Tips on Starting a Small Buisness!

C

C.A.V.

Active member
Hey Newschoolers,

i am planning on starting my own tee shirt, hoodie and soon to be outerwear company.

i was wondering whats the best way to start your own small business.

such as making a website, facebook page, stores to produce your gear, technology ect..

i want to name it influenced wear co.

the aspect of my company is to get influence by new schoolers community on producing what they want to see in a clothing item, we all on here are looking for certain looking and style wears so why not produce what we want?

I want to stay just in the ski community to produce the wears they want, my biggest inspiration is saga outerwear as i watched them grow and jiberish wear as i was always buying and trading it gathering there goods.

i also am going to college next year for ski business management so having started my own business going in could be a great start. also i am going to college fro videography and photography so i will have a strong way to visually promote it!

i am open to all suggestions and ideas for this.

i am curious on some logo ideas you guys can come up with , if this goes places who knows, maybe you'll be with the CO. someday!

that being said let me know what you guys think!

+k to all who help!

thank you.

 
My best advice is to make sure to plan funding for an advertising budget.

Of course, that sounds self-serving - but advertising is an important part of a business. WHether its on Newschoolers, Freeskier, SBC, TGR or unofficial - having some dough (and don't cheap out) to promote your product is a really good idea.

 
make sure you have an idea to separate yourself from the rest. Don't rely on NS to come up with those ideas for you.
 
thank you!

i have a few ways to advertise in mind, but i will remeber to do that the most to spread the CO.

i also have a job at nike right now so my income is pretty strong and i have a few grand right now so some dough is around to use!

 
also very true, but i would like to see what ns would like to see so i can build off that because the Co.would be mainly revolved around the ski community so i want to produce what they like, but i defiantly want to make it unique!

thanks for the input!
 
Actually, I got ahead of myself there (I sell ads and was probably jumping into salesman mode too fast).

The #1 thing to do with a business is to make sure you're solving a problem.

Watch this video end-to-end. Dave McClue is brash but totally awesome. Pegs it like crazy. Best business advice I've ever seen.

Why Not To Do a Startup - Dave McClure from Seattle20 on Vimeo.

Now after you've thought that through, hit me up by email (mr.bishop@newschoolers.com) - no pressure and I can talk you through advertising.

 
if you're going to college i would recommend saving that money for beer, ramen, and, well, more beer...
not that starting a company is a bad idea, but i guarantee you won't be thinking about spending it on tall-t's once you see all those nubile co-eds running around
god i miss college
 
Here is MY personal take on your idea, and don't take any of it harshly, just take it as constructive criticism.

The world doesn't need another clothing company. There are plenty that exist to choose from.

However, a new clothing company is a cool concept, and of course, I'm down to try out some new clothes.

But, I WILL NOT simply buy from a company that just starts producing logo tees with NO BACKSTORY, NO experience, no vibe.

My take on starting a new clothing line is that the company needs to build up a unique vibe and an interesting product before they get going on the logo stuff.

Let me provide you a couple examples.

EC Headwear (Aka Eastern Collective) - Started with the whole tall beanie thing. Made awesome tall beanies, and other QUALITY headwear, then the logo stuff like tees started to really come into play.

Supreme - started as a simple skate shop in 1994 with the main people involved being skaters and artists, and their brand evolved because people felt the general vibe. There's a lot I don't know about Supreme, but from what I do know, their logo is so credible nowadays because it represents rebellion, going against mainstream culture, etc.

So basically what I'm saying is, what can you make for me that will make me want to buy your stuff? What kind of interesting product. If you're gonna make tees and sweatshirts and stuff, that's OK, but maybe go very light on the logos to start, and concentrate more on the design of the apparel. Maybe put the logo on the bottom left of the product, very small or something.

The market is very over-saturated. I'm saying all this because I don't want you to be failure-bound, like a lot of these companies are.

 
for now yes i am doing it alone, then if it works out it will be a partnership with a few freinds that want to do the same as i am doing, so we want to just combine our thoughts and put it down into one company.
 
most respectable, i will watch this video when i get home, videos dont work on my school computer.

i will defiantly shoot you a email at some point, thanks you very much for this help!
 
I think I know what you're trying to get at with the name. You're influenced by Saga and Jiberish. Either that or your clothing will have ski industry influences reflected in it. But there's just something about using the word Influenced that sounds too easy. Idk, maybe it's just me. If anything, Influenced Apparel or Influenced Clothing sounds better. But I would think of something more original.
 
wait wait wait, *lightbulb*... expanding on above and my previous post:
what does every kid do once they get to college?drink
what does every kid make once they get to college?beer bong
you, sir, should make a handful of die-cuts of your logo for whateverthefuck co., slap em on some $1 funnels, attach plastic tubing, and sell them for $10-$12 a pop... gets your logo out there in the market for minimal cost, gets you associated with local clientele, AND gets you/your friends fucked up
 
most respectable, completley uderstood advice, i know what you mean.

thank you for that advice, i will make a reason to buy the wear when its produced and created, it will take time but will happen.
 
You would not believe how many people would actually buy this. Maybe even some cheap ass water bottles, put your stickers on them and sell them for people at parties. Mr. Bishop is right though, these things almost always never work. If you are serious about it though I just have a few points.Couple points for thought

Think About Your Cliental - [/i]What I mean is are you in an area where there isn't a local group selling their own clothing too? My friend started a clothing line along with his video group (http://www.butterstickinc.com) It really went over well because he made amazing videos, and he promoted it a lot, giving stickers out to ALL the little kids.

Make Original Designs - You see so many of these "start-up" companies make t-shirts, hoodies, or whatever, and they're all the same design or the logos all mesh together and become repetitive.

Be Prepared to Lose Money - My friend has sunk a lot of money into our company, some that paid off, some that didn't. You have to realize that you will have to buy large amounts of shirts in a variety of sizes (some of which won't sell) and you will have to learn after a period of time as to which size sells more than others.

Promote the Hell Out of It - My friend always got kids stoked for the new t-shirts by posting up pictures us riders wearing the shirts on Facebook, (https://www.facebook.com/butterstickinc?fref=ts) before it dropped, and the stickers that could be given out/sent out. He also holds contests all the time. He would post a picture of a new shirt and say something along the lines of "Hey everyone, share this picture and tell people to like our page, and we'll randomly pick 2 people who shared it to receive a free shirt!" You'd be amazed by how well it works. We went out to Windells two summers ago, and we actually saw a couple kids there wearing our shirts/hoodies when we got there.

Riders - Think about approaching riders at your local hill and also the surround areas. While getting the best riders would surely help, realize that it would help to get very well known people, even if they're not the best, they can help get the name out there to a variety of people.

I might have more points later. I just woke up and a little hung over and have class in a couple minutes

On another note, this is what I LOVE and HATE about NS. Some people here like Mr.Bishop and SteezyJibber actually try to help, unlike half the kids that will talk shit about you.

 
Start up a website, twitter, and a facebook. Make an online store at first for sure. Have a lot of start up money because it is expensive to make shirts and hoodies. It's also an insanely competitive market. Good luck!
 
The first question you should ask is "am I really going to take this seriously?" If the answer is "no" stop here and save yourself the aggravation. If the answer is "yes" then you have some work to do. The first thing you are going to want to do is create a business plan. A plan is not "I want to sell t-shirts and hoodies" but instead a guide for how your business is going to be successful. This is where you are going to setup your goals and how you are going to go about doing so. A good guide is here (Guide for Writing a Business Plan). After you write up that plan I would take a look at what you have and run a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis. Here you want to list any strengths that your business is going to have over the competition (better quality, more in-tune with customer base, etc). Then list and weaknesses the business has compared to others (not established, low funding, etc.). Next are the opportunities that are present on an external level, so what market niche is available for you to fill and be profitable in. Last, you have the threats to the business, what external factors will harm your business (outerwear market is saturated, skier visits down, new market entrants, etc). List all of those out and it will give you insight as to where you can compete and if you may have a competitive advantage over everyone else. If things go well and it starts to pick up I would then create an LLC and incorporate the business. You want to do this because it will protect your own personal assets if something were to go wrong with the company. So if it ended up sinking you would not have to use your own money to pay off an debts that the company may have. Write a plan, do your research, and protect yourself. Good luck!
 
You Guys are amazing, honostly so stoked on the out come of this thread. Best luck I've had on here, thanks guys! All this is advice was beyond helpful , I will take everything to note and do it and take it seriously, as a start I was thinking die cuts everywhere, red solo cups for parties with the logo on them some how and see how that goes maybe? I'm deff going to make a bunch of designs first before any of this and make a plan of what to do once I have a few designs on point.
 
Red Solo cups would be good for house parties for when you have to pay your $5 for a cup. Maybe find some people that will use your cups or host one and do that. Make sure to also realize that you have to think of manufacturing costs such as if you're going to make the shirts yourself or if you'll outsource it to a company, same goes for stickersHomemade

Vinyl

Raw shirts

Heat transfer paper of different colors

Heat press

Colored inks

Silk screens

Printing Press for shirts

and most importantly a vinyl cutter for heat transfer paper and die cut stickers

Possibly the most cost effective in the long run

Outsource

Pros

Done professionally

Cons

You'd be paying other people to make your product so you'd have less profit

Possibly less input on product

It's a lot to think about if you're really gonna take it seriously
 
To be honest, you should start by making outerwear, and then make some shirts and hoodies.

If your outerwear is quality and looks sharp, then people are going to start buying the clothing to represent your brand.

It doesn't really work the other way around.
 
Like said above, there's more to a company than product; however, some might argue that there's nothing more important than what a company produces (what's the point of a company if it doesn't sell something?).

Basically, the company is the identity, the ideas of the company's creator. The product is the manifestation of the company's identity that makes consumers, hopefully, feel motivated to buy into the company. Have a message, emotion, heart, enthusiasm for whatever your underlying identity is, and then produce product to reflect that patina. Be more than product--use product to build your bottom line that can then be appropriated towards something else; see Rime Knits, for example: plant a tree for every hat sold, supposedly.

I'd recommend building on this before thinking about advertising, etc. How can you think about advertising when you don't know what you're selling? Possibly think about doing courses in graphic design/branding/marketing if you're really serious about this, on top of your business mgmt. A fundamental design course would be beneficial as well, as its there that you really learn the design process and its importance in creating a final solution.

Side note: advertising on solo cups/beer bongs isn't a good idea. Why would you advertise on something that is disposable or that won't be remembered? Do you want your company to be associated with something that is built to be thrown away? Sounds good at first, but no one's gonna take that cup home with them and be reminded of your branding in the morning. Advertising to drunk people isn't always the best idea unless there's something in their pocket the next morning, though there is a time and a place.

Remember that entrepreneurship is living a few years of your life like no one will so that you can spend the rest of your life like most people can't.
 
dave mcclure is a badass business genius! free business school on ns, awesome post.more people are willing to work against you, than with you. thats hard to get over and conquer.
 
there's so much information to know when starting your own business. One thing to do is read. Research websites, blogs, books, and watch videos (TED Talks are always a good go-to). Check out the book REWORK by Jason Fried and David Heinemeyer... there's tons of useful information on modern business practices.
 
I seriously cannot believe that you have not been shat all over.

I don't have much business experience, but I would say that going on NS to get ideas for designs and names would suggest you are a very long way away from it being a good idea to start your own business. Basically, what you have now is really weak. Sorry to be so negative, but I feel like someone should say this.
 
This is amazing. I'm not sure I would call myself a successful entrepreneur, then again, 50% of people who start businesses aren't, but this accurately describes the experience and all of the pitfalls I've run into along the way.

If Mr. Bishop is willing to chat, take him up on it. He knows what he speaks. I can vouch for it.
 
First thing you should do is ask yourself a few questions

Do you want to be a salesman?

creating a design and printing it on a t shirt is easy. selling it is not. Do you feel comfortable going around asking people you don't know to buy something from you because that is sales?

Try selling Cutco knives to get an experience of what hard sales is like.

Is this a project of passion or is your main goal to make money?

If if is to make money, make sure you are into being a salesman.

If it is a project of passion make sure you like the behind the scenes of being creative, designing t shirts that are new and not just another copycat of another brand. Enjoy the process of going from designing a shirt to paying to print a shirt to the logistics of selling a shirt.

Dont get caught up in reading and research. You will get analysis paralysis and you will never make a single t shirt.

Stop planning and start doing. Create a calendar that says what you will do each week and create a deadline for your first t shirt to be designed and then printed. If you don't give yourself a deadline for each small step you might never get around to it. Very similar to homework that isn't due for a few months. You end up doing the whole thing the night before it is due instead of working on it every week during those months.

Easiest thing to do is to just start doing something. Design a t shirt, find a local t shirt printer, get a small run of the the t shirt printed, like 24 or 48 shirts, give the t shirt away to your friends for them to wear as promotion of your t shirt company. Stickers are great if you are a sticker company but start with your core product of t shirts and get it on people to use a promotion. If you get good feedback, make some more and sell them, then make a new design and sell it.

Don't over think what you need to do to and where you want the company to be in 5 years. Just start.

100% of all companies that never get started never make money. An idea is only as good as you doing something about it.
 
Oh and as a small piece of constructive criticism. Use spell check and read everything you write twice before sending an email or posting it. Spelling mistakes come across as unprofessional and you want to be seen as professional with any vendors, buyers, etc that you end up using.
 
some damn good advice. and you mister hibbert are a fucking boss !!!! never seen someone ski so fearless and boost so hard like you, good luck OP
 
Whoa... this is fucking good advice. Man... I'm going to take that one and keep it in the bank if thats alright.

 
In order to make money you have to lose money first, so make sure you plan everything out before you dive into production. My advice would first to be come up with some designs and ask for opinions, feedback, etc.. Alter the designs based on the customers wants/needs and finalize a design or two, don't do too much too quickly. Also, do something to set yourself apart from the competition, people are quite happy paying $90 for a jiberish hoodie because they know what to expect, and that is quality. Use new materials that other companies aren't using, it might cost you more but you can't just produce average quality gear and expect it to grow in such a saturated market. Also, before you even think about selling, get some samples made, hang out at your local ski shop and do some giveaways and ask for feedback from everyone that comes in. Starting local is a good way to get your name out there so by the time you come out with a full drop there will be some support for you. Along with quality, price is a huge factor in growth. Obviously your first drop will be low in quantity, therefore manufacturing will be more expensive. You have to start with a low price though, don't expect to be bringing in $75 for a hoodie right away, charge what you make it for, or maybe up to a 20% markup, at most. Like I said earlier, people spend so much on jiberish because they have established a reputation for great products. If somebody had the option for a $90 jiberish hoodie or a $90 hoodie from a random startup company, they would probably go with the jiberish.

Summary: Don't expect to make any money for at least the first year or more and do whatever you can to get your name out there (advertisement, giveaways, etc) and make sure to seperate yourself from the rest of the crowd through low prices, great customer service, and high quality materials

Good luck!
 
I'm genuinely impressed at how such a shitstorm prone OP has generated really, really good answers. I earlier made a pretty negative comment, and although I might still think the OP is shitty, the answers certainly are not. As Mr. Bishop, I will also put some of this quality advice in the bank, as you never know what might happen down the road.

 
thanks guys! this advice is pristine!

its defiantly what i want to do the rest of my life, its what im going to college for.

i have a few designs in progress right now that i have gotten alot of feed back that my school has been interested in buying, so i am trying to find the best printing company for logo tee shirts to start selling locally and also somewhere to make die cut stickers?

so questions to be answered:

best printing company?

best die-cut company?
 
Are you doing any research/leg work yourself? I'm not saying you aren't, but just asking questions on here won't get you very far, and doesn't show much commitment. Also, if you are doing these things, let us hear about it, and this thread could be a good place for other aspiring entrepeneurs to get a feeling for what it takes to get a business going.
 


I can tell you from someone who is in the process of

starting a small business, it is crazy expensive, clothing might be cheaper,

but like anything it’s all economics of scale, you need to produce enough to

keep you margins up so what you’re doing is actually worth it. Also cost, is so

expensive, if you plan for 1,000$ it’s going to cost you 3,000$. If you plan

for 5,000 it will be 12,000 before you know it (almost exactly where we are). Make

sure you have a game plan, and something to differentiate yourself. Also come

up with some good marketing ideas. You could have the best product but if no

one knows about it you won’t make any money, on the other hand look how many

people have gotten rich of the crappies products ever...just because they had

good marketing schemes.

 
I already know 4 places to make die cuts and clothing, just seeing if anyone else is using the same ones! I have a plan already but won't start it untill I have product ready to show, and thanks!^
 
YOu know, interestingly enough I've actually learned that in the general thought of business, its pretty much accepted that yu're not going to make money for 3 or so years of starting a business.

I would even go so far as to say consider taking on investment. Ideally if you have a really solid plan and the numbers look good - you could find some angel investment. Solid bank loan can do the trick as well.

You can really choke yourself out focusing too much on making money in that first year. Sounds counter-intuitive, but its very much the way most businesses run.

As an FYI, if you do everything yourself only with the money on hand, that is known as 'bootstrapping'.

 
"i am planning on starting my own tee shirt, hoodie and soon to be outerwear company."

Terrible idea, Many, many, many companies that are doing the same thing. You will never make a profit with the market being flooded with competition.
 
"Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win."

-Sun Tzu
 
Two sayings I've heard in the past few years that have stuck with me through my recent involvement in a small business. These are summations, not exact quotes, and I have no idea who said them.

1) 9 out of 10 times you try, you may fail, but its not wasted effort as long as you learn something in the process. Successful people fail all the time, they just know to keep trying and move from one failure to the next with no loss of enthusiasm.

2) I lied in the preamble, I took the time to google this quote because its so good. Its about new scientific theories, but it holds true for ideas and inventions as well.

"First, you know, a new theory is attacked as absurd; then it is admitted to be true, but obvious and insignificant; finally it is seen to be so important that its adversaries claim that they themselves discovered it."

- William James

Good luck and dont get discouraged, good things in life are rarely easy.
 
Starting a business is very difficult as an individual. For some with a lot of money it may be easier than one who is struggling to maintain a positive balance in their check book. If you want a company to flair out, definitely use your resources like NS, Youtube, Vimeo, Facebook, Twitter, and etc.

You need to devote a portion of money, maybe start out with a bigcartel site, i never use that so I would not know but many people begin there. Aside from money, you need time. If you are a student, or a busy work man (sorry if people already said similar things, I did not read every post), then it will be very difficult to complete everything on time in your life schedule.

Basically, a business comes around with time, effort, money, and patience. You will rarely find a business bloom instantly out of nowhere.

Like you said, collaborating with others is another excellent idea, but also try find local skiers to rep your clothing if you have a good relationship with them. If not, we introduced you the ideas. You go figure out how to apply them to your life, your business, and most importantly it is your choice how to work your ideas into what you plan them to result in (that was not in a sarcastic or mean tone of voice in any way, i tend to have that sense of tone for some reason).

"The end justifies the means" thought that would be somewhat helpful. I don't know what to say except good luck, just make sure you really think through all your financial decisions, and any other.

Have fun with it, but stay dedicated if you want to go somewhere with it!
 
Rule #1. Don't poop yourselfRule #2. Be real with your customers. Don't be like Supreme where they don't give a fuck about their customers, integrate them into your work
 
Take your time for everything and never make quick decisions, you dont want to be regretting a decision later after you came up with a better idea
 
Please take a step back. Decide if this is actually what you want to do. It's so easy to fall into all of the influences that come with this lifestyle/website. Do you actually want to do film/photo or start a hoodie company or is it because that is what everyone else on the website does?

My recommendation to you is to start a new hobby that no one you know does. It will help you figure out if this is really what you want. You don't have to give up on skiing, you can only make a real decision when you have real options. Give yourself some real options. Ski culture is one options without alternatives.
 
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