How To Set Up A T-Shirt Business In 7 Steps

Are you looking to generate an extra income? Or you simply have some great design ideas and you're ready to create the product! Whatever your reasoning, we're here to help every step of the way. T-shirt printing is a simple, easy and profitable way to start a business. Find out how to set up a t-shirt business in 7 steps below!

Step 1: Idea

What style of t-shirt do you want to decorate, what design do you want to create, what makes your products different to others on the market? Do some research into what sort of style and design you want your products to take and any similar products currently on the market.

Step 2: Target Market

Who are your customers? Narrowing down aspects such as age, gender and interests will help you not only figure out how to design a product your customers will love but also how to market to them. *Alternatively, work backwards from your product and figure out who would wear your design to discover your target market.

Step 3: Equipment

Having the right equipment is key to producing high quality products efficiently. Here at Target Transfers we have everything from heat presses, cutters, materials, accessories and everything in-between. Watch this video to find out which Heat Press will suit your requirements best. Whether you'd be better decorating with our industry leading Custom Heat Transfers or Stahls' Heat Transfer Vinyl for your products. *Custom heat transfer samples are included when you purchase a Heat Press.

Step 4: Budget

To figure out how many sales you will need to pay off the cost of your chosen heat press, take the total cost of heat printing tools and divide it by the profit per item. Follow this example to break it down further:

Investment Cost	Average Order Profit
Price of Heat Press: £1,350	Average Selling Price: £20
Price of Accessories: £170	Average Cost Per Item: £6
Total Cost: £1,520	Profit Per Item: £14

Number of items sold to payoff (Total Cost ÷ Profit): 108 items or 2 per week. For 108 shirts the average price for a one colour transfer starts at £0.55, and a blank t-shirt would be £1.00. If you think you can sell 108 t-shirts, then you are ready to set up a t-shirt business. For further information, watch these videos on both Target Transfers and Stahls' YouTube Channels.

Step 5: Design your product.

It's time to start designing your t-shirts! At this stage, you can also mock-up some images on Photoshop to give you an idea of what your products will look like. You can also start to market your mock up products on Facebook and Instagram to create interest and pre-sales with customers.

Step 6: Bring Your Product to Life

Upload and order your custom heat transfers designs through Easy View or cut out your heat transfer vinyl designs with your Silhouette Cutter. Then fuse your custom heat transfer or HTV onto your blank t-shirts with your heat press and you're ready to start selling!

Step 7: Start Selling!

Now your products are ready to be enjoyed by your customers, it's time to start selling! Places like Facebook Marketplace and Shopify are good places to start if you don't have a website.

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