Starting My Business

I can’t believe that I actually started a Longarm Quilting Business. The Quilting Smith has been a dream I have had for a long time and it is finally real! This post is full of fun and interesting facts about this business.

Why Name it The Quilting Smith?

My maiden name is Nicolo and my married name is Nicolo-Smith. I decided to do a little play on words with the business name. In my head I was thinking that I was like a blacksmith for quilts. I would shape and form them into something both useful and beautiful. When I combined my name with the blacksmith idea, I came up with Quilt Smith. After a quick google search, I found that name was taken. I added “ing” to quilt and tried Quilting Smith. That business name was free, but the URL was taken. So I added “the” and ended up with The Quilting Smith.

Blacksmith working on metal

Interesting fact, when I applied for a tax number from the IRS, they removed the “the” from the name. That means the company’s legal name is Quilting Smith, LLC.

How Did You Get Into Longarm Quilting?

Weird story, but I actually learned about longarm quilting from my MBA Advisor, Dr. Michael Keene. He does a fun ice breaker game where he makes riddles out of information you provide in a survey to him. The riddle he made for me said something about a longarm (because I put that I was a quilter on my survey) and I had no idea what he was talking about. After that class, I googled it! In 2019 I had a goal to try longarm quilting by completing a rental course at a local quilt shop. Sadly, I got super busy with work and school and never got to it. When 2020 rolled around, I became more and more obsessed with the idea, but couldn’t find a quilt shop offering classes, because of the pandemic and all.

I was finally able to go to a socially distanced HandiQuilter event where I decided I loved lonarming! That was the beginning of the great obsession which ended up with me purchasing my Innova M24.

Is This A Full Time Gig?

At this time, quilting is not my full time gig. I also work as a program manager at a pretty awesome company called BioFire Diagnostics (soon to be called bioMeriuex). We were purchased by a French company in 2012 and are now in the process of taking their name. I really enjoy program management and I LOVE the people I work with.

Maybe one day quilting will be my full time gig, but not for now! It is something I absolutely love doing, so I am making time to do this as a side job. Please be patient with me if I don’t respond to you as fast as others. While I am at my full-time job, I am not as available to respond to quilting questions and/or comments.

Professional dog that is tired but very happy.

Why Start a Business Instead of Keeping it a Hobby?

You may wonder why I started a business if I knew I wouldn’t be going full time. The answer is because I love how longarm quilting makes quilts pop! I wanted to start this business so I can provide this service to more people. I want you to feel the joy and happiness that comes from snuggling up in a beautifully longarmed quilt!

Also, it has always been a dream of mine to start my own business. With every hobby I started, I always thought “maybe this is the one that has business potential.” Eventually I found quilting, which led to longarm quilting and there is an actual market for this service. I really feel like the universe somehow led me to this hobby just so I could try my hand at this business stuff. I am weird and love the behind the scenes business stuff like accounting and planning (hence program management and the MBA)!

Well, I can’t think of anymore fun business info right now. If you have any questions or are just curious about anything “business-wise” let me know! I would love to chat!

Later Gators!