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 at the beginning stages of starting a t-shirt business and I have a few generic questions.
I want to know what I have to do before I actually begin selling my shirts.
I have a name and logo...and I've decided to wait to trademark it until I've become somewhat successful.
So now I am looking into what kind of business to start-up: llc, corp, etc.
What comes after that? I need a business license, right? Then after I have that am I legally able to start selling? I don't want to launch before I have everything else in order. Any help would be great. I've searched the forums and can find info on certain topics but I just want to know I have everything set before I really dive into selling. I don't want to get in any kind of legal trouble.
First off, congratulations on your new business! I can't answer your questions but can tell you what we did. We used Legal Zoom and had them organize our LLC. They handled all of the needed licenses for both state and federal, as well as submitting everything. You can do all of this yourself if you don't want to spend the money on Legal Zoom. Another thing we did through Legal Zoom was the application for our trademark. You say you want to wait to see if you're successful prior to trademarking, I think that's a mistake. If you have something marketable, it takes anyone less than a minute to go to the USPTO website, see it's not trademarked, apply for their mark (with YOUR product) and you are left out. I would definately re-think that part. Good luck with your venture and spend a lot of time on this forum. You'll learn an awful lot from pros that have been there.
You are a very organized individual and that is a very good thing for business, however I would encourage you to just jump in and get things going. You will make mistakes along the way, that is a part of all business, but you really will not start to learn until you are out there makings sales. Paul
You are a very organized individual and that is a very good thing for business, however I would encourage you to just jump in and get things going. You will make mistakes along the way, that is a part of all business, but you really will not start to learn until you are out there makings sales. Paul
I agree with Paul. There is a lot to learn starting your own business. For me, jumping and getting started doing sales here and there to people I know was a very good first step. As I ventured on I learned quickly through experience and a lot on this forum. But it will most likely take all the components of your business a while to come together and its best to get as much as you can done at once and gain some momentum. With these kinds of things you're bound to run into rode blocks in one area and that could easily be legal (not in a dangerous way but you know how these things can take time). So its best to jump in so if you get stumped in one spot you can divert your focus to another. Unless you have every other part of your business primed and ready to go I suggest taking this approach.
great ideas. thanks! i'll re-think the whole trademarking thing. i just remember reading about how waiting to trademark might be better since the business could ultimately fail and you could use that money initially for a bunch of shirts.
i'm also thinking about calling up my local SBA to see if they have any advice...i've never used them before but think they may be able to help me out a little.
i love this site...i can't believe how helpful everyone is and how much great information is available!
i'm also thinking about calling up my local SBA to see if they have any advice...i've never used them before but think they may be able to help me out a little.
For advice(free), I'd use S.C.O.R.E before I'd use the SBA. They'll point you in the right direction to not only get your business going, but advice on how to have a successful business.
For advice(free), I'd use S.C.O.R.E before I'd use the SBA. They'll point you in the right direction to not only get your business going, but advice on how to have a successful business.
steps before selling? 
