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KINC · November 11th, 2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cathybun


	One thing I've learned in the first six months is to buy your major equipment from reputable companies rather than the cheapest. Someone who can give you the tech support you need if / when you need it.

Although there's something to be said about making your own equipment, if you can and if you're handy. Directions for print presses and vacuum dryers for example are out there and I've had great results.

As previously mentioned it takes a while until you're "rolling in dough" so it def. helps to cut costs with a D.I.Y. attitude.

BenDTease · November 11th, 2007

And even BEFORE the start. PLAN! I cannot overemphasize how much pain and headache I could have saved myself with additional research and a FORMAL business plan.
The notes and ideas I had were (and still are) great, but when it came down to actually doing it, I found that there were gaping holes in my planning which led to stress, frustration, lost sales, and lost money.
With each failure or missed opportunity I have learned something, but a full business plan is an absolute necessity, even (or especially) if the whole thing is going to be financed out of your own pocket.
Knowing who is likely to buy your product, who is competing for their business, what you need to charge to make a profit, what you believe you can do to make your product more attractive to potential customers than that of your competition, all CRITICAL to success!
The business is like the shirt: actually printing the shirt is the easy part; the tough part, and the part that makes the difference between success and failure, is all the prep work that goes before.

kippygirl12 · November 11th, 2007

"Design or print/press myself"?, that's up to you hon. That's part of figuring out your own plan, how much time do you want to
put into this and will your own designs have a market? Will they
stand out from others? No one can decide that but you.

I started out selling pre-printed graphics...and did not do well. I lost about $300 on that. Being a nurse, I decided to tap into
the medical t's and having worked in ALL aspects of nursing, it was easy coming up with designs and sayings. For ex: ER Nurse, Vascular Nurse, Pediatrics Nurse, Respiratory Therapists, Lab techs...etc. However, if I hadn't worked in the field 32 years already, I would have been at a loss as to what kind of sayings fit each type of the medical profession. This is just ONE EXAMPLE.

I guess the idea is, coming up with a unique idea that is all your own. I can't draw either...on paper, not even a stick person. But with the right software, I was able to draw medical equipment, ventilators, dialysis machines, kidneys, body parts etc and not use PURCHASED CLIPART...which generally is awful. I have though, purchased holiday clipart to use with some of my designs, but draw my own X-mas trees.

For me, doing my own graphics has proven to be the most rewarding part of t-shirts...it allows me to be creative and provides a much needed outlet after a busy day in HOSPICE NURSING.

Good luck to you!!!

Gail, a nurse in Ohio

P.S. I don't do anything special to create sales, I am comfortable with $800-$1200 a month net profits. I simply don't have time to do much more. However, retirement is around my corner...then, I plan to kick it in higher gear with nursing seminars etc. Making 5-10 shirts a day...is enough to keep me busy.

gumbydave · November 14th, 2007

I am deep into the research phase.
After a thorough more careful re-read of this thread and taking the time to inject my own between the lines perspective has caused me to shift some aspects of my start up plan, marketing strategies, product production, and product line development strategy.
I feel I am on an intellectual roller coaster of information gathering that at times drains me emotionally at times.
Now I wonder if I am being too careful and need to separate fear of bad decisions from healthy caution.
I am afraid I have too much information. I am one of those people who takes forever to make a decision and have to sleep on it

Does anyone regret NOT doing more reasearch before making the biz decisions

Does anyone think doing too much research before making decisions could have a negative impact ( nothing ventured , nothing gained, you never know till you try, etc)

Rodney · November 14th, 2007

Quote:


	Does anyone think doing too much research before making decisions could have a negative impact ( nothing ventured , nothing gained, you never know till you try, etc)

Yes, I think there's a lot to be said for actually "doing" and seeing what happens. Even if "fail" happens, it is at least "movement" that you can adjust and learn from.

Research is great, and I don't think people should "jump into" anything, but after a while, you have to actually *do* something to move it from the hypothetical philosophical ideal of what you'd like to happen into the reality of taking chances, making mistakes, learning from them, growing, and staying focused on where you want to go.

Don't get too caught up in research that you never get to take action. You can't make money with research and the greatest designs in the world will be wasted if they never get put on a t-shirt.

tim3560 · November 14th, 2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rodney


	Yes, I think there's a lot to be said for actually "doing" and seeing what happens. Even if "fail" happens, it is at least "movement" that you can adjust and learn from. Research is great, and I don't think people should "jump into" anything, but after a while, you have to actually do something to move it from the hypothetical philosophical ideal of what you'd like to happen into the reality of taking chances, making mistakes, learning from them, growing, and staying focused on where you want to go. Don't get too caught up in research that you never get to take action. You can't make money with research and the greatest designs in the world will be wasted if they never get put on a t-shirt.

Absolutely! Experience is always the best teacher. I think also that picking one thing at a time is a good decision. If you want to start screenprinting, start screenprinting and become good at it. Once you master or gain a high understanding of that, pick up some vinyl, do a few vinyl tshirts. Understand how the vinyl works and then make some small signs and banners. What you shouldn't do is a bunch of research and then open up a screenprinting, embroidery, sign, and promotional product company because you'll be overwhelmed from the start.

kippygirl12 · November 15th, 2007

Hi,

I am the opposite of you. I make SNAP decisions...some I regret...most I do not regret.

When deciding to start a t-shirt business...I spent a total of 3 days on-line researching presses, transfer papers, blank shirts etc. I estimated my profit including all supplies rather quickly. I came up with an approximate $10/shirt profit margin.

After 7 months of selling, the only regret I have is...purchasing $300 of ready made transfers with designs EVERYONE is already selling. They are still in a box in my basement...will never be used.

Otherwise, truly, I have no regrets. It's going exactly how I planned it to go. Slow to start, sales increasing montly little by little by "word of mouth". I don't do any special advertising at all...just a website and Ebay store. I work full-time and quite comfortable just selling 3-10/shirts daily...it varies like the wind.

However I will say this about On-line selling, there is nothing, nothing, quite like making money while you sleep, eat & play. Making t-shirts is easy, a no brainer yet allows one to be as creative as he/she chooses. The possibilites are endless!!! And, it provides a little income or a lot of income...depending on how much work you put into it initially...and doing shows etc. I choose not to do shows/festivals...as a woman, I really don't relish the idea of lugging around all my equipment and boxes of t-shirts etc...just to make $500-$1000 in a day. I happy with $1000/month doing virtually nothing in addition to my day job as a nurse.

Gail, nurse in Ohio

Artwear By Alida · November 20th, 2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by dmm26


	I realize that this may not be relevant to everyone here but here are somethings that I wish I had know from the start that probably would have saved me time, money and a lot of frustration. I'm trying to start a new mid priced skate and snowboard clothing line. Research EVERYTHING I thought I had done as much research as I possibly could, but just when you think your done there's something else. Here are some questions to ask yourself before you start dive head first into the t-shirt/clothing biz. - How much will it cost me to start my business? Once you have a number add another 1-2000 dollars onto that. -What type of printing method do I want to use? I went with heat press and I like it, but now I'm kinda wondering if I made the right choice. -Are you going to order things from overseas? I'm getting hats and have had a few other things made overseas. Count on getting samples made and paying a lot for shipping. Also make sure that you make your address VERY clear. I've waited and waited for packages only to find out that for whatever reason the address got screwed up and it was sent back to China. This has also happened to me right here in Canada from one province away! -What type of blanks do you want to use? I wish I had used my time more wisely and ordered blanks from all over the place in advance before I got my transfers. Instead of just rushing out and buying whatever was close to me and cheap. Order lots of different types from different places and find the one you like before you get started that way when you do get going you know what you want and where to get it. -If you are applying for a government grant I applied for a young entrepreneurs grant. I got the run around from day one. If you really want to use the government be prepared to jump through an ton of hoops. I've been working on getting a grant for the last 4 months and still won't get a penny until I'm fully operational for 10 weeks. -how are you going to fund this new venture? Lucky for me I have parents, family and friends that believe in what I am doing and want to loan me money. Like I stated before find a number that you think it will cost you to get going and add at the minimum $1000-$2000 more. I figured about 4-5K I'm now approaching 6K and still need more money. A few other little hints, Test your product before you put it out there. I thought this was common knowledge but to some people not. Once you have product make 2 of the same shirt, keep one unwashed and new, and wash the other one 20 times and put it through the dryer if you want (i personally hang dry all my shirts) but test it out and see what happens. Don't get frustrated if things don't always go your way, if you really want this you'll always be thinking of other ways to make things better for you and your business. Don't get pissed off if your not rolling in the dough over night. Things take time and most new businesses take 3-5 years to start making any kind of profit. Don't forget that the money you make in sales isn't all yours for the taking. You'll probably be broke for the first little while due to investing every cent back into your new company but persevere and things will fall into place. Ok this is the last thing I'll tell you don't do. Don't forget that this is supposed to be FUN! With all this said I hope that this will help someone not make the same mistakes I have and give you somethings to think about that you may not have otherwise.

I have a degree in General Management with an emphasis on Small Business Management. I did THREE business plans and the industry changes so fast, I had to change fast with it.
I had a lecturer tell me one time, "you have to lose $20,000.00 before you will learn all the lessons school doesn't teach you."

Undercapitalization is one of the top reasons for failure in small business. With me, it was trying to save money on my e-commerce website by hiring a kid right out of an exclusive college thinking I would save $3000.00.

He did a great website, but then told me he didn't know anything about e-commerce.

That was four years ago. I am still struggling to get my designs up because I went broke trying to do the business plan I had.

So, even the best made plans can go bad.

I have made all the mistakes. Now I know what to do, but don't have the money and am using open source software and trying to learn it myself and then just trying to make some bucks on cafepress, just to do what I love and that is to illustrate designs as wearable art.

So, don't feel badly. Most small businesses fail. What you learn from your mistakes is the best education. Perseverance and not giving up may take years, but if you don't give up......you just may realize your goals eventually.

Personally, I am not giving up.
I may not make a great deal of money, but I will be doing what I love to do and that is designing "art for the masses" with my pen and ink designs with no computer graphics. Viva El Andy Warhol!!!!!

Good luck.

authenticboricua · November 20th, 2007

and haThe most important thing to keep in mind is that you should start a clothing line, not to make money, but to get it out there and have fun with it. The money will come, but not right away. Test markets are important and so are focus groups. If you can operate for a year or 2 and in the end turn a profit, then maybe you can get money from a venture capitalist, IF your product is unique and have a mass market audience. It would work the VC way if you have a niche product. There aren't big $$'s for that in their eyes. Just my 2 cents.

Artwear By Alida · November 21st, 2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by authenticboricua


	Depends on where you live. I live in NY, so it's pretty easy for me to put one together.

And also before you choose your focus group, you have to target the market you are going after......what age group?
Goth? College market? Kids?

It's good to do some research to see which group is spending the money on t-shirts. Is it the tweens?
I know things have changed in the 20 years I have been playing around in the market. Women on the most, want more fitted clothing.

One time I had tons of a certain style shirt and I couldn't give them away.

Ten years later, and they were all the rage.

Before you get a focus group, you have to decide which market you are going to target.

And if anyone can tell me where I can get an affordable large scale scanner which will scan at least a 10 X 10 pen and ink drawing, let me know.

I do all my designs by hand and I need a scanner...but I am starting over and I have very little income.

I used to design clothes, had them sewn, and I handpainted and airbrushed them and sold them in galleries and craft shows.

I did some silkscreening also and airbrushed the colors in.

Now, I am just doing pen and ink, one color hand designs and having them silk screened and am going to do the cafepress thing.

I have a Mac OSX Tiger 10.4.11 OS with a powerbook G4. I really need a large format scanner but cannot afford $2000.00 for one.

I think I am going to have to just pay someone to scan for me and put my designs on disc.

I know my market. I just have to keep making more and more designs and then work on driving people to my site which I have a plan for.

Happy Thanksgiving to all....

gumbydave · November 21st, 2007

I havent even started yet, but what I think I have learned so far from my searching is that a T business will only be as good as the graphic art
Printing is what it is, and it has to be good too
but the art aspect is what will make or break it
quality product sells itself
but its hard to deliver

a good salesman could make it pushing poo
but if you got da kine they will beat down your door to get at it

I thought I wanted to print t-shirts, now I realize I want to create designs and put them on t-shirts

Artwear By Alida · November 22nd, 2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by jsjbergy


	This is why I need to really get into reading posts everyday; I've ready merely the first two pages and I know that I am not going to make any moves until I have been able to glean as much pre-startup information from you folks - straight, honest and to the point. One aspect of what I've read so far is the patience I will need to wait things out and not get impulsive until I know exactly which direciton I want to take this.

I like to say that I am an artist who uses the t-shirt as my canvas.
But you have to be business savvy also.
I outsource everything. I am the designer.
However it is difficult for me, because the industry changed to computer generated graphic arts and I am clinging to drawing my own designs and therefore I have to target a certain market and know how to drive people to my site.
And I am starting all over after having been a homemaker for so many years and the industry changes every week as do the fashions which people want depending on your target market.
It's not easy.
Happy Thanksgiving!!!

batikdruid · November 26th, 2007

I loved designing and selling my shirts online -- I was totally unprepared to be ripped off by Authorize.Net for a couple grand with their inferior "fraud protection" deal. Beware.

I lost all my momentum and zeal -- I would like to get ripping again.

Artwear By Alida · November 26th, 2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by batikdruid


	I loved designing and selling my shirts online -- I was totally unprepared to be ripped off by Authorize.Net for a couple grand with their inferior "fraud protection" deal. Beware. I lost all my momentum and zeal -- I would like to get ripping again.

I understand...I was listed on a textile illustrator site, but never got any business from it and when I asked to be taken off, they called me and wanted to used some of my designs.

I al

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