How to Write a Sewing Business

Plan [Sample Template]

Are you about starting a sewing company? If YES, here is a complete sample sewing
business plan template & feasibility report you can use for FREE. Okay, so we have
considered all the requirements for starting a sewing business. We also took it further
by analyzing and drafting a sample sewing service marketing plan template backed up by
actionable guerrilla marketing ideas for sewing businesses. So let’s proceed to the business
planning section.

Why Start a Sewing Business?

If you reside in America and are looking to start a business, one profitable and viable
business that you can start either on a small scale or large scale is to go into dress making;
sewing business. All you need to do to launch this type of business is to learn sewing,
purchase sew machines, rent a shop and then market your services.
If you are good enough and have the required capacity and business network, you can start
making dress and clothes for top shots and also start exporting your clothes to other parts
of the world.
Even though people can start this business in a local level on a small scale, it will be a wise
decision to write a good business plan document especially if you choose to start the
business on a large scale and as a standard business that can employ more than a handful
of people.
The truth is that, business plans are like maps that help businesses to chart a good and
profitable course for their business. These plans have to be thoroughly adhered to in order
to make headway in the most appropriate way. Below is a sample sewing business plan
that will help you successfully launch your own business;

A Sample Sewing Business Plan

Template
1. Industry Overview
The sewing or fashion design industry is an industry that is highly thriving in countries of the
world. Africa for instance has loads of players in the sewing or fashion design industry.
Although the average sewing shop runs this type of business on a small scale, there are
medium scales to big time investors who also operate standard fashion Design Companies.
These are the organizations that own their own standard industrial machines and over a
dozen employees and also engage in exportation of well – make African attires to countries
across the world. In most cases, they ensure that they target countries with robust African
communities.
African attires are indeed one of the identities of people of African descent and no matter
the part of the world that they reside, most Africans will do all they can to identify with their
roots by adorning African attires. Some white folks also put on African attires hence the
market for sewing cum fashion designers in Africa is all encompassing.
The sewing / fashion design line of business is indeed a thriving line of business and pretty
much active in America. It generates several millions of US dollars annually from several
registered and unregistered small – scale, medium scale and big fashion design / sewing
business scattered all around. This line of business is responsible for the employment loads
of people directly and indirectly.
Any aspiring entrepreneur that is considering starting sewing / fashion design business
whether on a small scale or in a large scale should ensure that he or she conducts thorough
market survey and feasibility studies so as to get it right. The truth is that, this type of
business do pretty well when it is strategically positioned. Any location that is prone to
human and vehicular traffic is ideal for such business.
Over and above, sewing / fashion design business is a profitable business venture and it is
open for any aspiring entrepreneur to come in and establish his or her business; you can
chose to start on a small scale or a large scale with robust distribution network all across
America and the global market.

2. Executive Summary
Ola Clem® Fashion House, Inc. is a standard sewing cum fashion design business that will
be based in Michigan. We carefully registered with the American authorities. Although we
intend starting out on a small scale by making African – native dresses and clothes for
clients in Michigan based on their demand, but that will not in any way stop us from
maximizing our potential in the sewing / fashion design line of business.
We hope to grow the business from making dresses and clothes for clients in Michigan to
exporting our African attires to other countries in Africa and the world at large where we
have robust African communities. Our business goal as a sewing / fashion design business
is to become one of the leaders in the sewing / fashion design business in Michigan.
As a business, we are willing to go the extra mile to invest in owning standard industrial
sewing machines and also to hire efficient and dedicated employees (tailors and support
staff). We have been able to secure permits from all relevant departments both at local
government level and state level in Lagos state to be able to successfully run our business.
No doubt the demand for African attires is not going to plummet any time soon because
there will always be people out there whose wardrobe will not be complete without African
attires, which is why we have put plans in place to continue to explore all available market
within our reach.
In the nearest future, we will ensure that we create a wide range of distribution channels all
across Michigan, the West African Coats and the World at large. With that, we know we will
be able to 3. Our Products and Services
Ola Clem® Fashion House, Inc. is a standard sewing / fashion design company that is
positioned to make profit and favorable compete with leaders in the industry and we are
going to do all that is permitted by the law of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to achieve our
business aims and ambition. Our products and services offering are listed below;

 Designing and Sewing Female African Dresses

 Designing and Sewing Male African Attires
 Designing and Making Dresses for African Tradition Marriages (Couples, Bridal
trains and grooms men et al)
 Designing and Making African attires for children

4. Our Mission and Vision Statement

 Our vision as a sewing / fashion design business is to own our own a standard and
highly profitable business that will engage in making African attire for both male and
female all across Michigan and to other countries of the world.
 Our mission is to establish a standard and world class sewing / fashion design
business that in our own capacity will favorably compete with leaders in the industry.
 We want to build a sewing / fashion design business that will be listed amongst the
top 5 African fashion designers / brands in America and West African Coast.

Our Business Structure

Ordinarily, we would have succeeded in running a sewing business with few employees, but
as part of our plan to build a top flight sewing / fashion design business in Michigan, we
have perfected plans to get it right from the onset which is why we are going the extra mile
to ensure that we have competent employees (tailors and support staff) to occupy all the
available positions in our company.
The picture of the kind of sewing / fashion design business we intend building and the
business goals we want to achieve is what informed the amount we are ready to spend to
ensure that we build a business with dedicated workforce and robust distribution network.
In view of that, we have decided to hire qualified and competent hands to occupy the
following positions at Ola Clem® Fashion House, Inc.;

 Chief Executive Officer (Owner)

 Human Resources and Admin Manager
 Sales and Marketing Officer
 Accountants / Cashiers
 Professional Tailors / Fashion Designers
 Customer Service Executives

5. Job Roles and Responsibilities

Chief Executive Officer – CEO (Owner):

 Increases management’s effectiveness by recruiting, selecting, orienting, training,

coaching, counseling, and disciplining managers; communicating values, strategies,
and objectives; assigning accountabilities; planning, monitoring, and appraising job
 results; developing incentives; developing a climate for offering information and
opinions; providing educational opportunities.
 Manages fashion exhibition for the organization in various countries
 Creates, communicates, and implements the organization’s vision, mission, and
overall direction – i.e. leading the development and implementation of the overall
organization’s strategy.
 Responsible for fixing prices and signing business deals
 Responsible for providing direction for the business
 Creates, communicates, and implements the organization’s vision, mission, and
overall direction – i.e. leading the development and implementation of the overall
organization’s strategy.
 Responsible for signing checks and documents on behalf of the company
 Evaluates the success of the organization

Human Resources and Admin Manager

 Responsible for overseeing the smooth running of HR and administrative tasks for
the organization
 Updates job knowledge by participating in educational opportunities; reading
professional publications; maintaining personal networks; participating in
professional organizations.
 Enhances department and organization reputation by accepting ownership for
accomplishing new and different requests; exploring opportunities to add value to job
accomplishments.
 Defines job positions for recruitment and managing interviewing process
 Carries out staff induction for new team members
 Responsible for training, evaluation and assessment of employees
 Oversees the smooth running of the daily business activities.

Sales and Marketing Manager

 Manages external research and coordinate all the internal sources of information to
retain the organizations’ best customers and attract new ones
 Models demographic information and analyze the volumes of transactional data
generated by customer purchases
 Identifies, prioritize, and reach out to new partners, and business opportunities et al
 Responsible for supervising implementation, advocate for the customer’s needs, and
communicate with customers
 Develops, executes and evaluates new plans for expanding increase sales
 Documents all customer contact and information
 Represents the company in strategic meetings
 Helps to increase sales and growth for the company

Professional Tailors / Fashion Designers

 Responsible for designing and sewing female African dresses

 Responsible for designing and sewing male African attires
  Responsible for designing and making dresses for African Tradition Marriages
(Couples, Bridal trains and grooms men et al)
 Responsible for designing and making African attires for children
 Handles any other duty as assigned by the Human Resources and Admin manager.

Accountant / Cashier

 Responsible for preparing financial reports, budgets, and financial statements for the
organization
 Provides managements with financial analyses, development budgets, and
accounting reports; analyzes financial feasibility for the most complex proposed
projects; conducts market research to forecast trends and business conditions.
 Responsible for financial forecasting and risks analysis.
 Performs cash management, general ledger accounting, and financial reporting
 Responsible for developing and managing financial systems and policies
 Responsible for administering payrolls
 Ensures compliance with taxation legislation
 Handles all financial transactions for the organization
 Serves as internal auditor for the organization

Client Service Executive

 Welcomes guests and clients by greeting them in person or on the telephone;

answering or directing inquiries.
 Ensures that all contacts with clients (e-mail, walk-In center, SMS or phone) provides
the client with a personalized customer service experience of the highest level
 Through interaction with clients on the phone, uses every opportunity to build client’s
interest in the company’s products and services
 Manages administrative duties assigned by the manager in an effective and timely
manner
 Consistently stays abreast of any new information on the company’s products,
promotional campaigns etc. to ensure accurate and helpful information is supplied to
clients
 Receives parcels / documents for the company
 Distribute mails in the organization
 Handles any other duties as assigned by the human resources and admin manager

6. SWOT Analysis
Due to our drive for excellence when it comes to running a standard and world – class
sewing / fashion design business, we were able to engage some of the finest business
consultants in Lagos – Nigeria to look through our business concept and together we were
able to critically examine the prospect of the business and to access ourselves to be sure
we have what it takes to run a standard sewing / fashion design business that can compete
favorably not just in Michigan but also in the West African Coast.
In view of that, we were able to take stock of our strengths, our weakness, our opportunities
and also the threats that we are likely going to be exposed to in America and also in other
parts of the world that we intend selling our African attire. Here is a of what we got from the
critically conducted SWOT Analysis Ola Clem® Fashion House, Inc.;

 Strength:

Our strength lies in the fact that we have state of the art facility and industrial sewing
machines that has positioned us to meet the demand of African attires in Diaspora even if
the demand tripled over night or if we have a massive order to meet and emergency need.
Another factor that counts to our advantage is the background of our Chief Executive Office;
he has a robust experience in the industry and also a pretty good academic qualification to
match the experience acquired which has placed him amongst the top flight fashion
designers in Nigeria. We are not ignoring the fact that our team of highly qualified and
dedicated workers (tailors and support staff) will also serve as strength for our organization.

 Weakness:

We do not take for granted the facts that we have weaknesses. In fact, the reality that we
are setting up a sewing / fashion design business in a city with other smaller and larger
sewing / fashion design businesses might likely pose a challenge for us in breaking into the
already saturated market in Nigeria.
In essence our chosen location might be our weakness. But never the less, we have plans
to launch out with a big bang. We know with that, we will be able to create a positive
impression and we have a proper handle when it comes to building on already gather
momentum.

 Opportunities:

The opportunities available to us are unlimited. Loads of people in Lagos state put on Africa
attire for various occasions and all what we are going to do to push our products to them is
already perfected. Michigan is just ideal for this type of business simply because of the
economy of scales.

 Threat:

The threat that is likely going to confront us is the fact that we are competing with already
established sewing / fashion design businesses in Michigan and also there are other
entrepreneurs who are likely going to launch similar business within the location of our
business. Of course, they will compete with us in winning over the available market.
Another threat that we are likely going to face is unfavorable government policies and
economic downturn. Usually economic downturn affects purchasing / spending powers and
unfavorable government policies can hinder the importation of some sewing materials from
other parts of the world.

7. MARKET ANALYSIS
  Market Trends

It is common trend in the sewing / fashion design line of business to find sewing / fashion
design companies positioning their business in locations and communities where they can
easily have access to affordable sewing materials and also available market.
If you make the mistake of positioning this type of business in a location where you would
have to travel a distance before you can access sewing materials in commercial quantities
or where people who want to make dress would have to struggle before they can locate
your shop, then you would have to struggle to make profits and maintain your overhead and
logistics.
So also, another trend in this line of business is that most registered and well organized
sewing / fashion design companies look beyond the market within their locations or even
America; they are involved in packaging and exporting African dresses and clothes to
communities abroad with robust Nigerian cum African communities. Europe and Canada
and most countries in Europe are their major targets.
Lastly, in the bid to stay afloat and continue to make profits from this line of business, most
standard businesses that are into sewing African attires tend to work hard to ensure that
they also produce what is popularly called ‘English Wears’ that can favorably compete with
shirts, trousers, T – shirts, Polo and dresses et al that are produced abroad. With that, it is
easier for them to maximize profits and grow the business.

8. Our Target Market

When it comes to sewing clothes, there is indeed a wide range of available customers. In
essence, our target market can’t be restricted to just a group of people, but all those who
put on African attires and also all those who would want to try them out.
One thing is certain; there are no restrictions to the demographic and psychographics
composition of the target market for African attires in America and the West African Coast.
This goes to show that the target market for African attire is wide and far reaching, you can
create your own make niche yourself to serve a specific purpose.
In view of that, we have conducted our market research and we have ideas of what our
target market would be expecting from us. We are in business to engage in retailing and
wholesale distribution cum exporting of African attires to the following groups of people;

 Government Officials
 Religious Leaders
 Celebrities
 Corporate Executives
 Groups
 Wedding Planners (Traditional Dresses / Clothes for Bride, Groom and their train)
 Men, Women and Children in Michigan and other cities in America
 America cum African communities in the united states of America, Canada, and
Europe
 Small scale businesses that are into sales and exporting of African attires.
Our Competitive Advantage
First and foremost, the fact that anybody with a business cum sewing skills can decide to
open sewing / fashion design business means that the business is open to all and sundry
hence it is expected that there will be high – level competition in the industry.
There is hardly any busy community that you won’t find several sewing / fashion designing
business especially on a small scale level. As a standard fashion design / sewing company,
we know that gaining a competitive edge requires a detailed analysis of the demographics
of the surrounding area and the nature of existing competitors.
And even if you are successful at first, new competitors could enter your market at any time
to steal your regular customers. Hence we will not hesitate to adopt successful and
workable strategies from our competitors. We are going to be one of the very few sewing /
fashion designing company in Michigan that will also engage in wholesale distribution of
African attires all across America and also export to other countries of the world.
Another competitive advantage that we have is in the fact that we have state of the art
facility and industrial sewing machines that has positioned us to meet the demand of African
attires in Michigan even if the demand tripled over night or if we have a massive order to
meet and emergency need.
Another factor that counts to our advantage is the background of our Chief Executive Office;
he has a robust experience in the industry and also a pretty good academic qualification to
match the experience acquired which has placed him amongst the top flight fashion
designers in Michigan. We are not ignoring the fact that our team of highly qualified and
dedicated workers (tailors and support staff) will also serve as strength for our organization.
Lastly, our employees will be well taken care of, and their welfare package will be among
the best within our category (startups sewing / fashion design companies) in the industry,
meaning that they will be more than willing to build the business with us and help deliver our
set goals and achieve all our aims and objectives. We will also give good working conditions
and commissions to freelance sales agents that we will recruit from time to time.

9. SALES AND MARKETING STRATEGY

 Sources of Income

Ola Clem® Fashion House, Inc. is established with the aim of maximizing profits in the
sewing / fashion design line of business both in Lagos State and throughout key cities in
America and of course in some countries of the world. We are going to go all the way to
ensure that we do all it takes to sell our African attires both in retail and wholesale to a wide
range of customer.
Ola Clem® Fashion House, Inc. will generate income by;

 Designing and Sewing Female African Dresses

 Designing and Sewing Male African Attires
 Designing and Making Dresses for African Tradition Marriages (Couples, Bridal
trains and grooms men et al)
 Designing and Making African attires for children
10. Sales Forecast
One thing is certain when it comes to sewing / fashion designing business, if your business
is centrally positioned and easily accessible, you will always attract customers cum sales
and that will sure translate to increase in revenue generation for the business.
We are well positioned to take on the available market in Michigan and every other
countries of the world where we intend exporting our African attires to and we are quite
optimistic that we will meet our set target of generating enough income / profits from the first
six month of operations and grow the business and our clientele base.
We have been able to critically examine the sewing / fashion designing line of business and
we have analyzed our chances in the industry and we have been able to come up with the
following sales forecast. The sales projections are based on information gathered on the
field and some assumptions that are peculiar to startups in Michigan.
Below are the sales projection for Ola Clem® Fashion House, Inc., it is based on the
location of our business and other factors as it relates to small scale and medium scale but
standard sewing / fashion designing company start – ups in Michigan;

 First Fiscal Year-: $250,000

 Second Fiscal Year-: $450,000
 Third Fiscal Year-: $600,000

N.B: This projection is done based on what is obtainable in the industry and with the
assumption that there won’t be any major economic meltdown and there won’t be any major
competitor offering same product and customer care services as we do within same
location. Please note that the above projection might be lower and at the same time it might
be higher.

 Marketing Strategy and Sales Strategy

Before choosing a location to launch Ola Clem® Fashion House, Inc., we conducted a
thorough market survey and feasibility studies in order for us to be able to be able to
penetrate the available market in Michigan and the international market.
We have detailed information and data that we were able to utilize to structure our business
to attract the numbers of customers we want to attract per time and also for to compete with
other sewing / fashion designing companies.
We hired experts who have good understanding of the sewing / fashion designing line of
business to help us develop venturing out to other cities in Nigeria and the world.
As a matter of fact, our publicity and advertising strategy is not solely for selling our
products but to also effectively communicate our brand cum label. Here are the platforms
we intend leveraging on to promote and advertise Ola Clem® Fashion House, Inc.;

 Place adverts on both print (community based newspapers and magazines) and
electronic media platforms
 Sponsor relevant community programs
  Leverage on the internet and social media platforms like; Instagram, Facebook ,
twitter, et al to promote our brand / label
 Install our Bill Boards on strategic locations all around major cities in America
 Engage in road show from time to time in targeted communities
 Distribute our fliers and handbills in target areas
 Position our Flexi Banners at strategic positions in the location where we intend
getting customers to start patronizing our business.
 Ensure that all our staff members wear our customized clothes and all our official
cars and are customized and well branded.

12. Our Pricing Strategy

When it comes to pricing for products such as African attires, there are no hard and fast
rules, the prices depends on the discretion of the fashion designer; but the time spent, the
design and also the materials used are part of what would informed the amount to be
charged.
In view of that, our prices will conform to what is obtainable in the industry but will ensure
that within the first 3 to 6 months our services (fee charged for making dresses for clients)
and our products (Africa attire) is a little bit below the average prices when compared to
other sewing / fashion designing businesses in America.
We have put in place business strategies that will help us run on low profits for a period of 6
months; it is a way of encouraging people to buy into our brands / label.
We are aware that there are some one – off jobs or government contracts which are always
lucrative, we will ensure that we abide by the pricing model that is expected from
contractors or organizations that bid for such contracts. As the business grows, we will
continue to review our pricing system to accommodate a wide range of clientele.

 Payment Options

The payment policy adopted by Ola Clem® Fashion House, Inc. is all inclusive because we
are quite aware that different customers prefer different payment options as it suits them but
at the same time, we will ensure that we abide by the financial rules and regulations of
America. Here are the payment options that Ola Clem® Fashion House, Inc. will make
available to her clients;

 Payment via bank transfer

 Payment with cash
 Payment via online bank transfer
 Payment via POS machine
 Payment via check
 Payment via bank draft

In view of the above, we have chosen banking platforms that will enable our client make
payment for farm produces purchase without any stress on their part. Our bank account
numbers will be made available on our website and promotional materials to clients who
may want to deposit cash or make online transfer for our services (sewing) or the purchase
of our products (African attires).

Startup Expenditure (Budget)

In setting up any business, the amount or cost will depend on the approach and scale you
want to undertake. If you intend to go big by renting a place, then you would need a good
amount of capital as you would need to ensure that your employees are well taken care of,
and that your facility is conducive enough for workers to be creative and productive.
This means that the start-up can either be low or high depending on your goals, vision and
aspirations for your business. The tools and equipment that will be used are nearly the
same cost everywhere, and any difference in prices would be minimal and can be
overlooked.
As for the detailed cost analysis for starting a sewing / fashion designing business; it might
differ in other countries due to the value of their money. We know that no matter where we
intend starting our sewing / fashion designing business, we would be required to fulfill most
of the items listed below;

 The Fee for registering the business (venture) in Nigeria –$750

 Legal expenses for obtaining licenses and permits as well as the accounting services
(software, P.O.S machines and other software) – $1,000
 Marketing promotion expenses for the grand opening of Ola Clem® Fashion House,
Inc.– $500
 Cost for hiring Business Consultant – $3,000
 Insurance (general liability, workers’ compensation and property casualty) coverage
at a total premium – $1,500
 Cost for payment of rent for 12 month and renovation inclusive – $4,000
 Other start-up expenses including stationery and phone and utility deposits – $800
 Operational cost for the first 3 months (salaries of employees, payments of bills et al)
– $2,500
 The cost for start-up inventory (sewing materials and sewing accessories et al)
– $4,000
 Cost for store equipment (cash register, security, ventilation, signage) – $900
 Cost of purchase of industrial sewing machines and weaving machines et al
– $2,000
 The cost for the purchase of furniture and equipment (Computers, Printers,
Telephone, Fax Machines, tables and chairs et al) – $700
 The cost of launching a website – $300
 The cost for our opening party – $600
 Miscellaneous – $1,000

We would need an estimate of $600, 000 to successfully set up a medium scale but
standard sewing / fashion designing business. Please note that this amount includes the
salaries of all the staff for the first 3 month of operation.
Generating Funds / Startup Capital for Ola Clem® Fashion House, Inc.
No matter how fantastic your business idea might be, if you don’t have the required money
to finance the business, the business might not become a reality. Finance is a very
important factor when it comes to starting a business such as standard sewing / fashion
designing business. No doubt raising start – up capital for a business might not come
cheap, but it is a task that an entrepreneur must go through.
Ola Clem® Fashion House, Inc. is a family business that is owned and financed by Mr.
Olamide Clement and his immediate family members. They do not intend to welcome any
external business partner which is why he has decided to restrict the sourcing of the start –
up capital to 3 major sources. These are the areas we intend generating our start – up
capital;

 Generate part of the start – up capital from personal savings and sell of stocks
 Source for soft loans from family members and friends
 Apply for loan from my Bank

N.B: We have been able to generate about $500,000 (Personal savings $200,000 and soft
loan from family members $300,000) and we are at the final stages of obtaining a loan
facility of $300,000 from our bank. All the papers and document have been signed and
submitted, the loan has been approved and any moment from now our account will be
credited with the amount.

14. Sustainability and Expansion Strategy

The future of a business lies in the numbers of loyal customers that they have the capacity
and competence of the employees, their investment strategy and the business structure. If
all of these factors are missing from a business (company), then it won’t be too long before
the business close shop.
One of our major goals of starting Ola Clem® Fashion House, Inc. is to build a business that
will survive off its own cash flow without the need for injecting finance from external sources
once the business is officially running.
We know that one of the ways of gaining approval and winning customers over is to offer
our services and products a little bit cheaper than what is obtainable in the market and we
are well prepared to survive on lower profit margin for a while.
Ola Clem® Fashion House, Inc. will make sure that the right foundation, structures and
processes are put in place to ensure that our staff welfare are well taken of. Our company’s
corporate culture is designed to drive our business to greater heights and training and re –
training of our workforce is at the top burner.
As a matter of fact, profit-sharing arrangement will be made available to all our
management staff and it will be based on their performance for a period of three years or
more. We know that with focus and if we put great effort that is to put in place all these, we
will be able to successfully hire and retain the best hands we can get in the industry; they
will be more committed to help us build the business of our dreams.
Check List / Milestone

 Business Name Availability Check: Completed

 Business Registration: Completed
 Opening of Corporate Bank Accounts: Completed
 Securing Point of Sales (POS) Machines: Completed
 Opening Mobile Money Accounts: Completed
 Opening Online Payment Platforms: Completed
 Application and Obtaining Tax Payer’s ID: In Progress
 Application for business license and permit: Completed
 Purchase of Insurance for the Business: Completed
 Leasing of a facility and renovating the facility as well: In Progress
 Conducting Feasibility Studies: Completed
 Generating capital from family members: Completed
 Applications for Loan from the bank: In Progress
 writing of business plan: Completed
 Drafting of Employee’s Handbook: Completed
 Drafting of Contract Documents and other relevant Legal Documents: In Progress
 Design of The Company’s Logo: Completed
 Graphic Designs and Printing of Packaging Marketing / Promotional Materials: In
Progress
 Recruitment of employees: In Progress
 Purchase of industrial sewing machines, weaving machines, sewing materials and
accessories, furniture, racks, shelves, computers, electronic appliances, office
appliances and CCTV: In progress
 Creating Official Website for the Company: In Progress
 Creating our catalogue – In Progress
 Creating Awareness for the business both online and around the community: In
Progress
 Health and Safety and Fire Safety Arrangement (License): Secured
 Opening party / launching party planning: In Progress
 Establishing business relationship with vendors – wholesale suppliers / merchants of
sewing materials and Africa attires et al: In Progress