Online Embroidery Store
Operations and Systems Design.
Overview
Grew custom embroidery business to $200K in year one with 3,500+ orders and a 5.0-star rating.
Problem
Custom embroidery requires coordinating customer designs, blank inventory, embroidery partners, and quality inspection. Needed to maintain speed and quality as the business scaled across different platforms.
Constraints
Required managing two-week lead times from partners. Different platforms like Shopify and Etsy had distinct order formats and fee structures.
Approach
- Defined workflows mapping each order through design approval, partner assignment, and quality checks
- Created dashboards to monitor inventory turns, margins, and customer acquisition costs
- Implemented quality gates including photo reviews of designs before shipping and spot-checks of partner work
- Established processes for rapid customer communication to build trust and resolve questions early
Result
Grew the business across Shopify and Etsy by focusing on operational reliability. Reviews highlighted the consistency and quality of the products and service.
What I'd Do Next
Explore automating design file validation. Build direct partnerships with equipment vendors to expand production capabilities.