On Twitter I sometimes use the hashtag [HASHTAG]#tshirtbiz[/HASHTAG] and put up some charts for marketing ideas etc. Here is a latest one comparing redbubble vs. Teespring.
So Redbubble is the winner by sheer volume. But looking at geographic results in interesting as well. I have a number of other niche lines but I am scaling back a bit to treat it more as a hobby. But my first major goal has been accomplished: I now have a number of designs on redbubble and a few other sites so I just hope they sell.
Also, redbubble has no quota, and a large community group of niche designers.
I have started using Adwords to direct people to a redbubble page, but still need to read all of @Andy Black 's posts. But limited it to $20 and got a 4.5% clickthru but no purchases. I know that that specific design is too artsy for mainstream people. Will try again next month with a simpler design.
I bought a mini-button maker and started an Etsy store. For selling on Etsy you have to produce the items yourself or have the vendor (printer) approved. So I can sell buttons I make but not tshirts printed by Gooten. So I bought some iron on transfers and the quality is actually quite nice. My sense of ethics is limiting me here. I can probably sell dozens of Dr. Who / Scifi geek buttons and shirts, but it's copyright infringement unless I design my own "fan art" and sell them.
I was going to buy heat press last month, then decided against it, and now it might be a good idea. Will keep it on hold for a while.
Instead of working on designs late at night (which is the only time I have available mostly) I read a chapter or two of the Fastlane book. So I'll soon have a better grasp of what I'm doing right, and what I'm doing wrong.
I'm also taking a free icon/symbol drawing course on Skillshare, and a person I took a class from last year just offered me 3months for $0.99 so I might take a few more courses and up my design skills. Plus, Skillshare has an affiliate program, and I like their courses.
So I'm basically running a one man design studio as a hobby and hope I can use the profit to put back into the business as I try and find a winner.
I was looking for another domain name for my personal design studio and a domain I used a few years ago is being held by a company in China. I could take my business site and add a blog aimed a beginner graphic designers with tutorials and a few quality affiliate programs. I can develop very good tutorials (and I was planning on a Udemy course anyway) which is actually my primary career field essentially.
I'll try and do some more reading on the forum and see what people are up to. But I have at least 1 "commission" to work on, my chiro wants a shirt with my logo on it (deciding on which one is best) but he wants "a white, v-neck, longsleeve tshirt" and I have to look into different long sleeve options
Plus an ex-gf has a 13yo son who is very sick with severe Crohn's disease and he's raising money for a charity he started called "Jacob's Healing Rooms" at Sick Kids Hospital and his mom wants some shirts done and I think a logo would be good. He has a birthday celebration coming up in December I should be attending in Oshawa and will be getting a couple of shirts together and maybe put a line together on Design By Humans to raise money for him.
So given that kind of work load, trying to figure out how to develop and market a tshirt line or lifestyle brand will be put on the back burner.
But then when I took time off on friday to rest my brain 10 new ideas came flooding in
So Redbubble is the winner by sheer volume. But looking at geographic results in interesting as well. I have a number of other niche lines but I am scaling back a bit to treat it more as a hobby. But my first major goal has been accomplished: I now have a number of designs on redbubble and a few other sites so I just hope they sell.
Also, redbubble has no quota, and a large community group of niche designers.
I have started using Adwords to direct people to a redbubble page, but still need to read all of @Andy Black 's posts. But limited it to $20 and got a 4.5% clickthru but no purchases. I know that that specific design is too artsy for mainstream people. Will try again next month with a simpler design.
I bought a mini-button maker and started an Etsy store. For selling on Etsy you have to produce the items yourself or have the vendor (printer) approved. So I can sell buttons I make but not tshirts printed by Gooten. So I bought some iron on transfers and the quality is actually quite nice. My sense of ethics is limiting me here. I can probably sell dozens of Dr. Who / Scifi geek buttons and shirts, but it's copyright infringement unless I design my own "fan art" and sell them.
I was going to buy heat press last month, then decided against it, and now it might be a good idea. Will keep it on hold for a while.
Instead of working on designs late at night (which is the only time I have available mostly) I read a chapter or two of the Fastlane book. So I'll soon have a better grasp of what I'm doing right, and what I'm doing wrong.
I'm also taking a free icon/symbol drawing course on Skillshare, and a person I took a class from last year just offered me 3months for $0.99 so I might take a few more courses and up my design skills. Plus, Skillshare has an affiliate program, and I like their courses.
So I'm basically running a one man design studio as a hobby and hope I can use the profit to put back into the business as I try and find a winner.
I was looking for another domain name for my personal design studio and a domain I used a few years ago is being held by a company in China. I could take my business site and add a blog aimed a beginner graphic designers with tutorials and a few quality affiliate programs. I can develop very good tutorials (and I was planning on a Udemy course anyway) which is actually my primary career field essentially.
I'll try and do some more reading on the forum and see what people are up to. But I have at least 1 "commission" to work on, my chiro wants a shirt with my logo on it (deciding on which one is best) but he wants "a white, v-neck, longsleeve tshirt" and I have to look into different long sleeve options
Plus an ex-gf has a 13yo son who is very sick with severe Crohn's disease and he's raising money for a charity he started called "Jacob's Healing Rooms" at Sick Kids Hospital and his mom wants some shirts done and I think a logo would be good. He has a birthday celebration coming up in December I should be attending in Oshawa and will be getting a couple of shirts together and maybe put a line together on Design By Humans to raise money for him.
So given that kind of work load, trying to figure out how to develop and market a tshirt line or lifestyle brand will be put on the back burner.
But then when I took time off on friday to rest my brain 10 new ideas came flooding in
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