It is easier now than ever to start your own business or side hustle with the infinite amount of technology and tools available. I will show you everything you need to launch your own apparel brand and eCommerce store in just 30 days.
Let’s break it down into four simple steps that will help you launch your own functional apparel store and bring your brand from daydream to mainstream:
1. Design & Branding (Days 1-30)
2. Register & Build Online Infrastructure (Days 14-21)
3. Implementation & Marketing (Days 22-28)
4. Manage Finances (Days 29-30)
These are the tools and techniques I used to launch my apparel company at hunuapparel.com.
Design & Branding
The first thing you need is a brand concept. Create a brand guide that breaks down your niche.
Design a brand logo, identify a color theme, brand message, and an about me page. (About Hunu Apparel)
Once you established a brand vision, you need to build your product collection. If you are like myself and have a passion for design, you will need to purchase Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop ($33/month). For 30 days straight, I designed t-shirt logos using Illustrator. This design challenge helped me refine my Illustrator skills and learn how to use many tools on the software. There are plenty of tutorials online of Adobe Illustrator tips and tricks. Here are a few Adobe tutorials from my blog: Shape builder tutorial, Blend tool tutorial
You can export your logo designs as JPEG or PNG files, but when it comes to uploading them for printing use the vector Adobe Illustrator (AI) file for the best quality print.
Register & Build Online Infrastructure
Okay now you have your brand concept and a good starting collection of product designs. Now it’s time to implement your brand and bring your store to life. The first thing you need to do is apply for a Tax ID or Employer Identification Number (EIN) so that you are eligible to sell your apparel. In most cases, you can apply and register your business online. Depending on what state you live in, the application process may vary. Click here on how to register your business.
Now you need to create an online store. I used Shopify and a dropshipping service to set up my store. Shopify lets you sign up for a 2-week free trial, and will prompt you to enter your EIN. When setting up your Shopify account, you can purchase a website URL for about $10-$15 per year.
Printful is a free drop-shipping service that will print your custom-made designs on all types of apparel including hats, shirts, sweatshirts, and more.
From Printful’s dashboard, you can upload products to your Shopify store. Printful fulfills your orders and ships them directly to your customer. When you start to upload your Product collection, you will find that you can set custom prices, write details product descriptions, and organize products into collections. This is beneficial when displaying different products such as men’s wear, women’s wear, hats, and accessories.
Shopify allows you to design your store’s website and use free themes from its web library. I personally like the Brooklyn theme. It is clean, sharp and it’s free to use. Set up a basic menu including landing pages for contact, about, blog, and products.
Navigate through Shopify’s settings menu and update how you want your email notifications and order confirmations to work. Creating automated emails by using MailChimp’s plug-in for Shopify allows you to brand confirmation emails, and create special campaigns for discounts and giveaways.
You also need to set up your shipping rates so that they match with Printful’s shipping rates. Set up your desired bank account for Shopify payments and to your Prinful account. For transactions purposes, Printful recommends you activate a PayPal Business account as well.
Marketing & Implementation
Once your site is complete, product designed have been uploaded, and all your Shopify and Printful settings are in place, it’s time to launch your company!
I created an Instagram business page (@hunuapparel) and promoted my new brand through Instagram advertising and influencer marketing. Don’t be afraid to spread the word on all platforms and outlets such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and even with close friends and family to get the ball rolling.
Implementing a plan for creating consistent content along with short term monthly sales and social media goals will help grow your brand for the long term.
Manage Finances
Shopify will keep track of all your sales statistics, but it is important to keep track of your subscription, software, and marketing expenses. Every month it will be important to create an Income Statement. Here is a simple example of an income statement:
Results & Takeaways
Creating a new apparel brand can be challenging and competitive. It is easier than ever to create an eCommerce store, because entry barriers are extremely low the apparel market is extremely over saturated. Defining your niche audience to be specialized and targeted to a smaller audience will translate to more sales. Differentiating yourself from other brands is hard to perfect, but if you can create a niche brand and gain even 100 loyal customers you will have a successful side hustle.
If you are entrepreneurial minded, and have a passion for design, marketing, and selling products, creating an apparel company is a great place to start. It will give you valuable experience in many different areas of business.
In the first three months of creating Hunu Apparel, I learned how to use Adobe Illustrator and designed over 50 products to my Shopify Store. I designed my own website and e-commerce store. I manage my own Instagram business account and increased engagement through Instagram advertising gaining over 350 followers organically. I also gained $1,820 in sales in three months with over 35 orders. I may not have perfected my brand identity or created the perfect niche, but I have learned valuable skills that translate to many aspects of business.
Try it for Yourself
If you are motivated to start your own apparel brand here are a few other resources to get you started in the right direction.
Photoshop Vs. Illustrator T-Shirt Design
How to Start an Online T-Shirt Business
Goodluck! If you have any questions or insights please reach out to me at jakeebeman@gmail.com