Locha
Hello there,
A friend of mine who has studied graphic design and working as a freelancer and finding difficulties to find a job decided to start his own job. He is very talented when it comes to illustration and drawing and is trying to promote his ideas on T-Shirts like Arabic slang words stressing a bit on typography and character. He is also trying to design t-shirts upon request.
What do you think of such a start-up?
port80
Hmm, well it is pretty intersting but he faces some strong competition ashekman and eezmeez have some pretty sweet designs. You can check them out here:
http://www.eezmeez.com (currently under maintrnance)
and
http://www.ashekman.com/
So if he can handle them then sure why not?
Locha
He is a very good illustrator and designer and can compete with them but what I am seeking for are suggestions of how to promote your products. Facebook Page, YouTube Channel, E-Commerce Blog ... What do you suggest? Any plan ?
Ayman
Lebanon is too small as a market for this stuff. If he's looking into making a sustainable business it would be better to target the region, and even better the worldwide market. And there, definitely exists much greater competition, but with great talent, good ideas and hard work he could find a share in that market I guess.
Obviously
As Ayman said, Lebanon is too small of a market. If he targets the MENA region at least, then that would be a better plan. But he needs a market study of each and every main city of every country. He would also be better off advertising things through Facebook and Google ads. And this goes without saying, he needs a really good website. However, I am not sure how he would include PayPal in it, since it is yet to be introduced to Lebanon.
The only bank offering online transactions is Bank Audi, and they want 300$ to set it up + 3% of profit + a monthly fee (forgot how much), which is total bullshit.
Oh and they don't give the online transaction offer to you if you are not a registered company.
Nabs
Lebanon is overpriced, that is why people are having a hard time selling. 3 years ago, Norway had a population less than that of Lebanon, and the geographical distribution there is rough because large areas of the country are not inhabited. Biggest issue here in Lebanon when it comes to a business that is based on sales, is that we want to earn more than we should. No one sticks to the basics. They don't add percentage to item cost, they estimate the value, how much this could go for.
Another issue is that we force our products into consumers, rather than giving them what they want. Simplest example, Class10 MicroSD cards, how long have they been out? How many stores have them here? Those who do, how much are they selling them for?
rolf
It's funny, I wonder if we're talking about the same person.
I know someone who has a small place in Gemmayze. He has already tried his hand at printing on t-shirts, and has some ideas for the future.
He was a lebgeek member, is still a lebgeeks dormant member, most probably.
Come to think of it, I don't think it's the same person, because, although he is a graphic designer and a freelancer, he's not that much into drawing and illustration.
He has some experience printing on t-shirts, and some commercial knowledge, and a great location, maybe we should put them both in touch!
Regarding the people who say that Lebanon is too small of a market, they probably don't know that a $50 investment can be enough to get you started on printing t-shirts.
mesa177
Why stick to just T-shirts? Why not include mugs, keychains, pillows, bags, pencils, pens, and even USBs? This might interest companies to make their promotional items there, which happens quite often because they hand them out during conferences and exhibitions. Even NGOs can be interested, so why not offer them special prices? He can even offer special prices during major events like Beirut Marathon. Also, he can broaden the business to include printing services and logo designs.
rolf
Hi mesa177, those items you listed use very different printing techniques. For tshirts (and probably pillows, maybe bags and other cloth items) you can get started very easily yourself (using serigraphie). For pens, mugs, etc you'll probably need to find a supplier who does it for you and negociate prices, not something very easy for a newcomer. Otherwise, I don't see any reason not too :)
But you don't want to make it sound as if you're goal is to compete with Malek's bookshop either... :)
Nabs
Anybody has any experience in those? What is the cost of printing quality shirts?
Locha
He is a very close friend of mine. He is a very talented designer and illustrator but facing difficulties to find a decent job in Lebanon with a decent salary. He decided to start his own business by promoting his illustrations and ideas on T-Shirts, Long Sleeve T-Shirts, Sweat Shirts, etc. He is also able to customize any idea you have on your T-Shirt.
He is also working on Vinyl Design which can be used for T-Shirts, Cars, Wood, Walls, whatever you feel like and he also brought newly the machine that can print on mugs and several other stuffs.
@rolf, yes you can start a business for cheap but you will have cheap products. As an overall, the Business needs money to start with the right tools in your hands. So, i was thinking to take your opinions concerning this topic. Thank you for your opinions.
By the way, Malek's and Doculand and all those are very expensive if you want to compare it with the real cost of the products.
mesa177
rolf wroteHi mesa177, those items you listed use very different printing techniques. For tshirts (and probably pillows, maybe bags and other cloth items) you can get started very easily yourself (using serigraphie). For pens, mugs, etc you'll probably need to find a supplier who does it for you and negociate prices, not something very easy for a newcomer. Otherwise, I don't see any reason not too :)
But you don't want to make it sound as if you're goal is to compete with Malek's bookshop either... :)
Yes I realize that, but if he starts out limited then he'll face the questions as to why he would only do T-shirts and not something else. Customers have a tendency to built their opinion about a shop from the first impression. And if he turns out to own a shop that rivals Malik's bookstore why not? The money lies in printing more than design. I'm a co-owner at a new start-up company that maintains and sells medical equipment. It's a small-time business, but we print over 2000 brochures, 6000 A4 envelops, and 10 delivery notes/invoice books a year. I used to do them at Doculand, but ever since they botched the last batch I switched to another small-time printshop in Saida. They do a pretty decent job, their prices are better, and most importantly they are punctual (Doculand extended the deadline twice the last time, and we had to repeat the invoice books because they mixed up the numbering). Unfortunately, they don't do printing on pens, pencils, or bags. If we reach a point that we would start doing prints on giveaways I would rather go to a shop that would get it right the first time, has reasonable prices, and would actually comply to deadlines.
@Locha: Would you mind PMing me his details?
Locha
@mesa177 Not at all
rolf
mesa, it is true that it's good to come across as a shop who can do more then t-shirts, I see your point.
BTW printing big quantities at doculand is going to be horribly expensive :) my father is the boss of a graphic design and publishing agency, for your next batch, you can ask them for a quotation, if you want (let me know if you want details).
But, printing corporate promotional material in big quantities and printing trendy t-shirts with artsy illustrations is not the same thing!
Locha
@rolf ... Surely not the same thing ... different quality and different cost
