{"id":5538,"date":"2017-01-19T15:07:06","date_gmt":"2017-01-19T21:07:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/5bd4f92546.nxcli.net\/?p=5538"},"modified":"2017-01-19T15:09:10","modified_gmt":"2017-01-19T21:09:10","slug":"six-terrible-giveaways-can-learn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bluecotton.com\/blog\/event-planning\/six-terrible-giveaways-can-learn\/","title":{"rendered":"Six Terrible Giveaways, and What You Can Learn From Them"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-5539\" src=\"https:\/\/5bd4f92546.nxcli.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/waiting-410328_640.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"426\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bluecotton.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/waiting-410328_640.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.bluecotton.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/waiting-410328_640-600x399.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.bluecotton.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/waiting-410328_640-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It takes more than a head full of ideas and a computer full of designs to start a successful T-shirt business. There are certain things you need to know, and certain steps you need to follow. Don\u2019t worry &#8211; it\u2019s actually easier than you might think. We\u2019ll walk you through some of the major steps in the process. <\/span><!--more--><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Step One: Getting Started<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">FIrst thing\u2019s first, even if you\u2019ve got some awesome designed planned out, you\u2019re going to have to do some legwork before you actually start shipping and selling. \u00a0Here are the questions you\u2019ll want to answer with your initial research: <\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What kind of shirts do I want to sell, and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.shopify.ca\/blog\/14515425-how-to-start-an-online-t-shirt-business-the-ultimate-guide\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">what sort of printing method do I want to use<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">? <\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What\u2019s my niche? Who would be interested in buying my designs? <\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What does the market look like for my target demographic? Do I have any major competitors? If so, who? <\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Where and how am I going to sell my shirts?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How am I going to get the word out about my brand? How will I generate interest? <\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How much capital do I have available? Is it possible for me to seek investors? <\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What\u2019s involved in obtaining a business license in my State? Note that the answers to this question are most often found on your state government\u2019s website. <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Step Two: Your Sales Platform<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Once you\u2019ve moved past initial research, it\u2019s time to decide on a sales platform. A well-designed, mobile-friendly, professional looking website is a must here. Whether you use WordPress, Shopify, Amazon, or some other platform is up to you.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The only thing that matters is that your storefront looks good. \u00a0If it resembles something you haphazardly slapped together in a single weekend or is incredibly complicated to navigate, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/info.supadupa.me\/blog\/common-reasons-people-dont-buy-from-your-store-and-how-to-fix-them\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">people aren\u2019t going to want to use it<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. They\u2019ll go to a website made by a competitor; one that\u2019s better-designed.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Step Three: Shipping &amp; Logistics<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Next, you need to think of how you\u2019ll deliver your shirts to your customers, as well as how you\u2019ll manage your stock. While you may have the capital further down the road for a warehouse, I\u2019d highly recommend using drop-shipping when you\u2019re starting out. How it works is pretty simple &#8211; you purchase the product from a third-party vendor like <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bluecotton.com\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">BlueCotton<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, who handles the manufacturing costs. The product is then shipped directly to the customer. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Drop shipping\u2019s low overhead and ease of setup allows you to readily test the market for new designs without putting forth too much capital on a bunch of stuff that might not sell. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.shopify.ca\/guides\/dropshipping\/understanding-dropshipping\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This approach does have its disadvantages<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, mind you, especially for larger companies. \u00a0It can be difficult to keep track of items you have in and out of stock, shipping costs can be somewhat complex to deal with, and it increases the likelihood that you\u2019ll run into supply errors.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At the same time, it\u2019s a perfect way to get started &#8211; and as an added bonus, many of the vendors you rely on for drop-shipping can transition rather easily to manufacturers as your business grows larger. <\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Closing Thoughts<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Starting a T-shirt company isn\u2019t easy. But with passion, creativity, and a willingness to work hard, you can soldier through. Now get out there, and get your business on the road! <\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; It takes more than a head full of ideas and a computer full of designs to start a successful T-shirt business. There are certain things you need to know, and certain steps you need to follow. Don\u2019t worry &#8211; it\u2019s actually easier than you might think. We\u2019ll walk you through some of the major&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":38,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[764],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5538","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-event-planning"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Six Terrible Giveaways, and What You Can Learn From Them<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"You\u2019ve thought up some awesome designs, and you\u2019re all ready to start a T-shirt business. One problem - you\u2019ve no idea what comes next. 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