So, you want to start 2019 off with a bang and want to put your creative juices to good use and start your own t-shirt business. Whether you are incredibly artistic or good with your hands or not, this is a great way to start a new business. Why do we say that? Because you can start a t-shirt business with very little in the way of a starting budget. If you want to do everything from scratch, and invest in your own screen printing machine, then there will be the cost of that, but unless you know you have the market for producing a large number of t-shirts at a time, you can probably start with a fairly basic model, because there’s no point investing in a more expensive one until you know you’re onto a winner.
Although it is one of the simplest businesses to start in theory, to make it a real success, takes a lot more than just drive and determination, although they are important. To give you a head start therefore, we are going to look at what we feel are 5 essentials you need to start a t-shirt business.
Eye-Catching Original Designs
One essential to any t-shirt business obviously, is having an eye-catching and visually appealing design that people are going to want to buy. There is no shortage of t-shirts out there, so you need to make your product stand out from the crowd. This, admittedly, is a lot harder that it may seem. Some ideas just seem to come to people, while others involve a lot of trial and error until they hit upon that incredibly popular design. Something that is more important than the design though, and can actually have an influence on your choice of design, is the following thing you need.
Know and Identify Your Target Audience
This is probably more important or at least just as important as the above because the type of people you are aiming to design t-shirts for will actually determine what to an extent what the actual designs will be. So, you need to think carefully about who your target audience is. It may actually be helpful to write up a description of who your t-shirts are going to be marketed to, making a note asking a number of different questions. Who are they? What age are they? What do they like? What do they dislike? Are you going to make different lines of t-shirts for different genders, age groups or even hobbies? The answers to all these questions will help you.
Find a Good T-shirt Supplier
Along with the press, the designs and your target customers, finding a good supplier for your blank t-shirts is a vital component. There are many places out there that sell blank t-shirts for reasonable prices. You may actually find the choice a little overwhelming. Don’t just settle for the first company you come across. Shop around, like you would for anything else. Try and find the company that offers you the best deals, for sure, but also look for one that has a good reputation. Online reviews and customer testimonials are a great way to find this out. Look, though, beyond the reviews they may have on their own actual website and look for impartial reviews on other review sites, if there are any.
Website or eCommerce Platform to Sell T-Shirts From
While you could start by selling your t-shirts out of the back of your car, in this day and age, you are unlikely to make many sales. In our digital world, you need a website, or eCommerce page to sell your t-shirts from. There are plenty of options out there so you don’t have to actually bother with designing and creating a website from scratch, if you don’t want to. Shopify, Etsy, Amazon and even eBay are perfect for this kind of business.
Good Marketing Strategy
Along with the website, you need a good marketing strategy to get your business and its products out there to your target audience. It’s no good having a great product if no one knows about it.
Good luck!
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