How Jami Goto Built a Thriving Longarm Quilting Business: 14 Years of Lessons

From Mortgage Industry to Longarm Quilting: Jami's Start

Starting a longarm quilting business was not Jami Goto’s original career plan. When the 2008 financial crisis ended her 27-year mortgage career, Jami found herself asking, “What did I want to be when I grew up?” 1:50 Having quilted since high school and recently experimented on a friend’s Gammill, she decided to invest in a Statler computerized longarm and launch her own business in 2010. “I had been quilting since high school, but hadn’t really done a whole lot of it while raising a family,” she recalls. 1:59

Jami purchased her first machine outright from savings, viewing it as a long-term investment. “We just decided that it was worthwhile to pull the money out of our savings and just purchase the machine outright. And we actually purchased both of our machines outright.” 10:59

She started her business in a Southern California quilt shop owned by friends, renting space and benefiting from walk-in traffic. But she didn’t rush into customer work: “I probably worked a straight 60 days every single day…for a good two months before I decided I was ready to take on a customer quilt, and it’s just been non-stop since.” 7:11

Practice, Confidence, and Taking the Plunge

Jami’s first two months were spent quilting charity quilts, not for pay but to build confidence and proficiency with her Statler’s software. “It was just really just to feel comfortable with the software, to know what I was doing. And I felt like it was a good step to just get proficient.” 7:35

Looking back, she thinks that much practice isn’t strictly necessary today: “Sixty days to me doing it five days a week—it’s not a necessity by any stretch of the imagination, especially the way the software is developed. To me, it’s much easier to work in Creative Studio today than it was back when I was on 4.2.” 9:42 For those starting out, she suggests a shorter period may suffice, but emphasizes the importance of feeling ready to deliver quality.

Building a Client Base: Shop Location and Word of Mouth

Being located in a quilt shop gave Jami a strong start. “It’s advantageous being in a shop because you get a lot of that walk-in clientele, but after that, it was still word of mouth. If you don’t do a good job, it doesn’t matter that you’re in a shop.” 12:56

In her first year, walk-in customers made up about 50% of her business, but referrals and repeat clients quickly took over. “Probably within the first year, I would say walk-in business was probably maybe 50 percent, and the rest was repeat and referrals, and that continued to kind of go down as time went on, just because I gained such a large clientele.” 15:57

Even after moving from populous Orange County to more suburban Surprise, Arizona, Jami found plenty of business. “There is so much business out there…The main thing is just getting yourself out there and working with fellow quilters that you know or getting involved in guilds.” 49:45

Pricing: Square Inch for Edge-to-Edge, Hourly for Custom

Jami is clear and confident about her pricing structure, a key lesson for anyone starting a longarm quilting business. For edge-to-edge work, which is 75–80% of her business, she charges by the square inch: “I start at two and a half, and…a majority of my customers go where they have a much bigger selection. And that’s a 2.75 it starts per square inch.” 20:11

Custom quilting is charged by the hour, currently $35/hour: “My custom is by the hour because you just never really know what it’s going to take to do that…For the hour, I keep very close track of my time that I work on quilts. And it just made the best sense for me.” 20:19

She doesn’t discount batting or undercut local shops: “I don’t sell batting at a discount. I sell it at the same price that the quilt shop sell it for.” 31:53

Workflow, Scheduling, and Work-Life Balance

Jami’s business has evolved alongside her life. In her busiest years, she worked 45–50 hours a week, but now she works about 32 hours over four days, prioritizing family and self-care. “About four years ago, I decided to cut my hours back. I am now only working four days a week, so mainly because I decided I needed more me time.” 13:54

She uses a scheduling system (just Google Calendar) to manage her queue and give customers a specific date for their quilt: “I use a scheduling system…and I know how many quilts I can get done in a day. And based on the size of a quilt and what I’m doing on it. And I tell them a day that I’m going to actually start working on their quilt and people appreciate that.” 36:53

Turnaround times range from 4 to 12 weeks, with flexibility for rush jobs. “Right now, my turnaround time is about a month out. There’s times when it’s almost three months out but they know that in advance because I’m telling them I’ll get your quilt done this day.” 37:42

Saying No, Setting Boundaries, and Dealing with Difficult Customers

One of Jami’s core lessons is the importance of boundaries. “No is a complete sentence, and don’t be afraid to…not turn work away, and sometimes I would beat myself up over it because I maybe got into something I shouldn’t have.” 48:46

She has only had to “divorce” two customers in 14 years, both due to unrealistic expectations or dissatisfaction with their own pattern choices. “The key is to know when to say no. The no is a complete sentence and you have to know what you’re capable of.” 34:38

For difficult conversations, she recommends honesty and proactive communication: “It’s important to make sure you’re taking a look at what you’re dealing with when it comes in and being realistic with them…I think it’s more being honest and telling them, you know, you’ve got all this busy fabric here, why do you, you’re not going to see the quilting? I would recommend not doing that.” 36:12

Capacity, Equipment, and the Reality of Production

With a single Gammill Statler (2013 model, Ascend upgrade), Jami produces about 450 quilts a year, working 32–50 hours per week depending on the season. “Yesterday I did three lap-sized quilts in eight hours…Today, I actually did two lap-size and three baby quilts.” 41:10

The Ascend upgrade improved both speed and precision: “The speed on edge-to-edge is huge. The bigger thing for me was the precision. The precision is absolutely amazing. That was, for any reason at all, that would be the one reason I would say I’m the happiest with the Ascend upgrade, hands down.” 42:19

She emphasizes that the business can scale up or down: “Once you’re established, it’s just a matter of how much money do you want to make? Really, you know, if I wanted to work an extra day, you know, my income could go up another 20%. I don’t want to do that. I don’t need to do that. So for me, it’s that balance, and taking time off when I want to take time off.” 48:06

Advice for New Longarm Quilters: Confidence and Community

Jami encourages new longarm quilters not to be timid about their worth: “There’s a certain confidence in, you know, knowing what you’re worth, knowing what your work is worth, and, you know, not being apologetic or timid about that.” 32:07

She believes the market is still wide open: “Oh my gosh, absolutely. There is so much business out there. There is so much business.” 49:45

Her final advice: “Don’t take on something you’re not ready to take on…No is a complete sentence.” 49:14 She also welcomes newcomers to reach out to her for advice or mentorship through her website or Facebook page. 51:16