Guides
How to Run a Made-to-Order Business Without Missing Dates
How to run a made-to-order business: set a lead time, limit how many orders you take at once, take deposits and keep one order list sorted by due date.
5 min read
Short answer: to run a made-to-order business well, set a clear lead time and limit how many orders you take at once. Take a deposit before you start, and keep every order in one list sorted by due date. Keep customers informed while they wait. These habits let you take on more work without missing dates or losing track of who has paid.
A made-to-order business makes each item after the customer orders it. A baker bakes the cake for Saturday’s party. A tailor cuts the dress after the measurements. An artist starts the portrait once the photo arrives. You do not hold stock, so you need less money up front and waste less. But every order now has a date, a set of details and a customer waiting for it. The steps below are about managing that.
Made to order or keep stock?
The two models suit different products.
| Made to order | Keep stock | |
|---|---|---|
| Money up front | Low. You buy materials after the order | High. You pay for items before anyone buys |
| Waste | Low | Items that do not sell |
| Customer wait | Days or weeks | None |
| Personal details | Easy to include | Hard |
| Main risk | Missed dates | Unsold stock |
Many small sellers use both. They keep a few popular items ready, such as standard sizes, gift boxes or best-selling designs, and make everything else to order. If you do this, keep the stock count somewhere you trust. Our guide on simple inventory tracking explains how.
1. Set a lead time and publish it
A lead time is how long a customer waits from order to delivery. Without one, every customer asks “how soon can you do it?”, and you make a new promise each time.
To set yours, time how long a typical order takes from start to finish. Then add the time you need for orders already in your list, and add a few days for delays. Put that lead time on your profile, your price list and your order form.
WISMO’s order data shows how far ahead orders are usually placed:
7 days
The mean was 9.9 days, and one order in ten was due 18 days or more after it was taken. So for many sellers, an order is something you hold for a week or longer. Our order deadline calculator helps you work out a ready date from today’s date and your lead time.
2. Limit how many orders you take at once
The biggest risk in made-to-order work is saying yes to too much. Each order seems small when it arrives. Then five of them are due in the same week.
Work out how many orders you can finish in a week, and treat that as your limit. When the week is full, offer the next free week instead. You can also set a rush fee for customers who need a date that is already full.
WISMO’s data shows how many orders small sellers hold at once:
6 orders
27 of those 32 sellers peaked at five or more open orders, and the highest reached 30. Six orders is a lot to hold in your head, especially when each has its own date, details and payment.
Fully booked reply (illustrative)
Thank you for your message. I am fully booked for the week of 16 June. My next free date is 24 June. If that works for you, I can confirm your order today with a deposit.
3. Take a deposit before you start
In made-to-order work, you spend money and time before the customer pays in full. A deposit protects both. It also confirms that the customer is serious, which matters when you turn other customers away for that date.
Median 50%
The 50% figure hides a wide range. Sellers’ typical deposits ran from 8% to 68%. A good rule is to ask for at least what you would lose if the customer cancelled after you started. Our guide on how much deposit to take goes through the data, and the deposit calculator splits any price into deposit and balance.
4. Keep one list, sorted by due date
When orders arrive in chats, calls and in person, the details end up in many places. A made-to-order business needs one list that holds every open order. For each order, it should show:
- The customer and how to contact them
- What you are making, with the agreed details
- The due date
- The price, what has been paid and the balance
- The current stage
Sort the list by due date, and plan each day from the top. A notebook can work for a few orders a week. A spreadsheet works if you keep it updated, and our free order tracker template has the columns ready. Our small business order management guide covers the full method.
5. Name the stages of your work
Made-to-order work moves through steps. A tailor might use Measurements, Cutting, Stitching, Fitting and Ready. A baker might use Confirmed, Baking, Decorating and Ready for pickup.
Write down your own stages and move each order through them. You will see at a glance which orders are stuck. Customers also understand where their order is when you use the same words.
6. Keep customers informed while they wait
Waiting is the hardest part for a made-to-order customer. If they hear nothing, they ask. Two simple habits help.
- Send a short update when an order moves to a new stage, with a photo if you can.
- Give the customer one place to check, so they do not need to message you. A tracking link that shows the current stage does this.
Across 130 WISMO orders whose tracking link was opened, customers opened it a median of 5 times before the order was finished. Each of those checks would otherwise have been a message to the seller.
7. Look after customers who come back
Repeat customers are valuable for a made-to-order business, because they already trust your work and your lead times. In WISMO’s data, 25 of 346 customers placed more than one order, but those customers placed 26% of all orders.
26% of orders
Most sellers in this data joined recently, so the figure will change as accounts get older. Still, a small group of loyal customers can bring in a large share of your work. Keep a record of what each customer ordered, and contact them before the next birthday, season or event.
How WISMO does this
WISMO is an order app built for made-to-order sellers. These features are on every plan.
- One order list sorted by due date, with a calendar view and a push reminder the morning before an order is due.
- Your own stages, named in your words. Your customer sees the same stage names on their tracking link.
- Deposits and balances recorded against each order, with an Unpaid filter.
- A tracking link for every order, which your customer opens in any browser.
- A catalogue where each item can be marked “Made to order” or “I keep stock”, so both kinds of item live in one place.
- A customer list with each customer’s order history and follow-up reminders.
Your first 30 orders are free. Pro removes the order limit and the WISMO branding, and adds photo updates and customer emails. See pricing for details.
Common questions
What is a made-to-order business?
A made-to-order business makes each item after the customer orders it, instead of making stock first and waiting for buyers. Cake makers, tailors, jewellery makers, artists and many crafters work this way. The customer usually pays a deposit and waits for the item to be made.
How do I set a lead time for made-to-order products?
Time how long a typical order takes from start to finish, then add the time you need for other orders already in your list. Add a few days for delays, such as late materials or illness. Publish that lead time and only shorten it for a rush fee.
How many orders should a made-to-order business take at once?
Only as many as you can finish on time. Count how many orders you can complete in a week, and stop taking new ones for that week once you reach that number. In WISMO's data, the median seller with five or more orders had 6 open at once at their busiest.
Should a made-to-order business take a deposit?
Yes, for most custom work. A deposit pays for materials and protects the time you block for that customer. In WISMO's data the median first deposit was 50% of the order price, but sellers' typical deposits ranged from 8% to 68%.
Is made to order better than keeping stock?
Each suits different products. Made to order needs less money up front and wastes less, but customers have to wait. Keeping stock lets you sell straight away but ties up money in items that may not sell. Many sellers keep a few popular items in stock and make the rest to order.
Sources
About the author
Ashish Vijay is the founder of WISMO, an order management app for small sellers and independent makers. He builds the product, talks to the sellers who use it, and writes these guides from what that work turns up.
