Setting up a personalised t shirt business can be fun and fulfilling but it’s important to take the right steps if you want to have any chance of making in the fashion world. Take a look at these five steps to help you setup your own T shirt printing company and see just how far your ideas can take you.
1. Create a solid idea:
You might already have a pretty good idea about the type of personalised clothing company you want to setup but you need to ask yourself how solid it is. Research is incredibly important when looking to setup a business and this is especially the case in the fashion industry. Consider why you want to pursue the idea you have and ask yourself; is there a market for it? Will I be tapping into a niche that needs or wants me?
Thorough planning and constant questioning will help you to create a well-rounded idea that you can continue to evolve and develop long after your start-up has taken off.
2. Do your sums:
Do you know how many independent businesses fail because they’re run out of money? Let me tell you it’s a lot.
There is no two ways about it, setting up a T-Shirt company costs money and if you don’t have enough to see you through the entire process, you’re going to run into trouble. You’ll need money for garments, money for professional printing services, money to pay for designers if you are using them and money set aside for any issues that may arise. You may also want money for other things such as marketing and advertising too, so don’t forget about those.
It’s imperative that you’ve worked out how much everything is going to cost, as well as allowing for some discrepancies too. If you haven’t done this, your company is at serious risk of overspending and this will bring production to a half.
3. Check out your competitors:
This is actually a lot more important than you might think. You’re not just checking out the competition to see how much better or worse they are, you’re also doing it to find that perfect niche. There are literally thousands of independent T-Shirt companies out there, so you have to differentiate yourself from the rest.
Make sure that your ideas aren’t exactly the same as someone else’s, especially if they are far more established than you. Going forward with an idea that is already out there will only hinder your sales and cost you time and money. If you need to tweak your business ideas slightly to give your brand more individuality, get this sorted before you fully launch.
4. Work on your brand identity:
Once you’ve got a solid idea and plan for where your company is going to go, you must work on promoting your brand. Without brand promotion, you may as well not even have a T-Shirt company. Try starting off with a re-launch online and drum up some interest through social media. Instagram tags and Twitter hashtags are a great way to find followers but don’t be afraid to use the support of your friends too.
If you can afford it, competitions and promotions are another good way to drum up interest. Effective ideas include free T-Shirt giveaways for liking and sharing posts, as well as discounts for those who sign up to your mailing list.
5. Have fun and reinvent:
This seems like a strange step to take when setting up your company but it’s an important one. Once you have your company set up, remember to have fun with it. People start businesses to make money but they also do it because they love it. If you are ever feeling worried or let down about your business, just keep reminding yourself why you are doing it.
Keeping finding new ways to have fun with your brand and always focus on improving what you have. It’s important to be able to explore and take you brand into newer, more exciting areas.
