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Have you ever thought of opening your own t-shirt business? It seems like t-shirts, one of the simplest clothing items to manufacturer, are always being pitched as a viable business model. Many artists use them to express an emotion or feeling while companies use them as direct promotional items for marketing. With all the t-shirts around, it might make sense to start your own t-shirt business.
Getting Started
Ready to get started? Great! Except for one thing, who is going to make your t-shirt? For manufacturing you have several options which all include different variations of making it yourself, outsourcing manufacturing and keeping design in house or outsourcing the whole manufacturing accounting process too. Usually, the answer to this question is determined based on the following factors:
- Why are you starting this business?
- Where are you selling your t-shirts?
- How much quantity will you require?
- What price will you be selling each t-shirt?
- What fabric and quality do you desire?
Outsourcing Is A Commitment
Right away, it might seem logical to outsource manufacturing to China or India. But before you jump overseas, it might be worthwhile to think about making it yourself. For entrepreneurs, managing your risk is critical to business growth and profits. If you decide to outsource right away, you may be compelled to order more than what you are willing spend. For instance, if you are doing this as a side business, you may not want to make a $10,000 investment in inventory. However, you would happy to make $5,000 for some of your efforts during your free time. Outsourcing would force you to commit too much.
Options For Less Commitment
Nowadays, there are more options for people who want to start their own t-shirt business in an emerging market. There are t-shirt websites that allow you to upload a design and order your shirts right away. Although, some of them may prove costly and again, require a minimum quantity to offer a reasonable profit to your business.
DIY Business Means Control And Flexibility
Additionally, making t-shirts yourself has become much easier with printable transfers. As a entrepreneur, you can easily buy your shirts direct from a store, then pick up the transfer paper, print your design and iron it on! Then, voila – project deliverables. Of course, it is a little bit more laborious. But, you have more control and flexibility over your new business. If things don’t work out, your investment is quite small and you will not have lost much (other than time which you had in the first place anyways).
Screen Printed Transfers vs. Plastisol Transfers
Another thing to consider when you are opening a screen printing business is the cheaper option – plastisol transfers. This form of t-shirt printing is a low cost alternative to screen printed transfers that is popular in millennial media. It allows business owners the option to print as they go. Instead of investing tons of money in a huge supply of stock that will take up space for weeks and month, you can simply press the plastisol transfers designs onto your t-shirts as an order comes in. Then, when things begin to pick up, you can decide if this method is still the most cost-effective for your business. If you want to open a screen printing business, consider the plastisol alternative before making any decisions.
Direct-To-Garment Digital Printers
Nowadays, direct to garment printers may be the best option if you are looking to start your own clothing line. T-shirt manufacturing is not as expensive as other types of clothing businesses. However, it can still get pricey for a ton of screen printed plastisol transfers. Luckily, a direct to garment digital printer is another option to consider. It uses cutting edge technology to print images directly on tshirts and other clothing items. The process is called DTG, direct to garment printing. If you want to start your own t-shirt manufacturing business, make sure you consider buying a direct to garment printer.
Once your business is growing and you have made some profit from your efforts, you can reinvest into the business. Then, you can explore options about other ways to increase your manufacturing capacity because you already know where your demand is coming from. Clearly, printable transfers may be the reason for some new t-shirt companies or savings in the pockets of savvy social entrepreneurs and action oriented individuals.
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