business license for selling my garment?
georgegabriellecouture
| Posted in Talk With Us on
First of all, hi to you all. I am new here. I’ve been sewing for about 3 – 4 years, but only in my spare time. My sewing skills is getting better and I am pretty satisfied with it. I make a lot of children’s clothes for my kids, and thinking to have my own website and sell some there. I am not planning to do this full time yet, since my kids are still pretty small and still need a lot of attention. I only make like 2 – 3 children’s garments every week. Hopefully when they get bigger and more independent I can do it more seriously. For now I am just sewing for fun and see if anybody would buy it. My question is do I need a business license to do this? Thanks in advance 🙂
Replies
Oh yes, but don't be afraid , it's not a big deal . And it can only lead to your sucsess, because you can advertise and be proud because you're not trying to get away with something illegal like not paying taxes , so good things will happen for you . Thats how I started sewing for a living , cause I love it . It never feels like work , Do some price comparison , we sewers often sell ourselves short .Best of luck , Susan http://www.homedecsewing.com
I live in a tiny town. It is so small, that when I went into town hall for a permit to run a business out of my home, the code enforcement officer told me my husband needed to move back the stakes he'd used to mark where the barn would be built: they were too close to the road.
A business license? I have the permit required by the town, a separate checking account, and keep track of my expenses so I know how much I really make. You probably don't need a license to sew.
Be aware, if you use printed patterns, that using them to make multiple copies of an item for sale is prohibited. Some people will tell you it's okay. The pattern companies have said it's not. Some people may tell you you'll never get caught. They'll stop short of offering to pay your legal bills. Changing the pattern 10- 20- or 30% does not make it yours, it is stil "derivative" or someone else's work.
There is a company with a website which sells blocks or slopers for women's or children's clothing, at reasonable prices, which you can use to make your own patterns: http://pattern.stringcodes.com/
Thanks for the website. Mary
Thank you all for the info, it really is very helpful. I really appreciate it :)
hi, I do not have a business, but I have been thinking about it. You do need to register with your Secretary of States Office. They keep track of businesses in a state and you want to make sure the name you use is not owned by someone else. You could get sued using someone else's name. I am sure there are all sort of state regulations on businesses even home based. You can check your state's website - in Connecticut it is called ct.gov and they have a list of all the things you need to do to start a business here. Hopefully you state has one too. If they don't look at CT and you will get an idea of what is involved. Good luck and keep us posted on what is involved......
Good information there. I too have a business and have a sellers permit required by my state. Also a permit for the local town. ALSO, you have to collect taxes according to the various local points of sale. No, its not scary just a little paper work. My state office sent me all the infor and had a great website. Having your own business is wonderful. Sewing is art to me and it is valuable as a commodity. You got good advice about finding out what other locals are charging. I've managed to expand my business by finding others and we recommend each other depending on our own specialties.
You should check out this website: http://www.fashion-incubator.com/mt/, Kathleen's book is excellent. You will not find anything better. Another book is Fashion Designer Survival Guide by Mary Gehlhar. This is also one of the better books I've read.
I have been curious how websites that sell clothes are doing. What are the pitfalls to watch out for etc. Have you done any research on that? I do think that it would be very convenient to sell your product through a website.
KellyT, Washington
Thank you for the references. It's really helpful. I am not really planning to go that big. For now, I only sew about 1 - 3 children's garments per week for my children, I'm having so much fun doing it and just wondering if I could do the same thing and maybe making a little extra money.
I did a little research, but not enough. With 2 toddlers around, it is kinda hard to have time for my self in the day time. And at night time after they go to sleep, I do my other passion which is art (painting). I am a pin-up artist, and right now I am trying to build up my portfolio to be brought to some galleries next year, and see if they want to display them for me :)
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