Realistic Cost Of Starting A Clothing Brand 2024 (It’s not $0)
Summary
TLDRIn this video, Jake outlines the realistic costs and essential steps needed to start a clothing brand. He emphasizes that while some claim you can start with $0, you must spend money on necessities like poly mailers, a website, and inventory. He also covers optional tools such as a label printer and marketing systems that can streamline operations and grow the business. Drawing on his experience since 2017, Jake provides practical advice, pricing breakdowns, and insights on both hardware and software essentials to help aspiring brand owners get started effectively.
Takeaways
- 💰 You need to spend at least $1,000 to appropriately set up a clothing brand.
- 👕 The cost of producing a collection of 30 T-shirts ranges from $210 to $450, depending on the blanks and print services used.
- 📦 Poly mailers for shipping cost around $19 for a pack of 100 on Amazon.
- 💻 A website is essential, and platforms like Shopify can cost between $5 and $30 per month.
- 📱 Social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok are crucial for building a digital presence and connecting with your audience.
- 📋 A business plan is necessary for setting your brand’s direction and growth, and can evolve through trial and error.
- 🖥 A computer or tablet is mandatory for workflow and design, with prices starting around $300.
- 🎨 Design software like Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop is important, and the Creative Suite costs around $54 per month.
- ✉️ Consider using email systems like MailChimp to collect customer emails and send out marketing campaigns, costing around $20 to $50 per month.
- 🚀 Digital marketing, such as Instagram and Facebook ads, is highly recommended for brand growth, with flexible costs depending on the campaign size.
Q & A
What are the basic necessities required to start a clothing brand?
-The basic necessities include poly mailers for shipping, a website (like Shopify), social media presence (Instagram, TikTok), inventory or pre-order method, a business plan, a computer or tablet, and design software like Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop.
How much should you expect to pay for a t-shirt with some color print?
-The cost of a t-shirt with color print ranges from $7 to $15, depending on the clothing blank used. Most printing places have a minimum of 30 to 50 units, so the total cost could be between $210 and $450 for a batch of 30 units.
What is the suggested price for poly mailers for shipping products?
-Poly mailers cost around $19 for a pack of 100 on Amazon.
What is the monthly cost of running a website for a clothing brand?
-The monthly cost of a website ranges from $5 to $30, with Shopify being a recommended platform.
What are the benefits of using a pre-order method versus holding inventory?
-With the pre-order method, you can accept orders without holding inventory, then place production afterward, which can reduce upfront costs. Holding inventory requires purchasing stock before selling, which ties up capital but allows for faster order fulfillment.
What is the estimated cost for a decent computer or tablet to run a clothing brand?
-A suitable computer or tablet would cost around $300 or more, depending on the specs, with a recommendation of at least 250GB of hard drive space.
How much does design software like Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop cost?
-Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop can cost $20 to $30 per month each, or you can get the Adobe Creative Suite for $54 per month, which includes all Adobe products.
What are some optional items that could help improve business operations?
-Optional items include a label printer ($180), an email system ($20 to $300 per month depending on the list size), an SMS system ($20 per month), and an improved shipping system ($20 per month).
How much should you budget for digital marketing, like Instagram and Facebook ads?
-The cost of ads is flexible, ranging from $5 to $50 per day. For example, running ads at $10 per day for 15 days would cost $150 a month.
What is the total estimated fixed cost and monthly recurring cost for starting a clothing brand?
-The fixed costs amount to approximately $499, while the recurring monthly costs range from $245 to $484, depending on optional expenses like ads, email systems, and shipping systems.
Outlines
🧢 How Much Money You Need to Start a Clothing Brand
Jake introduces the video by discussing the basic costs required to start a clothing brand, emphasizing that while some may claim you can do it with no money, it realistically requires a budget of at least $1,000 to get properly set up. He shares his credentials, having started in 2017 and gained significant experience with manufacturers and large orders. Jake briefly touches on essential costs, like creating t-shirts with a minimum print order, and promises detailed price summaries along the way. He concludes by stressing that money must be spent to run a business, covering both hardware and software needs.
📦 Essential Tools and Costs for Starting Your Brand
Jake outlines the essential tools for starting a clothing brand. This includes poly mailers, a website (he recommends Shopify for $5 to $30 per month), and the necessity of a strong social media presence across platforms like Instagram and TikTok. He explains the pre-order versus inventory methods for managing stock and emphasizes the need for a business plan to guide the brand’s direction. Additionally, he mentions the importance of owning a computer or tablet, recommending at least 250 GB of storage, as well as using design software like Adobe Illustrator or alternatives like Affinity. Overall, the essential setup costs $319 upfront and $35 to $84 monthly.
🖨️ Extra Tools to Improve Business Operations
Jake covers optional but highly beneficial tools for enhancing business operations. He recommends investing in a label printer (around $180), using email systems like MailChimp for $20 to $300 per month, and integrating SMS systems to connect with customers. He also suggests upgrading shipping systems like Shipo or ShipStation, which offer better discounts and easier interfaces for bulk editing. Additionally, Jake encourages engaging with communities online, like Instagram group chats and subreddits, and emphasizes the value of Instagram and Facebook ads, advising a starting budget of $5 to $50 per day. The overall extra costs amount to $180 upfront and $210 to $400 monthly.
💼 Total Cost Overview and Final Thoughts
In the final section, Jake provides a total cost breakdown: $499 upfront and $245 to $484 per month for the essential and extra tools combined. He reminds viewers to consider other important factors like sales and income tax, LLC fees, and other business expenses, which vary depending on the location and scale of the brand. Jake encourages aspiring entrepreneurs to focus on setting up their businesses correctly first, then deal with these additional financial factors as they grow. He signs off by thanking viewers, encouraging them to like, subscribe, and check out his brands and digital assets linked in the description.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Clothing brand
💡Inventory vs Pre-order method
💡Poly mailers
💡Website
💡Social media presence
💡Adobe Illustrator/Photoshop
💡Label printer
💡Email and SMS systems
💡Digital marketing
💡Business plan
Highlights
Basic necessities needed to run a clothing brand include costs for poly mailers, a website, and social media presence.
Starting a clothing brand requires at least $300 to $400 for the basics, not $0 as some claim.
A T-shirt with color print typically costs $7 to $15 per unit, and most printing services require a minimum order of 30 to 50 units.
Expect to pay around $210 to $450 for an initial shirt order, depending on the clothing blank and number of units.
Poly mailers cost about $19 per 100 units, a necessary expense for shipping products.
Website costs range from $5 to $30 per month, with Shopify being a recommended platform for clothing brands.
Social media presence is essential, with platforms like Instagram and TikTok being prioritized to showcase the brand.
Decide between pre-order and inventory methods: either buy inventory first or accept orders and produce after.
A clear business plan and direction are critical to keep your brand on track.
A computer or tablet is mandatory for efficient workflow, with prices starting around $300.
Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop are recommended for design work, costing $20 to $30 per month.
Label printers like the Rolo thermal printer, which costs $180, make printing labels and packing slips easier.
Email and SMS systems help engage with customers, costing $20 to $50 per month depending on list size.
Improved shipping systems like Shipo or Pirate Ship cost around $20 per month, offering discounts on shipping labels.
The total fixed cost for starting a clothing brand is around $499, with $245 to $484 in recurring monthly expenses.
Transcripts
hey guys it's Jake in this video I'll be
going through how much money you
realistically need to start a clothing
brand so there's a few basic things that
you absolutely need to run a clothing
brand so expect to spend some money
regardless then I'll go over some extra
stuff that isn't necessarily needed but
could improve your business operations
and I'll give price summaries along the
way so you get an idea of what these
numbers look like also my credentials
are I started in 2017 selling one of one
embroidered hoodies then found local
manufacturers then over seas
manufacturers did Bigger drops with
2,000 plus orders hopefully you've seen
my other videos been in this for about 6
years I know what you need to get the
job done and real quick before we start
people are making videos on how to start
a brand with $0 as your budget no you
need to spend money at least a $0000 to
appropriately get set up correctly don't
rush until you have all the basics or
not I don't care it's not my brand you
need to buy things and spend money
monthly also I'll be going over the
hardware and software stuff needed to
just get started to buy your first
collection a t-shirt with some color
print on it should cost like $7 to $15
depending on the clothing blank used and
most printing places have a minimum of
30 to 50 units so for a shirt with 30
units would cost $210 to
$450 I recommend finding a print service
near you on Google and asking them for a
price sheet and you can play around with
a number so first the Necessities in no
specific order poly mailers about $19
per 100 count on Amazon for shipping
your products a website $5 to $30 a
month I use and recommend Shopify
YouTube how to set one up it's not that
hard just takes a day or two to fully
set up and understand the interface
social media Instagram Facebook Tik Tok
Discord Twitter Snapchat Etc you want to
make a digital presence use these social
medias to show the public who you are
what you do and why they should care
about you YouTube how to grow on these
platforms you don't have to use all of
them at least use Instagram and Tik Tok
inventory versus pre-order method
whether you want to buy inventory or if
you run the pre-order method you're a
clothing brand you need clothes to sell
I already have a video on pre-order
versus inventory methods that go into
more detail but basically you either buy
clothing first as inventory then sell to
customers or you start accepting orders
without inventory then Place production
afterwards then ship to customers once
production is finished a business plan
Direction purpose something that at
least puts your brand and creative
processes on a track to go in a
Direction ideally a direction you want
to like and want to explore this may
take some trial and error but you'll get
it with practice you'll do great
computer or tablet price varies I'd say
$300 plus it's pretty mandatory for
workflow and ease doesn't even have to
be a beefy computer or tablet just
enough to run your software and apps
well and have medium large hard drive
space I recommend 250 GB or more if
possible softwares like Adobe
Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop but they
can cost around 20 to 30 bucks a month a
month or get Adobe Creative Suite for 54
bucks a month and you get every Adobe
product which I personally prefer or
Affinity photopia any software
you're comfortable with or you want to
learn so the total cost here is
$319 fixed cost for polymailers and
computer sltt and $35 to $84 per month
for recurring subscriptions real quick
if you're thinking about starting a
clothing brand or already trying to grow
one I highly recommend you check out my
SE Vector mockup pack I recently added
$89 new mockup to the pack and it's the
same price of $28 these mockups are
fully customizable in Adobe Illustrator
and are perfect for making Tech packs to
send to your manufacturers I also have a
manufacturer list on my website too if
you're good on the designing part but
don't know where to actually get the
clothing made lastly if you want to see
testimonies from people whove previously
bought my mockup packs check out my
highlights on my Instagram @ by sees
thousands of people love my mockups and
I know you will too add over now that we
cover the necess ities let's talk about
some extra stuff that might help you
label printer $180 makes printing labels
and packing slips so much easier I
recommend the rol brand thermal printer
uses lasers to burn the labels there's
no ink all you do is buy the shipping
labels here's the printer and the
shipping labels on Amazon an email
system 20 bucks a month but can scale to
50 bucks per month and even $300 per
month depending on how big your email
list is and how many emails you send out
per month like MailChimp or clavio you
really should start collecting emails on
your website so you can start sending
emails out during key events for drop
days giveaways sales news anything get
the email list going these do cost
monthly depending on your email list
size and amount of emails you send out
SMS system 20 bucks a month same scaling
as email system big lists can be
expensive but valuable like SMS bump or
post script like the email system start
collecting phone numbers so you have
even more ways to engage with your
customers also is a monthly subscription
depending on SMS list size and amount of
text you send out
improved shipping system 20 bucks a
month like shipo ship station easy ship
pirate ship Etc makes it so much easier
to ship your packages offers convenient
user interfaces cool bulk editing
features that shopify's UI doesn't offer
and really really good discounts on
shipping label prices friends you got to
socialize a little bit and build rapport
with people online join discords join
subreddits comment on other people's
posts join Instagram group chats those
are nice make friends share ideas have
account ability spend time and
conversation with people who share your
interests Instagram and Facebook ads
depends on how often you want to run ads
and how much money per day you can do $5
per day or $10 per day or $50 per day
for three days if you're dropping
clothes during that time all up to you
and very flexible running ads for any
business is incredibly helpful if you
run them correctly there are tons of
videos on YouTube that explain how to do
this it's tough but you need to practice
I highly recommend you look into this
and figure out how to get good good at
digitally marketing your brand buy books
watch videos put in the work so the
total cost here is $180 fixed cost for
the Rolo printer and $210 to $400 per
month for recurring subscriptions
assuming you're running cheap $10 per
day ads for 15 days out of the month so
150 a month for the ads if you add
necessities and Extras together it's
$499 fixed cost and $245 to $484 per
month for the recurring subscriptions
also I'm not taking taking into account
sales tax and income tax or cost of
paying an LLC or some other business
type those vary and are important too
but you should focus on setting up your
business correctly then think about
those things as you grow there are tons
of videos on YouTube that explain those
things and how much they cost you may
have none of these things or some of
these things and these aren't even a
fraction of all possible things one
needs to be a successful clothing brand
or business but if you don't have all of
these Essentials you're putting yourself
at a slight disadvantage compared to
your peers so keep that in mind thanks
for watching like And subscribe if you
haven't already and check out my Brands
and my digital assets all will be linked
in the description below see you
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