The Business Of Sewing Nicky Merrick - Pink Giraffe

This is the hardest episode I’ve written so far. A completely raw and open look at the mistakes I’ve made and the lessons I’ve learned from being in business for 13 years.


Being made to cry. The guy at the print shop did not appreciate being told he’d made a mistake. He got quite angry and made me feel small and inexperienced, like I didn’t know what I was doing. I went home and actually cried. I vowed never to cry in business again after that experience.


Trying to appeal to ‘everyone’. It’s very easy to get sucked into the idea that to get more customers you need to appeal to more people. It’s actually the complete opposite. To get more customers you have to narrow down who you are appealing to. 


Being able to adapt to new situations. The biggest lesson I learned was that to survive you have to be able to adapt. You have to be able to take a new set of circumstances and switch what you are doing around to make it work for you.


Taking on projects you just don’t love. At one point I took on a side business. The products were all eco friendly and I loved using them. But I got it so wrong.  I want my customers to fall in love with my products so that they absolutely want to buy them. No matter how eco friendly someone is, they are never going to fall madly in love with cleaning spray. It’s just not going to happen.


Employing staff and not being able to trust them. I also launched a cleaning company with my husband, Chunky. We thought we could create a great team of staff if we paid above the national living wage and treated them fairly. It went wrong when our cleaner was seen on CCTV sat outside the cafe drinking and smoking.


Making people’s minds up for them. The pole dance community is quite a small one and so very tight and everyone seems to know everyone. I did wonder if they would accept me into their community. I use a wheelchair full time and so I’m certainly not a pole dancer. I couldn’t have been more wrong.


The Prince's Trust (0:46)Being made to cry (1:08)Niching down Trying to appeal to ‘everyone’ (5:24)Being able to adapt to new situations (9:14)Taking on projects you just don’t love (13:16)Employing staff (15:20)Making people’s minds up for them (20:51)Where we are now (23:01)Pricing course and 1:1 (25:36)End of season 1 (26:09)

Links and previous episodes mentioned in this episode:


Some of these are affiliate links and I may earn a small commission if you purchase from them. You won’t pay any more, but you will be helping to support the podcast and keep it free for everyone. You can read more in my disclaimer here.


Digital Playbook PDF ’10 Things you can do in your sewing business right now’ - https://www.pinkgiraffe.co.uk/shop/10-things/


How to price your custom costume for profit - https://www.pinkgiraffe.co.uk/courses/


Get updates from The Dance Makers’ Show Podcast - https://www.pinkgiraffe.co.uk/podcast-updates/


S1 E2 From hobby sewing to small business owner - https://www.pinkgiraffe.co.uk/s1e2/


S1 E3 5 Ways To Handle Customer Objections - https://www.pinkgiraffe.co.uk/s1e3/


S1 E110 Things to do in your sewing business while the world is in lockdown - https://www.pinkgiraffe.co.uk/s1e1/


Thank you for listening to season 1 of The Dance Costume Makers’ Show. I hope you have enjoyed it as much as I have enjoyed making it for you. 


Where you can find me


Website – https://www.pinkgiraffe.co.uk


FB Page – https://www.facebook.com/PinkGiraffe


FB Group – Grow Your Dance Costume Business – https://www.facebook.com/groups/GrowYourDanceCostumeBusiness/


FB Group – The Sparkly Club – https://www.facebook.com/groups/sparklyclub/


Pinterest – https://uk.pinterest.com/PinkGiraffeUK


Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/pinkgiraffeuk


Twitter – https://twitter.com/PinkGiraffeCC


YouTube – https://www.pinkgiraffepolewear.co.uk/YouTubeChannel


LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicky-merrick-/

Do you struggle to get people to see your posts on social media?


It can be hard to get seen among the masses of content being posted daily, but there’s another way to get your content seen.


This week I’m talking all about sewing blogs and why you should have one for your dance costume business.


Now, before you get uppity with me and say this episode is not for you, hear me out. There are so many advantages to having an online space that is 100% your own and you control what goes on there and what doesn’t.


You’re not restricted by character length, number of images, not being able to use links - all things that social media platforms use to restrict the way we can communicate and get our message online.


They do this for a reason, it suits their business model to be this way, but it might not suit your business that well, so why ignore that prime online real estate that is the blog space on your website.


You call the shots over what goes on your website. You decide what it should look like and have complete control over every aspect of it. Why wouldn’t you want to use this to your advantage?


So, I’m going to talk you through some of the reasons I think having a sewing blog is a great idea.


Here’s some highlights including timestamps so you can easily find the info you are looking for.


Showcase your latest makes to your audience (02:35)Get feedback on your work (04:31)Allows your customers to get to know you better (07:34)Drive traffic to your online shop and increase sales (09:12)Build your email list (12:04)Reach more people, potential customers (15:04)Affiliate income (18:31)Keeping a record of your work (22:02)Keeps your audience updated (23:30)Gives you the opportunity to explain more about what you do (24:51)Increases exposure on social media (27:00)

Links mentioned in this episode:


Some of these are affiliate links and I may earn a small commission if you purchase from them. You won’t pay any more, but you will be helping to support the podcast and keep it free for everyone. You can read more in my disclaimer here.


During the show I talked about the affiliate links I have with Crystal Parade and Magpie Crystals


Use the following links and discount codes to get money off your entire order.


Crystal Parade ‘PINKG10’ for 10% off your order https://www.crystalparade.co.uk


Magpie Crystals ‘PGNM5’ for 5% off your order https://www.magpiecrystals.co.uk


Hopefully this episode has been useful and given you some ideas about taking your hobby further or improving the dance costume business that you have.


If you’d like to chat with other costume makers about all things costume and business related you can join my free Facebook Group ‘Grow Your Dance Costume Business’ where you can post pics, ask questions and network with other costume makers.


Hopefully you’ve enjoyed this episode and it’s given you some ideas about how you can incorporate a sewing blog into your costume making business.


If you’d like to support the show I’d really love it if you could leave me a review on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you like to listen to your shows. It really helps more people find the show and encourages me to keep making new episodes.


To leave a review on Apple Podcasts you can do this within the app.


Enjoy your day and stay safe x


Where you can find me


Website – https://www.pinkgiraffe.co.uk


FB Page – https://www.facebook.com/PinkGiraffe


FB Group – Grow Your Dance Costume Business – https://www.facebook.com/groups/GrowYourDanceCostumeBusiness/


FB Group – The Sparkly Club – https://www.facebook.com/groups/sparklyclub/


Pinterest – https://uk.pinterest.com/PinkGiraffeUK


Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/pinkgiraffeuk


Twitter – https://twitter.com/PinkGiraffeCC


YouTube – https://www.pinkgiraffepolewear.co.uk/YouTubeChannel


LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicky-merrick-/

How to dye and airbrush your dance costumes with Alex from Alexice Designs


Have you always wanted to know how to get those really cool ombre effects on your dance costumes?


There are so many fab designs on Pinterest and Insta, but how do they achieve those results?


Where do you even start with finding out about what dye to use and how airbrushing works?


In this episode I interview Alex from Alexice Designs about how she works with dye in her dance costume making.


We discus the types of fabric she uses, what type of dye and where she gets them from. 


Stay tuned until the end where Alex talks us through a step by step walkthrough of how to dye a dance costume.


Tune in to discover more about how to dye and airbrush your dance costumes.


Rit Dye More (04:25)Dharma Trading (05:20)Ombre dyeing (09:15)Tip - let the dye sit before adding the fabric (09:25)Rit website for colour mixing (11:10)Tip - always create samples first (14:32)Colour mixing (17:51)Tip - avoiding mess (21:10)Good business practice (29:16)Having a go - a walk through (31:07)Covid-19 situation (39:47)





Links mentioned in this episode:


Some of these are affiliate links and I may earn a small commission if you purchase from them. You won’t pay any more, but you will be helping to support the podcast and keep it free for everyone. You can read more in my disclaimer here.


Today’s guest is Alexandra from Alexice Designs


https://www.facebook.com/AlexiceDesigns/


Alex mentions Dharma Trading in America as being a good place to find out about dyes. - https://www.dharmatrading.com


Colour mixing formulas for Fit Dyes can be found here - https://www.ritdye.com/color-formulas/?type=203&hue=0&collection=0&pantone=0


During the show, Alex mentions ‘additive colour mixing’ but wasn’t sure if it was additive or subtractive. I looked it up and found that additive refers to mixing light and subtractive refers to mixing pigment. Fascinating topic and you can read more here - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subtractive_color


I hope you have enjoyed this episode as much as I enjoyed recording it. It was a new experience for me to have a guest on the show and I look forward to doing this again in the future.


If you like the podcast so far I really love it if you could leave me a review on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you like to listen to your podcasts. It really helps more people find the show and encourages me to keep making new episodes.


To leave a review on Apple Podcasts you can do this within the app.


Where you can find me


Website – https://www.pinkgiraffe.co.uk


FB Page – https://www.facebook.com/PinkGiraffe


FB Group – Grow Your Dance Costume Business – https://www.facebook.com/groups/GrowYourDanceCostumeBusiness/


FB Group – The Sparkly Club – https://www.facebook.com/groups/sparklyclub/


Pinterest – https://uk.pinterest.com/PinkGiraffeUK


Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/pinkgiraffeuk


Twitter – https://twitter.com/PinkGiraffeCC


YouTube – https://www.pinkgiraffepolewear.co.uk/YouTubeChannel


LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicky-merrick-/

How do you know what to charge for a custom dance costume?


If you are not sure of the answer, then you are not alone.


It’s the number one thing I get asked when working with dance costume makers to help them grow their business.


I’m passionate about helping you get your pricing right so that you can enjoy doing the job you love, knowing that you are getting paid what you are worth.


There are so many trains of thought on the subject of pricing.


While I do respect others and their decisions about their pricing formulas, I’m often astounded at the approach some people take to calculating what they time and skills are worth.


In this episode I’m going to talk you through some of the do’s and don’ts of pricing a custom dance costume.


Perhaps it’s best that we look at what you shouldn’t do first.


I don’t usually like to use words like ‘should’ and ‘shouldn’t’ because I it’s quite a negative way of thinking. It can be quite triggering for some people too and that’s not my objective here.


So if you’re feeling triggered by any of the things I say in this episode, maybe take a step back from those feelings and ask yourself why you are feeling them.


Dig deep and really think about why you disagree. Then I would ask you to do a little experiment. Try out some of the advice I’m offering today. Go look at your latest costume makes and apply the methods I am going to walk you through. You may find that it helps iron out a problem area for you.


If you do that and still feel that my methods are not useful or helpful then I would really like to hear from you. This isn’t about being right or wrong for me, it’s about furthering our own practise and constantly checking in on ourselves that we are aligned with our intentions and serving our customers well.


I would love to hear from you to see how you choose to calculate your prices and hopefully it will lead to some good debate. 


Tune in to discover more about how to price your next custom dance costume.


If you are feeling triggered (04:06)Asking on social media "How much would you charge for this?" (07:17)Profit or wages? (07:47)Asking friends and family what they think about your pricing (11:52)Using strange pricing formulas you find on the internet (13:32)Undercutting your competitors (16:15)Checking where you sit in the marketplace (19:53)The things you SHOULD do (23:46)Respecting other costume makers (23:51)The individual cost of making a costume (25:11)The Costume Costing Checklist (27:50)Calculating your hourly rate (28:17)Looking for BETA testers for the pricing course (33:54)

Links mentioned in this episode:


Some of these are affiliate links and I may earn a small commission if you purchase from them. You won’t pay any more, but you will be helping to support the podcast and keep it free for everyone. You can read more in my disclaimer here.


Freebie! The Costume Costing Checklist - https://www.pinkgiraffe.co.uk/freebie-ccc


The waiting list to be a BETA Tester on the Pricing Course - https://www.pinkgiraffe.co.uk/pricing-beta


Hopefully this episode has been useful and given you some things to think about with regards to pricing your next custom dance costume.


If you’d like to chat with other costume makers about all things costume and business related you can join my free Facebook Group ‘Grow Your Dance Costume Business’ where you can post pics, ask questions and network with other costume makers.


Where you can find me


Website – https://www.pinkgiraffe.co.uk


FB Page – https://www.facebook.com/PinkGiraffe


FB Group – Grow Your Dance Costume Business – https://www.facebook.com/groups/GrowYourDanceCostumeBusiness/


FB Group – The Sparkly Club – https://www.facebook.com/groups/sparklyclub/


Pinterest – https://uk.pinterest.com/PinkGiraffeUK


Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/pinkgiraffeuk


Twitter – https://twitter.com/PinkGiraffeCC


YouTube – https://www.pink

Are you struggling to know what type of content to put out for your customers while in lockdown?


Do you feel unsure talking about costumes that your customers don’t need right now?


In this episode I’ll give you a few ideas about how you can stay in touch with your customers and ensure they don’t forget about you.


Lots of businesses are starting to think about how they might be able to start trading again once the lockdown restrictions are relaxed, but it’s hard to make plans when all we can do is speculate about what might happen and what we might be allowed to do once lockdown restrictions are lifted.


Most of us are limited with the costumes we can make right now because the dance competitions have all been cancelled and we don’t know when they might be able to start up again.


It’s unlikely to be a priority as generally dancing is seen as a social hobby and not something that is crucial or that important, but for those of us working in the industry, it is important and it’s critical that we are able to keep our businesses going.


So I thought today I would talk about the kind of marketing we can do for our costume making businesses that will keep us in our customer’s minds so that when they want to start buying again, they will know where to go.


Tune in to find out how you can best serve your customers during lockdown.


The types of content you can create (02:53)New designs you are working on (04:26)Past work you've done (06:36)Bloopers (07:35)Competition idea (10:49)Alex Ice Designs (10:53)Croquis Pronunciation (11:13)Canva (14:25)What you like about your work (16:15)How I ended up becoming a pole dance costume maker (16:53)Who would you most like to design a dance costume for? (18:38)Coming up soon... (23:23)

During the show I talked about using a fashion croquis to create new dance costume designs. I totally pronounced it wrong, but I said I would look it up, and I did. The correct pronunciation is in fact ‘kroguee’.


Who’d have thought?


Links mentioned in this episode:


Some of these are affiliate links and I may earn a small commission if you purchase from them. You won’t pay any more, but you will be helping to support the podcast and keep it free for everyone. You can read more in my disclaimer here.


AlexIce Designs - https://www.facebook.com/AlexiceDesigns/


How to correctly pronounce ‘croquis'- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QR5feQnQqjc


Canva - https://www.canva.com


Grace McDowall Performer Profile - https://www.pinkgiraffe.co.uk/performer-profile-grace-mcdowall/


Jane White Tuition - https://www.janewhitetuition.co.uk


Hopefully this episode has been useful and given you some ideas on the kind of content you can put out during the Covid-19 lockdown.


If you’d like to chat with other costume makers about all things costume and business related you can join my free Facebook Group ‘Grow Your Dance Costume Business’ where you can post pics, ask questions and network with other costume makers.


Where you can find me


Website – https://www.pinkgiraffe.co.uk


FB Page – https://www.facebook.com/PinkGiraffe


FB Group – Grow Your Dance Costume Business – https://www.facebook.com/groups/GrowYourDanceCostumeBusiness/


FB Group – The Sparkly Club – https://www.facebook.com/groups/sparklyclub/


Pinterest – https://uk.pinterest.com/PinkGiraffeUK


Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/pinkgiraffeuk


Twitter – https://twitter.com/PinkGiraffeCC


YouTube – https://www.pinkgiraffepolewear.co.uk/YouTubeChannel


LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicky-merrick-/

Are you nervous about customer complaints? Is it stopping you from taking your business forward?


In this episode I’m going to share some practical tips that will help your business run smoothly and keep your customer happy and coming back for more.


There are lots of reasons why a customer might not be completely satisfied.


Customers can have objections at any point in the costume making process. It might be that they object before you get started or it might be that they have an issue with the finished costume.


Depending on what the objection is, there are different ways to deal with them. 


In this episode I’m going to look at 5 ways you can handle customer objections and how you can improve so it doesn’t happen again.


Tune in to discover the 5 ways you can build a better relationship with your customers.


The customer is unhappy with the price (0:54)My Pricing course (and how you can become a beta tester) (03:09)The customer is not happy with the finished costume (08:50)The customer changed their mind about the colour they wanted (14:46)Using Docular to create legal policies for your business (18:34)The costume doesn’t fir the customer (23:13)The Consumer Contracts Act in the UK (26:33)The costume is damaged (30:39)

Links mentioned in this episode:


Some of these are affiliate links and I may earn a small commission if you purchase from them. You won’t pay any more, but you will be helping to support the podcast and keep it free for everyone. You can read more in my disclaimer here.


In the show I mentioned a meme that does the rounds among self-employed people. I didn’t quite remember the full quote and totally fudged trying to say it during the recording. So I’ve dug it out the depths of Google images and found it for you.


The original quote is “If I do a job in 30 minutes it’s because I spent 10 years learning how to do that in 30 minutes. You owe me for the years, not the minutes.”


It’s a fab quote, but I couldn’t find who it should be attributed to. If anyone knows, please do drop me a message so I can update it and credit the author.


The Pink Giraffe Pricing Course - https://www.pinkgiraffe.co.uk/pricing-course-waitlist/


Docular Legal Policies - https://docular.net


The relevant legislation in the UK for the Consumer Contracts Act 2013 can be found here - http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2013/3134/contents/made


Hopefully this episode has been useful and given you some tips on how to serve your customers better and maintain great relationships.


If you’d like to chat with other costume makers about all things costume and business related you can join my free Facebook Group ‘Grow Your Dance Costume Business’ where you can post pics, ask questions and network with other costume makers.


Where you can find me






Website – https://www.pinkgiraffe.co.uk


FB Page – https://www.facebook.com/PinkGiraffe


FB Group – Grow Your Dance Costume Business – https://www.facebook.com/groups/GrowYourDanceCostumeBusiness/


FB Group – The Sparkly Club – https://www.facebook.com/groups/sparklyclub/


Pinterest – https://uk.pinterest.com/PinkGiraffeUK


Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/pinkgiraffeuk


Twitter – https://twitter.com/PinkGiraffeCC


YouTube – https://www.pinkgiraffepolewear.co.uk/YouTubeChannel


LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicky-merrick-/