Believe it or not, one of the businesses that you could easily start is a t-shirt printing business. You’re probably thinking that it requires special knowledge and many years of experience. You probably also think that the t-shirt business is all about low margins and hard to please customers. Well, you thought wrong. In fact, there are a lot of great reasons why a typical rank and file consumer who seeks to earn a few extra bucks should look into this type of business.
First of all, there’s a huge demand for t-shirts.
The great thing about the t-shirt printing industry is the fact that people don’t just buy t-shirts from stores. In many cases, people and organizations are looking for commemorative of special event t-shirts. For example, the company you work for would want to have a special shirt printed up to commemorate a special event. Similarly, if your little league baseball team has won a special game or a championship, you would definitely think of a way to remember this triumphant event.
T-shirts are a natural choice to commemorate special events. They are functional. They look good. They don’t cost all that much money. Plus, they can be printed up fairly quickly and easily. The same considerations apply to family reunions. The list of events goes on and on. Don’t think of t-shirts as just fashion or items that you seek out at boutiques at a mall somewhere. In most cases, t-shirts are made for excellent remembrance of events. And this is where the commercial opportunity lies. It’s wiser to start a great local business that has an overwhelming constant demand rather than one involving one-shot deals. This is where paying close attention to key features of the t-shirt business comes in handy.
Why Is It so Easy?
A lot of people think that operating a t-shirt business requires silkscreens, special inks, and people who are experts on silkscreen machines. Well, if we were talking about entering the t-shirt printing business thirty years ago, you would be absolutely correct. Now, thanks to the invention of the modern t-shirt heat press machine printing out t-shirts has become a no-brainer. In fact, you only need a best t-shirt heat press machine, the right vinyl design, heat transfer paper, and electricity and you’re good to go! How’s that for a quick and easy business to get started?
I know that it all sounds pretty basic, but that’s all you need! In this day and age, t-shirt printing has evolved into a simplified and fine-tuned method. There are less steps involved. There are less things to worry about. You don’t have to freak out about dropping the ball somewhere in the t-shirt production process since everything is so streamlined.
If you think that venturing into the t-shirt printing business is a great idea, but don’t have the time, effort, or patience in dealing with the agony of operating a silkscreen printing machine, then you might want to reconsider. Because now, you can say goodbye to silkscreens; and say hello to heat transfer vinyls (HTVs).
How Does a T-shirt Heat Press Machine Work?
You only need to lay the shirt that you’re printing on a flat surface, then apply the vinyl design (paper surface) that you’re going to transfer. Then apply the t-shirt heat press machine right on top of the transfer paper. Think of it like a giant flat steam iron. That’s all it is! It applies heat on the vinyl transfer so the vinyl sticks to the shirt. No mess. No drama. All good. In fact, after as little as twenty seconds, you have yourself a nice-looking and professionally-printed t-shirt.
It’s very quick. And even if you’re dealing with fairly-high local labor prices, you can still generate a quite decent profit margin with your t-shirt heat press machine. These machines crank out shirts so fast that you can save money on labor by hiring one part-timer to take care of all your clients’ t-shirt design and printing needs. Also, due to the huge number of t-shirt brands and direct manufacturers coming from overseas, your biggest cost, the t-shirt, is getting cheaper and cheaper every year. Even t-shirts made of the finest cotton fibers are going down in price. Who says global free trade doesn’t help the USA?
Put all these factors together and you’ll be looking at a fairly lucrative business.
Make no mistake about it, investing on a t-shirt heat press machine gives you a lot of flexibility. And if you’re creative enough in creating and marketing your shirts, you’re sure to find success in this venture.
Other Business Startup Tips
There are plenty of small and easy things that go into jump-starting a successful small business that are simple and fun. Check it out below!
Make a Website
The online world is the largest medium to get your work out there in a public way these days. Be sure to create a site and list all your services, sell your shirts, and talk about what you do and who you are in an about page. Then share it on social media and see it explode.
Make a business card
Business cards are like having a visual, physical website, in hand. You can’t put as much on there, but you can keep it short and sweet, and that will give people a feel for what you do, to be able to determine if they could use your services or not. Be sure to add in your website!