Running your own embroidery business can be a lot of fun but may also be somewhat stressful, especially when you are busy completing orders. If the majority of your time is spent digitizing stitch files for each order, it may be time to consider some outsourcing. Using professional embroidery digitizing services can allow your business to scale more quickly and not stretch your resources too thin.
The Benefits of Outsourcing
If you do all of the digitizing yourself, you are in control of every minute detail, from tweaking the artwork to sewing out samples. The aspect of controlling the process from beginning to end can be rewarding and fulfilling but also time-consuming. Outsourcing the embroidery digitizing allows you to shift that responsibility to someone else and focus on production, sales, and customer service. Your work will then have more productive hours, allowing you to work smarter, not harder.
Most teams tasked with digitization of embroidery files have years of experience. They understand the behavior of stitch directions, underlays, and densities with various fabrics. Because their job is to create hundreds of designs, they often catch issues before they are an issue. That level of accuracy and understanding is difficult for your team to achieve when they are busy with day-to-day work.
Ways Outsourced Embroidery Digitizing Services Help You Expand
Growing a business is not just about acquiring more customers; it is also about the capacity to handle more work. Here’s how outsourcing can help to expand your business:
- Increased capacity: Once you delegate your digitizing work to an outside source, your in-house team will then have more time to focus on production.
- Reduced cost: There is no longer the need for initial expenditures to buy thousands of dollars’ worth of software licenses, and there is no more training for additional staff.
- Faster turnaround time: Well-prepared embroidery digitizing services will work quickly. You will be able to have quicker orders, yet still meet deadlines.
- Consistent quality: Outsourcing partners will have already set up workflows that allow your finished product to use the same quality while maintaining multiple orders.
When all of this adds up, you are not just outsourcing but creating space in your process for your business to grow naturally.
Finding the Right Partner for Outsourcing Services
Not all digitizing partner services are the same. Being able to provide you a good final product hinges on the quality of the file they provide you. So, before you commit, you should take a little time researching outsourcing partners before you choose which one to commit to.
Search for providers who are familiar with your types of fabric, stitches, and machine formats. An embroidery digitizing services provider should create different file types, such as DST, PES, JEF, or EXP. You should request a few sample designs to try out on your machines before making bigger orders.
Communication is also important. You want someone who responds quickly, listens, and makes changes you suggest. If they are slow to respond, or the files have to be altered too much, I’d consider that a problem. Always choose someone you feel processes the file as if it is theirs.
Addressing Common Challenges
It’s a reality that outsourcing can sometimes produce challenges. A file may not arrive on time, or perhaps it doesn’t stitch quite like you imagined. The best way to work through any challenges you face is to have multiple reliable embroidery digitizing services you can use instead of just one digitizing service provider; if you have two, you will have backup in case the first is busy.
Your communication is key, and whether you are working with a digitizing service for the first time or the tenth, it is always smart to have a discussion and then test the new designs in your first set of runs before you modify your production process. Over time, your partner will become familiar with your style of art.
Conclusion
Growing your embroidery business doesn’t mean you have to hire employees or buy new equipment; sometimes it is just a matter of smarter decisions. Choosing to partner with professional embroidery digitizing services is one of those decisions that will save you time and money while acquiring new and maintaining all existing customers.
When you are not worrying about stitch densities or thread directions, you can focus on what you love: creating aesthetically beautiful products and creating and maintaining relationships with customers. The right digitizing partner will be able to handle a lot of work while maintaining a consistent quality and help you create more opportunities for your own embroidery brand.
If you are a business owner thinking about growing your business, outsourcing could be your next step to grow your business in a much more (and less) stressful way.
