[hendrix]

so i've been thinking of starting a clothing comapny for a long time and looking into things. i never had any business experience. i want to do this for two reasons 1, i think i'd enjoy it unlike my day job 2, i want to improve my financial situaton. i was just wondering the market is so flooded with t-shirt brands, how much sucess have you guys had and how long it take you to achieve it? and how difficult has it been? have you been able to quit your day jobs and do this for a living?

 

[kc6789]

I hope you get better (nicer) answers than I did. Don't be surprised if some people laugh at you.

I think it's really possible tho. I hope so cuz I'm doing this too lol.

Sure, there r a bazillion tshirt brands out there -BUT- and that's a really big but, most of them r totally different from each other. Just like your thoughts/designs will most likely be totally different from mine. You have to find the right type of people to talk to and sell to.

I imagine it'll take me a few more months to have everything up and going (started all this about a month ago). And when I say up and going, I mean SOME kind of way that I'm getting people looking at my designs and MAYBE buying them.

Get your supplies, practice practice practice, do some stuff for your family and yourself, get as many designs together as you can (I have a little over 100 designs made up and I still won't feel comfortable till I hit at least 150).

Now get to it!


Sent from my iPhone using TShirtForums

 

[charles95405]

I have been at this for over 9 years..I have no illusions about starting a 'name' brand.. But if you have good designs and time to market and you are lucky...maybe in 5 years you can have your equipment paid for and maybe have enough sales to make a decent profit...any thing profitable in less time will be a sort of a miracle. I thought think is is normal to make enough strides in shorter time to replace a 9-5 salary.

 

[kimura-mma]

It's definitely possible, Peja, it just takes a lot to get it off the ground and be successful. The not-so-nice answers Kacie is referring to were specifically related to the challenges of launching a clothing brand while doing the printing of the shirts yourself. This is a difficult business for one person to run because there are so many areas to cover - design, supply chain, production, sales, marketing, distribution, legal, accounting, etc. Some people can handle it all, some can't. Generally speaking, it's a good idea to isolate the areas you do best and focus on them. Then isolate the areas that you can outsource to professionals. This helps relieve you of any burdens and allows you to focus on your strengths. My advice is to start out by making a list of all the things you need to do to get launched, including a business plan, marketing plan and budget. If you can do that, then you will have a good idea if you are ready to invest in this venture.

 

[jimmy-B]

The clothing market is flooded for sure. BUT, that is a good thing in my eyes. The more the merrier! There are so many companies that are the exact same using the same clip art we have all seen for years and I cant imagine those companies are making any money. But, there are also millions of brands that are so unique that you just cant help but buy a shirt, hat, or even a little sticker from them. I am in the same boat as you, wondering if ill be able to quit my day job and make enough money to pay my bills on shirts alone. After reading for hours and hours and even more hours on this site and a few others I feel like it's very possible. Of course it wont happen without boat loads of work and marketing but I feel like if anyone loves what they are doing and really works hard to succeed that it will happen. Come up with something original and have a good plan. Set goals and work hard to meet them. I have a goal of selling 10 shirts a day....far fetched maybe. But, I wont stop till I get to that point. I get my 1st round of shirts next Saturday and I can't wait to dive in head first.

So if you decide to start a clothing line...do it for the enjoyment 1st and the money 2nd. Work hard and design some solid shirts and I am sure will do just fine.

 

[AngrySpade]

I just started my brand about 3 months ago and it has grown but very slowly. I could never quit my day job.

The trick to getting noticed in the sea of tshirt brands is being different from the rest and offering something no one else has.

Don't get discouraged just keep trying one day you will get to where you want to go. It will take time and lots of work though. I wish you luck!

 

[hendrix]

thx for all the replys. I won't be printing the shirts my self, i just want to come up with the designs and leave manufacturing to pros. i'll be selling them and doing all the business stuff my self that the thing im concerned about having no business experience and im havent done any sales ever. but gonna try anyways.

 

[AngrySpade]

It's worth a try =)

 

[TeesForChange]

i think if you want to start simply to get in a better financial situation, it might take a while to do so with a t-shirt business. you'll have to spend a lot more than you will make up front, so unless you already have money to put in it, then this is not the best way to go about gaining financial independence. it can be done, but it might take a while.

 

[vajoaquin]

I think you should at least try it out. There is a reason why T-shirts are not an endangered species. If you keep focused, you can make it happen. Some people hit it right away and some take years, but at least you can give it your all. If you want to stand out, try and find your "Purple Cow".