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| 2004
catalog |
August
Web Specials Big Savings For You! |
Feature NNEP-Nashville |
Product
of the Month |
Marketing
Moment Business Associations |
Customer
Profile Guitar Gifts 4 U |
Darold's
Design Tips Compensating For Zig-Zag’s Pull |
Web
Wise Is Your Site Easy To Navigate? |
Design
of the Month Nautical Flag |
Contact
Us We’re Always Ready To Help |
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August 2004
Now’s a great time to expand your thread collection. Kingstar Metallic thread is on sale for only $5.50 a spool. Check out this and other great specials available only during August at www.embstore.com |
Each month, the Embroidery Store offers some great deals on the supplies you need most on its Web site at www.embstore.com. It’s a wonderful opportunity to stock up on things you use everyday at bargain prices. To order, call (800) 504-9757. These are available for the month of August only so don’t delay. Kingstar
Polyester Thread Kingstar
Metallic Thread Medium
Cutaway Stabilizer Medium
Firm Tearaway Stabilizer Gingher
Precision Thread Clippers |
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The Embroidery Store, booth 519, will be looking forward to meeting you at the NNEP Nashville Embroidery Mart, Aug. 6-7. Stop by the check out all the show specials available only at this annual event. |
Feature If you want to better your business and increase profits, the place to be August 6-7 is the Nashville Convention Center at the National Network of Embroidery Professional’s Embroidery Mart. This event, promoted as “the industry’s largest embroidery-only trade show and convention,” offers a full lineup of free seminars and the opportunity to visit with hundreds of vendors offering embroidery equipment and supplies, apparel, software, and other related products. NNEP members attend for free and nonmembers pay only $20 for the two-day event. The price of admission includes all the seminars on a first-come, first-serve basis. Those seats fill up fast, so don’t be late. Just some of the topics offered this year include hooping, digitizing for caps, marketing, backings, networking, engraving, and how to take your business to the next level. Visit www.embroiderymart.com for more information. Best of all, you can visit the Embroidery Store in booth 519, and take advantage of numerous show discounts and closeouts that will be offered only at this show. We’ll look forward to seeing you there! |
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Peel
‘N’ Stick Backing Is Peel ‘N’ Stick is simple to use. Choose a hoop larger than your substrate. Secure the stabilizer in the hoop with the sticky side facing up. Peel off the protective covering and carefully place your blank item in the center of the hoop. Your item is secured and ready to be embroidered. Peel ‘N’ Stick, #B4704010, replaces water-adhesive backings or sprays for most applications. It comes in medium-weight tearaway rolls of 40 inches wide by 10-, 25-, and 100-yards long. It is ideal for velvets, napped materials, silks, knits, vinyl, leather, and any material requiring a better hold. For more information, contact The Embroidery Store at (800) 504-9757 or e-mail info@embstore.com. Visit the Web site at www.embstore.com to see the full online catalog. |
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THE
EMBROIDERY MALL
National Network of Embroidery Professionals
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Use
Business Associations It’s a given that any business should join its local chamber of commerce. But there are other groups that also can bring great benefits, according to Marie Mayotte, owner, Red Brick Clothing Co., Pelham, N.H., an embroiderer who belongs to three chamber of commerce organizations in her area. One of the most effective things Mayotte did when she was just starting out was join the Business Networking International (BNI) (www.bni.com). The group provides training on how to do a 30-second commercial about your company. Then in weekly meetings, members get a turn to stand up and give their presentation. The idea is as other businesses learn about your company and services, it creates a natural stream of referrals. “It was very effective,” says Mayotte, of BNI which has 1,700 chapters in 11 countries. Another business resource is the Association of Small Business Development Center, (www.asbdc-us.org), which “promotes, informs, and supports members by delivering nationwide educational assistance to strengthen small/medium business management.” It is very likely if you are in a town or city of any size that there is a local business networking or resource group that could greatly help you in promoting your business and taking it to the next level. If the group is active, they should easily be found by asking other noncompetitive business owners or checking out your Yellow Pages. Take advantage of all the resources you can to build your business. |
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Paul
Kline
Paul Kline, GuitarGifts 4 U, Uniontown, Ohio, has found a profitable, enjoyable retirement business offering embroidered nylon guitar straps to customers over the Internet. Using a singlehead embroidery machine, he is able to offer same-day service if orders are received before 1 p.m. EST.
Paul Kline, Guitar Gifts 4 U, Uniontown, Ohio, started up a profitable, part-time embroidery business at home creating personalized guitar straps.
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Singlehead
Embroiderer Finds Success By Deborah Sexton As is the case with many retirees, when Paul Kline left his bank job, he wasn’t looking to spend his remaining days sitting in a rocking chair watching TV. He wanted a part-time enterprise that he could do at home, be fun, and make a little money at the same time. Thanks to a suggestion from his son-in-law, Eddie Speedy, who owns SIT Strings, a leading guitar string and accessory manufacturer, Kline started up a business that perfectly met all his goals. Speedy,
who had formerly worked in a screen printing and embroidery shop,
had been wanting to start his own business offering personalized
guitar straps but had never had the time to get it started. So the
two formed a partnership with Speedy supplying high-quality nylon
straps and Kline purchasing a Web site from Galaxy Mall, a company
that offers complete Web design and related services. At first, Kline, who is located in Uniontown, Ohio, simply took orders and had a local embroiderer do the sewing, but he found that to be an unsatisfactory situation. “I could never really promise my customers when I could get the strap done,” he says. “I was always making excuses over the phone because the embroiderer did not deliver when promised.” Relying again on Speedy’s past embroidery experience, the pair started investigating singlehead machines. Kline ended up purchasing a machine from a nearby distributor in May 2003. It was an investment he’ll never regret. Six short months later in November, he had almost paid it off. “The month of December really paid for it,” says Kline. "Now, I'm doing embroidery in-house, and I can turn out orders the same day.” Orders
are typically for one or two pieces, although one bridegroom ordered
nine of them, one for each of his groomsmen. The straps—which
customers order with names, personal phrases, initials, and band
names up to 15 letters including spaces—sell for about $24.95,
a price he says customers are more than happy to pay. "They
don't think twice," he says. "You have to charge a 'gift
price.' " To
promote his business, each order comes with two Guitar Gifts 4 U
imprinted guitar picks as well as business cards. "It's very
effective," he says. Other promotional efforts include classified
advertisements in various guitar magazines. I've been very happy with it," he says of the machine, which he keeps in his basement. "I probably work only three hours a day, and that's exactly how I want it. I don't even have to get dressed for work, or wear a tie. I did that for so many years." Besides the joy of working at home, Kline also loves the feeling of receiving orders from customers wanting personalized guitar straps. "I get so excited," he says. "Every time I see an order, it really takes my breath away." Future
plans include adding a second machine to keep up with orders and
offering shirts and caps in the near future. He feels like he has
only begun to tap the potential his business can offer. “I
would like to get my business to the point where it’s making
full-time money. Eventually, I can even see hiring an employee and
sewing when I go away on vacation.” |
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Darold's
Design Tips By Darold Schubert A zig-zag machine places much greater stress on fabric than a straight-stitch one. Here are a few tips to compensate for the unique movement of a Meistergram. The added stress of a zig-zag stitch is horizontal (left to right), not top to bottom. Therefore, you need to have extra backing and fabric and make sure it fully covers both sides of the hoop. The backing needs to be very tight to provide extra support. You can test the firmness by tapping the hooped stabilizer with your finger. It should sound like a drum. Having extra backing and fabric on the top and bottom is not as important. I always recommend using the strongest cutaway backing available, preferably one that doesn't rip or stretch easily in either direction. (The Embroidery Store offers the John Solomon line of cutaways that are made using a wet-laid process that ensures they are nondirectional.) When placing the hoop in the machine, make sure the entire hoop is firmly pushed up against the table. Push down the inside hoop until the whole garment is touching the table completely. Use your finger to rub inside the hoop to double check that there is absolutely no bounce to the fabric. Any air between the fabric and the table may result in the garment being pulled out of shape, which will distort the embroidery. Darold
Schubert co-owns Frolic Athletic Embroidery Digitizing based in
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, which offers contract embroidery
and digitizing services. He has been digitizing for the past 15
years. He digitizes in any standard format, but specializes in Meistergram
designs. You may contact him at (800) 453-4477 or e-mail darold@frolicembroidery.com. |
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When designing your Web site, one of the most important considerations is that it is easy to navigate. This lends credibility to the site and ensures customers will visit again. |
Easy
Navigation Equals In last month’s column, I talked about the importance of good Web design to a site’s creditability. This information was gleaned from a recent research study conducted by the Stanford Persuasive Technology Lab, Consumer WebWatch, and Sliced Bread Design. Another key to credibility is how easy it is to navigate a Web site. Credible Web sites communicate this quietly via organization and a well-executed strategy to place information within two clicks of the visitor’s mouse, which runs counter to a site that purposely confuses and misleads a user toward advertisements and other promotions. Ultimately, a Web site must communicate information to visitors, and it needs to do so quickly without causing confusion or frustration. The information pathways must be clear and easy to use, and if they're not, any credibility gained through pleasing graphic design will be destroyed. Crafting a design that instills credibility within the first few seconds is an interactive and collaborative process. The end result is a Web site that demonstrates the credibility of the organization behind it through professional, aesthetically pleasing graphic design coupled with clear pathways to concise, relevant information. Jason Sherrill is president of InetSolution, a company that offers Web site software and development, Web site hosting, consulting, and products to make Web sites easier to use, less expensive, and more secure. He has 10 years experience in e-commerce business operations and seven years in Internet development. For assistance in creating or fine-tuning your Web site, you can contact him at http://www.inetsolution.com. |
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This nautical flag is one of several available in a new package offered by The Embroidery Store. The collection also include ships, boats, and other flag designs. Target any nautical business with this versatile collection.
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Design
of the Month If you’re near water, you’ll find countless opportunities to use this nautical flag design, which is part of a new package called “Meistergram Boats & Nautical,” #FR510. Sailing clubs, companies that offer fishing trips, and boat owners all are looking for sweat shirts, caps, tote bags, and towels with their company logo and nautical emblems. You can create a custom logo for a nautical business with many of these designs. There are 20 designs in the package, which can be purchased individually for $25 or $150 for the entire package. They range in size from .75 inches to 3 inches high. Images include a variety of flags, schooners, several types of sailboats, jet skis, frigates, and fishing boats. The Embroidery Store now offers a full line of more than 1,000 stock embroidery designs for Meistergram machines. These hard-to-find predigitized designs are offered individually or in packages for cost savings. To order, simply call the toll-free number, e-mail, or visit the Web site.
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Write
this down!
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Easy Ways to Order: All orders placed on the Internet, fax or phone by 3:00 p.m. EST Monday through Friday are shipped the same day. e-mail: info@embstore.com
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