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Originally Posted by wmdzign |  | | | | | | | | | Hey folks-
... over 540 url links of t-shirt businesses...all selling to the same target market, 18-34 year olds. | |  | |  | |
I'm assuming that you mean that this particular web portal was aimed at the 18-34 year old market. Of course people of all ages wear t-shirts.
I do agree with you that it's very daunting to think of all the businesses out there trying to make money doing the same thing you are. At the same time, don't make the mistake of assuming that every one of those businesses is your direct competitor. Getting your product out there is only one step; it also takes marketing, finance, distribution, and creative savvy (among other factors) to succeed. Not every one of those 540++ has got all that together. Anybody can plunk down a couple grand, buy equipment, and suddenly they're "in the t-shirt business." I have noticed a lot more t-shirts for sale everywhere now that the process is accessible to so many. But what I have also noticed is the proliferation of just plain bad product. Again, don't assume that all of the stuff out there is actually selling.
Of course, that still means it's harder to find the good stuff, i.e. your designs and mine.
I haven't succeeded yet myself, but my advice would be the same plan that I have, and is basic business sense: Identify a niche (don't go after everyone), be creative in finding out how to get your product in front of your target market, constantly improve your product, and be prepared to either starve for a long time or keep your day job until you figure out what combination will work.
More specifically (I hate general, nonspecific responses): Always be looking for an untapped sub-market. Every time I go into a popular local restaurant I look to see if they sell t-shirts, and if they don't, I make a mental note to approach them later. Approach special-interest groups that your market belongs to and ask if they want t-shirts. Buy booth space at festivals and conventions near you. Walk into independent (not chain) t-shirt stores with your wares and see if they'll carry your product.
Try giving away free stuff -- to the right people. Give it to high-profile people who will appear locally in front of your market. Give it to decisionmakers. I had a friend who used to work for Microsoft, and I tell you, being on the MS approved vendor list was one coveted membership. He had tons of apparel vendors to choose from, but the one he ultimately ordered from was the one that sent him free baseball caps with his department name already embroidered on it. He knew they could do that job, and he liked the result. It wasn't just a free sample of anything, it was a free sample that *he* could use right away. Yes, it took some upfront cost and risk by that vendor, but it put him way out in front of the crowd.
The part of this business that is so scary is also the part that is so exciting. Success is really up to you, IMIO (in my inexperienced opinion). People will always buy t-shirts despite the price of gas, nukes in North Korea, the subprime mortgage meltdown, or global warming. Even in a recession, when they don't have much money, they will usually have enough for another t-shirt. The uncontrollable variables that sink businesses in other industries don't affect the t-shirt industry. The factors that sink businesses in our industry are almost totally controlled by us. The flip side to that is that if you succeed, you get to take almost all the credit.
Don't get discouraged. Just be thinking all the time about your business and your market, don't follow the crowd, and you'll start getting ideas.