UKBF I have a great idea for a business. To execute such,I will need your guidance :)

[Billy O'Naire]

Hey traders!

I have a really great idea for a clothing (t-shirt...maybe also hoody) range. It's a niche market and I believe I have a strong brand name to help penetrate it!

As a total business virgin n00b (without any particular art skills) and on a British pensioners budget, I'm really going to struggle with a couple of things, so thought I would seek your ever-appreciated advice on a couple of things. A couple of things being lots of things...




- Finding a Designer
I can create many of the designs on my own (I have a few in mind). Yet I lack the required art skills to really delve into some great artistic design (sucks, I know).

How exactly would I work with a graphic designer? Would I pay them a select amount of money and wait for them to produce a number of designs in accordance to what I describe to them? Appreciate any insight you could give me into this.



- Finding good t-shirt quality
Where exactly do you find cheap yet high quality tshirts that can be printed onto? Feel like I should ask more here...but yeah...that's all I need to know ha!


- Competition
I've noticed another company have used the proposed name I have for my range. It isnt trademarked or registered as a trademark or company name. Are they allowed to continue to produce these shirts even if I trademark it?







Another question I have is could I buy multiple domain names and link them to the same singular website? My website name is very close to another I would like to obtain.



Your blood, sweat and tears are appreciated. Bon Voyage!

 

[vvaannmmaann]

Hi Billy and welcome.
From what I see,the market you are thinking about is already saturated.
You will be up against some tough competition from existing big brands and also cheap imports.
Use the search function to find some answers to your questions.
Good luck with it,

 

[gordano]

As vvaannmmaann says it is a tough market to enter. On you specific points:

Designs - there are plenty of outsoruce forums/resources where you could get this done. But at the end of the day it is you who decides on the designs that will be successful or not.

I am not an expert on T shirt suppliers but I am sure you will find many in the far east that can deliver quality product. As with most products you will need to commit to large volumes for competitive pricing.

Competition. This is far more than a website name. You can easily set up forwarding on domain names so that they all point to one site. As to trademark, my understanding is that if someone is already using what you plan to then they could challenge your registration of the trademark. If you were to succeed in registering the trademark then you could take action to stop others using it.

 

[Kernowman]

Sheesh, you don't want much

Designers? How ambitious are your designs and how deep are your pockets? Do you expect the designer to produce a heap of designs and you point at the one that takes your fancy? How DEEP are your pockets?

The words "cheap" and "high quality" are completely separate words and the clue is there because they never have been happy bedfellows . . . . . . .

"I have noticed another company . . . . . " and ignored the THOUSANDS out there all doing the exact thing and it is naive of you to believe that you are going to be breaking the finishing line tape before they do. What is your unique selling point that will differentiate your product from the other thousands out there?

Not being negative towards your new million maker, just down to earth realistic.

The Titanic didn't get a paint job AFTER it hit the iceberg did it?

 

[richardinbiz]

Hey traders!

I have a really great idea for a clothing (t-shirt...maybe also hoody) range. It's a niche market and I believe I have a strong brand name to help penetrate it!

As a total business virgin n00b (without any particular art skills) and on a British pensioners budget, I'm really going to struggle with a couple of things, so thought I would seek your ever-appreciated advice on a couple of things. A couple of things being lots of things...




- Finding a Designer
I can create many of the designs on my own (I have a few in mind). Yet I lack the required art skills to really delve into some great artistic design (sucks, I know).

How exactly would I work with a graphic designer? Would I pay them a select amount of money and wait for them to produce a number of designs in accordance to what I describe to them? Appreciate any insight you could give me into this.



- Finding good t-shirt quality
Where exactly do you find cheap yet high quality tshirts that can be printed onto? Feel like I should ask more here...but yeah...that's all I need to know ha!


- Competition
I've noticed another company have used the proposed name I have for my range. It isnt trademarked or registered as a trademark or company name. Are they allowed to continue to produce these shirts even if I trademark it?







Another question I have is could I buy multiple domain names and link them to the same singular website? My website name is very close to another I would like to obtain.



Your blood, sweat and tears are appreciated. Bon Voyage!

Hi Billy,

Designers = elance.com just post a job and you will get people bidding for the work.

Where to get it printed = zazzle.com or search online for other on demand printing services.

promoting = ebay?

hope that helps

 

[maxh]

Can you compete with

http://www.bustedtees.com/
http://www.tshirthell.com/
http://www.spreadshirt.co.uk/
http://www.chargrilled.co.uk/t-shirts/default.asp

To name a few...

I think eBay is the most sensible suggestion. Try your business out there and see if it sells. Designers are ten a penny, maybe try to find yourself an enthusiastic art/design student/graduate trying to pay the rent on their East-London hovel

 

[vvaannmmaann]

"trying to pay the rent on their East-London hovel"

Do you mean their architect designed,designer inspired,duplex New York loft style apartment?

 

[maxh]

"trying to pay the rent on their East-London hovel"

Do you mean their architect designed,designer inspired,duplex New York loft style apartment?

It's really like vintage, but in an ironic way? It's actually really expensive, even though it looks like a crack-den, because thats also ironic?

 

[british steve]

Try posting a competition on Digital Point Put $50 up as a prize and you will get dozens of designers come forward!

 

[vvaannmmaann]

Ah a post modern crack den,a pre Thatcher,new Labour,Stalinist, fascist communist form of irony.
Whatever happened to Ben Elton?

 

[Billy O'Naire]

Thanks for all the wonderful (and not so-wonderful) comments and ideas.

As I've already said, I'm not in the t-shirt business yet. I know very little and I'm trying to learn quickly. This will be the first business I have ever run but I'm a great believer in getting things done rather than just talking about them.

I'm looking to make ONE brand of t-shirts with different designs (all related to the same target audience). I'm not going to be competing with people like Busted Tees (who seem to make a general assortment of all tshirts).

I'm on a piss poor student loan which is really all the money I have to get started. Due to this you guys are probably right, it may be a better idea to first get trading on ebay without having to deal with web design costs and too many overheads at once.


I'm still struggling to understand whether I buy the tshirts myself or if the printers offer to provide them?

 

[oldeagleeye]

Billy as others have said the t shirt business is already oversatuated and you are looking at thinkg a bit asssed faced so to speak. Having just 1 brand is worse not better than having half a dozen like many of the leading players. That is your first hurdle.

2) Without any business or marketing skills I do doubt you will be able to compete even on ebay.

3) Again on the subject of competiting. You obviously have no hardware which expensive which means your wasting you time looking for cheap quality t shirts. (There is no such think anyway) which means youronly option is to use an on-line printing company and again by the time you put a reasobable margin on you would be uncompetitive.

4) Going back to designs. Frankly Billy. T shirt design is a young mans game and you need to know the markets like street - grunge - urban etc etc by going to the gigs to know what will sel and what will not.

I am afraid to say ye old codger this one is a no brainer.

Best down a few pints of the students favourite 'snakebite for further inspiration then.

Either that or set up a Gothioc club for OAP's

Rob

 

[vvaannmmaann]

Are you actually a pensioner or a student? I'm confused now.

 

[Kernowman]

I think the OP has labelled himself "a p*ss poor student" so we can safely jump to the conclusion that he doesn't quite need a Zimmer Frame at the moment. Unless of course he has been on the "home brew" again.

Methinks Oldeagleeye has been on it as well mixed in with his Cocoa

 

[ADW]

Are you wanting to have mulitples per design or singles? Are you looking at selling direct or to retail? If direct, through what channels.... same applies to retail? Are the prints full colour or 1/2 colour as different print methods can apply?

Printers can supply the shirts but there are also plenty of blank wholesalers such as BTC and UKL.

Designs are quite a small part of making this successful. Route to market is where the many, many thousands of people have fallen flat in trying the same thing. If you have found a mtrue unexploited niche then good for you but working out how to tap into it is the mountain to climb.

Anything is possible and people still make it in saturated markets...... most fail though.

 

[oldeagleeye]

The way I read it the OP was a 'mature student' and while I think misguided on this one at least he doesn't seem to be trying for a degree in business studies thank gawd.Then we really would get some crazy ideas from him.

Great name for a comic though - don't you think. Billy O'Naire.

rob

 

[doi_swilkinson]

Go to YouTube

put in Black Country Alphabet

These guys made £150k on the back of this video,from a small shop in Cradley Heath

Stefan

 

[David Warrilow]

Hi

I'm a patent & trademark attorney at London IP.

You seem to say that someone else is using the same brand for clothing. Whether or not they have registered it is irrelevant as if they can demonstrate a 'reputation' in the name then your intended trading may constitute 'passing off'. Not good. To be safe you should probably choose a different name.

Obviously without the full facts I cannot provide professional advice, but I can say 'beware the unregistered rights'.

David