I’m going to make my own clothing line!?
I decided that i need money. Heres my business plan
1)find a cheep wholesaler of plain t-shirts, buy 100 of em (blue/white/black)
2)think of some sort of funny design to put on em targeting the urban youth.
3)take them to my local t-shirt making place and get em to put the designs on.
4)Create a website to sell em (with dream weaver)
5)Advertise it myself, by posting links, PPC, google adwords, commenting on forums, showcasing my product to retailers around the nation, maybe get a magazine ad or column. etc.
I figure a shirt will cost 5$ to make and process and i can sell it at 15$. making 10$ profit per sale times 100 sales = 1000$.
Have any of ya done this kind of thing before? I have a clear vision of what I want and how to get there. Any comments? or suggestions?
I know some very good graphic artists, I have a friend who makes 50k a year on online marketing. My friends parents own a t-shirt design company. So i have the connections.
My designs will be good, I am sure they will sell. They are funny with an urban twist. My line will be fresh.
The cost? my answer- I have a top of the line web design program already. My line will be operated by myself out of my room. So i do not need an accountant. (even though i am in upper level college level accounting classes, and are a finance major) I don’t need to hire anybody.
FROM WHOLESALERS-I will order the t-shrits in bulk (100 at a time)so the shipping will be negligible.
TO BUYERS-buyers will pay shipping for their items.
be sure to count all the costs, the shirts may be $5, how much to ship them , how much gas to take them to someone to put the design on the shirt, how much will they charge for digitizing your images, how much is hosting for your site and/or blog, how much are you willing to spend per click. After you calculate all the costs, determine how much each shirt is really costing you and this will help determine your price. Great idea but be sure to think it all the way through so you don’t find yourself in the hole per shirt and discouraged. T-shirts may sound easy but be sure to approach your idea from a true business standpoint and not just from a possible profit approach. While your basic math is correct, once again, count the things that are not involved with the shirt process i.e. hosting fees, ppc, accountants or software to keep up with your inventory etc.
It’s done every day. What happens if nobody likes your designs or you have the wrong sizes?
Don’t listen to the nay-sayers.
Do your research, test your market, create a website and distribution network and go for it.
You might also try partnering with something like a pub or other gathering place and make customized shirts, hats and whatnot for sale at the pub.