Quiltmaker #191 • QuiltingCompany.com 41
Best advice for turning your hobby into
a business
Charisma Trust your instincts! I think that is the
best advice I can give to anyone. You will be
rejected and turned down, but if you believe in
yourself and your abilities, keep trying. Ex-
ample, I designed a quilt for a guild using their
specifi c criteria. I met that criteria and when I
presented it to them, the spokesperson for the
guild rejected it. To make a long story short, I
made the quilt, took it to that guild, and sold
out of all of my kits and patterns that night.
Rachel Do what you love and don't let it take
over your life. There will certainly be phases
where it takes over for a little while (like every
Quilt Market!) but make sure that you schedule
time for other things in your life too—it's easy
to get caught up in the excitement of it all.
Starting a longarm business
Elaine Obviously, the cost of the machine is
huge. What other things do you need? Pat-
terns, business cards, advertising, are you go-
ing to sell batting, and if so where will you store
it? What about wide backings? What about the
space you need to store all this stuff? The cost
of learning—most likely you’ll want to take a
course or two. Don’t forget classes on mainte-
nance, as the dealers are usually far away.
Charisma When you start a longarm business it
is your fi rst inclination to buy all of the thread
colors, all of the fancy rulers, and all of the gad-
gets that are handy. My advice is to NOT buy
all of that. I have been a longarmer for 10 years.
I still have some of those odd color threads
that I bought when I fi rst started, and I have
rulers that I have never used. You will fi nd that
you mostly use neutral colored threads. Start
slowly. As far as the fancy rulers? Get a simple
straight edge. Find out what is comfortable
for you and then build up as you learn. You will
fi nd out what shapes and types will be com-
fortable for you when you get some experi-
ence under your belt. I think of it like this, “How
many quilts do I have to quilt for someone else
to pay for this?” and then I know if I really need
it.Contract or travel tips for teaching/
lecturingGeraldine Use one airline and one credit card
company connected to the airline to build
up points. Accumulating points translates to
“convenience perks” like faster airport check-
in, increased luggage weight, no/low luggage
fees, free day-of-departure seat upgrades to
fi rst class, and fi rst-out baggage claim tags.Rachel Always use your own contract—this
way you can be sure that the other party
knows your expectations. I also update my
contract constantly to avoid issues I've experi-
enced or thought of as I've gone along.Anything else you think might be helpful?
Geraldine Find an experienced business coach,
join professional trade groups and associations,
and participate in local small business develop-
ment agencies or centers.