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.
Hi everybody,
I would like to know how you guys have started your business and I would really appriciate it if you could explain me from a to now how you did it ... how you made it become succesfull.
I'm 17 years old and I would like to start this kind of business but I don't know where to start.
That would be very kind of you if you could explain me how you have made it.
Gosh I wish I would have been doing this at your age! Right now If I were you I would be trying to get a job with a screen printer as a side or full time. Learn as much as you can. My next step would be to start researching equipment, supplies, fashion trends, and techniques. Next step is to take all that money you should have been saving and start purchasing your equipment and supplies.
once you have enough to get a base started I would print some shirts for friends and learn your equipment. sell some shirts at flea markets and so on. yada yada yada.
Best option in my book is to just work for a shop. save your money and buy out an exhisting business later down the road. Equipment,supplies and most of the customer base generally come packaged together.
Either way I would get a job with a screen printing company. Atleast you will be able to see whether it is something you want to do for the rest of your life or as just a side hobby. A few make it big but the most of us live hand to mouth which in my books is ok as I dictate when I work and when I dont so I control my own money. And its not about the money for me but rather the freedom. Yeah it would be great to be a gazillionaire but then what?
__________________ Cards kill trees! Give a custom printed shirt.
I have another question for you ... Do you think I could buy t-shirt from company and find a printer and make some money while going at the college ...?
If you have a knack for creating trendy art, or are quick to see a need for a shirt for some college events (that would not violate copyright laws) You could make some good money that way. Whatever you are involved in, be it sports etc, there are opportunities to sell apparel. I attend events quite often, as a competitor and as a vendor. In both cases I try to capitalize on the "theme" of that event, asking if I can make a design or two and sell it while I am there. I have made some great money and friends along the way. I am now being "invited" to attend various events because they love the products I make! Good luck
__________________ www.stuffnthingz.com - "You can never have too much stuff", however, "The best things in life aren't things" is also true. XPS1530 | DK20 | Mighty Press 15 |Chinese hat press | Oki5800 | 88+ | LP24
If I udnerstand ... you are selling t-shirt for events ?
so what I could do is ask the director of the <<X>> event if he want me to do shirt for him ... ? and than I order t-shirt from like bareapparel and than send this shirt to a printer with my design ? if it is what you are doing what is the average price of each t-shirt ...?
My arrangement is a bit different. I started out by buying finished apparel from my shops at CafePress. That ended up being very cost prohibitive. Next, I took up the endeavor to "make" my own apparel, so I use Laser transfers combined with vinyl and rhinestones, and any combination of the three. I buy the blanks at a variety of local suppliers, I make the designs but do NOT apply them. I have them in a binder for customers to pull out (with my help) and then I press them onsite. Thus the most I waste is the printed designs. I have even tested plastisol transfers and loved them. I plan to keep them in mind for any larger venues where I need 50 or more pieces available.
I sell to a high end group, using Swarovski rhinestones, so my pricing would likely not line up with yours. (range is $25 to $65 per piece).
__________________ www.stuffnthingz.com - "You can never have too much stuff", however, "The best things in life aren't things" is also true. XPS1530 | DK20 | Mighty Press 15 |Chinese hat press | Oki5800 | 88+ | LP24
Hi everybody,
I would like to know how you guys have started your business and I would really appriciate it if you could explain me from a to now how you did it ... how you made it become succesfull.
I'm 17 years old and I would like to start this kind of business but I don't know where to start.
That would be very kind of you if you could explain me how you have made it.
thanks
What do you want to become? A printer? A tshirt brand?
The best way to see my online "stuff" is to click on the link in my signature. You will find I sell a bunch of stuff, but the apparel items are found mainly on the horse related websites. I use CafePress as well as make my own rhinestone apparel My sites are not your traditional t-shirt sites, sorry about that, they are more "niche" type sites as you will see.
__________________ www.stuffnthingz.com - "You can never have too much stuff", however, "The best things in life aren't things" is also true. XPS1530 | DK20 | Mighty Press 15 |Chinese hat press | Oki5800 | 88+ | LP24
I think the best way to start is invest in simple equipment and starting other people jobs.. which most of the time are simple 1-2 color spot colors graphics, this way you can get a taste and gradual learning.
Fashion t-shirts always have high end color , processes with halftones, foils, special effects , waterbased, discharge, and nobody can just jump to that sort of relatively difficult printing.
This would be my track
- save around 1-2 thousand bucks and buy equipment
- do simple jobs, keep reivensting all the money towards the business with equipment
- gradually do more difficult jobs such as halftones, simulated, waterbased, foil
- once you learned while you made good money you can start investing on your own t-shirt line and save a lot of money since you now know how to work it, instead of outsourcing your printing.
- you have your screen printing business to fall back on and to keep your t-shirt line alive.
- your become rich...
- The end
Thats pretty much my goal, im 21 and started my business beginning of the year, started with a 2k invested into equipment, now only after 4 months i got about 15k invested so far, and 100% debt free, looking for a shop to move to and buy even more equipment...
I would advise you to either get a job with a local printer, or take a course via one of the screenprinting equipment companies like Lawson, Silkscreeningsupplies, etc. That way you will know more about how it's done and you will have a good idea of what you will need to start your business.
To be successful in this business you will need much more than just a couple of thousand dollars worth of invested equipment. You can buy 150k worth of equipment and if you don't know how to print it isn't going to do you a bit of good. Learn all you can BEFORE investing money. Learn not only how to make the garments, but how to outsource the things you can't do, who to use to outsource, where to buy your garments at wholesale price, etc.
Decide rather you want to do this part time, full time, etc. If you decide to go full time, find an affordable place to open up shop and then do a study to make sure it is the place you really need, i.e if you are doing retail with a retail showroom will you have the foot traffic to support your business.
Read all you can and learn, learn, learn, and then when you have it all figured out, learn some more!
And the main thing is to not get discouraged. If this is truely what you want to do there will be many, many, many things that will make you question your sanity and make you very discouraged. Keep your head up and figure out how to get through it.
And the main thing....... Have fun doing something you enjoy!
Good Luck!
__________________
God Bless! Booger County Outfitters LLC. Maker of custom knives and screenprinted T's
how is your business now ... ? 
