Designing and selling T-shirts is no small feat. There are lots of steps you’ll need to take to run a successful clothing business. Fortunately, some of those steps are fairly easy to do. By the time you’ve read through our list of pocket tips, you’ll be well-prepared to take your endeavor to the next level.
Starting steps
- Decide what products you’re going to sell. Are you sticking to all T-shirts, or do you want to try out some other stuff, too?
- What style of shirt is going to work best for your brand? There are lots, so have a think!
- Figure out who is going to design your stuff — will you be doing this, or will you hire someone to do it for you?
- Think about where you’re going to sell your tees: Online? a physical store? or in a Pop Up Shop?
- Give your brand a clear, distinct personality — What will make it stand out?
- Choose your brand name carefully.
Money & Practical Talk
- Set your budget and consider your profit margins.
- If you need to print a lot of shirts at once, look into bulk T-shirt printing to save money.
- Figure out where you’re getting your funds from — maybe you can do some crowdfunding?
- You’ll need to decide on a payment method: Usually, PayPal and credit cards are good enough.
- Create a space online to sell your products. Some people choose e-commerce shops, others do it through social media, and lots have their very own site.
Designing Your Products
- Go online to find inspiration. Look to some offbeat sources for inspiration too, like buildings, kitchen gadgets and more!
- If you’re not designing stuff, here’s where you can get free images for your designs.
- If you’re going to hire someone to do design work for you, pick a designer carefully. Check out their portfolio and talk to them in person.
- Use a mood board to play around with your ideas.
- Try out how ideas will look by using T-shirt templates how your concept will look in real life.
Printing Decisions
- Come up with creative ways to personalize your stuff. Here are some ideas specifically for jumpers, but they’ll work for lots of different pieces of clothing, too.
- Think about what sort of T-shirt printing technique you want to use when you plan and design.
- Once you’ve chosen your printing technique, think about your fabric choices, too.
- Now, it’s onto color combinations! There’s more of a science behind it than you might think.
- Take combining different design elements into account too, like geometrical figures and photos or a plain design on a textured tee.
Marketing Your Products
- Decide who you want to sell your T-shirts to, and talk in a tone that appeals to them.
- Don’t be afraid to use social media channels to promote your brand. Start with one or two you feel comfortable with.
- Use Twitter to instantly deal with customer feedback. It’s quick and easy!
- Marketing using YouTube videos can be a good tool to show customers your brand, your products and your professional know-how.
Displaying Your Products
- Pick good-quality photographs for any displays you create.
- When you do your photos, shoot and style your models in a way that fits with your brand and is consistent.
- Create a mock up to show off your stuff to potential customers and clients.
- If you have a physical store, consider coming up with a personalized uniform for your employees. It can be a great way to establish your brand.
