The Business Of Costuming

I'm a good costumer.  I've learned how to create new patterns by piecing together existing ones, as well as creating patterns from scratch.  My sewing and creative skills have grown over my several years of doing this and I have a growing portfolio of great work.  However, I still have to learn how to manage a business.

Honestly, I think the hardest part of being a costumer is figuring out how much to charge.  I know how expensive custom work can be, having priced it with other costumers.  So I've always wanted to make costumes at a reasonable price, allowing more people to enjoy the cosplay hobby or be able to simply dress up to have fun.  However, I've had to balance that cost with my time and expenses, making sure that I don't lose money on materials as well as being worth my time to do.

I have a formula that I use to give people a price quote.  It takes into account the wear-and-tear on my sewing equipment, the cost of materials that I use plus a mark-up, and an hourly rate for my labor.  And I've had to tweak that formula several times over the last year as I realized that I was significantly under-charging, especially for my time as a seamstress.  That's not an easy thing for me to do, as I've had people inquiring about price and then complain about the quote.  One person argued back and forth with me via email until I broke down the exact costs, showing that I wasn't really even charging for labor costs with the deal I was giving her.  She shut up after that.  And I learned that I needed to charge more.

It's a balance that I'm still learning.  I don't want to price myself out of the market, driving down the business.  At the same time I know that hand-made custom costumes are not something you can walk into a store or even Ren Faire and purchase off the rack.  I have become very frustrated with certain commissions because I was spending a lot of time working on them yet getting little financially in return.  Though I enjoy sewing and being creative, it also takes time away from my kids, husband, and keeping house, so I need to be able to make it a worthwhile endeavor.

Thankfully my husband manages a business and has been helping me through all of this.  Well, to be honest, he's been nagging me a bit about my pricing structure.  With his help I'll continue to develop my business skills, and though I may make fewer costumes, I'll have more satisfaction for the ones I do get to create.

I never knew that starting a business would be so challenging.  I'm just glad that I work out of a home office and don't have to worry about renting space.  I have new appreciate for entrepreneurs!