i've put a lot of time, effort and money into starting my t-shirt company (which hasn't officially launched yet). my main goal was to try and have a unique looking site but more importantly, offer something different than every other aspiring t-shirt company out there. but i'm finding it a little discouraging when I come across another company that is more or less doing what I planned on doing. there's no turning back for me now as i've invested too much, but it's hard to go forward because I don't want it to seem like i'm just copying somebody else.
have any of you ever felt this way? I'm trying to look at the bright side of things -- no idea is ever truly unique. you just need to look to sites like Threadless and the multitude of copycat voting sites it has spawned. I have no intention of quitting, i'm just curious how some of you have dealt with it.
i've put a lot of time, effort and money into starting my t-shirt company (which hasn't officially launched yet). my main goal was to try and have a unique looking site but more importantly, offer something different than every other aspiring t-shirt company out there. but i'm finding it a little discouraging when I come across another company that is more or less doing what I planned on doing. there's no turning back for me now as i've invested too much, but it's hard to go forward because I don't want it to seem like i'm just copying somebody else.
have any of you ever felt this way? I'm trying to look at the bright side of things -- no idea is ever truly unique. you just need to look to sites like Threadless and the multitude of copycat voting sites it has spawned. I have no intention of quitting, i'm just curious how some of you have dealt with it.
Yeah, it's normal. You'll always find that you were either not the first to find something unique, or you'll quickly find that your being copied by another company. Don't focus too much on the competition, just do you.
Every single person on this forum has felt the way you do at some point. You just have to keep reminding yourself how far you come and continue to move forward. Their are 4 basic skills you need to master if you wanna sell t-shirts and they are
planning, passion, patience and persistence, without these you may as well just forget it.
Getting set up and getting a website is the easy part, the hard part is getting people to your site and getting them to return regularly. Most ways of doing it cost you nothing except time and effort.
If you wake up everyday and can think of nothing else but making and selling t-shirts then thats what you should be doing.
I feel like you do most days and i like it, cos it makes me feel alive and makes me keep looking for ways to improve. It doesn't feel like work to me it's a hobby and that the best kind of job to have.
When i started out i was working 12-15 hours a day, 7 days a week, for no money, and you know what i'd never been happier. Yeah it's tough working for yourself, and the way i look at it is if things are not going to plan you only have yourself blame. Which is great cos it spurrs you on to do more and keep moving forward. Who cares if things don't take off right away if you have decided that your going to do this for the rest of your life then you got 50 years to make it happen, what's the rush (in my opinion).
Remember keep moving forward no matter what! If you make mistakes (and we all do) it just means your learning faster. Experience is what you get when you don't get what you want, there's no such thing as failiure only feedback.
If you can move from mistake to mistake without loosing enthusiasm, your already successful, Good Luck!
Even if you find someone has a similar idea, no one can do it exactly the way you are going to do it. All else being equal, you're always going to bring your unique life experience, opinions and level of determination to the project.
Well said, Thanks for your good message across the board.
->T-shirt itself can't be much unique because there are already hundreds of thousand websites selling tees or their lines. but your attached feeling/message & way you market is the only thing can make difference i believe.
NiL
Quote:
Originally Posted by stubrad1982
Hi gaseousclay,
Every single person on this forum has felt the way you do at some point. You just have to keep reminding yourself how far you come and continue to move forward. Their are 4 basic skills you need to master if you wanna sell t-shirts and they are
planning, passion, patience and persistence, without these you may as well just forget it.
Getting set up and getting a website is the easy part, the hard part is getting people to your site and getting them to return regularly. Most ways of doing it cost you nothing except time and effort.
If you wake up everyday and can think of nothing else but making and selling t-shirts then thats what you should be doing.
I feel like you do most days and i like it, cos it makes me feel alive and makes me keep looking for ways to improve. It doesn't feel like work to me it's a hobby and that the best kind of job to have.
When i started out i was working 12-15 hours a day, 7 days a week, for no money, and you know what i'd never been happier. Yeah it's tough working for yourself, and the way i look at it is if things are not going to plan you only have yourself blame. Which is great cos it spurrs you on to do more and keep moving forward. Who cares if things don't take off right away if you have decided that your going to do this for the rest of your life then you got 50 years to make it happen, what's the rush (in my opinion).
Remember keep moving forward no matter what! If you make mistakes (and we all do) it just means your learning faster. Experience is what you get when you don't get what you want, there's no such thing as failiure only feedback.
If you can move from mistake to mistake without loosing enthusiasm, your already successful, Good Luck!
Well, nothing ever goes to waste if you end up learning something out of it (which you will). I went into my first venture knowing nothing and I got out of it with more knowledge that eventually opened other doors. I prepared myself mentally that I might fail and it would be okay if I did. Failure is good. The earlier you do it, the better you will be.
I know it might be hard on you by knowing that someone else has it, but try to take an angle where you can either learn from it, or push yourself on top of the competitors. Nothing stopped BMW from topping Mercedes on the best luxury selling car in the world.
Life will pass in the blink of an eye... or at least it feels like that...lol
This is your life right now... enjoy everything... good parts and crazy parts...
If you will accept nothing but success ...you will keep getting up and brushing yourself off
and you will move forward and achieve your goals....
Great video to watch... 40 inspirational speeches in 2 minutes
Yeah, it's normal. You'll always find that you were either not the first to find something unique, or you'll quickly find that your being copied by another company. Don't focus too much on the competition, just do you.
Henry, I could not agree with you more,,
Dont focus on the competition, just focus on what you are doing,, I feel is so important,
Dont get discouraged,, go for it, and do it with your style, Yes, others will copy you, they might not mean it, but maybe saw your stuff and when they sit down to design, something that looks like yours might come out, because they saw yours 6mo ago and loved your style, the thing is,, you will already be on your way to other designs,
Have fun, and get to work !!! lol
Sandy Jo
MMM
Well, nothing ever goes to waste if you end up learning something out of it (which you will). I went into my first venture knowing nothing and I got out of it with more knowledge that eventually opened other doors. I prepared myself mentally that I might fail and it would be okay if I did. Failure is good. The earlier you do it, the better you will be.
i've definitely learned a lot since I got the ball rolling. I knew it was something I had to do, not just for my own sanity but also because if I didn't at least try I wouldn't know my potential unless I took that leap. I'm not in this for the money, otherwise I wouldn't have taken great financial risk getting where I am now. but I guess it's kind of a blow to my ego when I see someone else doing something similar. all I can do is be the best I can be.
I have no intention of quitting, i'm just curious how some of you have dealt with it.
Persistence for one. Forward momentum is key. Second, I concentrate on my company's strengths; think about what I do that other companies aren't doing, or that I'm doing better than competitors. Make sure I have a balance between the basic stuff everyone does to pay the bills, and things unique to me so I still feel creative.
Where others avoid distracting themselves with the competition, I like to know what my competition is up to - it inspires me to do better. And while sometimes that's what's discouraging, ultimately I prefer to know what they're up to so I can remain competitive.
If I know they already make a blue widget, I'll reconsider my plan to make blue widgets. If I decide to make them, I may choose to market them differently. At the least, I'll be prepared to defend my blue widgets as being the better choice of blue widget.
If I loved my blue widget idea and have to abandon it that will be depressing. But not as depressing as making it and not selling any.
Through knowing my competition I know my own company better. If I ignore them, I run the risk of running myself into the ground re-inventing the wheel.
It partly depends on what market you're in. I'm in a relatively small but busy niche market; customers will be aware of my competition, so I need to be too. Of course I try not to actually worry about what they're up to... much
If anything, the longer I go without checking in on my competition the more I worry we've converged.
So, two different approaches to the same problem, depending on the person I guess: concentrate on what you do best, and leave the competition to themselves. Or use the competition to help define who you are and reflect on your strengths.
I've started a web design company 7 years ago. There is a lot of competition in the field. Yes, we had several ups and downs and I was questing myself at times if I should be doing this. I know who my competition is when bidding on projects but I don't religiously check their websites and see what they are up too. I just kept going and looking back now, we've completed over 240 projects. So, I've must done something right.
I became interested in t-shirt / clothing design recently. I do have the designs but haven't printed a single shirt yet. I have a plan, I can design and with my past experience in marketing I'm 100% confident I can do it.
Don't give up, don't let anybody tell you what to do and just keep plugging away.
do you ever feel discouraged? 
