The True Cost of a PDF Sewing Pattern Business!

[@MaddieLynn]

This is such a great and insightful video💕

[@jessilous_closet]

Thanks so much Maddie! I'm really glad you found it helpful!

[@LifeByHellen]

sorry for the potentially silly question, im genuinely curious, wouldnt your personal wages, electricity for the place you run your business etc also be operating costs for the business?

[@jessilous_closet]

Yes! When you run a business from your home (at least in California), it's percentage based. So for example, I use a certain square footage of my home for my home office, so I can write off that amount. Please note that I'm not a tax professional and I work with a tax company called Collective to ensure that I'm writing off all my expenses correctly based on local laws 😊

[@chat.b12]

Your video is really helpful, and I appreciate how you've broken down the expenses involved in creating PDF sewing patterns. However, I feel the budget you’ve listed is a bit incomplete. For example, there’s no mention of costs for specific subscriptions to store photos, files, and other essential data. Also, there's the cost of the fabric used for the toile and protoypes and other necessary materials like rulers, and supplies, which all add up quickly. While it’s great you can work from home, not everyone has that option-especially those living in really small spaces, couples, or people with children who can’t use their living room as a workspace. In these cases, renting a studio becomes necessary, and with it come additional expenses like rent, electricity, internet, and other utilities. Another big point is the commission fees on platforms like Etsy, which are quite significant, especially for smaller businesses. And don’t forget the costs of hiring a professional photographer for high-quality photos, which can be a big investment. For those of us who aren’t native English speakers, translation services are another important cost to factor in. Finally, I think it’s also important to mention the expenses for paying testers who help with quality control. Having a group of testers ensure the pattern works well is crucial, but it’s another added cost that people might overlook. Thank you for sharing this information and motivating others to start their own brand-it’s really inspiring, but it’s good to acknowledge that the costs can vary greatly depending on individual situations.

[@jessilous_closet]

Hi! Thanks so much for your detailed input. My goal with this video was to show what's possible when you're just starting out. I didn't include things like sewing space, fabric, machines, and the necessary equipment to sew a garment because hopefully anyone becoming a sewing pattern designer is already a practicing sewist, which means they already have these resources. Purchasing new fabric that isn't already in your stash, renting a studio, paying for a photographer, etc, are all luxury expenses that are not necessities when you're just starting out. Once your business is cash flowing, you can absolutely reinvest money to make things better. For example, up until recently, all my Etsy listing photos were taken with my iPhone. That worked great and didn't hinder my ability to put out patterns. Recently I invested in doing a photo shoot, so I've since updated my Etsy listings 🥰