How to open atelier

Note: This business plan, like all the others in the section Business Plans, contains calculations of average prices, which in your case may differ. Therefore, we recommend that you do calculations for your business individually.

In this article, we will compile a detailed business plan for the tailoring and clothing repair shop with calculations of expenses and revenues.

Description of the service

In this article, we will consider the business plan of a small atelier engaged in sewing, as well as repairing ready-made clothes for the orders of its customers. It is also expected that textile products can be restored. The realization of the finished products will be carried out through the workshop itself, where professional staff will work.

We will review the legal aspects of this business, the risks and complexities involved, calculate the planned revenues and expenses, draw conclusions about the level of profit and return on investment.

Market analysis

Before proceeding to develop your own project, any competent businessman should analyze the market of the industry in which he is going to open his own business.

At the present time, the domestic light industry is in a serious and already protracted crisis.

If you look at the graph, you can immediately see that the dynamics are disappointing. Compared with 2005, the production of goods was much lower. And all this despite the fact that the demand for textiles is constantly growing. In addition, clothes are not the goods that are bought every day, but it is necessary for everyone.

A huge influence on consumers is provided by fashion. Today, many fluctuate between expensive goods from Italy and cheap ones from China. The first have high quality and exclusivity, which can not be said about the second category. People with low incomes prefer comfortable and inexpensive clothing. They are ready to buy Belarusian knitwear, Turkish goods.

In a separate category, we can distinguish handmade products. These goods are in great demand among those Russian consumers who can not afford Italian things, but want to dress stylishly, fashionably and are willing to pay for quality.

But not everything is so cloudless. There are a number of reasons for increasing pressure on small ateliers. These include:

A large number of shopping centers with a huge selection of clothing (including a high-quality European).

Departure of a part of Russians abroad for purchase of clothes. Today, many travel abroad when they dress in foreign shops and boutiques.

A significant number of Russian designers, whose boutiques are located in big cities. And the number of designers is constantly growing, increasing competition in the clothing segment.

To understand in which direction to act, the businessman should determine the specifics of his atelier, referring it to potential buyers. The situation is as follows:

Representatives with a high level of prosperity prefer fur, leather products. Often they buy knitted handmade goods in the atelier.

The middle class turns to private tailors for dresses and costumes for various celebrations (weddings, anniversaries). They acquire here fur coats and sheepskin coats.

Low-income citizens in the atelier, as a rule, turn to repair their clothes.

The organizations in similar salons come for the order of overalls, the school uniform, corporate clothes, dancing suits.

Our studio will be oriented, mainly, to the middle and low-income class. The main competitors will be:

large, medium and small clothing stores of well-known brands (but not boutiques);

other ateliers;

wedding salons;

home-dressmakers;

online clothing stores.

The main competitive advantages will be: exclusivity, high quality, sewing on the figure. Price will not be the main instrument of struggle, but it will be aimed at the middle class of the consumer.

It is also very important to choose the right place for your atelier. As a rule, such salons are opened on the first floors of buildings or in shopping centers. It is important to have high cross-country ability, especially if you focus on repairing clothes. To begin choosing a room you need to study the following questions:

Citizens with what level of income live in this area of ​​the city?

What are the suitable premises for work in the area?

What is the level of competition in the place where it is planned to open the studio?

Separately, I want to stop at the online studio, which today is becoming increasingly popular. This industry is also very promising at the present time. The idea is to make clothes with individual prints, attributes. But this is almost always not a manual sewing.