How to Sew For Others When You Hate Dealing With Clients
This post in a Facebook group for sewing caught my attention the other day, for a number of reasons — I could totally relate, I was amazed at how many people commented and I was surprised that the only way out seemed to be to avoid dealing with people.
I kept thinking about it so I recorded a video.
In 2004 I moved to Spain with the idea of starting my own sewing business specializing in made to measure flamenco dance costumes. People around me thought I was crazy given the fact that I had only ever sewn for myself as a hobby, had no idea about flamenco dance costumes and no idea about running a business, let alone in a foreign country.
And no, it wasn’t all smooth sailing. In fact, the challenge that brought me close to throwing the towel a few years ago was the stress I felt was caused by my “demanding clients”. I get people’s frustration.
So what can you do when people want you to sew things for them for a price that doesn’t even cover material costs? What if they don’t like what you sew for them? What if sewing for other people just takes the fun out of sewing?
You can just not sew for others. That’s perfectly fine if sewing is a hobby for you and turning it into a business is not on the radar for you. All you have to do is say “no” and the issue is off the table. I know that’s easier said than done but that’s a topic for another day.
If you do dream of having your own sewing business and aren’t ready to give up on it you can
- find better clients. Once you’re clear on who you love working with this may well be a lot easier than you may think, or
- not accept custom orders or alterations. You make what you like and then sell it. You won’t have to deal directly with clients potentially criticizing you but in my experience it is the more difficult way to earn money sewing. You invest time and money into making something you don’t know if and when anybody will buy, or
- you can learn to deal with clients so that working with them is fun, which means sewing for others as a business will be fun and profitable.
Making sure clients love what you make for them comes down to managing their expectations. It is a matter of really understanding what they want (not what they might SAY they want). If something doesn’t make sense to you ask, explain to them why you think it’s not a good idea, then let them decide. Managing expectations and coming to an agreement is something I’m sure you do regularly in other areas of your life. If you have children you probably do it every day. For hairdressers it’s part of their job (just imagine how many times a client comes to them with a photo showing the celebrity haircut they now want ..). It is certainly a big part of any software development project.
Managing clients’ expectations isn’t specific to sewing and I’m suggesting that you have what it takes.
Things get easier as soon as you understand that whatever a client does or doesn’t say or do is a reflection of what’s going on in their world and has really nothing to do with you. How you experience the situation depends on what’s going on in your mind, the meaning you give the event.
Once you know that none of it is personal dealing with clients becomes effortless.
You can be kind and compassionate without being perceived as a “doormat”.
I’m not saying you should love sewing for others. I’m saying that if you’d love to turn your sewing hobby into a business but find it difficult to deal with clients pulling back is not your only option.
If any of this resonates with you I invite you to watch the video and if you’d like to have a conversation I’d be more than happy to get on Skype with you to talk about your situation and perhaps help you get an insight that allows you to move forward towards a sewing business that’s profitable and fun.
Get in touch via
http://sewingenious.co or http://www.flamencodressmaking.com
