Employing people to help with clothing alterations is necessary if you start a business and become busy.  If you are doing clothing alterations for a living, and your business is growing, your next step will be to employ someone.  There are a number of ways you can do this, but before I go into that you must find out the rules and regulations for employing people in your country.  This is an international newsletter generated from Australia, which means I am only aware of the Australian rules.

The best option is to employ a contractor.  This means that the person you employ has to have their own business identity.  In Australia we call it an Australian Business Number (ABN).  This is registered with the government, and means you are liable for all Goods and Services Tax (GST) on your services.  For example - You can work from home, but may pick up work from a clothing alteration and dressmaking shop who charges out at AUD$60 per hour.  You take the work home and charge the work out at her rate.  That means if you complete a job that takes one hour you put on the docket $60.00 plus GST of 10% = $66.00 to the customer. You should then fill out a Contractor form with the customer's information, including the invoice number and the amount charged.  Once all the work is completed I charge her 50% of all work done.  Keep in mind that you should be getting 50% of the AUD$60 per hour not $66.00.

If you decide on the other hand to bring someone into your business whether that is at home or in a shop, you will be liable for all the government regulations and rules for employing someone.  In Australia we have an Award Wage Rate for Casual, Part time or Permanent.  These rates are based on age and level of skill.  On top of that is superannuation, holiday pay if applicable and a workers' compensation levy.   The average cost to employ someone is around $25.00 per hour give or take.  Some countries have maternity leave plus other rules.

Personally I find that the contracting option works better for everyone.  This is the option I take.  I love working from home.  It gives me the freedom to work the hours I want, and also to do all the other work I do like writing articles, creating illustrations, developing workshops and other concepts to do with clothing alterations.

This is why I get really emotional about what you should be charging for your time.  I don't mind getting $30 per hour when all I have to do is call in "pick up and deliver".  I don't have to deal with the customer which takes a fair amount of time.  When my customers come to me I charge $40 per hour, because I am doing the fitting.

If you are doing dressmaking, and you are being paid peanuts, you need to educate your customers.  Think about it this way - How much work goes into one garment that sits in a fashion store?  The designers have to develop the pattern, grade the sizes, cut out the fabrics, have it sewn together, market the garments, pay rent in the shops, and employ people in the shops to sell the garment.

There is a lot of time and money that goes into the develop of one garment.  Once the garments are developed, they can be mass produced.  Cheaper garments are mass produced in countries like China, India, and Fiji etc.  They are cheap to buy and sometimes the alteration of shortening the length is more than it cost to buy the garment in the first place.

So when you have someone come and ask you to make something, explain about what you really have to do.  Even if they provide you with a pattern, you still have to cut it out, check the measurements, cut it out, have a fitting, and if it is really expensive fabric, you will probably make a toile (calico sample) first to get your measurements right.

Think about your hourly rate and what you are charging.  As your business grows look at how you would employ someone to help.

Happy altering

Judith aka genie