take what you already learned and go back do alot of reading and research
Need Help Getting Out Of A Rut
Hello everyone this is my story up until now.
OK, I first got the money to print the shirts. i had 20 people lined up to buy them when they were made
Made the shirts and suddenly no one has money (first rule i learned. Dont depend on friends for your business)
I only have one shirt made and no money to make any more. i have no website. i have no idea how to run a clothing line. no idea how to advertise.
I have only sold 5 and the design is decent but not original. i am kicking my self not making a really awesome first print.
i went to a couple stores and they denied me and i have no idea what other stores i can go to. local or online.
I want to become an apprentice to a clothing company to learn the ropes but i have no idea where and how to contact local stores
I have learned a lot but still am stuck in a rut. if i am going to make this work i have to learn more and I have many designs i want to print on to shirts.
I am not looking for somone to have all of my answers at once (but if you did that would be awesome) if you have a little piece of advice it will do wonders.
My target audience is teen/young adults
my theme of clothing is StreetWear
What should i do next?
Anything will help !
OK, I first got the money to print the shirts. i had 20 people lined up to buy them when they were made
Made the shirts and suddenly no one has money (first rule i learned. Dont depend on friends for your business)
I only have one shirt made and no money to make any more. i have no website. i have no idea how to run a clothing line. no idea how to advertise.
I have only sold 5 and the design is decent but not original. i am kicking my self not making a really awesome first print.
i went to a couple stores and they denied me and i have no idea what other stores i can go to. local or online.
I want to become an apprentice to a clothing company to learn the ropes but i have no idea where and how to contact local stores
I have learned a lot but still am stuck in a rut. if i am going to make this work i have to learn more and I have many designs i want to print on to shirts.
I am not looking for somone to have all of my answers at once (but if you did that would be awesome) if you have a little piece of advice it will do wonders.
My target audience is teen/young adults
my theme of clothing is StreetWear
What should i do next?
Anything will help !
1 - 20 of 32 Posts
If all of this is true, then I think you need to face the reality that you are not ready to launch your own clothing line.I only have one shirt made and no money to make any more. i have no website. i have no idea how to run a clothing line. no idea how to advertise.
Don't take that as a complete negative. Your dreams are not lost. It just means you need to take some time, learn the business, plan some things out and launch when you are truly ready.
Are you looking for a job? An internship? Or just some advice?I want to become an apprentice to a clothing company to learn the ropes but i have no idea where and how to contact local stores
If you are looking for a job or internship, start checking the papers, monster jobs, etc. Focus your search on the fashion/clothing/apparel industry. And apply for anything that sounds interesting.
If you are looking for advice, keep reading the forums. There is so much info here and so many questions that have already been asked and answered, that you can learn an awful lot just by taking the time to search and read. If you have specific questions, ask them. Otherwise, just keep reading.
The thing that is missing in your story is telling us what your skills are that make you right for this industry.What should i do next?
Are you a designer? Are you a screen printer? Are you a marketer, brand manager or salesperson?
You need to have a better sense of what you want to do in this industry. Then start learning that craft, either by going to school, getting a job or learning on the forums or other sources. But it's important to isolate your skills and focus on that area of the business.
I am designer, i have a lot of really cool designs i know people will love and they are current and interesting. But yeah i think i will take your advice and put the company on hiatus. What can i go to school for to study how to run a clothing line?If all of this is true, then I think you need to face the reality that you are not ready to launch your own clothing line.
Don't take that as a complete negative. Your dreams are not lost. It just means you need to take some time, learn the business, plan some things out and launch when you are truly ready.
Are you looking for a job? An internship? Or just some advice?
If you are looking for a job or internship, start checking the papers, monster jobs, etc. Focus your search on the fashion/clothing/apparel industry. And apply for anything that sounds interesting.
If you are looking for advice, keep reading the forums. There is so much info here and so many questions that have already been asked and answered, that you can learn an awful lot just by taking the time to search and read. If you have specific questions, ask them. Otherwise, just keep reading.
The thing that is missing in your story is telling us what your skills are that make you right for this industry.
Are you a designer? Are you a screen printer? Are you a marketer, brand manager or salesperson?
You can fill Yankee Stadium several times over with the number of people who have said that on this forum. And many of them are probably right. They are talented artists and their designs are current, interesting and potentially successful. But this is an ultra-competitive industry and it takes more than cool designs to make it.I am designer, i have a lot of really cool designs i know people will love and they are current and interesting.
Again, not trying to be negative, but I think an important part of achieving success is understanding and respecting the hurdles that will be in the way.
I don't know if you can specifically take classes on running a clothing line. That may be too specific. There are so many areas of the business and it combines creativity, business sense and industry experience. Look into schools that offer classes in the fashion and textiles industry and go from there. You may need to work in the industry a while before acquiring the necessary skills and knowledge to branch off on your own.What can i go to school for to study how to run a clothing line?
If you want to eventually run your own clothing line, areas that you should be focusing on are: fashion, apparel, textiles, design, supply chain, sourcing, production, manufacturing, screen printing, embroidery, brand managing, marketing, retail, merchandising and sales. Not to mention the basics of starting a business, like the legal and financial side of things.
What if you started out by selling your services as a tshirt graphics designer? Or start out with no investment on a POD site like Cafepress or Zazzle..I am designer, i have a lot of really cool designs i know people will love and they are current and interesting. But yeah i think i will take your advice and put the company on hiatus. What can i go to school for to study how to run a clothing line?
I only have one shirt made and no money to make any more. i have no website. i have no idea how to run a clothing line. no idea how to advertise.
If you only had 1 shirt with no money to make more, what would you have done if one of the stores you approached said yes? I sense a need to prioritize.i went to a couple stores and they denied me and i have no idea what other stores i can go to. local or online.
Success in the screenprint industry seems to be a balance of three main areas:
1) Designs and ideas
2) The print process
3) Business and marketing
Continue to let your designs and ideas be your guide to develop the printing skills necessary to produce them. In the mean time, read everything you can on business and marketing a clothing line. Taking the time to fully develop 1 and 2 gives you the time you need to learn 3. By the time you have a marketable clothing line ready you should have sorted out your business model and marketing approach.
One t-shirt design isn't really a marketable line.
I don't think anyone comes to table with all 3 areas of expertise. Most of the time it's little more than the passion and inspiration of designs or a niche idea. That passion translates well to the print process but not so well when it comes to learning complex business laws and state regulations.
I would say most screenprint start-ups stumble at 3 because it's hard to have the same passion for the business end as it is for the designs and the print process. You have that great idea and finally realize it on a shirt and just know others will like it and buy it. So 1&2 are often the easy part because it's driven by creation. Step 3 can be really hard unless you FIND the passion to learning the business end once you realize this is what you need to do to realize your dream.
Yeah, thats what i would like to do. Do company's actually go on those sites to find designers?What if you started out by selling your services as a tshirt graphics designer? Or start out with no investment on a POD site like Cafepress or Zazzle..
Number 3 is definitely where i fall short. i need to learn how to market and business badly. i was way to under prepared for this.If you only had 1 shirt with no money to make more, what would you have done if one of the stores you approached said yes? I sense a need to prioritize.
Success in the screenprint industry seems to be a balance of three main areas:
1) Designs and ideas
2) The print process
3) Business and marketing
Continue to let your designs and ideas be your guide to develop the printing skills necessary to produce them. In the mean time, read everything you can on business and marketing a clothing line. Taking the time to fully develop 1 and 2 gives you the time you need to learn 3. By the time you have a marketable clothing line ready you should have sorted out your business model and marketing approach.
One t-shirt design isn't really a marketable line.
I don't think anyone comes to table with all 3 areas of expertise. Most of the time it's little more than the passion and inspiration of designs or a niche idea. That passion translates well to the print process but not so well when it comes to learning complex business laws and state regulations.
I would say most screenprint start-ups stumble at 3 because it's hard to have the same passion for the business end as it is for the designs and the print process. You have that great idea and finally realize it on a shirt and just know others will like it and buy it. So 1&2 are often the easy part because it's driven by creation. Step 3 can be really hard unless you FIND the passion to learning the business end once you realize this is what you need to do to realize your dream.
Where would you recommend to go to first that would be the most helpful?You can fill Yankee Stadium several times over with the number of people who have said that on this forum. And many of them are probably right. They are talented artists and their designs are current, interesting and potentially successful. But this is an ultra-competitive industry and it takes more than cool designs to make it.
Again, not trying to be negative, but I think an important part of achieving success is understanding and respecting the hurdles that will be in the way.
I don't know if you can specifically take classes on running a clothing line. That may be too specific. There are so many areas of the business and it combines creativity, business sense and industry experience. Look into schools that offer classes in the fashion and textiles industry and go from there. You may need to work in the industry a while before acquiring the necessary skills and knowledge to branch off on your own.
If you want to eventually run your own clothing line, areas that you should be focusing on are: fashion, apparel, textiles, design, supply chain, sourcing, production, manufacturing, screen printing, embroidery, brand managing, marketing, retail, merchandising and sales. Not to mention the basics of starting a business, like the legal and financial side of things.
If you're looking for schools, go to Google and search "fashion schools" or "graphic design schools" or "design schools."Where would you recommend to go to first that would be the most helpful?
If you're looking for jobs, go to Monster Jobs and search graphic design jobs in your area. You should also start looking up the job section of your local newspapers.
Lemon,
Don't be discouraged. Many manufactures have sold only one item. Now, that being said, the amount they sold, made them or broke them.
Okay, you're in one city in San Bernadino County right? How many more cities are there in California? Now, how many across the US? If you could just sell one t-shirt per city across the US, you might sell a 1,000 or so. My point is that you have to get your design to people that can print them across the US and the World. It takes time.
A website cost about $10 give or take a few bucks to register it. You can build the site yourself. Add a google or paypal account, and you now have an ecommerce store.
One mistake you made was as you said, you asked if they would buy it. It's not that it's your friends, but that you asked in advance. You should have ask them to pay right there. This is the same for business in t-shirts. You need to ask the customer to either pay first or give a deposit, than make the t-shirts, and ship them.
As someone said, you can sell your graphic design skills, and sell that to make money. You can also find screen printers around the country and in your city, state, and county that needs an artist.
Team up with a local screen printer and split the money. You design, he or she prints, and you both sell.
Create a distribution system. Get or find screen printers in multiple states especially with the big cities like NY, LA, SF, San Diego, Philly, Chicago, St. Louis, Atlanta, Etc. Etc. Than, as you're designing, have the screen print and sell.
You can use all the free websites, and classifieds to sell your t-shirts and direct them to your website. Make flyers, and give them out at Baseball games, football games, concerts, Churches, the beach. I went to a Hotel that happen to have a Get Rich Quick Seminar going on, and in the Mens Bathrooms someone put business cards everywhere selling a similar product.
A few years later, I saw a Urnel Screen with a company advertisement. No, I didn't put it in my pocket. Lol.
Have a Vinyl Magnetic Sign, Window Sticker or just letters made and put it on your car, mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, cousins, and friends cars too.
Start small, and work from there. Have you seen the article on Yahoo about the guy in California, that started with an MP3 player or Paper Clip, I think, and traded on Craigslist for a Sportster?
It took him eleven trades to get to that, but that is still awesome in itself. My point is the trading and bartering.
You can create your design, post it on a website, and then add one design at a time. Advertise them as you go.
If you start right where you are, you'll learn the business, it's hurdles and branch out into new arena's, and learn how to get through those obstacles too.
Don't be discouraged. Many manufactures have sold only one item. Now, that being said, the amount they sold, made them or broke them.
Okay, you're in one city in San Bernadino County right? How many more cities are there in California? Now, how many across the US? If you could just sell one t-shirt per city across the US, you might sell a 1,000 or so. My point is that you have to get your design to people that can print them across the US and the World. It takes time.
A website cost about $10 give or take a few bucks to register it. You can build the site yourself. Add a google or paypal account, and you now have an ecommerce store.
One mistake you made was as you said, you asked if they would buy it. It's not that it's your friends, but that you asked in advance. You should have ask them to pay right there. This is the same for business in t-shirts. You need to ask the customer to either pay first or give a deposit, than make the t-shirts, and ship them.
As someone said, you can sell your graphic design skills, and sell that to make money. You can also find screen printers around the country and in your city, state, and county that needs an artist.
Team up with a local screen printer and split the money. You design, he or she prints, and you both sell.
Create a distribution system. Get or find screen printers in multiple states especially with the big cities like NY, LA, SF, San Diego, Philly, Chicago, St. Louis, Atlanta, Etc. Etc. Than, as you're designing, have the screen print and sell.
You can use all the free websites, and classifieds to sell your t-shirts and direct them to your website. Make flyers, and give them out at Baseball games, football games, concerts, Churches, the beach. I went to a Hotel that happen to have a Get Rich Quick Seminar going on, and in the Mens Bathrooms someone put business cards everywhere selling a similar product.
A few years later, I saw a Urnel Screen with a company advertisement. No, I didn't put it in my pocket. Lol.
Have a Vinyl Magnetic Sign, Window Sticker or just letters made and put it on your car, mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, cousins, and friends cars too.
Start small, and work from there. Have you seen the article on Yahoo about the guy in California, that started with an MP3 player or Paper Clip, I think, and traded on Craigslist for a Sportster?
It took him eleven trades to get to that, but that is still awesome in itself. My point is the trading and bartering.
You can create your design, post it on a website, and then add one design at a time. Advertise them as you go.
If you start right where you are, you'll learn the business, it's hurdles and branch out into new arena's, and learn how to get through those obstacles too.
i agree with what others have said above. how bad do you really want to do this and have you asked yourself why you are doing it? do you want to do it for the money? do you want to do it because you have some great designs that you think will sell? do you want to do it because you don't know what else to do?
i would ask myself these questions before going further. if you don't have any money, you might want to open up a cafepress store first and see how things go. that way you don't have to invest any money at all to start.
good luck!
i would ask myself these questions before going further. if you don't have any money, you might want to open up a cafepress store first and see how things go. that way you don't have to invest any money at all to start.
good luck!
Definitely rushed into things. Take your time and research the hell out off these forums. Their literally filled with a wealth of information. Even the best designs wont sell if theirs not a buzz around them. One shirt does not make your company look professional.
I highly suggest saving your money and then saving more money. With all the start up brands out there your going to need to do something to stand out above the others.
Give your self the opportunity to start off on the right foot and you will love what you do!
Also, I may have missed it but what is your price point? Do you have a shirt image you can post?
I highly suggest saving your money and then saving more money. With all the start up brands out there your going to need to do something to stand out above the others.
Give your self the opportunity to start off on the right foot and you will love what you do!
Also, I may have missed it but what is your price point? Do you have a shirt image you can post?
Yeah i rushed things way to fast, thats why i think i need to put the company on haitus for nowDefinitely rushed into things.
Also, I may have missed it but what is your price point? Do you have a shirt image you can post?
here are the shirts. i have been selling them for $20
[media]http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af148/ConCreate/goodTshot1.jpg[/media]
I want to to this because i have a passion for clothing and art, i don't really care much about the money. How does cafepress work?you might want to open up a cafepress store first and see how things go. that way you don't have to invest any money at all to start.
good luck!
You're not in a rut. You just started! You have a lot to learn and a lot of things to experiment with. It sounds like you're already thinking of giving up. 95% of businesses fail because people don't know what they're doing. You can't expect to make money just because you bought a heat press. Keep trying different strategies until something works. Persistence is necessary. I've seen people start trying to sell t-shirts and they have a bad strategy and they don't know what they're doing. Then when their first strategy fails, they quit. When you first start, you're clueless, so of course your first strategy is likely to fail. If you want to succeed, you have to keep trying until you succeed, even if it takes 2 or 3 years before you finally know how to make money in the t-shirt business.
If you don't care about the money then why are you in business? People act like it's immoral to want to make money. I AM IN IT FOR THE MONEY! I make a lot more money than most people who try to sell tshirts. I also like art, but I am not doing this just to do art. If I just wanted to do art then I would be painting paintings and not trying to sell anything. I'm doing tshirts because it's an enjoyable way for me to make money since I'm an artist and I need money to live on. I've seen a lot of people who make designs that THEY personally like and they think it's wrong to try to give the customers what THEY like. Well guess what happens? Customers don't like their designs and won't buy their shirts. Then they get mad and they start blaming all kinds of things but not themselves. They refuse to change what they're doing. They seem to think it's more important to be true to themselves than to make money, but then they get upset that they can't make money.I want to to this because i have a passion for clothing and art, i don't really care much about the money.
If i put you in front of a person and told you "ok heres a knife and do open heart surgery" you would say "what! i have no idea how!" that's what i feel like with this clothing line. Trust me i don't want to give up. i just am under prepared, no money and no idea what i am doing. yeah i am going to try but it going to take awhile. And everyone wants money but that inst the MAIN purpose why i am going into it. i just feel overwhelmed and i have no idea where to go from here. that's why i think i am going to college so i can at least know one thing in the business.You're not in a rut. You just started! You have a lot to learn and a lot of things to experiment with. It sounds like you're already thinking of giving up. 95% of businesses fail because people don't know what they're doing. You can't expect to make money just because you bought a heat press. Keep trying different strategies until something works. Persistence is necessary. I've seen people start trying to sell t-shirts and they have a bad strategy and they don't know what they're doing. Then when their first strategy fails, they quit. When you first start, you're clueless, so of course your first strategy is likely to fail. If you want to succeed, you have to keep trying until you succeed, even if it takes 2 or 3 years before you finally know how to make money in the t-shirt business.
If you don't care about the money then why are you in business? People act like it's immoral to want to make money. I AM IN IT FOR THE MONEY! I make a lot more money than most people who try to sell tshirts. I also like art, but I am not doing this just to do art. If I just wanted to do art then I would be painting paintings and not trying to sell anything. I'm doing tshirts because it's an enjoyable way for me to make money since I'm an artist and I need money to live on. I've seen a lot of people who make designs that THEY personally like and they think it's wrong to try to give the customers what THEY like. Well guess what happens? Customers don't like their designs and won't buy their shirts. Then they get mad and they start blaming all kinds of things but not themselves. They refuse to change what they're doing. They seem to think it's more important to be true to themselves than to make money, but then they get upset that they can't make money.
Colton,i just feel overwhelmed and i have no idea where to go from here. that's why i think i am going to college so i can at least know one thing in the business.
I have read all 27 of your posts on this forum and this comment, without a doubt, is the most sense you have made so far. You have no reason to feel overwhelmed. You have discovered something you have a passion for. And that's a good thing. You just don't have the skills, knowledge and experience yet to succeed at it. There's no shame in that. The only shame would be not doing something about it. Go to college and acquire the skills, knowledge and experience you need to be successful in this industry. And if you can, get a part time gig somewhere, maybe a local screen print shop. Whether you're designing, working a press, burning screens or mixing inks, it doesn't matter. Just do something that gives you a chance to learn.
Yeah just keeping trucking away.
When I was at your stage I dumped two grand on shirts that are still in a box at my house! Sure I felt like **** after I realized they weren't selling. But I was, and still am so determined to to have my own brand that I kept trucking away.
Things do not happen overnight AT ALL. But now that I took the time to research and prepare my self for the industry i'm sitting quite comfortably. Not making big bucks, but consistently selling shirts day in and day out and creating that brand awareness.
When I was at your stage I dumped two grand on shirts that are still in a box at my house! Sure I felt like **** after I realized they weren't selling. But I was, and still am so determined to to have my own brand that I kept trucking away.
Things do not happen overnight AT ALL. But now that I took the time to research and prepare my self for the industry i'm sitting quite comfortably. Not making big bucks, but consistently selling shirts day in and day out and creating that brand awareness.
1 - 20 of 32 Posts
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