Start with a Workshop for making uniforms
Many are the companies that, for reasons of business policy, decide to dress their staff in uniform, but there are also other professional areas that require the use of this specialized type of clothing for health and hygiene issues. However, independent dressmakers cannot cope with such a workload; sewing shops cannot always meet the deadlines.
Therefore, setting up a uniform workshop is the solution for a market that has become established and needs a specific and specialized supplier to provide quality and punctuality.
Find out how to get started.
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First steps in the making of uniforms
Before starting the business and for a better organization, you should carry out a market study that allows you to know who your main competitors are, what types of uniforms you can offer and the best sellers, sizes, color preferences, identify the profile of your customers and in this sense, orient your business according to market needs.
Another important aspect is whether companies send their employees to take their measurements in the uniform manufacturing workshop or whether your staff goes to the hiring company to take their measurements there. The ideal is to adapt the modality to the needs of the client in each case.
How a uniform manufacturing business works
When we talk about setting up a workshop to make uniforms, we are focusing on a venture to make a wide variety of uniforms that are used in different areas, such as: hospitals, restaurants, retail companies, schools, factories, cleaning companies, health professionals, beauty and esthetic professionals, supermarkets, among others.
In the case of schools, you will only need the school’s logo, the inscription they include on the garment and to make a large percentage of uniforms in advance in relation to the number of students they have. You will make them by size according to the ages.
How do I sell my ready-made clothes?
You can choose the model of sale according to your preferences. You can open a shop to sell to the public, where you have installed the machines and the spaces for clothing. But you can also dedicate yourself to the manufacture of the garments, distributing the uniforms to specialized businesses that offer them to the public, in this way you will participate in the market with intermediaries to whom you supply the final product.
Requirements for a uniform manufacturing workshop
Once you have started the legal process of opening the company, you will need to take care of the place of operation. If you do not plan to sell, then it does not have to be big, since you will not have merchandise on display because you are working to order, but you will need the workshop to be set up in the same place where you serve the clientele.
We recommend you to visit different suppliers and get advice according to the volume of work you plan to have in principle, and the type of garments you will make, what machinery you should buy, at least at the beginning of your uniform making workshop. Some possibilities are: pespontadeira interloc coser, galoneira overloc semi-industrial, industrial and straight industrial sewing.
Equipment of my business
On the other hand, another part of the equipment of the business includes the inputs. It is necessary that you have all the sewing supplies, among which the following cannot be missing: needles, pins, thimbles, threads, conglomerates, pins, hooks, zippers, buttons, elastics, among others. It is very important that you have sample books with the main fabrics used for uniforms and their different colors.
As for suppliers, we recommend you to negotiate with one or two suppliers who will sell you fabrics and supplies in bulk, of the best quality, with timely deliveries and good business relationships. The fewer suppliers you have, the more discounts you will get for volume purchases, but you should have a base of orders so that you are never short.
Do I need to hire staff?
In the initial stage, you may not need to have staff to run the store. However, since demand will increase, you may need two or three people who can handle large orders, as you will have to deal with other areas such as administration and customer contact.
The people who work in the workshop making uniforms will be specialized in high fashion and/or design. The more knowledge they have, the faster and better quality will be the result of the work and the product you offer.
How do I promote my business?
Having a website where our customers can learn about our product catalog and even place their orders, is a way to
simple but very efficient to gain customers, even if it is not wholesale. It also takes advantage of physical advertising to post signs near areas where this type of uniform may be required, as well as to deliver business cards to non-manufacturing businesses.
Tips for making uniforms
Staff recruitment should be a process that allows you to confirm that those who apply have knowledge in the manufacture of uniforms, because your business will gain prestige in the market according to the quality of the garments made and their finishes, so that this becomes a fundamental aspect of which you must take good care.
Make sure that your brand is present in every uniform you make, and by this we mean that you offer special garments that have everything the person needs and even the possibility of personalizing the garment, choosing the type of print they want and the decorations. This will undoubtedly attract more customers who want to have unique and unrepeatable garments.
Weaknesses: the location of your business is extremely important, you can have it a few blocks from main streets, but it will generate the double problem of transfers, since customers will be received to try on the uniform in the place that serves the public, while, no less important problem, you will have to pay two rents and double fixed costs. This, counting on the transfer needs in case there are many garments.
Points in favour: without a doubt, it is a business idea that, although it requires time and personnel when the demand begins to increase, has great opportunities to grow and become an important reference in the market. You have the possibility of starting in the comfort of your own home, with a small budget but with quality material, and you can also choose the type of uniforms you are going to focus on, and the truth is that you have a world of options to choose from and combine.
Quality, elegance, distinction and practicality will be the results that client companies expect from your workshop, even from your private clients.
Start your business today and start growing in the market, don’t make your next customers wait any longer.