Learn from my mistakes!
My t-shirt print and design journey
I’m pictured with my 3 sons. It was one of my greatest joys to be home with them.
The original set of greeting cards I designed.
14 Years ago, I started designing greeting cards hoping it would be a way to contribute financially to my family while staying home with my 3 young boys. I made a Buffalo Princess specifically because there really wasn’t any feminine buffalo art out there. However, inspired by my sons, I couldn’t resist illustrating a Buffalo Prince as well. After showing the designs to a store owner, she loved them but didn’t want cards, she asked for t-shirts.
Yikes, t-shirts?! Up until that point, I only designed for printing on paper. I didn’t know the first thing about how to get t-shirts done. I didn’t know about garment materials. I didn’t know any t-shirt brands. In fact, I never even wore graphic t’s! The only thing I knew was that I needed a vector file which I knew I was perfectly capable of creating.
Now What?
Away I went into getting garments decorated. I picked out a t-shirt shop, t-shirt colors and styles, ink colors, decided on locations, and size the art would print for children’s and adult clothing. In order to keep the price down, I ordered a huge quantity. When they came in, I was SO EXCITED! THEY WERE BEAUTIFUL!
Marinette’s first t-shirt design was Buffalo Princess, that was sold in local stores and online.
Immediately, I made appointments with several store owners around WNY to show them the goods and see if they were a good fit for their store. I didn’t want to do consignment where the profit percentage was higher but I only would get paid for what sells. Selling wholesale to area giftshops was what I wanted to do because I sold in larger quantities and got paid much quicker than with consignment.
The lightbulb is on!
One store in particular, was life changing for me. I walked in and noticed how much they were selling their t-shirts for. They “retailed” for exactly how much I paid for it “wholesale” — meaning they paid a lot less for them than I paid for mine. I was dumbfounded. How on earth am I supposed to make a profit on this new venture if my price and their price is the same? My cost is supposed to be much less than what they sell it for so that both parties can make a profit. Needless to say, they didn’t buy my shirts, though they loved the design, because they were just too expensive. Clearly, I was pretty upset.
The manager of the store took me into the back office and sat me down. She said I was doing it all wrong and she actually opened up her invoices from vendors to show me what she was paying — my jaw dropped. If she never explained to me how the business was done, my t-shirt designing days would have ended abruptly. I am eternally grateful for that information.
The only problem is that I spent over $1,800 on a boatload of custom t-shirts and I couldn’t sell them in bulk to stores but could only sell them one by one during seasonal art shows (if I got accepted to the shows) and on Etsy. It’s a much slower pace to get your money back. I was completely frustrated!
Learn from my mistakes!
I want to be the person who fills you in, who gives you the inside tips and processes of the print industry. I want to help educate you so you avoid time-consuming and costly pitfalls. Starting on July 16th, I’m offering consulting services via Zoom. It’s called Printing Made Easy from Concept to Creation. Signup is open right now but hurry, it closes on Sunday, July 14th at midnight. or when we reach 5 people! Yes, only 5 people will be admitted at this time. As a BONUS, these 5 people who register will receive 50% off per 1 hour consult. Read all the details here.
Know someone who would benefit from these consults? Tell them about it and share the details page!