Things you should know about running your own t-shirt shop
Have you always wanted to run your own t-shirt shop? Is it a dream you have had for a long time, but never thought you would ever be able to achieve? If so, and you have just decided to bite the bullet and open shop, here are some tips you should follow to help you not only run your own t-shirt shop but be successful at it.
Design your own shirts — Too many people that own t-shirt shops buy their shirts from manufacturers, so they end up selling the same kinds of shirts as a thousand other shops. Design your own t-shirts, though, with completely unique designs, and your shop will immediately stand out above many others.
Design a compelling and interesting website — Even if you have a bricks and mortar t-shirt shop, you will still need to have a website so you can sell shirts online as well. If you are only selling online, then you will definitely need to have one.
Either way, make sure your website is well-designed, looks unique, has beautiful photos of the t-shirts you sell and functions well. Again, this will make your shop stand out, and your shirts sell well.
Price your shirts correctly — Know how much your business expenses are for every part of your t-shirt business, as that way you will know how much you need to make every month to turn a reasonable profit.
Once you know how much your expenses are, you can then price your t-shirts accordingly so that you make a profit from every shirt you sell. Some people who start t-shirt shops do not take all of their expenses into account when pricing shirts, and realize quickly they are running at a loss. Do not let that happen to you.
Choose a t-shirt manufacturer with high quality shirts — Even if it means spending a little extra money on each plain t-shirt you buy, make sure you always buy your shirts from a manufacturer with high quality merchandise. Good quality shirts will mean customers keep coming back. Poor quality shirts will mean a lot of returns and few repeat customers.
High quality graphics printing — Choosing a printer offering high quality t-shirt graphics is also key, especially as the design is usually the reason most people buy a particular shirt. Make sure any graphics you have printed are high quality, clear images and created with a process that washes well. Spending a little more on high quality graphics printing will really pay off.
Advertise to the right people — Whether you use social media to advertise your t-shirt shop, run ads in newspapers and magazines or pay for Internet advertising, make sure you target the right people.
That means people that are not only likely to be interested in buying t-shirts, but will also be interested in the specific designs you sell. This usually means doing market research and making sure you know your customer demographic before ever trying to sell even one shirt.
