Are you about starting a school uniform sewing business? If YES, here is a complete sample school uniform sewing business plan template and feasibility report you can use for FREE.
Starting a school uniform sewing business is one way to help a school create the identity they crave for themselves. The school uniform sewing business, even though it is quite a lucrative business, but it does not require a lot of capital to start up.
In order to become successful in this kind of business, one needs to be in an accessible and conspicuous location, also the location should be one where schools around there require school uniforms for their students. Once your work is of good standard and very neat, you will be called upon to do more jobs not just for the school but for other schools as well.
A Sample School Uniform Sewing Business Plan Template
1. Industry Overview
Poorer families in the united states of America who want their children in schools where they put on uniforms, have had to battle with rising costs of the school uniforms as more schools both private and even state are demanding costly branded items while the local authorities have cut clothing grants.
The percentage of public schools demanding that their students wear school uniforms increased from 12 percent to 20 percent within a thirteen year period. As at 2014, a higher percentage (23 percent) of primary schools demanded that their students wear school uniforms as compared to 15 percent for high schools.
As at 2014, more public schools that are located in the cities demanded that their students wear school uniforms as against those in suburban areas, towns and rural areas. Also in schools where a high number of the students were eligible for free or reduced price lunch required their students to wear school uniforms as against schools where less students were eligible for free or reduced price lunch.
According to some arguments, school uniforms do not serve any educational purposes as some have even argued that it probably can interfere with the education of a child especially if it is costly or they are a source of conflict with teachers.
However arguments for school uniforms point out that it helps stop potential competition amongst the children, where the students would be encouraged to consider issues relating to peer pressure, gender and materialism.
Supporters of school uniform for students in elementary and high schools have pointed out that it improves students’ behavior and also build community spirit, especially if the uniform is one that is designed to make the students look very smart.
Allowing students not to wear school uniforms would however be cheaper for parents especially if they are not mandated to buy the uniforms from a designated store but can instead get them from chain stores.
2. Executive Summary
G&L School uniforms and More Inc is a standard school uniform sewing business that is based in Houston – Texas here in the United States of America and will propose to sew school uniforms for its clients in public and private schools.
Asides from our core service of sewing school uniforms for students, we also intend to offer other services as well such as sewing school athletic and physical education wears, sweatshirts, sweaters and knits shirts with customized embroidery, custom made uniforms, consultation service, alteration services, as well as training.
Our vision is to ensure that we offer our clients’ quality and standard school uniforms by not only meeting but exceeding their expectations. We also intend to become the top school uniform sewing business here in Texas by 2022.
And in order to achieve our goals and objectives, we are going to build a solid business structure and are willing to go the extra mile to ensure that this is attained. Our facility is also one that is spacious and conducive for all our employees. It is also easily accessible for employees and customers.
We understand the value of our customers and how to make sure that they are always satisfied with our services, in this regard, we have incorporated an excellent customer care attitude that will ensure that from design to implementation, our clients are carried along.
We intend to employ highly trained tailors, designers and marketers to help ensure that we are able to achieve all our set goals and objectives. Our core employees will always attend trainings and seminars designed to enhance their skills.
We also intend to ensure that our employees are well paid and receive better welfare and remuneration packages better than their colleagues in similar start-ups such as ours here in Houston – Texas.
Finally, our owners; Ms Gloria Dutch, a renowned fashion designer and Mr. Lance Germaine, a renowned and professional tailor have teamed up to run this business. Gloria also has a managerial degree that she would bring forth to bear in this business, while Lance will personally supervise all the tailors in a bid to ensure that all the expectations of our clients are met.
3. Our Products and Services
G&L School Uniforms and More Inc is a standard school uniform sewing business that intends to sew school uniforms according to the specifications of our clients from our permanent location here in Houston – Texas. In our aim to ensure that we boost our bottom line and sustain our business, we have therefore created a strategy that would allow us earn more through our multiple sources of income.
This means that asides from sewing school uniforms according to the specification of our clients, we would offer customized uniform service, alteration services, other kinds of uniforms and consultancy services. We intend to generate as much revenue as is permissible under the laws of the United States of America and within our personal ambition. Below are some of the products and services we intend to offer;
- All sizes of school uniforms
- School athletic and physical education wears
- Sweatshirts, sweaters and knits shirts with customized embroidery
- Custom made uniforms
- Consultation service
- Alteration services
- Trainings
4. Our Mission and Vision Statement
- Our vision is to ensure that we offer our clients’ quality and standard school uniforms by not only meeting but exceeding their expectations.
- We also intend to become the top school uniform sewing business here in Texas by 2022.
- In order to achieve our vision, we will build a solid business structure by employing experienced and highly professional tailors to sew a standard and quality school uniforms for our clients.
- We will also hire marketers to help promote and market our services to intending customers, thereby creating more visibility for our business.
Our Business Structure
When starting a business one is expected to go through certain hitches, if the right care is not taken, these hitches might turn out to be costly for the business especially when inexperienced employees are hired who know next to nothing about the business.
It is for this reason therefore that we intend to build a solid business structure so that we can experience little or no hitches at all during the course of starting our school uniform sewing business here in Houston – Texas. In view of this, we intend to ensure that we carefully source for and hire only the best hands to help us achieve our goals and objectives.
Our management team for instance comprises of individuals who thoroughly understand the fashion industry and who knows what it would take to ensure that our business becomes a force to be reckoned with nationally as we intend for it.
Due to the fact that we intend to offer various services in addition to our core service, we will therefore be hiring more employees than a conventional school uniform sewing business, to handle all the various roles and responsibilities that would arise from the new positions that would be created.
Therefore the business structure that we intend to build at G&L School Uniforms and More Inc are;
- Chief Executive Officer
- School Uniforms Production Manager
- Human Resources and Admin Manager
- Uniforms Design Manager
- Accountant/Cashier
- Marketing Executives
- Purchasing and Inventory Manager
- Front Desk Officer
- Cleaner
- Driver
5. Job Roles and Responsibilities
Chief Executive Officer
- Makes the policies and strategies that is responsible for the growth and focus of the organization
- Evaluates the success of the organization and modifies strategies and policies where need be
- Meets with and negotiates with high level clients on behalf of the organization
School Uniforms Production Manager
- Responsible for all the tailors that would produce the school uniforms for the clients
- Ensures that the design sent by the customers are strictly adhered to and consults with the design manager whenever there is need for clarification
- Appraises the performance of all the tailors at the production floor and ensures that it is top notch
Human Resources and Admin Manager
- Sources for, interviews, hires and conducts orientations for new employees on behalf of the organization
- Performs employee appraisals and also in charge of employee enhancement programs
- Carries out administrative functions effectively
Uniforms Design Manager
- Creates the designs for the school uniforms
- Ensures that all designs meet the customers’ expectations
- Consults with customers as regards the designs for the uniforms and suggests modifications where necessary
Accountant/Cashier
- Prepares the overall budget and ensures that it is duly implemented by the organization
- Monitors revenue inflow and expenses in order to be able to reconcile as at when due
- Prepares accurate tax information and submits to the tax authorities
Marketing Executives
- Conducts market survey to determine new revenue generating means for the organization
- Carries out one-on-one marketing with clients in order to secure a contract on behalf of the organization
- Drafts and reviews marketing strategies in order to evaluate their effectiveness
Purchasing and Inventory Manager
- Sources for raw materials on behalf of the organization by getting in contact with reliable vendors and suppliers of these raw materials
- Protects the interest of the organization by drafting a purchasing contract with these vendors and suppliers
- Ensures that there is always inventory in case of urgent demands by customers
Front Desk Officer
- Handles all enquiries, bookings and orders from customers on behalf of the organization
- Ensures that he or she remains updated about industry trends and company policies so as to give accurate information to customers
- Ensure that customers’ database is updated and accurate
Cleaner
- Ensures that the premises is cleaned before the start of sewing each day
- Ensures that the convenience is kept clean at all times for employees and customers
- Carries out any other duties as assigned by the human resources and admin manager
Driver
- Ensures that already produced school uniforms are delivered at the right destination to the right customers
- Supervises the loading and offloading of school uniforms and ensures that it is according to official documentation
- Runs other official errands on behalf of the organization
6. SWOT Analysis
Due to our desire to ensure that we run a standard and successful school uniform sewing business, we have engaged the services of a reputable and well known business consulting firm here in Texas to help look through our business concept and use our capabilities to determine how likely we are to succeed in the school uniform sewing business, in order to not only be able to generate revenue and maximize profit but to stand out and compete favorably against our competitors.
In this regard, the business consulting firm was able to take stock of our strengths, weaknesses, opportunities as well as the threats we were likely to face when starting this business and used this to determine how we would likely fare and if we would triumph or not.
Below therefore is the of the SWOT analysis that was conducted on behalf of G&L School Uniforms and More Inc;
- Strengths
We have several strengths to our advantage, chief of which is the fact that we are offering various services in addition to our core services to our clients.
We are also located in a very easily accessible and conspicuous facility, which makes it very easy for our customers to locate us when the need arises. Our tailors are very experienced and have the capability to meet with urgent demands from our customers.
We have also acquired several automatic and semi-automatic sewing and cutting machines in order to make the work easier for our employees.
Our Chief Executive Officer and owners, Gloria Dutch and Lance Germaine have the managerial experience needed to ensure that our school uniform and sewing business not only stands out but is able to achieve all its intended goals and objectives.
- Weaknesses
We are relatively a new business that has to deal with several already established school uniform sewing businesses. We do not have the staff strength for now or the finances necessary to effectively compete against our competitors. We hope however to remedy this situation as time goes on.
- Opportunities
There are several opportunities that are available to us thereby leading to more revenue generation for our business. Even though not all schools wear school uniforms, there is hardly a school who doesn’t have sport teams, cheerleading squads and the likes, and due to the fact that we are offering these other services as well, it is a perfect opportunity for our business to expand.
- Threats
Every business faces threats every now and then and our school uniform sewing business is no different. The threats we are likely to face will come from the arrival of a competitor into our location and offering the same services as we are. Also, more schools prefer for their students to wear home clothes, which is a threat to our business in addition to government lax regulations as regards school uniforms especially in public schools.
7. MARKET ANALYSIS
- Market Trends
The debate has always been on regarding whether students really need to wear school uniforms to school, with people having strong opinions regarding the issue – for or against. Those who struggle against point out that the economy isn’t helping parents as they have to struggle with school costs which includes the uniforms. Those for say it helps add to the pride of a school and give students an identity.
Most public schools in the United States of America do not make it compulsory for their students to wear school uniforms as they understand that the school uniforms do not make a student study better or like school.
Private schools have been known to ensure that their students wear school uniforms in order to instill a sense of discipline in the students. Many schools however insist that their school uniforms be purchased from certain designated shops, which further pushes up the costs for parents.
8. Our Target Market
Even though it is apparent where our products would be used, we intend to ensure that we conduct a thorough market survey that will probably point out more target opportunities that would not otherwise have been known to us without the survey.
The reason why we need to conduct a market survey asides the opportunities that will be opened to us is the fact that it will help us fully understand our target market and let us know what they are expecting from us so that we would meet and exceed their expectations.
The result from the market survey shows that we would be offering our products and services to the following group of people;
- Schools
- Cheerleading squads
- Sports teams
Our competitive advantage
Our vision is to ensure that we offer our clients’ quality and standard school uniforms by not only meeting but exceeding their expectations. We also intend to become the top school uniform sewing business here in Texas by 2022.
In order to achieve this, we have set out competitive strategies that will enable us have a competitive advantage over our competitors. Our first competitive advantage is the fact that we are offering other products and services in addition to our core service, this has allowed us to have the edge we need over similar businesses such as ours here in Houston – Texas.
We have a corporate customer culture that ensures that we not only meet the expectations of our customers but exceed it as well. We intend to ensure that we give our customers incentives from time to time and always pass out tidbits and information that will make them aware of industry trends.
We intend to build a solid business structure and this will be done by ensuring that we employ highly trained and professional tailors, marketers and designers at G&L School Uniforms and More Inc. We intend to take great care of our employees by ensuring that they are not only well paid but that they have the best welfare and incentive packages in the industry across similar startups like ours.
9. SALES AND MARKETING STRATEGY
- Sources of Income
G&L School Uniforms and More Inc is a standard school uniform sewing business that has been established with the sole intention of generating revenue and maximizing profit through our different products and services in the fashion industry to all our various customers, not only here in Houston Texas but all over the United States of America.
G&L therefore intends to generate income by offering the following services;
- All sizes of school uniforms
- School athletic and physical education wears
- Sweatshirts, sweaters and knits shirts with customized embroidery
- Custom made uniforms
- Consultation service
- Alteration services
- Training
10. Sales Forecast
The uniform business is a highly lucrative one that is always in demand as even schools whose students do not wear school uniforms, use other sorts of uniforms such as for sports, which means there will always be a demand for uniforms as long as a school exists.
Texas has a huge population and Houston is a thriving city, which therefore means that our school uniform sewing business is located in a strategic location that will see us generating enough revenue and making our profit within six months of starting our operations.
However, in order for us to give an accurate sale forecast as it will affect our business, we intend to conduct a critical evaluation of this industry in order for us to analyze our chances and know if we can generate a certain amount as have been stated.
The critical examination of this industry made use of certain data and assumptions that are peculiar to businesses such as ours here in Houston – Texas. Below therefore, are the sales projections for G&L School Uniforms and More Inc depending on certain variables and data;
- First Fiscal Year-: $500,000
- Second Fiscal Year-: $800,000
- Third Fiscal Year-: $1,200,000
N.B: The above sales projections were conducted based on what is obtainable in the industry and also based on certain assumptions like an economic downturn and an arrival of a competitor offering same services in the location that we have set up for our business.
Should there be a change in any of these conditions, it would have an impact on our sales projections and could increase or decrease the stated figures in the defined period.
- Marketing and Sales Strategy
Marketing is very important for any business that intends to generate revenue for itself. Marketing does not only increase revenue generation for an organization, it also helps increase awareness for the organization and helps it stand out in its own industry.
Effective marketing strategies are very important if one wants to not only penetrate the target market but also compete favorably against its competitors, not only here in Houston – Texas but all over the United States of America as well.
Due to this, we have conducted a thorough market survey that will allow us have the right information about this sector of the industry we would be going into. The market survey has allowed us to gather detailed information and data that we will utilize to be able to attract the right set of customers to our business.
The market survey will also allow us know what our target market expects from us and then allow us create strategies that would be able to not only meet up with these expectations but surpass it as well.
In this regard, we have engaged the services of a reputable marketing consultant who thoroughly understands this sector of the industry and who has several experiences from helping businesses such as ours, to help us create effective marketing strategies that would not only allow us stand out but effectively compete and get a large share of the market.
We have also empowered our marketing team to ensure that they attain our corporate sales goals. They have also been empowered to directly meet with clients to negotiate and in doing so generate more revenue for the organization.
Our marketing team will also ensure that the marketing strategies used are effective and align with our goals and objectives, ineffective marketing strategies can either be removed or modified. Therefore the marketing and sales strategies that we intend to adopt at G&L School Uniforms and More Inc to sell our products are;
- Ensure that we introduce our school uniform sewing business to schools and other stakeholders in the industry
- Throw a school uniform themed party in order to attract the attention of our target market
- Advertise our school uniform sewing business in newspapers and on radio and television stations
- Use our social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin to market our products and services
- Engage in direct marketing
- Hand out fliers and handbills in strategic locations
11. Publicity and Advertising Strategy
Every business that intends to remain long and relevant in the business world requires enough publicity that would increase awareness for it in the industry and amongst its target market. Publicity and advertising is a way of communicating the image of the brand positively to the target market.
Also, publicity and advertising generates revenue for the organization which is why it is necessary for a business to carefully choose what publicity and advertising strategies that would best suit it for the enhancing of the company’s image.
In view of this, we have therefore hired the services of a reputable publicity and advertising firm based here in Texas and with a thorough knowledge of the industry to help draft effective strategies that would allow us stand out and also compete favorably against our competitors, not only here in Houston – Texas but all over the United States of America as well.
Therefore the platforms we intend to leverage on in promoting and advertising G&L School Uniforms and More Inc are;
- Ensure that we install billboards in strategic locations all around Houston – Texas
- Distribute our handbills and fliers in various strategic locations here in Houston
- Attend educational seminars and events in order to network and meet with important school personnel
- Use our social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Linkedin to showcase our works and attract more customers
- Place adverts in local newspapers as well as on radio and television stations
- Engage in and sponsor certain community programs in order to raise awareness for our brand
12. Our Pricing Strategy
Putting a price on our uniforms depends solely on several factors such as where and how we sourced for our raw materials, what kind of materials we used, what our overhead and running expenses are, the quantity of the school uniforms as more would attract less price, if it was a standard service or an emergency service, and what our competitors are likely offering or going to offer in same situation.
In order for us however to be able to increase awareness for our business and attract the customers that we would need, we intend to give price discounts or a period of two months no matter the quantity or quality of uniforms that we would be sewing.
It should be noted that we do not intend to create a price war but this is our strategy for grabbing a huge share of the market. Also, according to findings, while we might generate less revenue during this period, we would most definitely not be running at a loss.
- Payment Options
Due to the numerous services we intend to offer that will attract numerous customers to us, we at G&L School Uniforms and More Inc have come up with different payment options that will accommodate all the preferences of our customers with convenience.
In this regard, the payment options that we intend to make available to all our various customers are;
- Payment via cash
- Payment via check
- Payment via bank draft
- Payment via Point of Sale (POS) Machine
- Payment via online payment portal
- Payment via Credit Card
The above payment options were deliberately chosen by us after a critical analysis on what would best suit our customers and not only offer them convenience but also make running our business easy for us as well.
13. Startup Expenditure (Budget)
Even though starting and running a standard school uniform sewing business is not as capital intensive as some other kinds of businesses, capital is still needed for the business to run smoothly. As an entrepreneur sourcing for start-up capital in your business, you should know that there are certain areas that would require a boost till the business is able to pay for itself.
The items you would need to procure for your business are; sewing and cutting machines (automatic and semi-automatic), leasing a facility for a certain period of time and paying the salaries of employees and utility bills. The key areas where we will spend our start-up capital on in order to run a business that is of standard are;
- Total fee for registering and incorporating our school uniform sewing business in the United States of America – $750
- Obtaining of municipal licenses and permits, inventory and customer software, accounting software and other legal expenses – $1,250
- Insurance coverage (general liability, equipment insurance, vehicle insurance, and workers’ compensation) – $2,000
- Marketing, promotion and publicity expenses for the grand opening of our school uniform sewing business as well as general marketing promotion for at least a year – $5,000
- Leasing a facility for a period of 4 years and carrying out the needed renovations – $200,000
- Cost of hiring a business consultant – $2,000
- Operational cost for the first six months which would include employee salaries and payment of bills – $150,000
- Start-up inventory (raw materials, sewing and cutting machines and other accessories) – $30,000
- Other start-up expenses (POS Machines, utilities, signage, business cards and stationeries) – $3,000
- Purchase of delivery van for use in operation – $20,000
- Purchase of furniture and gadgets (computers, printers, photocopiers) for administrative purposes – $3,000
- Cost of store equipment (security, ventilation, racks) – $2,000
- Cost of launching a website – $500
- Cost of throwing a school uniform themed party in order to create awareness – $2,000
- Miscellaneous – $7,000
From the above analysis we would need the sum of $428,500 to be able to set up and successfully run a standard school uniform sewing business here in Houston – Texas. It should be noted that the amount in question will cover the leasing of a facility for a period of 4 years including renovations that would be carried out on the facility.
The amount also includes the purchase of a delivery van, raw materials and sewing machines, and also the payment of employees’ salaries and utility bills for a period of six months.
We approached the bank for the sum of $285,000 that will be repaid in 10 years at the rate of 5% per annum. All the approving documents have been duly signed and approved and we have been told that the amount will be credited to our business account before the end of the work week.
Generating Funding/Startup Capital for G&L School Uniforms Business
G&L School Uniforms and More Inc is a business owned by two friends Ms Gloria Dutch and Mr. Lance Germaine. The two friends have decided that they do not want any external investors and are therefore willing to generate their start-up capital from other sources.
Therefore the areas where we intend to generate our start-up capital are;
- Generate part of the start-up capital from personal savings
- Source for soft loans from wealthy friends and family members
- Apply for loan from the bank
N.B: It should be noted that we were able to generate the sum of $100,000 from our personal savings. We got the sum of $100,000 as soft loans from our family members and friends.
14. Sustainability and Expansion Strategy
The future of our school uniform sewing business depends largely on what measures we take to ensure that our business is not only sustained but expands as well according to our pace. Therefore the factors that we will consider in the sustainability of our business are; incorporating excellent customer care, offering of diverse services and also building a solid business structure.
Building a solid business structure is a must for us and we therefore intend to go the extra mile to ensure that we hire only professionals (tailors, marketers, designers) to help ensure that we attain all our goals and objectives.
Because we intend to ensure that our employees remain relevant, we will keep tabs on the industry and ensure that the skills of our employees are enhanced when necessary by allowing them attend trainings and seminars, as this will also boost productivity for our business as well.
We will make sure that our employees are adequately paid and that their welfare and incentive package is better than what start-ups such as ours are offering their own employees.
Check List / Milestone
- Business Name Availability Check: Completed
- Business Registration: Completed
- Opening of Corporate Bank Accounts: Completed
- Securing Point of Sales (POS) Machines: Completed
- Opening Mobile Money Accounts: Completed
- Opening Online Payment Platforms: Completed
- Application and Obtaining Tax Payer’s ID: In Progress
- Application for business license and permit: Completed
- Purchase of Insurance for the Business: Completed
- Conducting feasibility studies: Completed
- Generating capital from family members: Completed
- Applications for Loan from the bank: In Progress
- Writing of Business Plan: Completed
- Drafting of Employee’s Handbook: Completed
- Drafting of Contract Documents and other relevant Legal Documents: In Progress
- Design of The Company’s Logo: Completed
- Graphic Designs and Printing of Marketing/Promotional Materials: In Progress
- Recruitment of employees: In Progress
- Creating Official Website for the Company: In Progress
- Creating Awareness for the business both online and around the community: In Progress
- Health and Safety and Fire Safety Arrangement (License): Secured
- Opening party/launching party planning: In Progress
- Establishing business relationship with vendors – wholesale suppliers merchants: In Progress
- Purchase of trucks: Completed