A short guide to starting a T-shirt business
The T-shirt business is one of the most lucrative businesses today. It is the most dominant casual
wear around and there’s hardly anyone that doesn’t have a wardrobe full of T-shirts. The availability
of a diverse market and the relatively low capital endears many prospective entrepreneurs to the T-
shirt business. If you are looking to start the production and sales of T-shirt, here is a short guide to
help you set up your business.
Pick a market
As mentioned earlier, the marketplace for the T-shirt business is quite diverse. However, the
competition is just as fierce. If you want to establish a strong, footing, you’ll need to select a target
audience. You simply cannot hope everyone will buy your T-shirt because everyone wears T-shirts.
You could choose to sell blank T-shirts, T-shirts with images of animals, T-shirt with inspirational
quotes, T-shirts for kids, etc. Once you pick a market, you can proceed to think about how to be
different from the current competition in the marketplace.
Craft some designs
Before you can thrive in the hugely competitive T-shirt market, you need to have unique designs.
Your design doesn’t necessarily have to be crazy or out of this world. Paying attention to the finest
details and keeping things simple would help you greatly. And if you feel the out of this world
designs are what would thrive in your target market, feel free to go for it. There are many software
packages you can use to bring your designs to life. You could consider learning how to use them or
hiring a professional.
Hear what others think
Your designs may strike you like the best thing that ever happened to the T-shirt industry. It doesn’t
mean others would think the same. Remember, you’re not the one buying your T-shirts. Sample the
opinion of potential customers or just about anyone. Your social media pages and forums such as
Reddit would come in handy in this regard. If a good number of people feel your designs are great,
you can proceed to create some mock-ups so you’d know what the final product would look like.
Select quality material
Your design and everything you’ve done would mean nothing if the quality of the clothing isn’t top-
notch. The material is one of the major determinants of the T-shirt’s quality. When you select a
material you think is good enough, order some T-shirts made with that material so you’d have a first-
hand feel of it.
Build your brand
Do you have a name for your business already? How about a logo? What’s your brand identity, that
thing that sets you apart from the competition? You’ll need all these when you want to start
advertising. You could hire a branding expert if it feels too difficult to do on your own. Keep in mind
that this is a vital aspect of your business. Your branding is essentially how you project yourself to
the world. So, take it seriously.
Choose your printing technique
If the material is the most important determinant of your T-shirt’s quality, your printing technique is
the next most important. You have a number of options to choose from and you should do your research to know which would be perfect for you in the long run. Screen printing and direct to
garment technique are the most popular.
Once you get your business underway, you’ll need to concentrate your efforts on creating awareness
about your business. You should also strive to give your first set of customers a pleasant experience.
All small businesses rely on the power of repeat client and word-of-mouth recommendations.