Impressions - Embroidery 2023 - 6

Art by Web Buttons Inc - stock.adobe.com
Alexis Galloway
Sew Sweet founder Alexis Galloway specializes in helping newcomers
to the embroidery business. Photo courtesy of Sew Sweet Academy
In this excerpt from the Impressions " Ask the Experts " podcast
and online video series, Impressions Content Director, Adam
Cort, talks with veteran embroidery coach and the founder of
Sew Sweet Academy, Alexis Galloway, about the importance
of adopting a " business " mindset when making the jump from
hobbyist to professional.
Adam Cort: As part of your conference session at the recent Impressions
Expo in Atlantic City, you started off by talking about breaking
away from the " hobbyist mindset " and mentioned specifi cally that
not doing so can keep you " playing small. " Can you explain what
you mean by that?
Alexis Galloway: Absolutely. So, in my opinion the hobbyist mindset
is kind of like when you are doing this just for fun, and it is fun.
But you're doing it not with the end goal of selling or making money,
or even making enough to purchase new equipment. And that
tends to make you play small if you're thinking, " Maybe I want to
do this in the long run, " because the way you start off and the way
you end is really similar in in this industry. So, playing small, in my
opinion, means just not really putting yourself out there, not planning,
only stitching just to replenish your supplies and not really
making a big profi t.
AC: Can you give us some specifi c examples? I know that with Sew
Sweet Academy you've had experience with lots of newcomers to the
industry. Can you maybe give us some examples of, say, an embroider
who was making the transition, and you said, " Look, you need to do
this diff erently, " or things that you've seen that are common out there?
AG: A prime example was during Covid. You know, we had a lot
of people that started off selling masks, and they rose to thousands
of dollars of success almost overnight, and then they were trying to
fi gure out what am I going to do now? Do I keep selling these for a
6
Embroidery T O D AY
small amount, you know, two or three dollars, because I'm helping
my community? Or do I actually move on to something else that
is going to be a little more lucrative, that's going to be a little more
long-term-and then how am I going to price that?
AC: Do you work with a lot of embroiderers who already have some
kind of market in place-like maybe a church group or a specifi c
sports team, for example-and it becomes a hurdle breaking out
from that initial market?
AG: Yeah, most of the [embroiderers] that I come across don't necessarily
have a niche quite yet. So, they start off with something that
they like to do or that maybe a family member has asked them to do,
or they get in there and [they] get " squirrel brain. " It's like, " Oh, I
can do this. I can do this. I can do that, " until there's just too many,
and you can't narrow it down, and it's really hard for them to get in
their lane. Sometimes people don't get into their lane until they've
been stitching for a while. I know I started off doing baby items and
bundling them up as diff erent sweets and cupcakes and candies, and
even a diaper cake. And it wasn't until I got my fi rst order for a logo
or something besides a baby item that I decided, " Oh, I actually do
like something beyond tiny onesies and tiny bibs!
AC: A lot of people talk about working on your business, not in your
business. Is that an example of the professional mindset you talk
about? You know, take a deep breath, think strategically in terms of
where you want to go?
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Impressions - Embroidery 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Impressions - Embroidery 2023

Impressions - Embroidery 2023 - Cover1
Impressions - Embroidery 2023 - Cover2
Impressions - Embroidery 2023 - 1
Impressions - Embroidery 2023 - 2
Impressions - Embroidery 2023 - 3
Impressions - Embroidery 2023 - 4
Impressions - Embroidery 2023 - 5
Impressions - Embroidery 2023 - 6
Impressions - Embroidery 2023 - 7
Impressions - Embroidery 2023 - 8
Impressions - Embroidery 2023 - 9
Impressions - Embroidery 2023 - 10
Impressions - Embroidery 2023 - 11
Impressions - Embroidery 2023 - 12
Impressions - Embroidery 2023 - 13
Impressions - Embroidery 2023 - 14
Impressions - Embroidery 2023 - 15
Impressions - Embroidery 2023 - 16
Impressions - Embroidery 2023 - 17
Impressions - Embroidery 2023 - 18
Impressions - Embroidery 2023 - 19
Impressions - Embroidery 2023 - 20
Impressions - Embroidery 2023 - 21
Impressions - Embroidery 2023 - 22
Impressions - Embroidery 2023 - 23
Impressions - Embroidery 2023 - 24
Impressions - Embroidery 2023 - 25
Impressions - Embroidery 2023 - 26
Impressions - Embroidery 2023 - 27
Impressions - Embroidery 2023 - 28
Impressions - Embroidery 2023 - Cover3
Impressions - Embroidery 2023 - Cover4
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https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/20201011
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/202009
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/teamactive_2020fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/202008
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/20200607
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/202005
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/dd_2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/202004
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/202003
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https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201903
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/teamactive_2019spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201902
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201901
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201812
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/dd_2018
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201810
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201809
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/teamspirit_2018fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201808
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201806
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201805
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201804
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201803
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/teamspirit_2018spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201802
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201801
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201712
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201710
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201709
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/teamspirit_2017fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/20170607
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201705
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201704
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201703
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/teamspirit_2017spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201702
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201701
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/sportsfanretailer
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201612
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201610
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201609
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201608
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/teamspirit_2016fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/20160607
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201605
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201604
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201603
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/teamspirit_2016spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201602
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201601
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/sportsfanretailer_201512
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201512
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/digitaldecorator_2015fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201510
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201509
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201508
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/teamspirit_2015fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/20150607
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/digitaldecorator_2015summer
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/sportsfanretailer_201506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201504
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201503
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/teamspirit_2015spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201502
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201501
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/sportsfanretailer_201412
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201412
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201410
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/sportsfanretailer_2014fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201409
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201408
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/teamspirit_2014fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/digitaldecorator_2014summer
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/20140607
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/sportsfanretailer_2014spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201404
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201403
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/teamspirit_2014spring
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https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_sportsfanretailer_201312
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_201312
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_20131011
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_201309
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_201308
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_teamspirit_2013fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_20130607
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https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_201303
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_teamspirit_2013spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_201302
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_201301
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_201212
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_20121011
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_teamspirit_2012fall
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https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_20120607
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https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_201203
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_teamspirit_2012spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_201202
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_201201
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_201112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_20111011
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_20110809
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_teamspirit_2011fall
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https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_201104
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_201103
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_teamspirit_2011spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_201102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_201101
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https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_teamspirit_2010fall
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