Entrepreneurship is great. You can work from anywhere, have a flexible schedule, and travel the world. But what if you don’t have a business idea?
I have good news for you. You don’t need an original idea to make a living. There are plenty of proven business models out there. Why not just pick one and go with it?
I suggest you to start with print-on-demand t-shirts. Yes, you’ll face a lot of competition, but there will always be a need for cool clothes. So why not start your own print-on-demand t-shirt business?
Here’s how you can do that in 5 easy steps…
Photo by Parker Burchfield on Unsplash
#1 Identify your target audience
Are you an artistic person? Chances are you got into print-on-demand t-shirts because you are good at drawing. It would be pretty cool to get paid to create beautiful designs, right?
However, it’s important to understand that you are running a business now, which means that you have to stop thinking like an artist and start thinking like an entrepreneur. What is the difference between the two?
An artist thinks about what he wants to create, meanwhile, an entrepreneur thinks what his customers want. But do you even know who your customers are?
Creating t-shirts for everyone is a mistake. The more you narrow down your target audience, the easier time you will have selling to them. So make sure that you know who your target audience is before you start working on those designs!
#2 Create great t-shirt designs
You might be tempted to approach creating your t-shirt designs the same way you approach recreational drawing. Come up with an idea, do a quick sketch, and be done with it. However, this approach doesn’t work if you want to actually sell your designs… So start taking the creative work that you do seriously.
First, brainstorm as many design concepts as you can, and write them all down. While you are doing this, keep your customers in mind at all times, because they are the ones who will be buying your t-shirts. Once you have enough design concepts written down go through all of them and pick the best ones.
Then, work on the designs themselves.. Don’t be afraid to go through several iterations of the same concept. Does the idea, the composition, and the colours all work together? Look for the ways you can improve each design. Really push yourself to produce the best work that you possibly can.
Finally, reach out to your potential customers and show them your designs. What do they like? What do they not like? Why? Gather that feedback and, if you need to, go back to the drawing board, until you get a positive response from your potential customers.
Photo by ian dooley on Unsplash
#3 Find a fullfillment company.
Back in the day selling t-shirts meant that you had to order a bunch of them in advance, and hope that enough people will buy. Luckily, times have changed!
You can easily get into shopify t shirt printing with a company like Printify which will print the t-shirts and send them your customers for you (more information at https://printify.com/sell-on-shopify-print-on-demand/).
#4 Create your Shopify store.
Once you have decided on your audience, created t-shirt designs, and chosen a print-on-demand fulfillment company, it’s time to build your own online store.
I recommend you to go with the Shopify e-commerce platform (you can read Beginner’s Guide to the Shopify Store if you are unsure how to set it up).
Photo by Crown Agency on Unsplash
#5 Market your products.
You know the saying “if you build it, they will come”? It’s a very misleading idea. The reality is that if you want people to care, you need to make them care. Go where your customers hang out online and put your products in front of them!
Conclusion
Starting your own print-on-demand business is pretty straightforward. However, it doesn’t mean that building a sucessful business is easy, or that it won’t require a lot of time and energy. So get serious about it. Do the work. It will pay off in the long run!