Sew Distinct is a sole proprietorship, owned by Sally Stitch. Sally Stitch owns Sew Distinct. I sell high-quality, original custom quilts to discerning clients who keep them as heirloom artworks or as gifts. I do the customer response, design, piecing, and machine quilting; hand-quilted works are quilted by two independent local hand-quilters with roughly 20 years of experience, with whom I have negotiated per-piece prices. The Sew Distincts quilts are handmade in the owner’s own home and sold directly through my website to my customers from northwest MyState. I have several years experience as a professional quilter. My strength lies in the ability to transform even the most vague ideas and descriptions of a customer into beautiful, meaningful quilt designs that both recipient and giver will appreciate.

Sew Distinct works to provide custom, individually designed, warm and snuggly quilt art to customers who value originality but don’t have the time or skills to create such pieces on their own. Working with my customers at the design stage gives me the satisfaction that I have contributed to their gift or artwork. It is not a time-consuming investment of their time and labor required to create such a quilt. It is a beautiful, personalized and usable quilt that will be treasured for generations.

Three years ago, I began making quilts for commission. This has been a passion of mine and it is hard to keep up the demand from my customers. Sew Distinct will operate out of my home as a full time business. My goals are to be able to pay myself and my independently contracted hand-quilters a decent wage for doing the work we love, and to repay a small start-up loan within two years of opening the business.

By requiring payment at the time I commission, I minimize financial risk. For the customer, this means that they can take as long as they want to work with me on a design, but once we have agreed on the design, they must pay me in full for the quilt before I will begin creating it. This arrangement has always worked well for both of us.

Most quilts’ value comes from their creation and labor, not from the fabrics, thread, and so on. of which they are composed. My start-up requirements are therefore fairly small (under $5,000):

• Inventory of $1,000 (a basic fabric library).
• A second sewing machine costs $1,000
• $1,600 cash Reserve
• $350 for website development
• $600 in various supplies, legal charges, etc.

I will be investing $2,500 to begin the business. Another $2,050 will be needed to acquire initial inventory of fabric, equipment, and other materials. Based on my current prices and the time required to complete each quilt, I anticipate sales of $45,700 for the first year. In the third week, I expect to start breaking even.

1.1 Mission

Sew Distinct understands that my customers value originality as well as high-quality work. I will only take a few minutes to get the details they need in order to commission a quilt. Once that information is complete, I will create high-quality custom-designed quilt art that can be proudly displayed in an office or home as artwork.

1.2 Keys to Success

Sew Distinct is an organization that focuses on success.

1. Effectively establishing my reputation as an exceptional business: nationally I am unique in creating truly custom-designed quilts which do not rely on standard geometric quilt designs.
2. Catering to my customers’ need to feel unique by emphasizing the personal nature of the customization process, which puts the customer, and his or her personality and feelings, at the center of the product.
3. I turn these custom quilts out quickly (between 5-10 weeks), both locally and via my website. This increases the value of the product.
4. To transform bulk, cheap materials into high-end art pieces that can fetch high prices, we must maintain our originality of design.

1.3 Objectives

• At a cost that covers owner’s labor, create 6 unique, custom quilts per calendar month.
• Make sure to make word-of–mouth marketing a success by contacting local artisans groups and my customers.
• Establish a website to provide more information and to initiate non-local sales.
• Pay back initial investment with 10% interest in two years.