Working from home is a dream shared by millions. There have been thousands of books written about how to start your own home business.
There are so many con jobs and rip-offs that most of us eventually get a little skeptical. There are endless promises, guarantees, assurances, and can not lose opportunities it makes your head spin. If you believe there is an ideal opportunity where you never have to sell, work, serve, or do anything but rake in the cash; wake up. If there were such an opportunity, I know I would have found it. And I have not.
So, is it possible to make a living from home? Absolutely, yes. There are legitimate things you can do to make a living from home. Please, do not think that I am some rich guy looking down my nose at others from my gilded chair. On the contrary, I am just like you. I want to pay my bills and take care of my family. I just prefer doing it from home. I like the convenience and personal benefits, but I do work from home.
Since the late 1960s my wife has operated an intermittent sewing business from our home. Now she did not get rich, but the extra money did help. As a small church pastor for over 30 years, we had to pinch every penny. By working only a couple of hours per day, Donna was able to bring in a few hundred dollars a week. When she didnt want to work, she didnt. Her business activities were a bit hit and miss. She would go for a year or so, and do no business at all. If she was teaching school, she did less sewing. It was her choice. When we needed extra money, she would let her friends know and maybe run a small classified ad in the newspaper. In a matter of a few days, she would have work to do.
When we moved to Texas in 1992, she decided to build up her business. Soon she had loads of work, but she kept getting requests for sewing machine repair. I thought I can do that. So, in 1992, I started learning how to repair sewing machines. I ran a little ad in the local newspaper, and soon had half dozen machines to repair every week. Over time, we opened a sewing store, and the repair business grew. We expanded and the repair business grew. We now own three sewing stores and do about 150 sewing machine repairs each month.
I took a repair course with Allyn International in Denver. I found a repairman in Austin who would mentor me. I collected service manuals. Essentially, I learned to repair sewing machines so I could collect the dollars people were trying to push on me. Yes, within a few months I was repairing five to six machines every week all from my garage part time. Eventually, we opened a small store, then expanded, and expanded again. Currently, our company repairs about 150 sewing machines monthly.
Not everyone sews today. Those who do, however, do so with such passion that it overwhelms. When I talk with non sewers, and mention what I do, they sometimes look at me as if to say, You arent Amish are you? Many people just do not realize how big the sewing business is in America.
I explain that there are some 85 million sewing machines in use just in the United States. Another 5 million new machines are sold every year. And guess what. Every one of those sewing machines requires sewing machine service and repair annually. That is a lot of sewing machines to fix.
I am not going to tell you that you can make a bundle of money without doing any work; but from my own experience, I will tell your there is a big opportunity in sewing machine repair. Here are some advantages: you can learn it in a matter of weeks; you can do business from your kitchen table, shop, or garage; you need no big overhead; you need no large investment; and you need no employees.
Getting started is easy. Once your learn your trade, all you really need to do is let sewers know you are available to help them. You might service a few machines for free to get people talking about your new service. Then you might repair some machines at a special introductory price. Find out what your competition is charging if you have any. Usually, the larger towns and cities will have repair shops, but most suburbs and medium to small towns do not. Pass out business cards. Contact churches, clubs, sewing groups, quilt guilds, retirement groups, everybody who might sew. Offer specials. Run a small classified ad. Generally, let the whole world know you now do sewing machine repair.
Lets be practical. I make no promises because you set your own rates and you do all the work, however, what if you could earn an additional $300 per month or $4,000 per year and only work a couple hours a week? He is how it works. Say you do one machine each week. You charge $80 for each one. It takes about 2.5 hours to do a service. You have no overhead, no employees, no big investment; so you keep all the money. Do the math: $80 time 1 machine times 4 weeks = ______ or times 52 weeks = ______. Not too shabby for a couple of hours a week at home.
But what if you get aggressive. Maybe you are not satisfied with one machine a week. Maybe you decide you want to work your business say ten to fifteen hours a week and do say 5 machines a week. The numbers stay the same, but you multiply them times the added machines you do. In short order, you could be earning a part time income of better than $20,000 a year.
If and when you choose, you can expand your business. A really good full time technician might plan to service as many as 20 machines a week without working overtime. You can set up special arrangements with clubs, guilds, sewing shops, quilt shops, vacuum shops, and other locations to have them collect machines for you to service. You simply pick up and deliver the machines. Even if you pay a token fee or offer a group discount, you are in control. For each additional sewing machine you service per week, plan an additional $4,000 per year in income.
What is your maximum potential for full time sewing machine repair? Without opening a sewing store and without hiring employees, you will find that you max out between fifteen and twenty sewing machines per week. The more demand for your services, the more you can charge. The better job you do, the more you can earn. The faster you are, the more machines you can do. At $99 per machine and averaging 20 machines per week, you might see as much as $100,000 a year. Of course, this is really a pie in the sky estimate, however, you are in control. You set your own potential.
Here is a business that is practical and doable. It does require some basic mechanical skills, common hand tools, some sewing machine repair training, and a bit of work. It does not require a large investment. It does not require hiring employees. It does not require large over head, renting facilities, or opening a store. The potential of this business depends on you reaching out to those who sew and quilt to attract customers and properly servicing their sewing machines. You can start very part time and gradually expand your business as you desire.
There are so many con jobs and rip-offs that most of us eventually get a little skeptical. There are endless promises, guarantees, assurances, and can not lose opportunities it makes your head spin. If you believe there is an ideal opportunity where you never have to sell, work, serve, or do anything but rake in the cash; wake up. If there were such an opportunity, I know I would have found it. And I have not.
So, is it possible to make a living from home? Absolutely, yes. There are legitimate things you can do to make a living from home. Please, do not think that I am some rich guy looking down my nose at others from my gilded chair. On the contrary, I am just like you. I want to pay my bills and take care of my family. I just prefer doing it from home. I like the convenience and personal benefits, but I do work from home.
Since the late 1960s my wife has operated an intermittent sewing business from our home. Now she did not get rich, but the extra money did help. As a small church pastor for over 30 years, we had to pinch every penny. By working only a couple of hours per day, Donna was able to bring in a few hundred dollars a week. When she didnt want to work, she didnt. Her business activities were a bit hit and miss. She would go for a year or so, and do no business at all. If she was teaching school, she did less sewing. It was her choice. When we needed extra money, she would let her friends know and maybe run a small classified ad in the newspaper. In a matter of a few days, she would have work to do.
When we moved to Texas in 1992, she decided to build up her business. Soon she had loads of work, but she kept getting requests for sewing machine repair. I thought I can do that. So, in 1992, I started learning how to repair sewing machines. I ran a little ad in the local newspaper, and soon had half dozen machines to repair every week. Over time, we opened a sewing store, and the repair business grew. We expanded and the repair business grew. We now own three sewing stores and do about 150 sewing machine repairs each month.
I took a repair course with Allyn International in Denver. I found a repairman in Austin who would mentor me. I collected service manuals. Essentially, I learned to repair sewing machines so I could collect the dollars people were trying to push on me. Yes, within a few months I was repairing five to six machines every week all from my garage part time. Eventually, we opened a small store, then expanded, and expanded again. Currently, our company repairs about 150 sewing machines monthly.
Not everyone sews today. Those who do, however, do so with such passion that it overwhelms. When I talk with non sewers, and mention what I do, they sometimes look at me as if to say, You arent Amish are you? Many people just do not realize how big the sewing business is in America.
I explain that there are some 85 million sewing machines in use just in the United States. Another 5 million new machines are sold every year. And guess what. Every one of those sewing machines requires sewing machine service and repair annually. That is a lot of sewing machines to fix.
I am not going to tell you that you can make a bundle of money without doing any work; but from my own experience, I will tell your there is a big opportunity in sewing machine repair. Here are some advantages: you can learn it in a matter of weeks; you can do business from your kitchen table, shop, or garage; you need no big overhead; you need no large investment; and you need no employees.
Getting started is easy. Once your learn your trade, all you really need to do is let sewers know you are available to help them. You might service a few machines for free to get people talking about your new service. Then you might repair some machines at a special introductory price. Find out what your competition is charging if you have any. Usually, the larger towns and cities will have repair shops, but most suburbs and medium to small towns do not. Pass out business cards. Contact churches, clubs, sewing groups, quilt guilds, retirement groups, everybody who might sew. Offer specials. Run a small classified ad. Generally, let the whole world know you now do sewing machine repair.
Lets be practical. I make no promises because you set your own rates and you do all the work, however, what if you could earn an additional $300 per month or $4,000 per year and only work a couple hours a week? He is how it works. Say you do one machine each week. You charge $80 for each one. It takes about 2.5 hours to do a service. You have no overhead, no employees, no big investment; so you keep all the money. Do the math: $80 time 1 machine times 4 weeks = ______ or times 52 weeks = ______. Not too shabby for a couple of hours a week at home.
But what if you get aggressive. Maybe you are not satisfied with one machine a week. Maybe you decide you want to work your business say ten to fifteen hours a week and do say 5 machines a week. The numbers stay the same, but you multiply them times the added machines you do. In short order, you could be earning a part time income of better than $20,000 a year.
If and when you choose, you can expand your business. A really good full time technician might plan to service as many as 20 machines a week without working overtime. You can set up special arrangements with clubs, guilds, sewing shops, quilt shops, vacuum shops, and other locations to have them collect machines for you to service. You simply pick up and deliver the machines. Even if you pay a token fee or offer a group discount, you are in control. For each additional sewing machine you service per week, plan an additional $4,000 per year in income.
What is your maximum potential for full time sewing machine repair? Without opening a sewing store and without hiring employees, you will find that you max out between fifteen and twenty sewing machines per week. The more demand for your services, the more you can charge. The better job you do, the more you can earn. The faster you are, the more machines you can do. At $99 per machine and averaging 20 machines per week, you might see as much as $100,000 a year. Of course, this is really a pie in the sky estimate, however, you are in control. You set your own potential.
Here is a business that is practical and doable. It does require some basic mechanical skills, common hand tools, some sewing machine repair training, and a bit of work. It does not require a large investment. It does not require hiring employees. It does not require large over head, renting facilities, or opening a store. The potential of this business depends on you reaching out to those who sew and quilt to attract customers and properly servicing their sewing machines. You can start very part time and gradually expand your business as you desire.
About the Author:
Find outmore about repairing sewing machines, discover Dr. David Trumble's comprehensive sewing machine repair courses. Seehis tips and tricks and pick up your free copy of his beginner's course 7 Steps To Peak Performance.
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