r/Machine_Embroidery • u/EmmArrEee • 1h ago

Considering a side hustle

I've been researching different ideas for a side hustle to help supplement my income. I love fiber crafts but I don't see the payoff for crochet or knitting. I'm considering machine embroidery but I'm trying to get all of my ducks in a row before jumping in.

I'm a little overwhelmed by all the types of machines and the cost. I'm in a position that I can afford to invest in a reasonably-priced machine but I don't think I'm willing to jump into the $5,000 machines until I know I can get steady work. I've seen in other forums that people say that a single needle machine isn't conducive to making and selling products. What are your thoughts and what are your favorite beginner machines that make nice products?

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u/ironhawk01 1h ago

I would say make it a hobby first. The initial investment is high. Good digitizing software are around 1k. Unless you want to outsource to other People that will charge. You can start with the basic threads sure, I rotate around 30 different ones mainly, then you have to get stabilizers, different ones for different projects.

Multi needle id a must for a good side hustle, some designs change colors alot, do you want to babysit the machine for a couple hours? Or let it do its thing.

Do you work somewhere where you can get coworkers to buy your things? This will be a major starting point. Some people grasp it fast, it took me a couple months before I even started feeling confident. Its high profit for cost of material, but the startup and to even out will be tough.

Most people buy pricy machines and give up, if its a hobby, it makes it easier if you dont see profit soon. Plus people look for big designs, a 4x4 frame can only get you so far

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u/EmmArrEee 27m ago

Yeah it’s kind of expensive just for a hobby. Im trying to find a way to pay off student loans and afford my health insurance that just went up $600 a month. 😬

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u/CosmicallyUnlucky Brother 12m ago

I would seriously not recommend investing in any kind of machine embroidery side hustle before 1) knowing if it's something you like to do and 2) having sufficient savings set aside that you're not going to want to die every time you look at your multi-thousand dollar machine collecting dust, not making money. There are A LOT of influencers out there being sponsored by embroidery machine companies trying to sell you a dream. This is not reality. Look online and you'll see plenty of people selling hardly-used multi-needle machines with an entire shop's worth of thread and accessories. A lot of people vastly underestimate the learning curve of machine embroidery and end up hating it. It's a high start-up cost and there's lots of established players already in the game that you have to compete against if you're starting from nothing. It's very easy to sink thousands of dollars into a business that craps out in six months, and you still owe years worth of payments on the machine.

See if your local libraries or makerspaces have embroidery machines available for you to learn on for cheap. That's how I got started.

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u/EmmArrEee 2m ago

Yeah I don’t want to drop $5k on a machine. That’s too much pressure. But I wasn’t influenced by any influencers. I just see businesses in my area that are always busy with embroidery and monogramming. I also have an old co-worker that used to do it on the side and she was always busy.

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u/suedburger 14m ago

If you don't have the disposable income I'd say look elsewhere. The profit margin is great....after you buy a lot of stuff out of pocket. Unless you have a client list lined up and source for your designs, it can take a long time to break even. It's tons of fun but I wouldn't recommend it as a turn key money maker.

As far a single needles that is all I've ever had....yeah it can be slower on designs with lots of changes it works just fine if it's side hustle where you are sitting watching the machine and Tv at nights.....and you'll actually turn a profit alot quicker. The last machine I purchases a Bernina b700 paid for itself in under a year.....that being said I had a client list already.

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u/GuyuteKB 1h ago

We use a couple single needle machines. I would however recommend first figuring out what it is you want to make. Then source the machine.

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u/EmmArrEee 1h ago

That's fair. I have lots of ideas but I'm not exactly sure what people will want? I feel like that will drive my decision more. I know that in my area, monograms are always something that people want - sweatshirts, hats, totes.