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How to close a sale for a t-shirt quilt and not feel sleazy. Sales are sleazy right? T-shirt quilt makers are creatives and the thought of making a living wage is hard for a lot of us. Listen-if you constantly under charge for your work you will eventually go OUT OF BUSINESS. You will either realize you could make more money at Target or you will work so much that your health will suffer. Either of those options is not WHY you started a t-shirt quilt business. You didn't start this business to be broke or in bad health. Most…

T-shirt quilt business- Is now the right time to start? Now is the perfect time to put your skills to work for you. Most likely friends and family have asked you to turn their t-shirts into quilts. You gladly make a beautiful quilt out of their t-shirts. They say Thanks -you are the best! You are happy and excited to make the quilt. That is a common scenario on how people start their t-shirt quilt business. Then you begin to wonder if they know how much time you put into making their t-shirt quilt. Making a t-shirt quilt takes sewing…

As we are winding down a year of making t-shirt quilts it is always good to look back and take stock of what worked and what fell short. Taking time to reflect will pay off in the future. Did you meet your goals? Did you move your business forward? What do you need to start doing or stop doing?  How about your prices? Did the cost of your supplies increase? Shipping costs go up? Can you give yourself a raise in the new year? We get so busy working in our t-shirt quilt business and we do not have the…

Tips from long arm quilters that will help your t shirt quilt business. I have been a long arm quilter since 2004 and in those years I have learned a few tips that apply to making t shirt quilts. Both professions work with quilts.A long arm quilter takes a customers quilt and adds quilting stitches. A t shirt quilt maker takes a customers shirts. The maker cuts the shirts, sews them together and adds quilting stitches.Customers are extremely important.Customers keep us busy and pay the bills.Treat your work as a business not a hobby. If you treat your business as…

What has 2020 has taught us? This question will be discussed for years! The main take away for me is that our regular job is not secure. Our job can be closed down in a day. You can be an outstanding employee, give 110%, and be very dedicated to the company you work for. None of that will matter if the company closes its door. For years we were advised to get a job with an established company, work there for 30 years, and then we can retire with a pension. Now that secure job does not seem so secure.…

The art of making tshirt quilts takes time and patience.  This is the main reason you should not refer to yourself as a crafter. What image does your mind conjour up when you hear the word crafter? Do you think of a successful business owner that works as hard on their business as they work in it? A person who constantly tries to improve their business and strives to provide an exceptional customer experience. My mind goes to a person cutting construction paper and glueing it together! There is nothing wrong with being a crafter. In fact it is a…

You can either spend time or money to grow a successful t-shirt quilt business. A recent blog post caught my eye. The blog post is called "The 8 most popular t-shirt companies". I read the article and it occurred to me that these 8 companies had one thing in common. It is not the style of t-shirt quilt they make.The companies make many different styles of t-shirt quilts. It is not the price they charge. The prices range from low to high.  It is not how long they have been in business. The post did not have that information for…

Do you have low sales? It could be the price you are charging for the t-shirt quilt you make. A quick search of the internet and you will find a wide range of prices for tshirt quilts. You will find $100 t-shirt quilts and $1000 quilts. What makes one tshirt quilt worth $100 and another tshirt quilt $1000? Have you ever searched for an item on Etsy and found the item for a very low price? Did you wonder why the price is so low? Did you question the quality of the work or materials? I have. And I usually…

Stop treating your t-shirt quilt business as a hobby if you want to grow. If you have the desire to own a t-shirt quilt business you have to get out of the hobby mindset. Here are several steps to take: 1.Set up a business checking account. When it is time to pay taxes you will be happy! Don't use money from your business to buy personal items. 2.Get an accountant. You don't know what you don't know! Find  an accountant that will guide you on what deductions you can take and what will red flag your business. I had done…

Customers for life that is the goal! It is cheaper to keep customers than to find new customers. Here are 5 tips to turn customers into fans that keep coming back for more t-shirt quilts. As children we learned the golden rule. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. How does this apply to your t-shirt quilt business?Treat your buyers like you would like to be treated-fairly. Keep you commitments. Many customers want their t-shirt quilt by a certain date. The quilts are for graduation or birthday parties. Your buyers are counting on getting them back…