Re: a formal outfit for within 10,000 pkr?
With all due respect…if the business is so unrewarding…why are there so many people in it? And why do those that are successful continue? In your case it may be because of the sheer joy of seeing your creation make someone happy. I’m not sure that is the case for the majority…you are a rare bird.
You make valid points about keeping abreast of the current costs, good karigars, quality of fabric and embroidery. These are all very relevant arguments. By the same token, as a consumer/end user of the services that you are providing, I expect you to have a complete directory of resources at your disposal including designs, fabric vendors and karigars. I expect you to source these vendors and karigars only once to cater to many rather than the many to many ratio. I expect the “middleman” to provide these benefits for a reasonable cost…not an exorbitant one…because you are not repeating every part of the process for each customer. You should definitely make a buck for managing your directory but work on the expectation that you will grow from volume, not from every single order.
Also as a consumer I expect that you will not be charging the same rates that a retailer expects since you most certainly do not have the same expenses. You do not pay anyone rent and primarily Facebook and Gupshup provides you with FREE advertising space. Yes, updating your page and answering queries may be taking your time but on the flip side, those queries are being generated for you at no cost whatsoever (i.e. you have not paid a single penny for an advertising campaign). In the alternative scenario, you would have paid thousands and still have spent the same time answering emails and uploading new pics of your work to your websites.
Again…no disrespect meant but some on-line vendors have been taking pure advantage…fortunately, they don’t stay in business for very long.
Just sharing the story from the other side…