This section of the forum is for discussing the business and finance issues of the t-shirt industry. Which business structure to use (sole proprietor, LLC, S Corp, etc), how to handle billing, where to register your business and get the proper licensing, etc.
i'm trying to develop a system for operating my business that will enable me to have leverage and not work this biz from 8 to faint. robert kiyosaki talks about the difference between being self employed and being a business owner and those who are self employed really "own" a job without leverage. how can i develop a system within this industry that gives me leverage if not immediately, shortly after starting the t-shirt clothing line? please email response if possible to thx!
I think anytime you are starting a business, "8 to faint" is pretty much the only way to go until you get established. If you sit back and take things slow your business is not going to get off the ground.
There are a lot of ways to make things more manageable, though.. for example, outsourcing your printing or design needs, or your sales, or your accounting. It just takes a solid plan and some $.
thanks. I just wanted to know if there was already a system in place that I could model and duplicate. I'm not looking for shortcuts, rather just trying to work smart not hard from the get go.
i'm trying to develop a system for operating my business that will enable me to have leverage and not work this biz from 8 to faint. robert kiyosaki talks about the difference between being self employed and being a business owner and those who are self employed really "own" a job without leverage. how can i develop a system within this industry that gives me leverage if not immediately, shortly after starting the t-shirt clothing line? please email response if possible to thx!
A system? I think the key is to have ORIGINAL ideas, market them, bust your butt and hire talented people to do the work you are willing to give up. And try to be lucky whenever possible.
Most importantly, make sure you charge enough to spend money on marketing and hire people that can help keeping you from working 18 hour days.
Jamie, I would suggest checking out your local community college and seeing if they offer a self employment or small business program. That will give you a very good start and help you understand everything that needs to be done to get your business going. Once you understand what needs to be done (and it is different for every business), then you can start to think "ok, what do I want to do, and what needs to be outsourced".
There is no "system" out there that will work for you because every single business is different. Even if two people were running identical businesses, they would want to run them in different ways. I think you just need to get more information and get some planning underway and you should be able to come up with your own system.
A system? I think the key is to have ORIGINAL ideas, market them, bust your butt and hire talented people to do the work you are willing to give up. And try to be lucky whenever possible.
Most importantly, make sure you charge enough to spend money on marketing and hire people that can help keeping you from working 18 hour days.
R.
Totally.
If your in this just for a quick buck you aren't in it for the right reason and will probably fail. Everyone wants to get rich quick but if when they realize all the work that goes into it they just give up.
At least you're thinking with the end in mind. Too many don't. A repeatable, scalable system would be one in which you focus on your strengths and outsource the rest. (if you haven't, read "The 4 Hour Work Week" by Timothy Ferriss)
In my case I will focus on designs that will generate repeat business from my niche customers. The bulk of my time will be finding and marketing to this niche since they are hard to reach.
I will oursource production & shipping.
My process:
- create unique, customizable design
- Publish to website
- Customer orders and pays
- I customize and send design to print shop
- Print shop manufactures and ships finished product to customer
For my average sale of 75 shirts, my involvement is less than 30 min for $825 in revenue.
Repeatable, scalable, profitable. (Difficult)
My goal is 15,000 shirts a year without "8 to faint"
Creating a System 
