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.
OK, I have my logo designed for a line of bodybuilding shirts I want to produce. What is my next step? Trademark, biz license, etc. Also, I like American Apparel material, anyone had experince using them and would like to provide feedback?
American Apparel t-shirts are definitely great quality. I used them for my t-shirts before. The only thing is that they cost more per unit compared to other t-shirt blanks. Now I'm using Alstyle because it's great quality and costs less than AA. A lot of times, getting a trademark after creating a logo is a recommended option BUT I think it's better to go out there and sell some tees before getting a trademark.
In the past when I created a cool logo, people told me to trademark it, but then the biz the logo was created for failed, so if I did get the logo trademarked, I would have wasted money. Now, I'm not saying that your biz is gonna fail, I'm just saying to go out there and sell a bunch of your products first, to see how it does in the market. You might decide to change your logo and/or biz concept after some in-field testing. But, if you already have a built in following, or you have retailers/individuals already lined up for your products, then you should get a trademark first.
A lot of times, getting a trademark after creating a logo is a recommended option BUT I think it's better to go out there and sell some tees before getting a trademark.
In the past when I created a cool logo, people told me to trademark it, but then the biz the logo was created for failed, so if I did get the logo trademarked, I would have wasted money.
I largely agree. Think of it this way: in the US, for the cost of registering a trademark you could instead buy ~100 blank American Apparel shirts, or ~230 blank Gildan shirts.
A fledgling brand can do a lot more with shirts than with a registered logo.
Yeah, definitely. You'd be able to use the money you made from selling some tees to buy a trademark anyway (and then some). Of course you shouldn't wait for years before getting a trademark (since that could be risky), but don't worry about a trademark until you're out there already and running.
i agree with everyone here as well.
except i did go and trademark my logo and i wish i would have spent that money on some sort of marketing/advertising! oh well live and learn...
What to do next? 
