How to Start a T-Shirt Company

As far as fashion goes, t-shirts are classic staple items for people of every age. You’ll find them on everyone from the cute newborn next door to the young couple down the street to the senior citizens you pass in the grocery store on Saturday morning. This popularity makes starting a t-shirt business a potentially lucrative proposition. It’s also a business that can be started with little startup cash.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Printer
• Iron
• Ironing board or flat, clean surface

Set up Your T-Shirt Business

1. Check licensing requirements in your state and locality. You will likely be required to purchase a general business license. You will have to pay a fee, which will vary based on where you start your t-shirt business.
2. Get a state tax ID number from your state's tax or revenue department. This is necessary for paying the sales tax you collect to the right authority. Also, many companies will not offer wholesale pricing to businesses or individuals who lack tax ID numbers.
3. Find a source from which to purchase wholesale t-shirts. Alternatively, you can often find cheap t-shirts at retail prices at stores like Walgreens and Costco.

Design and Sell T-Shirts

4. Design some humorous t-shirts. Styles with snarky or joking comments are usually popular. You can also come up with some unique slogans to splash across your t-shirts.
5. Use your photography skills. If you can take attractive pictures, you’ll have a ready source of t-shirt artwork. Photographs of animals, flowers and outdoor scenes are good choices.
6. Purchase photography and artwork online. You can find artwork for sale on websites like FotoSearch.com and Clipartguide.com.
7. Purchase iron-on transfers from an office-supply or craft stores. You can use these to transfer your artwork from your computer to your t-shirt with nothing more than a printer, a regular household iron and an ironing board.
8. Seek out the help of a screen-printing business to create your t-shirts. This is generally a more expensive option than creating t-shirts with iron-on transfers. However, the t-shirts may look more professional.
9. Take a screen-printing class at a local college and learn how to put your designs on t-shirts yourself. This could help you save some money in the long run, but you will still have the initial investment of screen-printing supplies and equipment.
10. Start out small by making or ordering about 20 t-shirts per design. You don’t want to get stuck with hundreds of t-shirts if a design fails to sell. It's a good idea to order or begin making more t-shirts once you’ve sold about half of your stock.
11. Sell your t-shirts by creating your own website or through auction sites like eBay. You can also find customers at flea markets and fairs. You may even be able to sell them locally by going door to door with samples of your t-shirts.

Tips & Warnings

• Always check copyright information on any artwork or photographs you plan to use on your t-shirts. One copyright violation could cause you to be sued, resulting in the possible financial downfall of your new t-shirt business.