We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Rachel Malasky a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Rachel, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s jump right into the heart of things. Outsiders often think businesses or industries have much larger profit margins than they actually do – the reason is that outsiders are often unaware of the biggest challenges to profitability in various industries – what’s the biggest challenge to profitability in your industry?

I find one of the biggest challenges to be profitable, in any business, is not putting a correct value on what you do. Most creatives tend to under value their work. They don’t include everything that went into creating their art. The years of practice and learning that go into what we do, are worth something. We want to sell our art and we want to see people appreciate it and use it but to be profitable we have to treat what we do as a valuable skill. What we do is unique and not something just anyone can do, so put the correct price tag on it. In the beginning of my career, I was constantly allowing myself to take less than I was worth and often walked away making next to nothing. It took me years to learn that it’s better to walk away from a job that to take on the trouble of doing it for less. That customer has already proven they don’t understand what you do and won’t value your work.

Rachel, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Rachel Malasky and I am a clothing designer, costume designer, and a third-generation seamstress. Growing up in a home with a talented seamstress was an amazing way to start my design career. Imagine being able to alter your clothes as much as you want? I loved being able to make my clothing look and fit my body a certain way. I was the girl with the home-made prom dresses and the jeans tapered to within an inch of their life, unless I was sewing huge gussets in them to turn them into bell bottoms. I’m also a curvy girl so getting clothes to fit is a constant struggle. Making clothing from scratch, drawing my own patterns, and seeing what I imagine in my head come to life has been a priceless part of my life.

As I started a family I realized following in my mother and grandmothers’ footsteps was a wonderful way to help support my family and feed my need to create. I worked for my mother, learning new skills and trying new things, until I moved and opened my own business. Over the years I have expanded the business to include not just clothing alterations but home decor and bespoke clothing. I have multiple seamstresses, one of my own daughters included, that all work at my company. About ten years ago I started selling bespoke costuming online and that has stretched my business even further. One of the things I am most proud of is teaching my skills to others. I have helped dozens of women and men stretch their skill set and make it possible for them to open their own businesses. Not enough people do what I do anymore and hording these skills helps no one. I want others to pass these things along and keep creating beautiful clothing.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

For us the best source of new clients is word of mouth from our current clients. We try very hard to make and keep our customers happy. There are times when we have to part ways with a client, but I try very hard to avoid that if I can. Making sure we manage expectations, have honest pricing, and preform quality work all play a big part of that. I have found that having a great front of the store presence is huge for my clients. Having someone up front that is knowledgeable and friendly can make or break your business. I have delegated out the handling of clients for everyday face to face conversations and simple pick up and drop offs to an office manager. She is great at juggling the customers different needs and timelines and allows me time to sew and sketch. For years I tried doing everything myself and I have learned that the best use of my time isn’t always in front with each and every client. Hire amazing people to help you. Being consistent and encouraging that with all your employees will help keep your clients happy. I have used radio, newspapers, charity events, and lots of other forms of advertising but I feel like word of mouth is always the best. I would also suggest you keep track of reviews on sites like Yelp and Google. Address each one if you can and be honest and kind. When someone gives you, a negative review, do what you can to fix it and if you can’t then try to take the high road. I’m not saying it’s easy, but I think it’s worth it.

We’d love to hear your thoughts about selling platforms like Amazon/Etsy vs selling on your own site.

I do sell bespoke and ready-made costuming on Etsy. I travel quite a lot and first started my Etsy shop as a way to work remotely while I travel. Years ago, I sold on Ebay but found the increase in cost cut into my profits too severely and so I eventually stopped selling on that platform. I had enjoyed the freedom that selling online provided though, and I continued looking for a similar platform that wouldn’t cost quite as much. When I looked into Etsy, I was excited by the concept that the items sold on Etsy are custom made. Though this isn’t always the case with everything sold on Etsy, many of the items are unique and my item’s fit comfortably into that category. My customers expect my items to be bespoke and custom made. They expect to generally pay more because my items are so personalized and specialized. For me it is an easy and very inexpensive way to sell online. The site is very easy to navigate and it’s extremely simple to set up a shop and almost no maintenance after you are set up. I can participate in as many or as few of their advertising programs, which there are many, as I want. It ends up being a very easy way to maintain an online presence. The only real cons for me are there is a cost, though very small, and you have to work within the rules whichever company you use has. Ebay’s rules and payments were different than Etsy’s, but I found both to be acceptable and easy to understand. I think most e commerce sites are very user friendly now and a great option for those that need more exposure or don’t have a brick-and-mortar store front.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/SassInSatin
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sassinsatin/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Alterationslincolnton
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-malasky-a5b27239

Image Credits
https://robbwebbphotography.com/