Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

Hello. I think I found something I`m good at. I love sports and designing so I decided to create designs and sell them on t-shirts at Cafepress. I will soon start my own site apart from Cafepress. This is just to get my feet wet. Give me your honest opinions on my site, the shirt designs, logo, etc. It`s catered towards athletes. http://www.hardcoreathletic.com

Thanks

Nice designs. What is your marketing stategy?

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Get Out of Debt

What do you people think of this marketing strategy: I`m going to hand out a couple free shirts to various athletes on different area college, highschool, and semi-pro teams. This is just to create some BUZZ. Also, when the Giants (NFL team) start training camp in August I`m going to hand one out to one of them. What do you guys think of this idea about creating buzz first?

Hardcore Athletic is home to the meanest, baddest, most hardcore sports t-shirts on the web. If you think you`re  a bad ass.  Let me correct that.  If you know you are a bad ass at your sport then rock our shirts and represent to the fullest. If your a (wus)puss then go home and knit something. Currently we have 5 original designs that are so effing awesome. We are a startup company so as we continue to grow --be on the lookout for more bad ass hardcore sports designs.

Corrections in italics.  Geez, use a spell check next time...Nice design, I would probably put more than one T out there.  Send to your local sports people too...network broadcasters local sports show hosts...if you cannot afford actual Tshirts as gifts, invest some time in scaring up their emails and sending a link.

Hope you make tons!

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Dale
www.ourbestidea.com
www.maskerinsurance.com
www.maskercreations.net

I`d like to see closer views of the designs themselves. On the Cafe Press site, lots of people already know a t-shirt is a t-shirt. But since you`re selling your designs, not the shirts, it`d help to have some closer views. If they don`t allow it, then put up your own Web site...maybe as link?

you had me at pussy

Since you`re probably using a Cafepress template I`ll refrain from commenting on the overall layout and navigation.  If your t-shirt designs are so "bad ass" then show me the artwork.  Finally, consult a writer; even the high school and college age people I encounter don`t always talk in this manner. 

Take a look at a new start up in my area: www.m22online.com

Trademarked an icon and has created the t-shirts and a distribution network with like-minded stores; but what this little startup is really selling is "lifestyle".

Thanks for all your input. Yes, maybe I should get closer views of the designs. I know my language is a little rough but thats exactly the kind of people i`m targetting. People just like me that once we compete we become complete bad asses, and this is the kind of language we use so my bad if I offend anyone. Don`t you think that it would be best to speak the language of your audience?

JSondy has a terrific point, one that a whole bunch of entrepreneurs would do well to learn! It`s the "lifestyle."

One of the foundational concepts in advertising and marketing is that the images, music, and language often are designed to create the "impression" of a possible lifestyle for the buyer. The classic is the car ad featuring beautiful young women, where buying the car implies a lifestyle of debauchery. (I love that word! Had to get it in somewhere.  )

At any rate, tee shirts go along with the same program. Anyone can get a t-shirt, even a plain white undershirt. But wearing a t-shirt makes a statement. If you can put across that statement in images and language, they you make an emotional connection with your potential customer.

Cool T-shirts! I agree, images need to be much crisper, I had to click twice just to really see the image and then, I would have really liked it to jump out at me. Good Luck to you!

Diana

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