| You've heard that selling T-shirts is a huge industry, | | | | up. Whatever you do as an experiment, the focus is |
| and you happen to have a little garage space, so you | | | | more on your feeling out the industry, rather than |
| think to yourself, "Hey, I can make T-shirts in my | | | | making a profit. |
| spare time and make a few extra bucks, too." So | | | | Doing small experiments is a great way to gain a lot |
| the next thing you do is scour the internet looking | | | | of insight without taking big risks. You can run |
| for information about custom T-shirts. All you need is | | | | experiments to find out many aspects of a business |
| some equipment, right? Hang on a second. | | | | proposition: Do you like the industry?, Can you sell |
| There are a variety of ways you can go if you want | | | | the product?, Can you make a plan that will bring in |
| to make custom T-shirts. There's digital printers, plot | | | | profits?, and Are your ideas about production and |
| cutters, and even custom transfers, but screen | | | | logistics out of wack? You also can find out other |
| printing is the best way to produce a lot of T-shirts | | | | subtleties like Are there kinds of supplies or |
| at a very low cost per unit. All the other methods | | | | equipment to avoid like the plague? and What are |
| are good for short runs, but when it comes down to | | | | some not-so-obvious aspects of the industry that |
| brass tacks, their cost of consumables is staggering | | | | nobody is telling you? |
| compared to the few cents in ink a screen print | | | | Clearly, some industries are a lot more expensive to |
| takes. But there's more to it than that: you have to | | | | enter than others. As businesses go, custom T-shirts |
| consider make-ready, floor space, and how | | | | is a very low-start-up-cost industry to enter, as most |
| time-consuming it is to custom imprint T-shirts. | | | | beginning screen print shops can get away with |
| The real truth about the T-shirt industry is that while | | | | spending less than $12,000 US to get good |
| you can make a lot of money, there are a huge | | | | entry-level equipment. Even going digital and using |
| number of potholes along the way. Every business | | | | either direct to garment printing or plot cutters will |
| has them. All businesses even share common Do's | | | | still keep you under the $20,000 mark. |
| and Don'ts. For example: unless you are Walmart, | | | | However, dropping even just $12,000 on a |
| don't try to compete by being the cheapest guy on | | | | garage-sized screen print shop is hardly a small |
| the block. Instead, offer something the other guy | | | | experiment. If you want to do a T-shirt run test, you |
| can't or won't deliver. | | | | might try something much smaller. You can pick up |
| So how do you figure out the potholes of an | | | | supplies online or in a local art supply store, and for |
| industry without losing a ton of money in the | | | | less than $300 you can spend the weekend rolling up |
| process? There are a few ways: hit the books; seek | | | | your shirt sleeves. You may not be able to sell what |
| competent advice; and also you could do a small | | | | your experiments produce, but if you are handy you |
| experiment. You can dip your toe in the water just a | | | | just might. You may be able to run an experiment, |
| little to see how it feels. For example, you could try | | | | have fun doing it, learn a lot before leaping in, and if |
| to sell some T-shirts and contract out the job. You | | | | you don't have a problem selling individual T-shirts for |
| could also do a small T-shirt project from the ground | | | | $15 to $20 each, you might even turn a small profit. |