this issue already at the beginning, when the entrepreneur began to enjoy the trust of customers.

When hiring employees, you should be guided by the following requirements. Man must be a masterown business. In simple terms, he must have sewing skills in order to fulfill orders well and quickly.

It will not be superfluous if the tailor has communication skills, this will help him to properly discuss with customers. Calmness, accuracy, conscientiousness and competent performance of work are important criteria by which candidates for the position are selected.

Working hours

It is recommended to set the work schedule in accordance with the geolocation or similar to the schedule of the shopping center where the businessman's organization is located. Some entrepreneurs are guided by the patency of customers. Acceptable schedule: from 9 am to 20 pm, it is desirable to make Saturday and Sunday working days.

Advertising

Don't be greedy when it comes to promotion. It is recommended to distribute leaflets, as well as lay out flyers in mailboxes. It is imperative to communicate with the distributors of boutiques that sell clothes. It will not be superfluous to tell the sellers that it will become easier for them to sell products if the client knows that the pants of interest will be sewn nearby. In addition, every customer should have atelier business cards.

Results

Consequently, to open your own studio, you will need a starting capital of about 200,000 rubles. A small establishment is able to fulfill about 15 orders every day. Repair services are often estimated at 100-300 rubles, and for personal tailoring they ask from 2 thousand. Naturally, the cost depends on the difficultyorder and will be considered individually.