Stay At Home Mom Diary

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The T-Shirt printing business is a good one for the right stay at home Mom. Getting started in the t-shirt printing business doesn’t require a lot of capitol nor does it require a lot of technical knowledge. If you can follow directions and use the Internet, then t-shirt printing may be for you.

There is, and probably always will be, a market for customized t-shirts. Personalization is one thing that keeps the t-shirt printing business alive and well. But starting a t-shirt business from home can be intemidating. Here are a few tips and some timely advice to help you get started.

One of the easiest ways to get started in t-shirt printing is a place called CafePress.Com. CafePress is an online service where you can design your t-shirts online and then either print them off in bulk or just advertise the links to your t-shirt designs. When someone buys from your online store, you’ll receive commissions on that sale. CafePress is probably one of the easiest ways to get started. Although probably not the most profitable because you split a commission with them.

Before running out and buying bulk loads of t-shirts, you want to be sure this is something you are willing to spend the time to learn and money to expand the business. One of the biggest factors in whether or not you’re successful in the t-shirt business is coming up with unique designs. If you’re talented in designing creative looking t-shirts, then you may have the creativeness to succeed.

You want to be unique and creative and come up with something nobody else has thought of. Simply copying others designs won’t cut it for long. You’re local market may buy a few shirts from you, but over time to make really good profit from your business, you’re going to have to be creative and unique.

Where to Get Ideas for T-Shirt Designs

Ideas for t-shirt designs are all around you. Here are a few ideas to help you get started.

• CafePress - Go there and look at what other people have designed. You may see some design you can improve on or find a design that gives you new ideas
• Bumper stickers - I can’t tell you how many ideas came to me when I saw a bumper sticker!
• Local Attractions - Does your local area have something special that makes it unique? Remember the t-shirts that said “Where in the hell is {your town})? Just make sure your local attraction does not have a Copyright on the name or logo!
• Kids - Your kids, especially teenagers, usually know what is hot in your local area. See if they have any ideas for t-shirt designs

Like I said, places for ideas are all around you. You should have no problem with keeping new design ideas flowing.

Other Sources of Customers for your T-Shirts

You want to remember that people order from tee shirt printing businesses every day. Some of these people include fraternities, churches, athletic teams, sororities, businesses, and many more. With this in mind, you want to be sure you have enough inventory to meet the needs of these demanding services. All tee shirt printing businesses have their own niche so you want to be sure to find yours. Whether it is the selection of your shirts, your design, your services, whatever the case, you want to have your own.

You can gain access to many of these potential customers and many more by joining your local Chamber of Commerce. Never underestimate the power of Networking through your local Chamber of Commerce. It has made the difference between success and failure for many businesses.

The Nuts & Bolts of T-shirt Printing

Before starting your t-shirt printing business, make sure you have a business plan. Every business needs a business plan, no matter how small! Remember the old saying “Plan to succeed or you’ll be planning to fail” Business plans help keep you focused and keep your goals in sight. You can find many free business plans on the Internet or you can buy software at many of the Office supply stores like Staples and Office Depot.

The basics of starting your own tee shirt printing business from your home is having the right equipment and supplies. Many of these supplies can be had for pennies on the dollar by searching sites like ebay and craigslist. You will need a computer, a type of graphics program, inkjet printer, high-quality heat transfer paper, and a heat press.

Not all heat presses are created equal. There are several types of heat presses so be sure to do your research and choose the one that best fits your business and budget.

There are generally 5 different types of heat transfer presses.

• Very Small - These are normally called Label Presses and are used for baby clothes and other items where heat is needed in a small area.
• Small - These are great for iron on stickers and badges. They’re very portable which makes them appealing to many people. The downside is that they’re usually a lot smaller than most sheets of transfer paper for t-shirts.
• Medium - This size is just right for t-shirts. Obviously more bulky than the other two. Medium size heat presses also come with more power, which is important for doing large orders (doesn’t cool off as easly)
• Large - This is the size if you plan on doing a log of 11×17 tranfers or large numbers or letters on t-shirts like jerseys. This is a large heat press, so make sure this is what you need before running out and buying one
• Very Large - You’ll normally not find these in a home ran business. These are giants of the t-shirt printing world and only large volume printers buy this type of heat press.

Buy quality heat transfer paper. Make sure to do the research to get the best quality because the better quality your products, the more customers will keep returning and recommending your services to others. There is heat transfer paper for dark and light t-shirts. This is where your planning will pay off. Don’t go buying heat transfer paper for dark t-shirts if all you plan to print are white t-shirts! I know that seems obvious, but it happens!

I’d recommend the commercial grade heat transfer paper. It’s not necessary, but it just seems to turn out longer lasting t-shirts than the cheaper heat transfer paper.

Advertising Your T-Shirt Printing Business

A major factor in making your tee shirt printing business a success is your advertising. Every company needs to advertise their services if they expect to have steady and reliable customers returning time after time placing orders for your t-shirts.

As I said earlier, the Chamber of Commerce in your area is a great place to start. You might even want to take some sample to show off during one of the Network meetings.

Other places to consider advertising your t-shirt printing business

• Flea Markets - No, not the little ones beside the road. I’m talking the huge flea markets. Most major cities have huge flea markets on the weekends. Make up several of each type and rent a booth. Make sure you have plenty of business cards out and promotional material for the people to take home.
• State Fairs - People come to state fairs to have fun and to look around. Our local state fair has a huge tent that people have to walk through to get into and back out of the fair itself. This gives you two chances for them to see your work! (see if your local state fair has something like this)
• Donations - Think about donating some of your t-shirts to non-profitable charitable organizations or events. You’ll be surprised at how much PR you can get out of donating a few shirts!
• Internet - In this day and age, I wouldn’t think of starting a business without a website! If you’re reading this, then you should already know the power of the Internet!
• Direct Mail - Direct mail can be a money producer for you. Instead of direct mailing residents, obtain a direct mail list of business’s in your area. You’d be surprised at how many business’s buy t-shirts for employees for all types of events from safety programs to the yearly company picnic.

Why didn’t I mention the Yellow Pages or Newspaper for advertising. It’s been my experience that both of these are going the way of the dinosaur. Most Yellow Page advertising is overpriced and I’ve always been able to get better results elsewhere for the same amount of money. When is the last time you picked up a phone book? See, I told you so!

There are limitless possibilities to starting your own tee shirt printing business. You just have to do your homework and if you want to be successful, you will want to be sure you have everything you need. No use in mortgaging the home, getting started in the t-shirt printing business can be done on a part time basis and started with a small amount of money.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 28th, 2008 at 4:35 pm and is filed under Work From Home. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.