Designing t-shirts can be a fun sideline or a full time career move and with a lot of talent and a bit of luck, can even potentially lead to a lucrative and creative occupation. If you are considering diving in and starting your own t-shirt label, your chances of success may be greatly increased if you approach it in a logical manner. A t-shirt label is a business and like all businesses, creative flair is not enough to get it up and keep it running in a sustainable manner. Before you open the doors on your t-shirt business, make sure you have put all the steps in place to maximize your chances of success and smooth operation.

Planning

The first and most essential part of any business is the planning stage. It can be hard for eager t-shirt entrepreneurs to take the time to slow down and think about their business before jumping in, but time spent now could save you money and heartache in future.

What are your goals? Simply put, why are you doing this? Is it as a creative outlet and a fun sideline or do you want to make a full time career out of your t-shirt label? Your intended outcome shapes your entire strategy, so it is a good idea to be clear from the start exactly what you are hoping to achieve with your t-shirt label.

Market research – what are the current trends in the t-shirt industry, who are your target customers, who are your competitors and what are they doing? How is your t-shirt label going to tap into what’s in fashion and at the same time, make its own unique mark?

Finances – how much do you need to start your t-shirt business and where are you going to find the money? How many t-shirts will you need to sell before you break even? When might you see a profit?

Marketing – how are you going to get your t-shirt designs out there and seen by your customers? Are you going to create a social media presence on Facebook and Twitter?

Getting started

Once you have thought it all through, you can begin to put your plan for your t-shirt label into action. If you are not a talented graphic designer you will need to source a number of t-shirt designs yourself. Consider contacting a graphic designer from a website like Threadless and see if they have a freelance rate.

Make sure you get regular customer feedback on your t-shirt designs – this is essential at all times but especially when you are starting out.

Also try building a network of fashion industry contacts via online forums. These people can give advice on which t-shirt blanks to use, and recommended screenprinters.

Flexibility is an important part of running any business, so don’t be afraid to tweak the plan if the theory doesn’t translate into reality. Keep expenses to a minimum as starting a business usually ends up costing more than you anticipate.

Keeping going

Persistence can be the key when it comes to running a business of any kind. Things often run along swimmingly at first but at some point there may well be setbacks. Try to remember that this is normal and everyone goes through it. Make sure you take the time to be consistent with your marketing efforts, as this is one of the most essential aspects of growing your t-shirt business.

Whatever your goal, whether it is profit or a creative outlet, starting your own t-shirt label can be satisfying and rewarding so what are you waiting for?