Step 2 – Choose Your Target Market

December 20, 2025

Starting a Sewing Business Step 2 - Target Market

Once you’ve chosen what you’re going to sell, the next decision is who you’re selling it to.

A clearly defined target market makes every other business decision easier — from marketing and sales channels to pricing and product development.

Without one, you’ll struggle to:

Know where to market
Create products people truly want
Write messaging that connects
Stand out from competitors

Let’s simplify this process.

Common Mistakes When Choosing a Target Market

Many small business owners skip the important step of defining a target market or make these mistakes:

Not wanting to define one – They want to make as much money as possible and think that focusing on one group of people will limit their sales. In reality, the opposite is true. When you speak to everyone, you resonate with no one. When you speak to a specific group, your products feel made for them.
Thinking about their target market after the fact – You wouldn’t buy a gift and then think about who it’s perfect for. You need to first know who you’re buying a gift for before you can pick one they’re going to love. The same applies to making products and building a business. You need to first decide who it’s for before you can create something they’ll love.
Basing their target market on demographics – Knowing that someone is female and 40 years old is important when it comes to product details but it doesn’t tell me where to market my business or sell my products. On the other hand, if I know my target market loves to bake, I can find blogs, magazines, influencers, local shops, etc. that allow me to get my products in front of people who are perfect for my kitchen linens made for bakers.

How to find a good target market for your sewing business

The following 3 steps explain my preferred method of finding a profitable target market and continuing to define your sewing business.

1 – Explore existing target markets

Don’t reinvent the wheel here and make up a hard-to-find or “unicorn” target market (one that sounds amazing but doesn’t actually exist).

Set your business up for success by choosing from existing target markets.

I like to explore the ways people are already coming together and forming groups, such as:

A) Interests and hobbies

This is my top way to find ideal target markets. Interests and hobbies will bring people together and create spaces that are conducive to marketing and selling.

Examples:

- - - Bakers
    - Gardeners
    - Campers
    - Yogis
    - Dog owners

People who share hobbies tend to:

- - - Follow similar influencers
    - Read similar blogs or magazines
    - Shop at similar stores
    - Join similar groups

That makes them easier to reach, and thus, sell to.

B) Specialty stores

Specialty stores provide proof of a profitable target market.

If there are stores dedicated to:

- - - Bohemian fashion
    - Sustainable living
    - Cabin décor
    - Pet accessories

…that’s evidence of demand.

These stores can also:

- - - Reveal marketing strategies
    - Show you aesthetic trends
    - Become potential wholesale accounts

C) Magazines

If there’s a magazine targeting a group, it’s likely a viable market.

The following magazines are targeting specific groups of people that are likely profitable target markets.

- - - Bridal magazines
    - Homesteading publications
    - Eco-living magazines
    - Travel publications

Consider if the product you’re thinking about selling could align, or be tweaked to align with an audience magazines are targeting.

D) Lifestyle

Consider the popular lifestyles people have, and if there are blogs, magazines, stores, etc. that cater to them.

For example:

- - - Health & wellness
    - Jet-setting/travel
    - Minimalistic
    - Sustainable
    - Family-focused
    - Bachelor/Bachelorette lifestyle
    - Spiritual
    - Etc.

Then consider if you can alter your products to be a fit for a specific lifestyle.

E) Events

You may explore popular (life) events to find a good target market.

For example:

- - - Weddings
    - Holidays (Christmas, Easter, Valentine’s Day)
    - Becoming parents
    - Birthdays
    - Graduations
    - Retirements
    - Etc.

These are events that drive purchasing and online content, which means you’ll be able to find outlets to market and sell your products through.

2 – Explore target market segments

Once you choose a target market, consider if you need to choose a segment within it.

You may have chosen a target market that’s small enough and accessible enough to begin with.

For example, if I’ve decided to target cat owners, that’s a good target market. Going into a segment of cat owners (e.g. segments might be orange cat owners, tuxedo cat owners, Ragdoll cat owners, etc.) might make my market too small and too hard to find.

On the other hand, if I’ve decided to target bakers, that may be too broad a market to start. There are many types of bakers, so I’d want to narrow down who I’m creating for and speaking to with my marketing.

Segments within the target market of bakers might be:

Bread-baking homesteaders
Parents baking with their children
Professional cake decorators

The segment I choose will alter:

the types of products I create
my branding
my marketing messages
etc.

Again, you don’t want to go too “niche” with your target market. But consider if you should choose a segment within your chosen target market to:

Get a better understanding of your target market
Be able to create targeted messages that resonate with your target market
Create products that are perfect for them.

If it’s not necessary for your business to choose a segment of a target market, you should still explore the segments, as you may want to create products or product collections to target different groups of people within your target market.

3 – Define your niche

Once you have your product category and your target market, you then have a niche.

Niche businesses have:

Less competition
An easier time marketing
Higher profits
Stronger branding
Loyal customers

To define your niche, combine your product category/subcategory with your target market.

For example:

Hair accessories (product category) for yogis (target market)
Kitchen linens (product category) for bakers (target market)
Pet clothing (product category) for French Bulldogs (owners of French Bulldogs is the target market)
School bags (product category) for girls in preschool (this business has two target markets; who will use the product (girls in preschool) and the people who will purchase the products (the parents)
Pajamas & loungewear (product category) for brides and their bridal party (target market)