As I already said to you in a private email, I suggest you purchase a copy of The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Sewn Product Manufacturing for the answers to these questions.

For any business industry one enters into, there will be ‘dues to pay’. Learning is a ‘due’ to pay. Sounds like Kathleen has provided a valuable resource for the industry.

I commend you Kathleen. Not restricting access to this post has benefited me. Please consider not restricting access – the content permits individuals a ‘taste’ of your expertise, and if more is desired you have demonstrated that you properly direct them to your valuable resource. People picking your brain is natural and you deal with it well. Having Asperger’s makes you a very impressive role model for many, including my child who is deafblind. She likes to sew.

As with the legions above, I also encourage you to purchase the book. Coming into this industry with absolutley no idea of how it works, I found (and continue to find) the book as “the bible”. I refer to it constantly. And, quite honestly, the price of the book is a minute expense when it comes to the overall costs of starting a business.

I would also like to note that despite the fact that I have never met Kathleen face to face, she has responded to a number of questions and problems I have faced. In fact, she has dedicated time on weekends to take my phone calls and help me through some weighty issues. She has helped me make very important contacts that have helped me move through each step of the process. Now- did I mention I have never met her? Oh- and never once has she charged me a dime. I find that far from greedy.

As I mentioned, I have entered this industry with no knowledge and training. As I would be the last person to feel the need to give advice, but- I guess I am doing it! Buy the book, make it your mantra. Kathleen is a great resource-

Often discussions here refer back to the book, so in order to stay up to speed, wouldn’t one want to own the book? I think those serious about this business would be foolish not to purchase the book.

For me, it has paid for itself tenfold!

With friendship,
Lisa
downtown joey

I wrote and sell an eBook, so Kathleen and I share a lot of the same experiences. In all fairness, it is likely there is correspondence between Kathleen and the member that we aren’t privy to because it is unlike her to become that frustrated over a couple of blog questions. I think that people who are reading and don’t know Kathleen probably won’t understand and will think it was a bit harsh.

One of the experiences that Kathleen and I share is that people want answers without buying the book. Books are one of the few products that you can get full usage from, without paying for. I think that in a culture where you can sit in a Borders and read a book at your discretion, people have an increased tendency to want information for free. The fact of the matter is that the cost of Kathleen’s book is a pittance compared to what someone would pay for comparable consulting. You could barely cover a half hour for the price of the book.

What becomes frustrating is when people ask questions that are covered in the book and give a clear indication that they don’t know much about the industry. We all want to help, but when we get involved in those types of questions (repeatedly) we don’t get to the meaty stuff that people come to this blog for. Most readers want something above the entry level discussion so that they can address issues that just don’t get addressed in basic business or apparel books or even classes.

Not only does purchasing the book support the website, but it also enables us all to have a basic level of understanding that facilitates a higher level of discussion. Kathleen doesn’t want to convince you to buy the book (because neither she nor I believe in sales pitches for this type of product), but the reality is that if you don’t want to purchase the book, don’t expect the advice for free. And you won’t be taken seriously in business if you don’t want to pay for quality information (especially when it can save you money, effort, frustration and prevent tons of mistakes).

Why do people who are making a living get offended when other people try to make a living?

It’s not like Kathleen’s trying to sell bogus insurance policies to 90 yr old widows. She’s working for a living, right?

Why is it an insult to pay someone for good work?!
Support others. Respect others.

You are a bit ungrateful for the information you have obtained thus far.
Your response to Kathleen was very rude.

I so agree. Buy the book, because you will refer to it again and again. In fact, I think I will buy one (again) soon to donate to my public library because they don’t have one (and we’re the state capitol, for crying out loud).

And please think about how much time Kathleen puts in each day just to type the day’s topic, let alone managing the blog. If you were doing this, you would want to be compensated too, right?

Irene, buying her book isn’t doing her a favor. It’s doing yourself one.