What can be produced from leather. SoRoKo: How a married couple makes money from belts and why they placed a workshop in their apartment

Today, there is an amazing variety of leather accessories on the shelves, but despite this, when it comes to finding a truly exclusive item, it turns out that most retailers offer a standard product.

Therefore, finding a stylish trouser belt requires some effort. As a result, the production of leather belts becomes an interesting and profitable business. Let's look into the intricacies of this business.

Features of the enterprise

Many craftsmen started their business with single orders carried out at home. But if you decide to enter production capacity, then you will need to find premises for a full-fledged workshop. In it you will install the equipment necessary for the technological process. Here you will place a convenient table for cutting, place shelves for workpieces, materials, and accessories.

At first, a separate room in an apartment or a converted garage will do. You can rent a small room, then you will have somewhere to place a corner to receive clients and discuss orders with them.

In addition, you will have to resolve the issue of selling your products. Of course, you can continue to work on individual orders, but it is much more effective to simultaneously launch the sale of products either through your own retail outlets or through intermediaries. Small boutiques and shops are happy to sell high-quality accessories. By the way, visitors to these very points may later become your loyal fans who will want to receive a model made according to an exclusive sketch.

We are opening the production of leather belts

Before you open your own workshop, register as a individual entrepreneur. At the same time, select suitable system taxation and register with tax office. Thus, you will avoid possible claims from inspection authorities.

We are looking for suppliers

Curing leather yourself is not the answer. Also, you should not purchase materials on the principle of “where and how you need it.” To ensure that your belt production does not stand idle, acquire permanent suppliers. This is not difficult to do. When choosing, pay attention to the company’s reputation, the quality of its raw materials, and how strictly it adheres to delivery deadlines. It is better to immediately discuss cooperation with companies involved in the supply of leather, accessories, and blanks.

Please note that leather is sold by suppliers not as sheets, but as skins. And how much a decimeter of leather costs depends largely on its type. Pork, goat, veal go for 10 or 50 rubles per decimeter. But more exotic species are much more expensive, prices start at one hundred rubles.

High quality material

From the raw material, its characteristics, appearance a lot depends. Even if the belt looks impeccable in appearance, cheap material will have a negative impact on the durability of the product.

The most inexpensive models are made from pigskin. It gives good results in terms of design, but the durability of such raw materials is poor. Therefore, craftsmen most often use pigskin to make the back of a belt.

The most popular material is calfskin. The lining is very soft, looks amazing in the product, and lasts a long time. Sheepskin is valued slightly higher.

But goatskin is used to make designer expensive belts. Soft and surprisingly flexible, it has an expressive color. However, you need to treat products made from it with care.

No less chic belts are made from ostrich leather. But the price of such exotic things will also be impressive. An iguana, a stingray, a shark, a python will cost the master a pretty penny, so it is better not to purchase them in batches, but to order them for a specific model.

When purchasing materials for production, do not forget about high-quality fittings. Not only can a cheap plastic or metal buckle ruin all the designer’s efforts to create an exclusive belt, but on top of that, such decor tends to oxidize and fade. As a result, an expensive accessory will be damaged, and your reputation will suffer along with it.

Semi-finished products

In order to save money, you can discuss with the supplier the option of purchasing already processed and cut semi-finished products. Such blanks for belts are strips of leather of a certain width and length. They can be put into use immediately.

Belt manufacturing technology

And now a little about the process technology. The finished product consists of three layers. The top and back are made of leather, and in the middle there is a lining material. Sometimes craftsmen exclude the lining. This is not considered a violation. But if you intend to captivate clients with truly high-status, expensive products, then make all three layers from genuine leather. This way the accessory will serve the owner much longer.

All layers are stitched or glued together. In the combined version they are glued and additionally stitched. The latest technology provides products with high strength. Then the accessories are decorated artistically. Along with decoration, various embossing is often used.

The most expensive products (made to order) are made by hand from start to finish. In other cases, it is necessary to mechanize processes as much as possible. Otherwise, the cost of belts will be too expensive, and production will very quickly become unprofitable.

Installing equipment

You won't be able to get by with primitive tools. You will have to automate the production of leather belts so that you can reach the required volumes of products for sale. The equipment allows you to perform technological processes better quality, without a touch of handicraft.

So, you need to purchase:

• automatic or manual press;
• machine for installing rhinestones and decorations;
• machine for uniform and smooth rounding of edges;
• cutting machine.

In addition, you will need a glue-spreading machine that allows you to evenly apply the adhesive composition to the workpiece. In addition, purchase a device for embossing and cutting leather. Needed and sewing machine. It is better to take specialized models.

Of course, you will need to pay about 150 thousand or more for the equipment. But such equipment significantly saves time on manufacturing the product and, therefore, quickly pays for itself.

Don't forget about the tools. Different kinds knives, scissors, punches, vices, rulers and squares - without this, the production of leather belts simply cannot exist.

When choosing tools and units, give preference to those that have proven themselves to be reliable assistants. You should not be too tight-fisted in this matter.

The same knives with replaceable blades will last you much longer. Professional equipment The price is significantly higher than household samples, but it is more durable, since it is specially designed for industrial loads.

Manufacturers of such devices usually strive to provide their customers with service maintenance. Therefore, if one or another machine fails, you will not have to call specialists who can fix the problem. And it also doesn’t make sense to buy spare parts or replacement parts externally; it’s better to buy branded ones.

We select personnel

Undoubtedly, the number of personnel will depend on the planned production volumes. Leather belts will need to be produced in quantities that can cover the costs of purchasing materials, fittings and equipment. Plus, you will be responsible for paying electricity bills and rent (if you intend to rent the premises). It is unlikely that one person will be able to cope with this task.

It's better to get an assistant. Of course, the second master must also have the necessary skills. It's good if you have the makings of a designer. Otherwise, you will have to involve an experienced artist to create sketches.

If you decide to sell your products yourself through a retail outlet, you will have to additionally hire a sales consultant. Your profit will depend on his efforts. The more charming the seller, the more clients he can interest in your product, the faster you will recoup your investment in the business and begin to make a profit.

Certification Issues

Nobody obliges you to carry out the certification procedure. A leather belt is a product that does not require a license for its production.

But you yourself understand that buyers will want to see a document confirming high quality and product safety. This will significantly increase the trust of potential clients in you.

Getting certified is easy. This service provide specialized centers, located in almost all more or less large cities. A sample of your product and a package with documentation will need to be delivered to the center. After the examination, the certificate is in your hands.

As with any business, at first you will have to invest more than generate income. But as the number of customers who like your accessories increases, the business will gradually begin to gain momentum. Today, an increasing number of people are inclined to buy piece goods self made. Therefore, it is within your power to satisfy the demand for exclusive, unique products that emphasize the status of the owner.

Leather wallets are a very popular and sought-after accessory in the domestic space. Thanks to natural materials, the products are distinguished by style and quality. Compared to factory wallets, custom wallets have a unique design. Therefore, organizing the production of leather wallets will be financially profitable regardless of the region.

Setting up this business involves working in several separate directions at once, in particular, along the way you can produce watch straps, wrist accessories, wallets, chokers and many other popular products. To get maximum productivity, you will need to purchase special equipment and assemble a team of working personnel.

Renting is a benefit for beginning businessmen.

Renting premises at the initial stage of doing business is most preferable as it allows the owner to save a lot of financial resources. You can select suitable rental options using advertisements or specialized web resources based on your specific region.

For a confident start, you should focus on small spaces with total area at least 250 square meters. The average cost of such rent in Moscow can be about 12 - 13 thousand rubles per year.

A big advantage will be the presence of connected communications, in particular centralized water supply and electricity. We can highlight the following amount of financial costs for rent: 13,000 (market prices) x 250 (area) = 3.25 million rubles per year. The cost is calculated without taking into account taxes and other various losses.

Procurement of technological tools.

To process leather, you will need special equipment that will allow you to maintain the high quality of raw materials and obtain an absolutely finished product. It is recommended to make purchases from certified dealers. However, if you do not have the funds to purchase new units, you should use the secondary market. To do this, it is better to involve relevant professionals who will help you choose desired type equipment at affordable prices.

General list of working units for production:

1. Sewing machine (for leather) - RUB 89,000.
2. Machine for stitching in corporate style— 56,000 rub.
3. Equipment for applying a brand - 61,000 rubles.
4. Quality control system - 115,000 rubles.
5. Tools for fine processing - 40,000 rubles.

Total costs for the purchase of special tools and equipment: 89,000 + 56,000 + 61,000 + 115,000 + 40,000 = 361,000 rubles. Transportation and installation of working systems will require costs of at least 60,000 rubles. additionally.

Qualified personnel for business.

To establish efficient production leather wallets and other accessories are enough for only 3 people. The workforce may consist of the following specialties: master seamstress, leather processing specialist and general worker. The salary level for each specialty is selected taking into account the market average.

It is necessary to highlight an approximate wages employees:

1. Master seamstress - 50,000 rubles.
2. Skin specialist - 45,000 rubles.
3. Handyman - 25,000 rubles.

In the future, you will need to hire a manager for advertising and sales of products with average salary— 47,000 rubles. Total staff costs: 50,000 + 45,000 + 25,000 = 120,000 rubles/month, with possible expenses for the year - 1.4 million rubles.

Manufacturing technology and procurement of raw materials.

The technology for making leather goods, in particular purses and wallets, is quite simple. For production, high-quality raw materials are selected, which are subsequently processed using special equipment. The specialist performs most of the work manually, which has a positive effect on overall quality products. For production, it is necessary to purchase 1st grade leather that meets all regulatory requirements. Processed raw materials cost around 2,500 rubles per meter. Prices may vary depending on the thickness of the material and the region of purchase.

For advertising finished products It is best to use proven methods, in particular the most suitable are: creating your own website with a virtual store, the press (newspapers, advertisements), radio (city), posting advertisements in transport, making booklets and ordinary leaflets. Due to their low cost and popularity, these methods will allow you to get maximum efficiency at small investments. On average, an entrepreneur will need at least 300,000 rubles to organize high-quality advertising. The final cost depends on the region.

Sales of finished leather wallets and payback.

Ready-made branded leather wallets and other exclusive accessories can be sold through your store, buyers and individual orders. For more effective sales It is recommended to take part in an exhibition or any other event in the city where you can demonstrate own products. The average cost of one product is at least 1,500 rubles. Accordingly, if you sell about 500 pieces per month, you can get an income of 750,000 rubles. For one working year - no less than 9 million rubles, which is quite profitable. Business payback is 5 - 8 months.

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Forward - Tomato paste production as a business

Any accessory is, first of all, jewelry that emphasizes or, conversely, hides certain aspects of outerwear. Based on this logic, a number of specific requirements are put forward to them, including uniqueness, adherence to a strict style (depending on the main composition), good quality, and so on. All this led to the formation of a kind of “bubble”, that is, a sharp difference and reality at a price. You do not believe? Today we’ll look at a business plan for manufacturing leather belts and using an example you can see how much manufacturers earn. Speaking of

Why is it profitable to produce leather belts?

One of the most popular accessories in Russia is a belt. This accessory is worn by all categories of consumers, from young to old. At the same time, the market configuration is gradually changing. If 5-6 years ago sales could be divided into two conditional categories:

• — expensive belts made of genuine leather from European manufacturers;
• - cheap products made in China.

Today the situation has changed and the middle segment of natural leather belts has begun to actively develop on the market. The quality of such products is not inferior to their European counterparts, and the price is slightly higher than the Chinese ones. The emergence of such a niche is facilitated by the growing demand from Russians for unique, high-quality handmade items. Actually, the tendency to popularize handmade products is a global trend, and here Russia has just “entered” this path. The practice of the USA and Europe shows that demand will grow by 30-40% annually, which provides the opportunity to create a home mini-business.

In general, business is based on three fundamental things:

— demand – the issue of demand has already been considered, it will grow;

- organization of the process - to organize a workplace, a small room of 10-15 square meters is enough and the purchase of several units, and then at will;

— start-up capital– money is needed only for the purchase of raw materials.

The level of profitability of leather belt production varies from 300% to 1000% per product; we’ll talk about the financial part of the business plan below.

What does the technological process look like?

According to the manufacturing technology, leather belts are divided into two types:

The first option is to make a multi-layer belt.

The multilayer product is a classic option and consists of three components.

• - front part. A variety of leathers are used to make it; in fact, multi-layer belts are made from ostrich, snake, goat and other extravagant leathers. The choice of source material for the front part is a purely individual matter and depends on what kind of belt will be produced and how much it will cost.
• - lining. As a gasket, they can use some types of low-grade leather raw materials or MPSC (cellulose leather gasket material), the so-called leather cardboard. It is worth noting that when making a multi-layer leather belt, you can do without a lining, but the wear resistance and quality final product decreases.
• - bottom layer. For this layer of the belt, pigskin is most often used. Pigskin has a number of benefits for use as a base layer. Firstly, pigskin is more wear-resistant, and secondly, it is cheaper.

The manufacturing technology of a multilayer belt itself is as follows:

The first stage of production is cutting the blanks to the required sizes;

The second stage is to glue three layers, with the bottom layer being folded inward. When gluing, presses are used.

The third stage is to stitch the product around the perimeter.

The fourth stage is embossing or engraving, punching the necessary holes.

The fifth stage is painting and sanding.

The sixth stage is final assembly. Installing a buckle, additional rings, and so on.

It is worth noting that the process of combined production is described; with this method, the leather belt is glued and stitched. According to the technology itself, it is possible to use only one of the processes, either gluing or stitching, but both options are not suitable for small home business because they do not guarantee quality.

The production technology of a single-layer belt is simpler:

- cut out the product;

- punch the necessary holes

— we do engraving or embossing;

- sand the edges;

- paint;

— install buckles and rivets.

Compared to multi-layer belts, single-layer belts are not considered a classic option. But they began to enjoy enormous popularity as an accessory to jeans. Although today they are worn not only by denim lovers, but also as an addition to traditional suits.

What production equipment is needed?

The answer to the question largely depends on what exactly you want to do. If we're talking about about a full-fledged mini workshop with a volume of several hundred finished products per day, then the list is quite wide:

• automatic or manual press;
• machine for installing rhinestones and decorations;
• machine for uniform and smooth rounding of edges;
• cutting machine.
• sewing machine for working with leather
• device for engraving and stamping on leather;
• painting equipment

A complete set of such equipment will cost at least 500 thousand rubles; if you buy used or partially manual machines, you can get by with 250 thousand rubles.

True, in such cases we are still talking about a full-fledged workshop, with the need for specialized premises, hiring staff and other “pleasant little things”. At the same time, the organization of full-fledged production is not possible, because in such cases the main thing is lost competitive advantage small business, mobility and the presence of a unique product.

The attractiveness of a home mini-business, which employs one, maximum two people, and production is not on stream, looks completely different. The production of truly unique handmade goods provides an opportunity to occupy a completely different niche and avoid excessive competition with low-quality Chinese goods.

In this version, the business plan for manufacturing leather belts looks a little different. It will be necessary to purchase:

- a sewing machine for working with leather. The cost is around 20,000 rubles;

- press for sizing. You can make it yourself;

— a set of tools for stamping on leather. The cost of such a set is from 5 thousand rubles. up to 10 thousand rubles;

- a set of knives for trimming and pruning. Cost up to 7,000 rubles.

— grinding machine. Price from 5000 to 8000 rubles.

In total, in the version for a small home business, a set of equipment will cost 45 thousand rubles. True, this amount can be reduced by buying used sewing machine, use your own grinder. What you really shouldn't skimp on is purchasing tools for embossing and trimming leather.

How much space is needed for a business?

To organize the entire production cycle of natural leather belts, 10-15 squares will be enough. As a result, one room in the house is quite suitable, the only thing worth remembering is the painting process, it must be done outside the living quarters. An ordinary garage is quite suitable for painting.

Of course, someone will say that this is “handicraft”, and that is exactly what it is, but remember that today it is “handicraft” that is popular. That is, a product produced by hand using the simplest technologies.

So for everyone general characteristics business can be attributed exclusively to home ideas or the idea of ​​a business in a garage, and a small one at that.

How much can you earn from such a home business?

Let's start with the cost of the belt.

Calculation of the cost of a belt made of “fashionable” ostrich leather. It is worth noting that other types of elite skins such as deer skin, crocodile skin, snake skin and so on are similar in value.

	Average material consumption	Material	Price, rub. per square decimeter/piece	Cost price
Front side	4 sq.d.	Ostrich leather	170	680
Lining	4 sq.d.		1	4
back side	4 sq.d.	Split	5	20
Buckle	1 PC.	Metal	200	200
Fastenings	3 pcs	Metal	10	30
	***	***	***	10
Total	***	***	***	944

The average selling price of an ostrich belt is about 5,000 rubles. Total:

Price – 5000 rubles;

Cost – 944 rubles;

Gross profit - 4056 rubles.

With organization costs of 45 thousand, the full return on investment is achieved after the sale of 11 belts.

Calculation of the cost of a belt made from cattle skin - a multi-layer belt.

	Average material consumption	Material	Price rub per square decimeter / piece	Cost price
Front side	4 kv.dc	Vorotok	20	80
Lining	4 kv.dc	Cellulose-leather gasket	1	4
back side	4 kv.dc	Split	5	20
Buckle	1 PC	Metal	70	70
Fastenings	3 pcs	Metal	10	30
Other (paint, electricity, etc.)	***	***	***	10
Total	***	***	***	214

Average selling price 1500 rubles

Total gross profit will be 1286 rubles per unit.

Now for regular single-layer belts, which are much easier to make at home.

Option one using “good” raw materials, cattle skins.

Selling price 600 rubles

Gross profit - 400 rubles from each unit of products sold. At home, making such a belt takes about two hours. As a result, you can earn 2-3 thousand with not particularly strong work intensity.

Option two is cheap leather belts. We use pig skin

The selling price of the cheapest options is around 170 rubles per piece.

Gross profit 85 rubles or.

As you can see, at home you can compete even with Chinese consumer goods. Moreover, most prices are taken without the possibility of obtaining wholesale discounts for regular orders.

Conclusion - a business plan for the production of genuine leather belts showed that the profitability small production at home allows you to get profitability from 100% on the cheapest products to 500% and higher percentages on expensive exclusive models.

The main problem of home business in this context is sales, and we are talking about both standard products and exclusive belts. The production of designer expensive belts is a matter of time in the development of a home business; with increasing experience, any mini workshop will become a designer one and acquire its own brand. The main distribution channels should be considered the following options:

• - leather shops haberdashery. The agreement is quite simple; you give your goods on trade credit.
• — sales of handmade products through specialized resources, they wrote about it here.
• — creating your own blog with a sales section.

This concludes the business plan for the production of natural leather belts at home. If you have any questions, write, we will try to find answers to all questions.

Bags and accessories made of leather in a Moscow apartment. They earn half as much as when they worked in the office, but they work twice as hard. “This is much more pleasant than performing the tasks specified in the contract,” entrepreneurs assure. The plans are to expand production, hire seamstresses and go on a long-awaited vacation.

Money on patriotism

In 2014, when the West and Russia exchanged sanctions, Nikita and Katerina played on the patriotic trend. They launched the website Yarussky.com and agreed with manufacturers of T-shirts, mugs and souvenirs that they would sell their goods at a small markup. The first batch of T-shirts with reproductions of paintings by Russian artists sold out with a bang, and Katya, inspired by the success, ordered clothing production several dozen couplings.

The fashion for them returned, and we planned to make money on this as well,” the girl recalls. - But the batch was sewn so crookedly and askew that it was a shame to even sell it. Those couplings are still lying around in the garage.

The “patriotic” online store brought in a small income, but the couple’s interest in the “buy and sell” business quickly faded.

I'm tired of money out of thin air. I wanted to do something with my own hands, to produce,” explains Nikita.

Selfish interest

Then the entrepreneurs analyzed all the trends and, after going through the options, settled on the idea of ​​sewing leather goods. To understand whether it is possible to learn leatherworking from scratch, Nikita went to a master class, from where he brought a belt and bracelet that he made with his own hands.

Inspired, Nikita and Katerina attacked libraries and YouTube: they read Soviet books about leather production, watched videos on how to sew purses, belts and bags at home. The videos in Japanese turned out to be the most useful: Katya found a video with English subtitles, and her training as a translator already helped.

In order not to overpay, Nikita decided to buy equipment second-hand: “At lunch, my colleagues were discussing what movie they watched over the weekend, and at that time I was fiddling with Avito.” A new straight-stitch sewing machine cost 50,000 rubles. We spent a total of about 350,000 rubles on the rest of the equipment - 130,000 less than if we bought new.

About another 10,000 rubles were spent on purchasing four skins and fittings for a test batch of accessories. The leather was bought from Moscow dealers, whom they found on the Internet; they did not even count on cooperation with factories that sell large quantities. This is where the tanners' start-up costs ended.

The production was placed with Nikita: he had just taken out a mortgage on a room in a two-room apartment at the River Station. Nikita was appointed chief tailor.

Leather is a heavy material, and working with it requires physical strength. And I was also afraid of these scary cars, I thought that I would ruin everything right away,” says Katya. - If an incorrectly sewn dress can be ripped open and remade, then due to an extra puncture in the skin, the entire cut must be thrown away.

Marusya Simonova

We produce things from leather and teach those interested the basics of leather craftsmanship. Nikita came to one of these master classes two years ago. As he says, this is where the SoRoKo workshop began. It's nice to see that the seeds we sow produce such noble shoots.

Photo courtesy of SoRoKo (photographer: Andrey Pavlov)

Economics of leather

We trained on little things: we sewed cardholders and wallets, which were distributed among friends and acquaintances. Having filled their hand, Nikita and Katya put the goods up for sale in in social networks. The best buys were small handbags made of leather in different colors - 4 pilot copies were sold within a day, and by the end of the week orders for another 10 pieces arrived.

We decided to keep it simple with the design and settled on the classics. “I found an old Valentino bag at home - it belonged to my grandmother and it looks modern,” recalls Katya. Entrepreneurs took this model as the basis for the production of the first line of bags.

The markup on both “little things” like a purse, and on the most technically complex product - backpacks - reaches 100%. Thus, a backpack worth 10,000 rubles, which takes 3–4 hours to manufacture, brings entrepreneurs up to 5,000 rubles in income. The cost of a wallet does not exceed 1,200 rubles, and at retail they are sold for 2,200–3,300 rubles. Nikita and Katya sew a dozen purses together in 8–10 hours.

The classics were diluted with a sword belt - a women's accessory in the form of a leather belt. Katya was told about him by a friend who caused a sensation by appearing in a sword belt at the board of directors at the bank.

Nikita didn’t even understand what kind of thing this was and was against it, but I decided to try it,” recalls Tsmokilina. - The product turned out to be so popular that all autumn and winter I felt like a slave to these sword belts: I sewed 5-6 pieces a day, and they all flew apart.

Photo courtesy of SoRoKo (photographer: Andrey Pavlov)

Katya spends 30–40 minutes on one harness, the price of materials does not exceed 500 rubles, and accessories retail for 2,000 rubles.

At the same time, entrepreneurs established sales through partner stores. “It was not easy to come to an agreement: some wanted a discount of 60–70% of the retail price, but they only took it for sale; they did not want to buy it back. Or they made a 300% markup, and our backpack for 7,500 rubles cost 18–20 thousand,” recalls Nikita. Now SoRoKo has 4 distributors in Moscow: these are online and offline stores selling leather. Nikita and Katya sell them products wholesale, and they charge “as much as their conscience allows.” The price of SoRoKo backpacks is as follows: retail outlets reaches 15,000 rubles. “And sometimes they buy even better than on our website or in social networks,” Nikita is perplexed. The workshop sells 30% of its products through partners, the remaining 70% through SoRoKo pages and its own accounts on social networks.

Demand throughout the year obeys the classical laws of retail: in December, February and March there is a peak in sales; in January and summer, when Muscovites leave the city, demand decreases by 30–50%. At this time, corporate orders, which also occur during bad months, are saved. One batch of gifts brings up to 25,000 rubles in net profit. “I really love such orders - you do the same things for several days in a row, one after another, it’s like a mantra,” says Katya.

Now the core of the SoRoKo audience is working girls 25–30 years old. “We thought it would be mostly hipsters who would buy us. But unfortunately, they haven’t appreciated us yet,” Nikita admits. He considers the same small leather workshops as competitors. SoRoKo is not going to compete with large factories: this is a completely different market.

Marusya Simonova

co-founder of the Simon Second Skin workshop:

The workshops work with the subculture, with those who do not need the mass market. We consider ourselves artists, and competition with factories is like a struggle between man and machine: the possibilities are different, but the resulting product is completely different.

Photo courtesy of SoRoKo (photographer: Andrey Pavlov)

Not a craft, but a business

When things got going, the entrepreneurs decided to move production from the room to a separate site. We found the premises by chance: Nikita received an email with an offer to rent a pavilion at VDNKh. “At first I thought it was spam. Then I decided not to answer - I assumed that rent at VDNKh would cost an exorbitant amount of money.” But it turned out that for a space of 20 m² they were asking 16,000 rubles. So in August 2016, the SoRoKo workshop moved to the pavilion of the Crafts Park at VDNKh.

Entrepreneurs were delighted by the dense flow of passers-by, but quickly realized that they would not be able to use the traffic. Most of the companies that inhabited the Park made good money from master classes. The tanners also decided to try, but only three people bought tickets for a sword belt sewing lesson worth 3,000 rubles.

I worked with these three girls for 2.5 hours. During this time, Nikita and I could sew a batch of these sword belts and another backpack, earning much more,” says Katya. - Then we realized that we were not artisans, but businessmen.

People who constantly entered the pavilion without knocking and interfered with work added fuel to the fire. And the renovations that began at VDNKh finally convinced the entrepreneurs that it was time to move out. While the workshop consists of only two founders, they decided to place production in Katya’s three-room apartment. “Yes, I was lucky with the girl,” Nikita, a resident of Syktyvkar, laughs. The neighbors haven't complained yet: all the equipment is modern and quiet. We had to isolate only the table with a hammer and a punch - the guys put the leather on a special plate covered with felt, and the table itself was placed on rubber carpets.

By the time of publication of this material, the workshop’s revenue is 200–250 thousand rubles per month, profit - from 90 to 120 thousand.

Nikita and Katya plan to expand the business: hire several seamstresses, rent premises for production and increase turnover. This will make it possible to purchase large quantities of hides from manufacturing plants, and not from resellers, as now, and reduce retail prices. And even later, entrepreneurs want to develop a line of products from different materials: leather, wood and metal. “You can learn anything,” they say SoRoKo.

Maxim and Evgenia Lavrik

founders of the KAZA workshop, Krasnodar:

The production of leather goods can be called a super profitable business in this moment it is forbidden. Partly due to the crisis and the euro exchange rate. We order most of the fittings for foreign currency; the factories themselves use foreign-made dyes. We continue to work thanks to our regular customers: we have been on the market for 8 years and during this time we have gathered a large group of friends. But production development has had to be suspended for now in order to survive these difficult times.