where do you live?

 

I live in Nyc

 

Its what you make of it...

If you work hard and consistent, and follow your passion of it, the laws of probability to succeed will be on your side.

 

you get out of it what you put in

 

There is no guarantee in life or the tee shirt biz. This is not a get rich quick scheme but you can make $$ if you plan well and execute your biz plan well. I know of folks in large cities who have done well but also some have failed. Same with folks in rural areas. I have a contact in the middle of WY and they do very very well...so who knows

 

Undercapitalization is the biggest reason for failure. In most cases, the business will work, but the owner did not plan on low/no income for the first year or two. Some people have full time jobs, which is a way to keep money coming in, but it also takes away from the time you can invest in the business. You truly do get out what you put in. If you can only invest two hours a day in the business between kids, a job and other commitments, don't expect to hit a home run in the T-shirt business...or any other business.

It can take a couple of years for a business to turn profitable working at it full time. In most cases, it's the guy that has the cash to survive those couple years with no income that makes it in the long run. You have to look at time and money put into a new business as a long term investment.

 

Well Stated; I appreciate this Forum and the honesty and help I read... Time in, period. Tim

 

Yup - cashflow is king and the death of nearly every new business.

Run a very very tight ship, but invest in things that increase your productivity or potential marketshare.

And don't forget about the cashflow

 

Can you explain in detail what you mean with cashflow is king ? I hear everybody around me about it but I don't get it. Perhaps my cashflow is so good I don't notice the potential problem ha ha.

 

I did a lot better before the current government took over, used to be like picking gold up from the streets, not anymore.

 

My business has done just the opposite, it's booming. It's been growing steadily for the past 3 years. I'm already 40% ahead of last years sales and still have almost 3 months to go.

 

Consider working in a screen printing shop for a year or two to get training and see if you like it. If you find the work fun and satisfying and something you you really want to do, then that's a really good sign. There's always risk in starting a new business, making sure you have a good background and knowing what you will be getting into will minimize the risk and provide you with lots of ideas for what you want to do (and not do!) when you are ready to open your own shop.

 

Really not into politics, but I think you'll find a lot of people have recently been struggling around the world.

Where I am based, customers used to come into print shops with $3500 cash and just place their order. Now the same customers are haggling over the price of 50 shirts.

Just saying……………...

 

ah the good 'ol days, I too remember people coming in or calling and ordering very nice orders and again I too can verify what you say about nowdays people haggling over small orders whereas before they just ordered and said call me when done.

 

Where I am based, customers used to come into print shops with $3500 cash and just place their order. Now the same customers are haggling over the price of 50 shirts.

We are based in the uk, I have extensive experience in printing. In the past when we contacted companies offering our services we would be quite abrubtly told that they have a current supplier and wouldn't even let us quote.

The current market throughout the world has forced these people to put aside there own personal relationships with existing suppliers, and instead allow companies who are prepared to be more competative quote. Because of this, just like Plumcrazyglitz, our business has is booming.

The market is tough for those who did not appreciate their customers, who ripped them off with high prices and who got used to the high life.

Its a competative market both in the US and the UK. It doesn't necessarily mean its a bad one.

Debbie

 

Been in business for 7 years. Paid initial $2100 investment in October of 2006 and that was the only year I did not make profit. Right now I run about 50-55% profit. However just until recently I also worked full time for a hospital that helped me get to where I am now. The T-shirt business makes me more now than I did working full time at the hospital. I still operate with a 6 color press and flash cure. I do simple jobs but I absolutely make sure my customer service is second to none. I did advertising in a local hand-out the first year of business and have done $0 advertising since and it has all been word of mouth.

Learn your craft, treat your customers well, and you can prosper.

 

It helps that you have the hospital as a way to market your business. I work full time for one of the big three in the beverage industry, and get lots of business that way.

 

This current administration is killing my business! it's been very slow, and almost considering shutting down. With the time i spend pushing shirts and the lower prices i think i can move my energy into something else.

Good Luck, and we only have 2 more years of this dead beat in office.

 

Haha, yup, its all Obama's fault. Go to a right wing forum and spew that crap, we are here to talk about t-shirts not politics.

Sent from my LTEvo.

 

heres the bottomline as i see it from being in screen printing and the offset printing business for over 25 years, ive made a good living UP UNTIL the current administration, nothing has changed as far as what i was doing or am doing. The only thing thats changed is an inexperienced person as president and his liberal, radical administration. The years prior to '08 were great years, sure there were slow times here and there but under every administration we prospered and so did everyone and every other type business i deal with. Now, many have gone out of business and the ones that are left are hurting.

Why is that? Because our once great country has been led down the path of liberlism. More people on government handouts than ever before, more national debt, more unemployment, more everything except job/business security.

Business is slow for most and it wont change until there is a drastic change of leadership in this country.

 

Guys, don't forget the rest of the world doesn't have your current administration.

What happened? ummm HUGE global recession?

I graduated with a Masters in Engineering design and suddenly companies were releasing 100's of engineers (that was 1 company). Suddenly there was no work, whilst before there was loads.

So I moved from the UK to a tax-free country. SAME ISSUE. Everyone globally has been affected by the recession - I don't think it is fair to blame it all on an administration.

Now, whether they could have forseen it and handled it a better way, that's a discussion for another thread. But try asking Greece how they feel. They've got nothing to to with your administration and they nearly went bankrupt (well, they did, really).

 

Don't know your backround and on top of that, What are you trying to do and where do you plan on operating it? This is not a great financial environment to start any kind of business, unless you have the goods and everyone wants it. A rare case at best, but it is a comfortable living if you work for small businesses in your area. For a small shop or a home based shop it doesn't take that many sales a week to make a small profit. I have two shops and a handful of employees, took 23 years to get here. Don't go into it blindly, will be a bad thing. It helps if you are an artist that knows the graphic manipulation software, many of us grew with the computers and the software also over a serious amount of years.

 

Know what niche you want to fill before you invest. Try to line up a couple of customers to work with before you buy the equipment (outsource at little or no profit if necessary for your first jobs.) We lined up a single customer before we bought our equipment and that customer referred us to a second customer - then we bought the equipment. It really does help if you have a mind for technical and mechanical stuff. Knowing graphic design software is almost mandatory (or develop a super close connection with a designer/production artist.) Don't neglect sales and marketing and get a CPA to help you get organized with your taxes etc... I also have a full time job while my wife runs the shop so there's less pressure to turn a profit right off the bat - our cash flow comes from my paycheck for now but it's looking better each month. Our goal is to pay off our equipment in 9-12 months and then begin getting paid.

 

the global economy starts and ends with the USA, we do good all do good, we suffer the rest of the world suffers.

 

Yes…. right now, it seems to be that way - let's wait 24 hours and see what the current administration AND their opponents can agree on.

If they can't agree to raise the debt ceiling between themselves for the good of the US and global economy…. and then the global economy falls into another recession, then we all know that it is AMERICANS, not a specific administration that led us into the next global recession. Plus, the US will probably drop a significant number of positions in determining global economy, since the US will have defaulted on its liabilities and its global credit rating will drop. No loans, no growth.

Before that scenario, though - I understand the 'hard times' to be a case of systematic and ingrained overexposure of national banking systems and national economies through multiple generations of administrations. In multiple countries. Most still are - relying on low interest rates and high debt to GDP ratios. What happens when interest rates return to what would be considered "standard" levels? How will countries repay even the interest on their debts? I just read yesterday that the UK has a 500% debt ratio (yet to be confirmed), but unfunded debt ratio of 900%- close to the Weimar Republic, (Germany), before the Nazis succeeded. They were at something like 914%, I believe, and were moving money with wheelbarrows to buy bread. Unfunded debt is promises and budgets made, but no money in place to pay for it. Right now, super low interest rates are keeping us afloat, though. I shudder to think what will happen when they start to rise back to normal levels again, though. Think about how many home owners and businesses will default……….

Anyway, let's see what both the current administration and their opponents can agree on by tomorrow. Otherwise we all likely suffer, (on top of all the hard-working employees in the states who already are and have bills to pay but whose departments have been shut down…… I feel particularly for the Alaskan crab fisherman, who can't go fish because the person who tells them the season is open, is not able to turn up to work and officially tell them "the season is open" - that must really suck).

 

That is a smart and a well thought out plan there Kenneth! I would recommend this type of start up. Safe and protect your assets at the same time!

 

seems to work

 

Hi!

Yes, the t-shirt business can be very profitable. The main thing is offering a quality product (whether it is screen or embroidery) and establishing yourself as a trusted company. You can offer all the best pricing you want but you need trust and quality, and that takes some time.

 

I will try again, sent this 3 times and it didn't go, Hope you work it out man. sorry you didn't get the whole thing.

 

Was working on a speech for you but it didn't work out so well. I hope you figure it out my friend! Work on giving client what they want and it really doesn't matter what you think it should be, give them what they need. Is not the end of the earth as we know it.