6 Struggles of the Embroidery on Demand Business No One Told You About

When you first enter the world of embroidery on demand, it feels like a dream. You imagine stitching art that people love, creating personalized products with meaning, and running a creative business from the comfort of your home. And in many ways, that dream is real.

But what often goes unsaid are the behind-the-scenes challenges. The quiet frustrations. The steep learning curves. The emotional rollercoasters that come not from the embroidery itself—but from everything that surrounds it.

This article explores six truths about the embroidery on demand business that many people don’t talk about, especially when you’re just getting started. Whether you’re an aspiring embroidery entrepreneur or someone who’s already knee-deep in threads and hoop sizes, these insights may feel all too familiar.

The Learning Curve Is Steep—And Often Lonely

Embroidery looks easy from the outside. You load a design, press start, and let the machine do the work… right?

In reality, embroidery—especially commercial or custom embroidery—is a technical skill that takes time to master. And that time often involves a lot of frustration, trial and error, and expensive mistakes. You have to learn about tension, stabilizers, fabric behavior, digitizing software, thread weight, hooping methods, and maintenance routines.

Most people who start embroidery businesses are self-taught, often relying on YouTube tutorials, niche Facebook groups, and guesswork. And while the online embroidery community can be generous and helpful, the reality is that in your daily work, you’re usually alone—trying to figure out why a design puckered, why your bobbin thread keeps showing, or why your machine suddenly sounds like it’s chewing gravel.

This sense of creative solitude can be rewarding, but it also requires discipline, resilience, and a lot of patience with yourself.

Digitizing Is Not Optional—and It’s a Skill of Its Own

Digitizing is the process of converting an image or graphic into a stitch file that your embroidery machine can read. It’s not just about uploading a PNG and clicking “convert.” A well-digitized design requires an understanding of stitch types, direction, density, underlay, compensation, and how fabric interacts with each stitch.

Poor digitizing can ruin even the most beautiful artwork. And unfortunately, many clients don’t understand this. They’ll send you a screenshot of a blurry logo and expect flawless results, unaware that you might spend hours adjusting every layer just to make it stitch properly.

You can outsource digitizing, of course—but good digitizers are expensive, and even then, you’ll need to review and test each file. Over time, many embroidery business owners end up learning to digitize themselves—not because they want to, but because they have to.

Mastering digitizing is one of the most time-consuming yet essential steps toward becoming truly independent in embroidery on demand.

People Expect Handmade Prices to Compete With Mass Production

One of the most emotionally draining aspects of embroidery on demand is explaining your pricing.

Customers often compare your handcrafted, made-to-order item with something mass-produced from a factory. They see a $10 embroidered sweatshirt online and wonder why yours costs $45—even when yours includes custom design work, high-quality materials, and hours of labor.

Many buyers simply don’t understand the complexity behind embroidery: each stitch is physically made by a machine, yes, but under your setup, supervision, and manual effort. You prepare the fabric, choose threads, load the hoop, monitor the machine, trim excess threads, press the final item, and package it for shipping. And if you’re offering custom text or designs, there’s also the digitizing process, mockups, and client communication involved.

You’re not just charging for stitches—you’re charging for your time, skill, equipment, creativity, and attention to detail. But because embroidery is a quiet craft, most people don’t see the full picture. And that can be discouraging when you’re trying to build a business based on fair pricing.

Creative Burnout Is Real—and Hard to Anticipate

When embroidery becomes your job, it changes your relationship with the craft.

What once brought you joy now comes with deadlines, revisions, customer complaints, and marketing expectations. You may love embroidery, but doing it eight hours a day while managing orders, shipping, social media, and accounting can drain the creative spark out of you.

Burnout in embroidery doesn’t always look like exhaustion—it often looks like avoidance. You might catch yourself procrastinating on easy tasks, dreading custom orders, or feeling indifferent toward designs that used to excite you. It’s easy to mistake this for laziness, but really, it’s a sign that your creativity is being stretched too thin.

To prevent this, it’s important to build healthy boundaries around your workflow. Limit the number of custom orders you accept per week. Block off time for passion projects that aren’t tied to income. And allow yourself creative rest, even if the algorithm disagrees.

Embroidery Machines Are High-Maintenance Business Partners

Many embroidery business owners start with a single-machine setup. That machine becomes your teammate—and your biggest source of stress.

Embroidery machines require regular cleaning, tension adjustments, oiling, troubleshooting, and the occasional tantrum. They are powerful but sensitive. A bent needle, dusty bobbin case, or slightly misaligned hoop can throw off your entire day.

Machine breakdowns usually happen when you can least afford them—right before a big order is due or during holiday rush. And finding a reliable technician for embroidery machines is not always easy, especially if you’re outside of a major city.

You also need backup supplies for nearly everything: extra bobbins, spare needles, thread colors, replacement parts. Running out of white thread or having your tension spring snap at midnight isn’t just frustrating—it can halt your income completely.

Treat your machine like a business partner. Learn to listen to its sounds, understand its quirks, and invest in its upkeep. Your success depends on its health.

Sustainability and Scaling Are Two Different Games

Many people enter embroidery on demand with the goal of eventually “scaling” their business—more machines, more staff, more orders. But what often gets overlooked is whether the business is sustainable for you as a creator.

Scaling up means making sacrifices: less hands-on creativity, more focus on logistics, managing people, solving supply chain issues, and dealing with customer service at a higher volume. It might mean turning your cozy, one-person studio into a production facility.

Some entrepreneurs love this. Others find it soul-crushing.

On the other hand, keeping your business small and sustainable can mean accepting slower growth, saying no to bulk orders, and carefully managing your energy. You may not make six figures—but you might sleep better and feel more fulfilled.

There’s no one right way to run an embroidered shirt business. The key is to define what success means for you—not based on what others are doing, but based on what actually supports your creative life, mental health, and values.

Final Thoughts

Embroidery on demand is a beautiful and meaningful path. You get to create personalized art, touch people’s lives, and build a business from your own hands. But like any form of craftsmanship, it comes with hard truths—truths that rarely make it to Instagram captions or Etsy shop bios.

If you’re already walking this path, know that your frustrations are valid, your learning curve is normal, and your work does matter.

And if you’re just starting out, may these six truths help you navigate the journey with more awareness, more self-compassion, and more confidence to keep stitching your own way forward.