Home sewing machine repair bench

Home sewers, dressmakers, quilters, craft groups and sewing shops that need a repairer.

A fixed price for a standard service, plus charges for parts and extra labour on bigger repairs.

• Patience and fine hand skills
• Mechanical know-how and fault finding
• Clear communication about costs

• Check whether you need permission to run a business from home (landlord, mortgage lender or council)
• Public liability insurance and cover for customers' machines in your care
• Electrical safety: check whether you need testing training before returning machines to customers
• Parts for older or cheaper machines can be hard to source, so be clear about what you can repair

Startup costs are typically around £400 to £2,000, depending on the tools you already own, the parts and supplies you stock, and the insurance you choose. This is an estimate, so price up your own bench before you start.

Monthly revenue is typically around £200 to £1,500, depending on how many machines you service and your pricing. The estimate assumes at least about 6 hours a week, so many people start part-time and build up gradually.

Check whether you need permission to work from home from your landlord, mortgage lender or council. Also look at public liability insurance, cover for customers' machines in your care, electrical safety testing training, and which older machines you can source parts for.