Home-based bag and soft goods maker

Online shoppers, market and fair visitors, gift buyers, and small local shops that stock handmade goods.

Selling finished items at a set price through your own website, online marketplaces and markets, plus wholesale orders to small independent shops at a lower price per item.

• Confident machine sewing and pattern cutting
• Consistent quality across batches
• Basic photography and online selling

• Product safety rules: check the requirements for anything for children (such as labelling and flammability) and for general consumer goods
• Check whether your landlord, mortgage lender or council needs to agree to running a business from home
• Product liability and public liability insurance, especially if selling at markets
• Register as a sole trader with HMRC and keep records of sales and costs
• Avoid copying branded or licensed designs and fabrics with restricted commercial use

Estimates suggest startup costs are typically around £300 to £2,000, depending on your sewing equipment, fabric stock and how you plan to sell. Monthly revenue is typically around £200 to £1,800, depending on your products, pricing and sales channels.

Check the product safety requirements, including labelling and flammability for anything made for children. Also check whether your landlord, mortgage lender or council needs to agree to a home business, and consider product and public liability insurance. Register as a sole trader with HMRC.

You need confident machine sewing and pattern cutting, consistent quality across batches, and basic photography and online selling skills. Estimates suggest you would typically spend at least around 8 hours a week, and more as orders grow.