Introduction: If you got some experiences on garment industry or having close interaction with this sector, you may think to start something new by yourself. Mostly you may find some small business opportunities which are related to garments industry as product or service. In the beginning, you may start your business in short range, but when your business becomes financially stable, you may think something big.
1. Set up a small factory: If you have few years work experiences in garment’s industry or engage with tailoring business and gathered sound knowledge on fashion trend > pattern > cutting >sewing process. You can set up a small garments industry or boutique house. Beside this, you may collect leftover fabrics and accessories from garments factory; then you transform them into hat, kid’s item, wallet, purse, man’s casual item or something new. You may sell your product to retailers or whole sellers or sell your finished goods by creating a Facebook fan page or on-line shop. You can produce smart man’s wear item like as shirt/t-shirt/shorts/trousers/cap/gloves, ladies item like as tops/salwar/kameez/blouse/cuties, official uniforms/school dresses,
backpack, toys or lingerie items etc.
2. Garments wastage: If you have good relation with apparel manufacturers, you can collect garments wastage from them like cut pieces of fabric, padding, rejected thread/webbing, interlining etc. After collecting wastage item from factory, you can crash it by machine and transform them into knit item, pillows fiber, toys fiber etc.
3. Stock lot business: Someone can start garments stock lot business if they have sound knowledge of different kinds of garments quality, pattern, fabric etc. Sometime garment exporters may fail to catch the buyer requested delivery date or rejected those garments due to poor quality. That time garment exporters have to sell those ready-made garments as a stock lot with minimal price. You can procure those stock garments from the manufacturer and pass it to another seller or sell it to small shop or retailer.
4. IT Firms: Implementation of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) has been a big step in automation of operational structure of any organization. Due to up gradation of garment technology, presently RMG sector is introducing IT based tools what called ERP system pressurized by the buyer. If you have sound knowledge on ICT and can develop integrated ERP system similar to SAP, Tally, Dynamic X, HRMS, Fast React, CRM, SCM solutions etc. This software’s are perfect for all business organizations and may help garments producer for production planning, accounting/inventory/payroll management, real-time data collection, pattern making, forecasting etc. It delivers a rich new set of product functionalist and technology capabilities. Your prudent service may advance garment manufacturers business as a whole or department level.
5. Subcontracting business: Someone can organize a small factory set up and run a business by collecting subcontracting task from big garment’s industry or buying house. Due to few reasons some garment’s industry got excess order than their production capacity or sometimes subcontracting task may be profitable than executing order in the individual factory. For doing subcontracting dealing, you don’t need office staff, any tension to handle buyer or no need to procure materials. Have to collect cut panels then sewn task done by individual operator. And return the finished goods to exporters on time. After deducting operational expenses, you may have good margin indeed.
6. Embroidery and Printing unit: Currently most of the ready-made garments made with different kinds of decorative task. Embroidery or Print is an essential, ornamental design work what has to be set on a particular garment zone according to buyer’s expectation done by hand or machine. It will make the apparel more gorgeous what raise an extra apple to consumers. To set up embroidery or print unit you need to invest an enormous amount in machinery, production space, infrastructure and experienced manpower etc. For this reason, some small garments manufacturers are not interested in having owned in-house embroidery and printing function. Hence, it would be an excellent business opportunity to set up only embroidery or print unit to perform these value-added functions.
7. Sourcing firms: If you have worked experience or any idea about manufacturing process of the garment industry, you may know factory always produce extra pieces than an actual order to make them safe but sometimes full quantity become reject due to poor quality or shipment delay. Someone can open sourcing firms by collecting surplus garments or stock lot garments from garments manufacturer and sale to a third party at lucrative prices. Beside this, you can re-export to another small buyer with low price by repairing or tearing label, sticker etc.
8. Small clothing shop: World renowned brands with low prices having sound demand nowadays in a young generation but they could not be able to pay out much money to procure those. You can start small fashionable clothing shop in any shopping mall or street corner by collecting garments stock lot from a different source. You may have good margin by operating this business.
9. Washing plant: The process which is used to transform the outlook appearance, comfort ability & fashion apple of the garments is called garment washing. Like as embroidery or print unit, to set up a washing plant, manufacturer need to invest much money in infrastructure > machinery > production space > expertise manpower etc. Garments washing are mainly done after stitching. So some garments manufacturers are interested in completing laundry task through outside washing plant to reduce the hassle as well as costing. Once washing was done, garments maker return the goods to their factory premises. Doing these value-added functions, I think you may have good margin indeed.
10. Buying house: If you have long working experience as a merchandiser in a buying house, you will be much expertise in RMG sector. You may open a garment buying house as you have good interaction with all parties like buyer, supplier, and logistic team etc. For this you should have small development team with sampling room to attract more buyers and display wide range of products. Once you pick bulk order from respective buyer, then produce the garments from a convenient factory, in addition, you have to keep a close eye on their functions. Having a good website (on-line shop) with various product categories may highlight your business.
11. Consultancy firm: If you gather sound knowledge on RMG sector, you may open a consultancy firm/Training institute or work as a freelance consultant in this arena. Though it’s difficult to start such kind of business but the demand of these firms is increasing day by day due to some pathetic incident like fire, building collapse, labor conflict etc. A consultant may solve real life problems daily faced by factories; find a way to cost reduction by improving production efficiency as well as company compliance or work as an industrial psychologist or work as a safety consultant who will find safety gap in the garments factory. These firms may provide legal adviser or health specialist or industrial engineer, ICT technologist, lab technician, auditor etc what require in this sector.
12. Set up backward linkage industry: Usually garments factory does not only use fabric but also need other accessories items to execute any order such as printed label, poly bag, gum tape, hang tag, sticker, tag pin/lock pin, hanger, silica gel, webbing belt, elastic belt, draw cord, buckle etc. If someone takes any attempts to set up such factory that will be much profitable for them. You can read another article that was written by me to set up a new garment industry: Factors have to consider before setting up garment business in small scale.
13. Hand task: Some fashionable item requires hand task such as ornamental needlework, hand paint, motif, boutique, Aari, Karchupi, hand rubbing etc. what cannot be done by machine. After managing some handyman, you can provide such service by setting up a home base factory. I think you may have good margin indeed.
14. Catering service: If you have a manageable capacity and like to feed people. You can provide catering service to your local garments factory. Some garment’s owner may not have food service facilities. Besides this, they do not have the interest to engage such kind of task. Usually, they appoint someone to provide good quality foods to their workers at their factory premises.
Conclusion: Here I just tried to compile some innovative start-up business ideas concern with RMG sector. If I missed to express any idea, you could convey your idea by giving comments. You can use any above idea depending on your capability and passion. But one should remember to start such kind of business; they should have a good business network, connectivity, and relation with all other parties.
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