If you are looking to get into the embroidery business but are unsure where to start, monogramming may be for you.  Almost anything can be monogrammed – from hand towels to baseball caps to sports jackets.  Plus monogramming has a variety of uses in everything from making business uniforms to personalized baby gifts.

One of the first things to decide is what you would like to monogram.  Though it is tempting to try and do everything at once, you will quickly go broke trying to purchase all the supplies that you will need.  You should decide whether you want to be into personal monogramming single items, or monogramming in bulk for companies.  You may also want to decide what you will do monogramming on – will the client provide their own items, or will you have stock items that you use?

Monogramming can be done on a variety of products; so do not limit yourself to T-shirts and hand towels.  If you are going to be designing your own products, choose something that is of interest to you.  Got a toy poodle?  Consider monogramming dog beds, sweaters, collars, or toys for that personalized look.  Are you into home décor?  Consider monogramming pillowcases and sheet sets to market towards wedding shower gifts.  Do you have a baby?  Consider monogramming fun items like bibs or T-shirts, or even keepsake items.  The opportunities are limited only by your imagination.

The next thing to do is to get all of the equipment you need.  Depending on the amount of work you plan on doing will affect the type of machine that you get.  There are large, heavy-duty ones for commercial use or smaller, lighter-weight ones for personal use.  They can hold a variety of spools of thread – another thing that you will want to stock up on in many assorted colors.  If your machine is not pre-programmed with monogram designs, you may need to purchase some patterns.  You can also purchase computer software that will allow you to turn logos or personal designs into patterns for the machine.  If you plan on providing the items that will be monogrammed, you will need to find a way to order those in bulk and have on hand as well.

With so many different supplies and projects going on at once, it is crucial to keep everything organized.  Consider setting aside a room or portion of your home to use as an office and workspace.

Next you will want to decide how to advertise your wares.  Depending on the type of monogramming you are doing, this can be achieved a variety of ways.  You can place ads in newspapers and craft magazines.  You can attend craft fairs.  You can give monogrammed items as gifts to friends and family.  Or you can wear your items around town for everyone to see.  How you decide to advertise is up to you.

Once you have generated some interest in your product, you will need to come up with a way to efficiently process and fill orders.  For someone who is new to working at home, it may be easy to get distracted and overwhelmed.  Remember that organization is the key to success.  Create yourself a workspace.  Ideally, this would be a separate room in your home where you can literally shut yourself away from everyone.  You will want to keep everything to do with your business there.  Organize your thread and other materials in a system that can make it easy to find and notice when you are running low on an item.  You might consider getting a computer program that can help you track incoming and outgoing orders, expenditures and earnings, and client information.  You might also consider getting a separate phone line or email address so that you never miss an order.

Next it is time to create!  Remember, when you are working for a project it is essential to stay on task.  As business gets going, you may need to complete several monograms in a set amount of time.  Take care when scheduling your time so that you have adequate time to complete all projects.

Monogramming can be a fun and inventive way to create unique designs for customers.  You may just find that it is the embroidery business that you were looking for.

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