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Hi, I'm Garrett, and I just recently heard about Ms. Rand's writing. We read Anthem a few months ago in my English class (I'm currently 16, by the way), and I thought that the book was, well, awesome. At the time, I was a very, very liberal Democrat, and was absolutely in favor of Socialism. Anthem was the spark that brought my curiosity to life. I then went and immediately borrowed The Fountainhead from the school library. I was blown away. The book was like a slap in the face. Everything I thought was right was questionable, and I was in a bit of a moral crisis.

At first I attempted to reconcile what I had learned with what I already believed. I had yet to read Atlas, so I didn't think about the political implications of it. But after I read Atlas, which I now consider to be the greatest book ever written for what it has done to me, I was totally changed. Her writing was everything I had always felt was right, but applied. I had always hated incompetence and intentional ignorance, our culture's worship of stupidity and inadequacy, and the people that had tried to stop me from succeeding. I would say that I hate to sound cocky, but I think that you guys understand that here, in saying that I had always been of above average intelligence. I was (and still am), treated worse because of my intellect. It's not that I see now that it isn't a bad thing to be better, I have always chased challenges and sought knowledge, but that there is a whole philosophy about everything I felt was right. Objectivism is probably the most life-changing thing that I have ever experienced.

That's my story. Currently, I'm in the process of creating my own business in the form of an online clothing store. It's my personal summer project.

Looking forward to learning from all of you,

Garrett

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Welcome~

That's my story. Currently, I'm in the process of creating my own business in the form of an online clothing store. It's my personal summer project.

Are you more interested in the business side of things, or the clothing? Or are both equal in interest?

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Welcome. I am glad reading those books was as life changing of an experience as it was for me. Just wait until you get to the non-fiction.... One comment of advice however in regards to your entrepreneurial pursuit. This is actually a pretty common idea by people around your age that want to start up some sort of business. There are a ridiculous number of online clothing stores like the one you are probably thinking of. So I suggest you get some good designers or some idea that will largely set yours apart from the rest, because otherwise you are probably waisting your time to be honest. I am not saying you shouldn't do it, if you want to do it you should certainly go for it, but make sure you do your research on the market you are entering and make sure you know what you are getting into. Too many people do these little online clothing stores and they end up bottom lining in a few months.

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Are you more interested in the business side of things, or the clothing? Or are both equal in interest?

Mainly business. I'm actually not too into shopping, but, I have noticed that I rarely find clothes that I would wear. I figure that there have to be others who feel the same way, so I want to make a line for people like me.

Welcome. I am glad reading those books was as life changing of an experience as it was for me. Just wait until you get to the non-fiction.... One comment of advice however in regards to your entrepreneurial pursuit. This is actually a pretty common idea by people around your age that want to start up some sort of business. There are a ridiculous number of online clothing stores like the one you are probably thinking of. So I suggest you get some good designers or some idea that will largely set yours apart from the rest, because otherwise you are probably waisting your time to be honest. I am not saying you shouldn't do it, if you want to do it you should certainly go for it, but make sure you do your research on the market you are entering and make sure you know what you are getting into. Too many people do these little online clothing stores and they end up bottom lining in a few months.

I'm a relatively competent designer for many other things (I have experience in 2D and 3D art, and am a decent pencil artist), so I think it can translate. The whole idea is a pretty recent one, so I have yet to do much research into the competition.

EDIT:

Also, I was thinking about what you said and I realized that this is kind of a Roark situation in the sense that the people like me, who want shirts like those that I will make, will find them. Plus, the cost to maintain the business is so low I could really wait as long as I have to. Start up costs are minimal and I have quite a bit of my birthday money left over, so that's more or less out of the way.

Edited by TheDudeWow
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Hi, and welcome to the forum.

Concerning your startup, I say keep going if you like it. Research, but not thinking, "Should I?" unless you find a very compelling reason against; instead, think, "How can I...?" Do everything you can to make it great, and you will love it more and more.

For more specific advice, it's good to get an idea of your competition to see if there is room for you in a market, or even if there is a market. A good way to start is to Google any idea you have, in as many ways as you need to. Next, unless you have a really compelling clothing idea, (really compelling! Fashion borrows from and repeats itself year after year, decade to decade because there are not many ideas left), you are going to be specializing in some aspect of clothing in a way not done before, or done better than before. That would include things like the "package" or image you put everything in (how people feel when they shop for, look at, and wear your clothes) and the actual clothing pieces (such as custom fancy colonial-inspired shoulder pads... as an example :) ). People are not going to just find you; the interested already have a slew of places they check for the kinds of clothing they like. You need to also find them in all the ways you can dream up.

Good luck!

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If there isn't room for me, I'll make room! On a more serious note, the kinds of clothes that I am designing are only vaguely similar to one other company, and they aren't that alike. The years I have spent trying to find things that I would like to wear is my research. But I do agree that I will have to advertise A LOT. But as for original clothing pieces, I don't have any sewing experience, so that will have to come later. I want to focus on tees and maybe hoodies to start out with.

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You can buy a blank hoodie or t-shirt of your choice and print anything you'd like on it for under $30 or $40, if you can get the clothing wholesale. In fact, there are loads of sites that already exist that give every living person the ability to do just that all by himself online, if they aren't too picky about the fit or type of material. If you want to make money, you'll need to get very specific, since there are many options for people when it comes to clothing choices already. If you've got the money around and "just want to see" if other people like what you print, too, as you noted the cost/risk is minimal. And advertising isn't just traditional, it can be anything that winds up selling your shirts. Friends of friends can be your singular source sometimes.

Anyway, you'll figure it out as you go along. What are you planning to make, that you can't find already, out of curiosity?

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An example of one of the few brands that I wear:

http://www.kohls.com/kohlsStore/landingpages/apt9/mens/graphictees/PRD~654148/Apt+9+World+Peace+Tee.jsp

http://www.kohls.com/kohlsStore/landingpages/apt9/mens/graphictees/PRD~633690/Apt+9+London+Stripe+Tee.jsp

http://www.kohls.com/kohlsStore/landingpages/apt9/mens/graphictees/PRD~623647/Apt+9+Bridge+Photo+Tee.jsp

http://www.kohls.com/kohlsStore/landingpages/apt9/mens/graphictees/PRD~673625/Apt+9+Feather+Smoke+Tee.jsp

http://www.kohls.com/kohlsStore/landingpages/apt9/mens/graphictees/PRD~678398/Apt+9+Parallelogram+Tee.jsp

However, this is all I wear of them (Apt. 9, by the way). As much as I like these, I still feel that they lack something, and that's what I'm trying to make. I can't really put into words what it is, though. I think that shirts can be a physical display of ideas and character traits, and I want to make the traits that I try to live by.

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Well, it is simple enough to print shirts yourself for cheaper than Zazzle or similar services. American Apparel and Alternative Apparel (better shirts in fit and materials than American Apparel, IMO) both offer wholesale accounts directly to anyone with a government EIN, which you can acquire for a small fee and a (more or less) guaranteed application process. Go to your state's small business website for step-by-step information. Gilden, Fruit of the Loom and others offer cheaper but poorer quality shirts.

DIY Shirts is a great digital printer with good prices (prices on their site include a shirt, so they will be lower if you send your own to them); digital printing (as opposed to screen printing) is likely what was used for those Apt. 9 shirts; it feels nicer and lasts longer, too.

You can easily set up your own online template shop and begin selling immediately. Yahoo! small business shops are popular, but there are many others, including custom flash templates, etc. from freelance designers. Use Google. You can even mix and match templates with template shopping carts. Anyone can accept all major credit cards sans the application process for a small percentage of each sale using PayPal (as opposed to applying for a merchant account), which can also easily be integrated into any website. Go to PayPal for details.

If you are going to create the designs yourself, you won't have to worry about hiring a designer, but most print services offer graphic design services. The good ones will also accept any file format you submit and convert them as they need to at their offices.

The most annoying obstacle is tracking taxes. It may be easier just to keep all receipts and records of sales and give it to a tax specialist at the end of every tax season. You may also need a vendor's license depending on where you intend to sell. Tax preparation and (legal, legitimate, based on current code) avoidance is extremely time consuming, especially since the law changes constantly, so you can't completely learn it once and be done with it.

Edited by JASKN
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From the start I was always going to screen print by hand. I like to actually physically create, and that fills the desire pretty well. The main thing I need to learn is the business side. I'm not exactly sure what business licenses, if any, I need for an online store, and I know nothing about taxes. But, this is all stuff I'll have to know in the future, so now is as good a time to start as any.

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Lots of people screen print by hand, I'm sure you will find many resources online about it. The business side is no problem, really just a matter of knowing where to find the information. The best place to start would probably be a small business site, even your state's, or various FAQ-type explanation sites about your particular business interest. "So you want to start a screenprint business... everything you need to know as a beginner," something like that. Go to several of those sites, because they are written by single people who invariably forget something. When it comes down to it, though, you just need to be aware of your retail sales state regulations and how to report your taxes (as a business and as a minor, in your case -- check out types of businesses; sole proprietorship, partnerships, and corporations). Everything else, how you want to do things, is all up to you.

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