The whole category in one page.
TIME YOUR OPERATIONS AND MEASURE ACTUAL FABRIC USED, BECAUSE ESTIMATES OF BOTH ARE CONSISTENTLY WRONG
Standard times per style make pricing accurate and scheduling realistic. Absorbing the gap by underpaying yourself hides an unviable product.
TEST FABRIC FOR SHRINKAGE AND COLOURFASTNESS BEFORE CUTTING
Afterwards it is a remake at your cost. Check dye lots too — a garment cut across two lots is visibly ruined.
MARKET FABRIC IS FREQUENTLY A SINGLE LOT THAT CANNOT BE OBTAINED AGAIN
Buy enough for the whole run at once, and never show a style you cannot reproduce.
LATE IS EQUIVALENT TO NEVER, BECAUSE CLOTHING IS MADE FOR OCCASIONS
Quote dates with margin, know your real capacity, and decline work beyond it. A refused order costs one customer; a failed one costs several.
RECORD EVERY MEASUREMENT AND CONFIRM THE STYLE WITH A PICTURE
Fit is the commonest cause of dissatisfaction, and verbal descriptions of styles are interpreted differently by everyone.
TAKE A DEPOSIT BEFORE CUTTING, BECAUSE A BESPOKE GARMENT HAS NO OTHER BUYER
State upfront what happens on cancellation and on garments left uncollected.
FINISHING AND PRESSING ARE WHAT SEPARATE A MADE GARMENT FROM A CHEAP ONE, AND BOTH ARE UNDER-INVESTED IN
PATTERN MATCHING AT SEAMS COSTS MORE FABRIC AND IS IMMEDIATELY VISIBLE WHEN SKIPPED — PRICE IT IN
AND TRAIN SOMEONE IN THE SKILLS ONLY YOU HOLD, OR CAPACITY IS PERMANENTLY CAPPED AT YOUR OWN HOURS
