BigSlicks
I really dont understand what you think the message I am trting to get out. I am not supporting a porn company. Its a cartoon of a ladie in a bikini with a hot dog. There is no nudity well you know what I mean. So lets say want to go to Joes Crab shack do you not take your kids or grand kids in there becouse of the message. "my wife gave me crabs" and so on and so on. I have 1 teenage 15yrs old and a 19yr old and I have seen much worse things on the kids bodies then this. I am pushing a name out there. And if it works great. I am not selling at my stands just online and word of mouth.
I think it's good that you don't plan to sell them at your stand. What if a couple of people asked you? Would you change your mind?
I didn't accuse you of selling porn. It's a matter of image. What image to you want to project?
As an aside, I've noticed that you have a great deal of enthusiasm in promoting your business. That's good. Do you have a firm promotion budget? Many new business owners get caught up in spending and then defend it by saying, "Oh, I can write it off as a business expense". That's true, but it only works if you're actually making a profit, and then you only gain the amount of taxes you would normally pay on that business expense. For instance, if you spent $10.00 on a legitimate business expense, and your tax rate is 30%, your gain is $3.00, but you still spent $7.00 out of your own pocket. If that $7.00 produces more than $7.00 in net profit, then you're ahead. If not, it's money ineffectively spent.
The best advice that I ever got, and have subsequently given, is that the easiest money to make is the money you don't spend. Of course, you may need to spend money on advertising and promotion, such as these shirts, but be aware that if the promotion doesn't produce adequate sales to make you money after the expense of the promotion, that's money down the hole.
Have you figured out how much inventory of fifteen different designs and at least 3-4 different sizes you'll need to carry to support your online sales effort, or will you go out to Walmart, pick you up a shirt and then come back to the house and drag out your ironing board when you get an order?
In the title of this thread, you use the word decal. I assume that your shirts will be made using a transfer, is that right? Will you let your online customer know that the shirt has a transfer and is not screen printed? Will you be prepared to hear from unhappy customers when after a few washings, the transfer is peeling off?
Like I said, enthusiasm is important and so is promotion. Just keep in mind that you're in the hot dog business and not the tee shirt business. Or, are you?
