I started my t-shirt business three years ago and I learned A LOT in the last three years. Some mistakes were more expensive than others, but overall it's been an amazing three years. I saw a post about success in the t-shirt business and yes, there are people who can support themselves and their family from their t-shirt business.
So I thought I'd share with you my top 10 tips for success and would love to hear your tips as well.
Come up with a marketable idea
After you’ve decided that you want to start you own t-shirt business, start brainstorming about possible ideas for your t-shirts. Write down as many ideas as you can. Some things to think about are: do you want text shirts or graphic shirts or both? Do you want to make shirts for women, men, babies? What is hot right now and what is everyone wearing? Do you want color shirts, or mostly black or white shirts? The more questions you ask yourself, the more ideas you will come up with during your brainstorming session.
Determine your target market
After you’ve brainstormed your ideas, it’s time to start thinking about your target market. Who do you want to sell your t-shirts to? Be as specific as possible. “Women between the ages of 18-45” is not a specific target market. You must dig deeper and find your niche. Some examples of target markets are skateboarders, women who have toddler children, grandmas or grandpas, Las Vegas tourists between the ages of 25-45, men who play golf, etc. The possibilities are endless and the more specific you can get with your niche market, the easier it will be to sell your shirts and come up with specific marketing plans.
Set up your business structure
Most t-shirt entrepreneurs start out as a sole proprietor, but as their company and sales grow, they change their company structure to an LLC, LLP or corporation. Think about how big you want your business to be and then consult with a business or legal professional on what the ideal business structure would be for you. Another thing you might want to consider is what type of sales you want to focus on – retail (selling directly to consumers), wholesale (selling to other stores) or both. This might help you decide what business structure is best for you.
Manufacturing your t-shirts
Many t-shirt entrepreneurs start out by purchasing t-shirt blanks from other manufacturers. This allows them to offer a variety of sizes, colors and styles, but keep costs to a minimum. Many t-shirt blank manufacturers have really low minimums, so you can test a few different styles to see what will sell best for your niche market. Another option is to have a t-shirt manufacturer make shirts according to your specifications, but they often require you to purchase thousands of shirts at a time, which might not be feasible when you first start your shirt business. If you search for “shirt blanks” or “shirt manufacturers” you will be able to find a plethora of resources online.
Printing your t-shirts
Some people get in the t-shirt business because they love to screenprint and they have all the necessary equipment to print their own t-shirts. If that’s not you, then search the Internet for screenprinters in your local area and meet with them to discuss your needs. Don’t be afraid to interview a few screenprinters and work with the one who is a good fit for you.
Pricing your t-shirts
The price of your t-shirts depends on what it costs you to make each t-shirt. When calculating the price, make sure to include the actual price of the shirt, screenprinting costs, shipping costs, costs of hangtags and labels and other costs such as marketing, storage/warehousing and labor. Also consider if you plan on selling retail or wholesale or both. If you are not selling your shirts to other stores or boutiques, then you might be able to price them lower since you are cutting out the middleman. Set a price that allows you to cover all the costs and make a profit as well. And don’t be afraid to price your shirts higher if your costs justify it.
Storing and shipping your t-shirts
Many shirt entrepreneurs start out by storing their shirts in their garage, basement or home office in bins or on shelves. Think about how much time and space you have and what you want to focus your efforts on. Do you enjoy packing and shipping and do you have the time to do it? If so, starting in your home is a good idea. But if you hate the idea of going to the post office every day or if you don’t have space in your house to store your shirts, then consider hiring a fulfillment house, which will do all the storage, packing and shipping for you for a fee.
Selling your t-shirts retail
If you want to sell your shirts directly to the consumer, it’s probably a good idea to set up your own website and print some postcards so you can promote your t-shirt business. Allow people to purchase items directly from your website and make sure you have good photography that reflects the quality of your t-shirts. You might also want to consider selling your shirts at local events such as flea markets or street fairs or fundraising events.
Selling your t-shirts wholesale
You can also sell your shirts to other stores that target your niche market. These can include local boutiques, gift stores, t-shirt shops and even larger retail chain stores. You can call the store directly and ask to speak to the buyer. Many stores like supporting businesses in their area, so it’s best to start out with stores in your town or city first.
Marketing and promoting your t-shirts
Just because you have a website doesn’t mean that swarms of people will know about it or even find it online. It’s best to work with your web designer to make your website search engine friendly so people can easily find you. Contact other businesses and ask to exchange links, post comments on other people’s blogs (with a link back to your online store) and partner with websites that target your niche market but don’t compete with you.
And lastly, wear your t-shirts as often as you can! This is often of the best and most effective method to get your shirts seen. Tell everybody you know about your new business venture and ask them to tell their friends. Word of mouth is very powerful. Contact publications and magazines that cater to your target market and see if they can review your t-shirts. Print postcards with your designs and place them in stores around your neighborhood. It’s important to get your name out there as much as you can.
I hope this helps and I'd love to hear your thoughts and tips as well.
I have started an online store but I am having a hard time getting traffic. I have signed up with google, yahoo, msn and every other sight I can think of. What other effective ways are there to get the word out online?
Last edited by Rodney; April 6th, 2011 at 09:51 AM.
I have started an online store but I am having a hard time getting traffic. I have signed up with google, yahoo, msn and every other sight I can think of. What other effective ways are there to get the word out online?
Pay to advertise your business in targeted places. Get out and spread the word.
I have started an online store but I am having a hard time getting traffic. I have signed up with google, yahoo, msn and every other sight I can think of. What other effective ways are there to get the word out online?
One of the best ways to get good web traffic is by having other relevant sites linking to your site. You inherit their ranking to some extent and your SEO, or search engine optimization, is increased. Ask other sites with good ranking, especially those you might know, to link to your site. Offer free business shirts to graphic designers with good sites, etc. But in any case you want to promote the crap out of your site to anyone who will listen. Facebook, Tweet about it, Linked In/Plaxo, etc. Make sure it is in the tag line of your email at minimum, here on this forum and 35 others you can find out about. Websites are like babies, they need a lot of attention at first to get to a healthy, safe and mature state. And don't forget, ultimately you need to have a site with a lot of accurate, useful information to your clients. Google (and others) attempts to provide good, relevant results to searchers, so make sure you site is providing that in the form of specific keywords (t-shirts, tee shirts, custom shirts, sports shirts, whatever you focus on). Use them often and accurately.
This is a discussion about 10 TIps for Success in the T-shirt Business that was posted in the General T-Shirt Selling Discussion section of the forums.
10 TIps for Success in the T-shirt Business 
