A Creative Business In A Box Thanks to her investment in a Brother ScanNCut machine, Mary-Anne Shaw has doubled her income while keeping her hours flexible and costs low.

With an eye for creative detail and an interest in electric machines, Mary-Anne Shaw has carved a niche reputation as a seamstress who produces perfect finished goods. Her reputation is such that she's even had the opportunity to add some Shaw flair to a collection of Mandela family outfits in recent years.

Mary-Anne's sewing and stitching services began as a hobby almost 45 years ago. Thanks to word-of-mouth referrals from friends and family however, it soon grew into a business. "I've been extremely lucky to build a small speciality business over the years selling sewing machines and teaching sewing skills, drawing business from repeat and new clients based on recommendations," she says.

The business became more serious when, a few years ago, Mary-Anne made the decision to invest her earnings in a Brother sewing machine. "I started attending Brother training sessions and workshops to gain more knowledge and meet more people."

Mary-Anne's relationship with Brother grew. At a Hobby-X exhibition in Johannesburg she came across a Brother ScanNCut machine. Already familiar with the Brother brand and the training and support that customers can access, she was drawn to the "novelty' machine.

"I watched a few demonstrations and immediately saw how the ScanNCut could add value to my existing business and generate some exciting new creative projects."

Mary-Anne was right. In just two short years, she has doubled her business income, while keeping her hours flexible and her costs to a minimum. "The Brother ScanNCut is a remarkable little machine," says Mary-Anne.

"The cutting and scanning quality is superb, and it's easy to set up. Brother provides a number of tutorial videos and case studies and, after a few days of viewing and practising, anyone can get up and running."

Mary-Anne began showcasing her ScanNCut capabilities at quilting events in Gauteng, gaining orders for applique work, and enquiries from people who wanted to buy the machine.

"Since the quilting events began, I haven't stopped," she says. "I now sell ScanNCut accessories and kits daily to existing owners, and I teach groups and individuals how to use ScanNCut to extend their skills into a variety of creative areas such as applique work for gift boxes, cushions and lamp shades, as well as card making and more. People buy the machine for their own use, or ask me to create personalised items for them on my own machines."

Knowing who her customers are has been important to Mary-Anne's growth. "My advice to anyone who wishes to start a small business with ScanNCut is to first understand who you want to sell to and how. Most of my work is word-of-mouth, but I also exhibit at crafting exhibitions, and work with crafting associations with an interest in the products I sell. I use email specials and post tutorials and projects on my Facebook page. I'm finalising a new website that will feature my products and training tools."

Mary-Anne is supported by local Brother ScanNCut distributor, Kemtek Imaging Systems and its highly-qualified sales and business development team, who provide training, sales and marketing support for promotions and events. Mary-Anne's set-up costs for ScanNCut included the machine, and a range of accessories, kits and materials, totalling R45 000. Two years on, her first machine is still in operation and she has invested in a second unit — the latest ScanNCut CM900, which offers a WiFi set-up.

Introducing the Brother ScanNCut CM900

The latest ScanNCut CM900 is a revolutionary home-cutting machine with a built-in scanner. Its uniqueness lies in the 300 dpi built-in scanner that makes it the only cutting machine able to turn scanned images, photos or hand-drawn sketches into unique cutting designs.

What's more, the ScanNCut CM900 has a 12" x 24" scanning capability for larger projects, with the cutting mat doubling up as a scanning mat. Enhanced scanning quality with RGB colour recognition automatically distinguishes hues to extend design opportunities.

Once scanned, this fuss-free machine allows crafters to put their own creative spin on images, providing the option to customise using the 30% larger LCD screen with rotate, weld and resize functions, as well as an innovative "Pen Draw' feature.

The interchangeable blades can easily cut shapes from a host of different materials to cater for numerous craft projects. The machine can read SVG files, PES files and PHC files containing appliqué stitch data. Fabric shapes can be cut out to then appliqué with an embroidery machine.

The ScanNCut CM900 comes with built-in wireless LAN, plus a total of 1002 built-in designs and 15 fonts.