Episode 20: Nobody Wants to Do This Embroidery Job. But the Bikers Need You To

0:00 [SPEAKER_00]: There's a whole category of embroidery work that shops won't touch. [SPEAKER_00]: Not because it's illegal, not because it's hard to sell, but because nobody taught them how to do it. [SPEAKER_00]: And now they just assume they can't. [SPEAKER_00]: So they say no. [SPEAKER_00]: over and over again to paying customers. [SPEAKER_00]: Two big orders to repeat businesses and those customers, they just keep on calling. [SPEAKER_00]: They keep looking and they just can't find anybody to say yes. [SPEAKER_00]: Today, I'm gonna tell you what job this is, why shops keep walking away from it and why I've been saying yes to this for 30 years.

0:40 [SPEAKER_00]: because there's real money sitting in this niche. [SPEAKER_00]: And most of your competition doesn't even know it exists. [SPEAKER_00]: Hi, I'm Hope Yoder and you're listening to the embroidery, profit, podcast. [SPEAKER_00]: Let's dive right in today. [SPEAKER_00]: I wanna talk about something called Blue Ocean. [SPEAKER_00]: Maybe you've read the book called Blue Ocean Strategy. [SPEAKER_00]: If you haven't, let me tell you about this theory that's in the book. [SPEAKER_00]: Well, it's really not a theory, but this book was a little bit hard to read, but man, as I got in, there was some really good analogies. [SPEAKER_00]: And I want to share the whole simple idea with you.

1:21 [SPEAKER_00]: Most businesses, no matter what business you're in, they compete in a red ocean. [SPEAKER_00]: Everybody's fighting over the same customers, the same price points, and the same products. [SPEAKER_00]: It's bloody, it's exhausting. [SPEAKER_00]: But a blue ocean, okay. [SPEAKER_00]: And that's open water. [SPEAKER_00]: That means no competition. [SPEAKER_00]: You're not fighting anyone. [SPEAKER_00]: because you went somewhere that nobody else went because they didn't want to. [SPEAKER_00]: Now, here's an analogy straight from the book that stopped me cold. [SPEAKER_00]: Let's talk about the circus. [SPEAKER_00]: For decades, the circus was the circus.

2:04 [SPEAKER_00]: It was started, well, I don't know if it was started, but Barnum and Bailey and Ringling Barthers. [SPEAKER_00]: Do you remember [SPEAKER_00]: as a kid going to a circus, everyone was competing for the same thing. [SPEAKER_00]: They kept getting bigger animals, more animals, and more stunts, louder acts, but it was the same red ocean. [SPEAKER_00]: They were all competing against each other, until [SPEAKER_00]: enters Cirque-day Soleil. [SPEAKER_00]: And they said, what have we got rid of the animals entirely? [SPEAKER_00]: What have we made it an art form? [SPEAKER_00]: The answer under the big top music, story, acrobatics.

2:46 [SPEAKER_00]: They didn't compete with the existing circus model. [SPEAKER_00]: They created something entirely new, and they became the most profitable entertainment company in the world you guys. [SPEAKER_00]: That's what a blue ocean is. [SPEAKER_00]: As I'm saying this, I literally have chill bumps, because I'm always trying to find a blue ocean for my business. [SPEAKER_00]: So what would that mean in the embroidery world? [SPEAKER_00]: Now, I want to remind you that I've been in this industry for 30 years, [SPEAKER_00]: And I've seen things come and go like bell bottoms. [SPEAKER_00]: Remember when they were hot, and then they weren't. [SPEAKER_00]: And then they were again. [SPEAKER_00]: All right, my blue ocean is patches.

3:27 [SPEAKER_00]: Embroidered patches woven, embroidered patches on twill. [SPEAKER_00]: So, I want you to think about satin patch borders, or narrow-edge patches that are done in the hoop, or chineal patches, the kind that you see on bikers vest, or varsity jackets, or military uniforms. [SPEAKER_00]: Now, I'm going to let you in on a little known secret. [SPEAKER_00]: Most embroidery shops don't do patches. [SPEAKER_00]: Why? [SPEAKER_00]: Because maybe the process feels complicated. [SPEAKER_00]: There are a lot of steps in patches. [SPEAKER_00]: And you need the right type of equipment. [SPEAKER_00]: You need to know the stabilizers. [SPEAKER_00]: You basically need a roadmap.

4:07 [SPEAKER_00]: And you need to have the right type of digitizing. [SPEAKER_00]: And if nobody has ever shown you the right way, [SPEAKER_00]: It fills easier just to say no. [SPEAKER_00]: And I really think that's why a lot of shops say no to patches. [SPEAKER_00]: And so that means that they're not serving their customers and their customers are going to go somewhere else like to me, someone who does make patches. [SPEAKER_00]: I want to tell you a true story about my business. [SPEAKER_00]: I got a call from an embroidery shop owner from another state. [SPEAKER_00]: She followed me in a laser group and she had a client who wanted patches. [SPEAKER_00]: Now, what's crazy is she did the same type of things that I do, left chess polo's, jackets, [SPEAKER_00]: And when she called me, she told me who she was and that she owned an embroidery shop and she didn't want to make patches.

4:59 [SPEAKER_00]: She tried it. [SPEAKER_00]: They didn't turn out well and she kept following me on socials and said that my patches looked amazing. [SPEAKER_00]: So she called me a competitor and asked me if I would make patches for her. [SPEAKER_00]: so that she could send them to her client as a white label item, meaning she would say that she made them, or maybe she wouldn't say that, but she wouldn't tell her that she subbed them out to someone like me. [SPEAKER_00]: Now, what you guys to think about that for a second, she was willing to outsource to a shop, me, and a completely different state, pay me for my work, and have me send the patches [SPEAKER_00]: She didn't want to take the time to figure out how to make patches because they didn't turn out great in the past.

5:51 [SPEAKER_00]: This just shows you how badly shops want to avoid making patches, but it also should show you, like it showed me, that there's a demand for this. [SPEAKER_00]: If someone who does the same thing is willing to pay someone else to do it, that could be a niche that you want to go into. [SPEAKER_00]: People often call me the patch queen, and as I was training my embroidery coworker, [SPEAKER_00]: to make patches with the steps using my exact framework. [SPEAKER_00]: She said to me later, these are so cool, I love making this. [SPEAKER_00]: Have you ever thought about making biker patches for motorcycle clubs?

6:32 [SPEAKER_00]: And I thought, no, I have never thought of this. [SPEAKER_00]: Why haven't I thought of this? [SPEAKER_00]: And as we went on to a conversation, it turns out that my coworker up north was part of a biker club. [SPEAKER_00]: Well, not really a biker club, a writer club. [SPEAKER_00]: Apparently, there's a real difference. [SPEAKER_00]: And I'm pretty girly, girly. [SPEAKER_00]: I don't write a motorcycle. [SPEAKER_00]: I don't really know anybody that does. [SPEAKER_00]: So this is not in my world. [SPEAKER_00]: but it's in her world, but as we started talking, she said, why don't I just call the local motorcycle shop and do some snoop shopping for you and find out if they have anybody to make patches? [SPEAKER_00]: So we found two local bike shops that are well-known.

7:15 [SPEAKER_00]: She called them on the clock. [SPEAKER_00]: using her own cell phone number, and she got some great information. [SPEAKER_00]: The first one said, you know, we can't find anyone to make embroidered patches well. [SPEAKER_00]: So we stopped offering them. [SPEAKER_00]: But we do laser engraving patches. [SPEAKER_00]: Hmm. [SPEAKER_00]: Let's think about this. [SPEAKER_00]: They couldn't find anyone local to make them. [SPEAKER_00]: And most of your customers, they don't want to go to that big patch factory that makes them online because they know they probably outsource them to another country. [SPEAKER_00]: They really want American-made and a lot of people are willing to pay for this. [SPEAKER_00]: So that first call really opened my eyes and made me think, man, I'm probably leaving money on the table.

7:59 [SPEAKER_00]: Now, my coworker went on to tell me that she was in a writer's club. [SPEAKER_00]: And they had patches made and they were in the same dilemma up north. [SPEAKER_00]: They couldn't find anyone local to make them well. [SPEAKER_00]: Or really, in the United States, it was hard to find what she wanted. [SPEAKER_00]: Now, they didn't want generic patches. [SPEAKER_00]: They wanted their own logo made on it, really big for the back. [SPEAKER_00]: And what she ended up doing is outsourcing them to another country in several years ago, they paid a couple hundred dollars per patch. [SPEAKER_00]: Now, the really cool thing about this story is, they made the same patch for everyone in the club. [SPEAKER_00]: So that meant it made my job easier if I got in this niche, I wouldn't be making a one-off, I would make several of these.

8:45 [SPEAKER_00]: Now, she called another shop and they said the same thing, nope, we don't make him can't find anybody to do them well. [SPEAKER_00]: So what if I was a person to do them well? [SPEAKER_00]: What if I came up with a cool patch design that would represent what we could do? [SPEAKER_00]: And I had it digitized and I stitched it out and I walked into those shops with some business cards, dress nice and said, hey, I want to just introduce you to our shop. [SPEAKER_00]: We're local to your area. [SPEAKER_00]: And this is what we can make for your clients. [SPEAKER_00]: We'd love to build a relationship where we can [SPEAKER_00]: Hmm, does that have your mind racing right now?

9:29 [SPEAKER_00]: Hey guys, we'll be right back to the show, but I want to ask you a question, do you know how to make patches? [SPEAKER_00]: Have you ever wanted to learn how to make patches? [SPEAKER_00]: For me and my business, they're huge. [SPEAKER_00]: They open up the door for bigger orders. [SPEAKER_00]: And I wanted to tell you about an online course that I have called patch it perfect. [SPEAKER_00]: In this course, you're going to get 30 done for you designs. [SPEAKER_00]: And I'm going to teach you everything you need to know on how to make free standing patches, [SPEAKER_00]: I'm going to leave the link in the show notes below, or you can go to hopeyotor.com, look under the online courses tab. [SPEAKER_00]: Let's get right back to the show. [SPEAKER_00]: Now recently, about a week ago, I was contracted to teach at embroidery conference in Miami.

10:13 [SPEAKER_00]: And when I was there, I was still thinking about this conversation in my head with my co-worker. [SPEAKER_00]: And I walked by a machine running that was on display in the vendor area. [SPEAKER_00]: It was a Chanel machine. [SPEAKER_00]: Now, Chanel, Chanel, Chanel, tomato, tomato. [SPEAKER_00]: So, this machine had two embroidery heads, one that did traditional embroidery and one that did the needle punch shineel. [SPEAKER_00]: So, if you don't know what shineel is, it's loopy, it's that fuzzy stitch that you might see on old Letterman jackets. [SPEAKER_00]: The patches that looked like they came off a high school varsity jacket from 1975. [SPEAKER_00]: That machine could run both types of embroidery shineel.

10:54 [SPEAKER_00]: and regular embroidery at the same time. [SPEAKER_00]: And you guys, I'm not gonna lie. [SPEAKER_00]: I kept going back again and again to that machine. [SPEAKER_00]: I had to stop the drill. [SPEAKER_00]: I even filmed it and put it in my embroidery lounge Facebook group. [SPEAKER_00]: And I got to thinking, now I know that might take a long time to stitch out those patches. [SPEAKER_00]: But I saw money in that machine, right? [SPEAKER_00]: If I wanted to go into the writer's world and make some really cool patches, you know, Shineel would be a significant upcharge. [SPEAKER_00]: I haven't bought it yet, but I still have that in the back of the mind. [SPEAKER_00]: I might need to Dave Ramsey it.

11:35 [SPEAKER_00]: If you don't know what I mean, go back to the last episode or a former episode titled Dave Ramsey. [SPEAKER_00]: And I bet you I have money sitting around my shop or my home that I could use to fund that new piece of equipment that would help me really step up my game and go high level. [SPEAKER_00]: Speaking of patches, if this episode has made you think, I want to tell you that I have an online course called Patch It Perfect. [SPEAKER_00]: It has 10 lessons and 31 done for you files where you can learn to go high level and step up your patches, whether it's a satin edge border or a narrow edge border.

12:16 [SPEAKER_00]: The transformation I hear from my students going through this course is they go from not being able to make consistently good looking patches, [SPEAKER_00]: to making three times what the course cost in their very first order. [SPEAKER_00]: If you're ready to go high level and make patches, check out my patchup perfect course. [SPEAKER_00]: The link is in the description below. [SPEAKER_00]: Alright, let's get back to the episode. [SPEAKER_00]: So I have a question for you guys, what is your blue ocean? [SPEAKER_00]: Here's a thing, for you, maybe it's not patches like it is for me. [SPEAKER_00]: Maybe your blue ocean is baby items or team uniforms or a sport that nobody covers in your area.

13:00 [SPEAKER_00]: It could be a corporate gift set that includes embroidery and laser engraving together. [SPEAKER_00]: The point of this episode is not patches. [SPEAKER_00]: The point is, where is the job and your market that nobody else is willing to do? [SPEAKER_00]: What are customers calling you about? [SPEAKER_00]: Because they can't find anybody else to do it. [SPEAKER_00]: Because whatever it is, there's an unmet demand that you may have skills to do it. [SPEAKER_00]: It may be your blue ocean or you may find a course like my patch it perfect course that will help you go high level and that can become your blue ocean.

13:43 [SPEAKER_00]: Most shops are swimming and the red water fighting over polos and shirts and left chest logos. [SPEAKER_00]: I'm not saying don't do that work because I do, I'm saying don't only do that work. [SPEAKER_00]: Find the thing your competition won't touch. [SPEAKER_00]: Learn to do it better than anyone and be the only yes and a sea of nose. [SPEAKER_00]: I'm going to talk in my next episode about a coaching session that I did inside of my one-to-one [SPEAKER_00]: embroidery prophet academy. [SPEAKER_00]: And we're going to dive deeper into this. [SPEAKER_00]: But if this embroidery episode got your wheels turning share this episode with someone who embrothers, someone who might keep saying no to the things that they just don't know how to do yet, because maybe the most expensive word in your business isn't a machine or a material.

14:38 [SPEAKER_00]: Maybe it's the word no. [SPEAKER_00]: I'm hope yoder. [SPEAKER_00]: This is the embroidery profit podcast. [SPEAKER_00]: Go find your blue ocean. [SPEAKER_00]: And when you do send me a message, let me know what it is. [SPEAKER_00]: And if you loved the embroidery profit podcast, do me a favor if you're watching on Apple, podcasts, leave me a five star review and help me get the word out about all the training that I give you absolutely free. [SPEAKER_00]: See you on the next episode.