Eight Steps to Launch an online business selling T-shirts

Your drive to be an entrepreneur is strong enough to build a business from the ground up, and your heart draws you to express your creativity by designing. Although the process isn't going to be easy If your goal is to create a T-shirt company you are in the right place to put it into control.

Through determination, creativity, and hard work, you'll feel proud of creating your own unique style while building an enterprise that is completely yours.

If you have designs ready to go or you are only beginning with your plans the following guide will guide you through the process to start a business selling t-shirts.

1. Choose a niche

Identifying the ideal customer is essential for starting an effective business. A few entrepreneurs miss this essential stage and instead jump right into the design and production process however taking just a tiny amount of time here could save you a considerable amountof time in the future.

Narrowing your focus to a niche audience helps you distinguish yourself from your competitors and provides direction for corporate culture and branding. It may seem counterintuitive, but if your goal is to satisfy all people, you won't be noticed by anyone.

So, what does the definition of a niche? It's possible to choose to focus on women in their 30s, but that's actually a huge chunk of the population in the world. Instead, what about female chefs aged 30 or older? Also, consider female chefs in their 30s, who are specialized in vegan-friendly baking. It is possible to create t-shirts designed just for them, featuring funny inside jokes that are specific to the vegan or chef lifestyle.

Your goal is to find an audience that is narrow enough to ensure your brand is easily recognizable. However, you'll want to be just wide enough that you have at least a handful of individuals in your target crowd.

2. Make a plan to source your shirts

Print-on-demand

A few of the advantages when you choose a model that prints on demand include:

• Low risk and lower cost of starting: There's no need to purchase expensive equipment or to purchase huge amounts of inventory that may never be sold.
• Fewer shipping logistics to take into consideration:As print-on-demand companies ship directly to their customers, you don't need to consider shipping logistics.
• There is less space required:You don't need a warehouse to store the inventory.
• Design creativity is greater without the risk of failure:You can experiment with new designs without needing to purchase a lot of stock.

While printing-on-demand fulfillment is an easy and convenient way to get your product manufactured However, it has its disadvantages:

• Lack of quality control: Since you don't know the quality of the items prior to them reaching the customers you sell to, it is difficult to ensure the quality.
• The packaging is not under your control and unboxingYour clients may be disappointed by the lack of personality.
• More expensive costs translate to that you will have a lower margin of profit:Although printing on demand is a less expensive investment to get started and your profit margins per item are likely to be extremely small.

In-house production

To ensure complete control of your products, you can decide to make your t-shirts entirely on your own. Even though you may face more expensive initial costs Many customers are willing to shell out more for top quality products.

A few of the advantages that come with in-house production include:

• Qualitative controlYou are in complete control on what you consider to be customer-ready.
• Customized shipping: Curate a unique packaging experience for your customers and add personal touches such as handwritten notes.
• An opportunity to sell custom-designed products:You can more easily design and create custom-made, personalized items.

Some of the challenges of internal production are:

• The need for research is essential to select a method of printing:From vinyl to embroidery There are many choices to print designs on t-shirts. Direct-to-garment printers offer unbeatable printing quality and color that require minimal effort, but cost a considerable amount of money initially. Screen printing requires a lot of labor and allows fewer colors, but may offer opportunities for customized prints. No matter your choice, with the expense of equipment investment, you want to conduct your own research in order to pick the most suitable manufacturing process to suit your needs.
• Expensive equipment investment:Whether you opt for embroidery or heat-press, your business may require a long time to make into a profit once you have paid off the initial expense.
• Space requirements:In-house production will need extra space for the printing equipment, inventory and shipping supplies.
• Learn curve:Unless you've previously had printing experience, you're likely to encounter challenges when trying to work with new tools. It will take time to develop top-quality products that are ready for customers that could result in higher cost and less quality when you gain the experience.

Manufacturing by third parties

Another option for manufacturing T-shirts is to use a third-party printer. In this case, you'll pick a printer and provide your design, then they'll print and ship the products to your store to keep and complete the orders. It is possible to choose an international printing firm or choose a nearby printer in your area. It can be helpful if you're just learning the production process and need an individual expert to help you.

A few of the advantages from manufacturing by third parties are:

• Quality control:Since you fulfill orders by yourself, you are able to confirm that what you're sending to the customer is up to the standards you set for yourself.
• Shipping and unboxing control:Shipping in-house allows you to personalize your delivery and packaging techniques to meet the requirements of your customers.
• High-quality printing:Choosing an experienced print company ensures your customers receive a high-quality t-shirt, that is essential to gain loyal customers.

The negatives include:

• Minimum order quantities:Many print shops require a minimum quantity of prints to create a specific image. Order minimums mean higher up-front costs.
• Unsold inventory:If the line of shirts isn't popular, you could have a large amount of unsold inventory.
• Space requirements:You'll need a lot of space to keep inventory

3. Make your own t-shirts

Now comes the fun part! Let your creativity shine when you design your designs keeping your audience in mind. From concept to final product, here are some methods to create an amazing print design:

• Create the design yourself using Design software.
• Create a concept and color scheme, and then engage a freelance graphic designer to complete your artwork.
• Use design templates from the printing or manufacturing firm you're working with.

4. Make great photos

Even if you choose an on-demand print model, make sure you make sure you order the physical product to get pictures in the real world instead of using mock-ups for selling your merchandise. Modeling your products on the models is helpful however, you could also create your own unique flat lay scenes. Adding a mixture of photographs that are close-up, staged as well as transparent backgrounds can make your shop appear professional, and will entice customers into buying.

5. Choose an online store platform

Once you've got your manufacturing plans and designs completed, you're only a few steps away from the exciting launch of your online shop. First, you need to decide the platform you'll use to build your site.

A developer can be hired to create a store from scratch, but it's a significant investment. For this reason, most shops use a website-building platform. There are a few options however, have strict rules and restrictions on design, which can make it difficult to create an individual website. Furthermore, you're at the control of the website and could have your site taken down at any time.

Instead, it's better to have your own website and also taking advantage of the framework, which means that you don't have to develop an entire website completely from the ground up. This is where WordPress shines.

They allow you to personalize your eCommerce site to appear and feel exactly how you'd like. With a huge selection of themes to choose from and using the Block Editor making a stunning custom website doesn't require you to be an advanced developer.

6. Create your own t-shirt store

Now's the time to officially build and start your own online store for t-shirts! Here are the general procedures you'll need to be following:

1. Choose a domain name and hosting provider
2. Install WordPress
3. Select the theme
4. Install and then go through the Setup Wizard, which will guide you through tax, shipping, the collection of payments and many more.
5. Design your own pages and create products

7. Increase the size of the reach of your shop

Want some help with customizations? Check out our list of WooExperts -- verified, proven agencies willing to help in your endeavor.

8. Promote your store

Once you're up and running It's now time to advertise your shop to reach more potential customers. Extensions can be useful to link your shop to advertising platforms, and let you measure progress and improve campaigns. There's no universal marketing strategy However, here are some items to think about:

Get started with your online business for t-shirts right now

If you've dreamed of creating your own online t-shirt business, make today the day to take your first steps.