So im going to registar my company within the next few days. and thats all i have dont for the business except for hours on this forum reading everything. so i have a web designer as well but i thinks its too early to create the site, but i am going reserve the address. as far as designs im not good at art so i will be getting them through freelance designer. so should i go and get few designs or is there something else i need to do...
So im going to registar my company within the next few days. and thats all i have dont for the business except for hours on this forum reading everything. so i have a web designer as well but i thinks its too early to create the site, but i am going reserve the address. as far as designs im not good at art so i will be getting them through freelance designer. so should i go and get few designs or is there something else i need to do...
Thanks
Why not first build a concept, this way you can brainstorm a lot of odds and ends.
A business plan is always good. But what I think he meant by concept, was build an identity for the brand. What style are you trying to be? What is your target market?
Start blogging about who you are, what you do and things that interest you.
Try and build up a following, lay down some foundations before you jump into getting a website. You can have the greatest website and tee designs in the world but if you have nobody visiting your website what's the point.
By blogging and using social media daily people get to see your personality and you will begin to develop a following and all it costs you is TIME! People buy from people. Get people visiting for your content then start to introduce products and you will find that visitors can be converted to customers more easily.
Start blogging about who you are, what you do and things that interest you.
Try and build up a following, lay down some foundations before you jump into getting a website. You can have the greatest website and tee designs in the world but if you have nobody visiting your website what's the point.
By blogging and using social media daily people get to see your personality and you will begin to develop a following and all it costs you is TIME! People buy from people. Get people visiting for your content then start to introduce products and you will find that visitors can be converted to customers more easily.
Good Luck!
hI thanks for all the info.. i started a blog just a few days ago. .... first time doing this so still figuring out what to write... thought of starting off just writting of all the steps i take to form my biz and t-shirt related stuff....
and since im getting the company name registered under the province do i know try to get all my designs in order. btw im planning on outsource most of my design work
Everyone finds their own way of doing things as i'm sure you will. You are 100% going in the right direction as far as keeping notes of all the steps you are taking. That kind of information will be valuable to someone. Insert the info into your blog gradually and use social media websites to let people know when there's new material on there. People will start to visit more regularly if you keep your content fresh.
Open a You Tube channel (FREE) and start posting videos about the steps you are taking. Some people prefer to learn visually (they react better) rather than just reading text all the time. Over time you will start to gain credibility and thats the perfect time to introduce products, when you have a steady flow of visitors.
Also you can blog about ideas you have for t-shirts and your visitors will soon let you know via comments whether their good or bad ideas ("you can test the water" so to speak). Plus alot of the time people will also give you ideas, and thats what i'm talking about you end up getting visitors involved and you build relationships. People like to buy from people instead of just being pitched at all the time.
I personally wouldn't start paying a designer to do your work yet but it's up to you. I'd be more inclined to build up a following and focus on getting a steady flow of traffic to my blog using social media websites. You will find that some (if not all) of the information you collect while starting up people will be looking for on this forum and the more people you help the more visitors you will recieve to your blog.
There's no harm in coming up with loads of designs and ideas just don't rush in to any big desicisions.
I'd rather be prepared to fail than fail to prepare.
Social networking and branching out is important but I'd suggest you decide on your branding first, so you can emplore your brand into social networking and not have to go back and convert.
So work out your branding; whats your websites/company name, what does the logo look like, how does it tie into your theme of shirts you want to sell.
Once you have that you can start thinking of website design, your target demographic and then of course, your tshirt content!! But definitely get into social networking and making friends and followers of your brand. You'll be surprised how much free marketing you can do and keep your costs to product and website creation.
DEFINITELY! coming up with a logo should be at the top of your list. When you said you were registering a business name soon, i naturally assumed you already had a logo. Here's a great post with tips on choosing a logo, check it out!
Once you have a logo spend 20 mins creating a custom background wallpaper with it. Then you can use it as your twitter background, you tube background, blog background and website background. Use every opportunity to promote it and stick it in peoples faces. You can also use the logo as your profile picture on these places and even use it as your logo on the tshirtforums tee avatar and profile.
Thanks to all of you all for your promt resposne. I see lots people talking about branding, Wanted to ask you'll what exactly do you mean by branding. is it coming up with a brand name,i've got that done.. what more is there to branding and if you guys know of any good articles about branding can you post the link as well..
thanks a million
There are many different definitions of a brand, the most effective description however, is that a brand is a name or symbol that is commonly known to identify a company or it’s products and separate them from the competition.
A well-known brand is generally regarded as one that people will recognise, often even if they do not know about the company or its products/services. These are usually the businesses name or the name of a product, although it can also include the name of a feature or style of a product.
The overall ‘branding’ of a company or product can also stretch to a logo, symbol, or even design features (E.g.: Regularly used colours or layouts, such as red and white for Coca Cola.) that identify the company or its products/services.
For example:
The Nike brand name is known throughout the world, people can identify the name and logo even if they have never bought any of their products.
However, not only is the company name a brand, but the logo (The ‘tick’ symbol) is also a strong piece of branding in its own right. The majority of people that are aware of the company can also identify it (or its products) from this symbol alone.
The clothing and running shoe company Adidas is well known for using three stripes on its range of products. This design feature branding allows people to identify their products, even if the Adidas brand name and logo is not present.
Go ahead and Google What Is Branding?
I'm quite sure you will find millions of answers to your question.
The main benefit of branding is that customers are much more likely to remember your business. A strong brand name and logo/image helps to keep your company image in the mind of your potential customers.
If your business sells products that are often bought on impulse, a customer recognising your brand could mean the difference between no-sale and a sale. Even if the customer was not aware that you sell a particular product, if they trust your brand, they are likely to trust you with unfamiliar products. If a customer is happy with your products or services, a brand helps to build customer loyalty across your business.
(ii) Image of Size
A strong brand will project an image of a large and established business to your potential customers. People usually associate branding with larger businesses that have the money to spend on advertising and promotion. If you can create effective branding, then it can make your business appear to be much bigger than it really is.
An image of size and establishment can be especially important when a customer wants reassurance that you will still be around in a few years time.
(iii) Image of Quality
A strong brand projects an image of quality in your business, many people see the brand as a part of a product or service that helps to show its quality and value.
It is commonly said that if you show a person two identical products, only one of which is branded; they will almost always believe the branded item is higher quality.
If you can create effective branding, then over time the image of quality in your business will usually go up. Of course, branding cannot replace good quality, and bad publicity will damage a brand (and your businesses image), especially if it continues over a long period of time.
For example - The Sunny Delight drinks brand was one of the biggest in the UK just a year after its launch. However, constant bad publicity about the quality of the product has severely damaged the image of the brand, and sales have dropped for each of the past several years.
(iv) Image of Experience and Reliability
A strong brand creates an image of an established business that has been around for long enough to become well known. A branded business is more likely to be seen as experienced in their products or services, and will generally be seen as more reliable and trustworthy than an unbranded business.
Most people will believe that a business would be hesitant to put their brand name on something that was of poor quality.
(v) Multiple Products
If your business has a strong brand, it allows you to link together several different products or ranges. You can put your brand name on every product or service you sell, meaning that customers for one product will be more likely to buy another product from you.
For Example - Sony sells televisions, music equipment, consoles, camcorders, DVD players, video players, and etc all under the Sony brand name.
You can also create separate brand names for your product ranges, allowing people to see your brand name, and then use the range brand name to work out what they wish to buy.
For Example - Cadbury’s makes a range of confectionary under many different sub-brand names such as Dairy Milk, Boost, Flake, and Time Out. All of these are sold under the product brand, but all feature the Cadbury’s brand name on the packaging.
Thanks a lot... explained eevrything...So i guess i will build my brand first which will help my isolate my target market which make easier for me when it comes to designs ..
Newbie->What to do Next ? 
Re: Newbie->What to do Next ? 
