11 Areas Where Embroidery Business Owners Get Stuck, and How to Fix Them

Have you ever noticed that lots of people teach you how to get started in this business, including the National Network of Embroidery Professionals, but almost no one has information to help you keep moving forward after you've been in business for three to five years or more?

During that first year, you are learning how to create quality embroidery, how to sell and how to connect with suppliers. The next year, you expand those skills and maybe go a bit further with digitizing designs. You have probably figured out your workspace, and have a handle on your workflow for the most part. You know how to create the work that comes in. You are solid with the quality of the work you produce.

As you head into your third year, you may decide that you need employees, and that brings a whole host of issues, such as

• How do I hire the right person or people?
• How do I train them?
• How do I hold them accountable?
• How much should I pay them?
• What happens if they botch an entire order?

And by this time, you also have recognized that marketing and sales are a top priority, and you may be facing issues like:

• How can I teach someone else to sell these orders as well as I can?
• What should I do on Social Media, if anything?
• What would a website do for me?
• What other products or services should I offer and how do I do that?
• When and how can I raise my prices?
• What can I do to make people aware of my business?

And then there are other issues to address, such as when should I upgrade my software, what other equipment should I look into, how can I get my customer information organized, how do I do split front appliques, how do I digitize designs for puffy foam, why is the machine birdnesting all of a sudden, and an endless array of other things that keep popping up what seems like every single day. Some seem huge and feel like if you do not get it figured out, you will go insane and the business with implode. Other frustrations are smaller, but no less hindering, keeping you from moving forward, growing your business, and getting it to where you dreamed your business would be by now.

If you are tired of getting stuck and of going it alone... if you want to get focused on what really matters for your business to grow and evolve, if you want to run an amazing business... you owe it to yourself to find the best and fastest possible solutions to the issues and frustrations you face. And there is no better way than to get support, mentorship, and guidance from the NNEP, your national professional trade association.

If you are interested in moving your company forward, give us a call and let us help you with whatever is challenging you at the moment. A source for a weird product, a pricing strategy for a unique order, a marketing idea for reaching a new customer, a machine tech that can get to you quickly, a contractor partner that can handle a larger job than you want to run yourself - NNEP members don't sweat it when things like these come their way. They know that they can reach out to NNEP and their fellow NNEP members and get information, contacts, and solutions - right now, right when they need it. They are not alone at the helm of their business, they have a highly qualified co-pilot.

We would love to "ride shotgun" with you and help you move through your business challenges. Join NNEP today and put the NNEP team (and all the NNEP resources, preferred vendors and services) on your payroll for less than 70 cents a day! Your membership covers you and everyone involved in your business. NNEP membership is like having an auto club membership and an industry-specific google resource at your disposal. When you get stuck, you just call NNEP!

P.S. "I am just getting started, should I join?" is a common question I get. When we work with a new business owner, that great as we can help you avoid expensive mistakes and start with best practices from the get-go. Another common question is about running the business from home, and if NNEP is for you. Fifty percent of the more than 20,000 embroidery businesses in the USA are home-based!

P.P.S. You committed a goodly chunk of money into buying your embroidery machine. What got you to where you are won't get you to where you want to go. If you want to get to the next level in your business, let NNEP help you tackle your problems head-on. Then you can have a better, happier, more profitable life while handling whatever issues crop up. This is the right way to get where you want to go! So join NNEP now: Join NNEP