WAHM > Stay at Home Mom Work Ideas > Traditional Product > Sell Sports Clothing from Home

Start a Sports Clothing Business

What you will be doing.  Not only do sports fans want clothing, athletes need clothing, too.  Offering a line of sports uniforms for the discerning athlete is big business.  You may start with the local baseball teams, but you could end up providing uniforms or clothing for a nationally recognized team or sports figure. 

Everything depends on the niche that you choose.  A sport that you are interested in takes less effort than choosing to sell clothing for a sport that you know nothing about.  If you are into basketball or gymnastics, you can sell men’s and women’s clothing or specialize in one gender. 

How to start.  Do your homework.  What is the big sport in your area?  An underdeveloped market will make the most profit for you.  By getting in on the ground floor in your niche, you have more leeway in what you can offer and the prices.  If you are offering items that are new, people will look to you to purchase them. 

Know the colors and mascots off all the teams in your area, from little league to professional.  When you purchase you uniforms and other items they will have wider appeal.  If you plan on doing the embroidery yourself, you will need a machine and the software to do so. 

Starting costs.  Depending on your niche, the costs can be high.  If you plan on marketing your clothing to local businesses, you will need samples of the line to show.  This goes for online selling as well.  Color pictures or a catalogue is a great marketing tool. 

A small business loan of about $30,000 should provide enough capital to purchase all of your equipment, advertising, demo products, and office space setup.  If you do not plan to do any personalization yourself, you can cross off that equipment, but you will still need a computer, printer, fax, and telephone, cases to carry your demo clothing, clothing racks, and accessories.  To reduce shipping cost and the hassle, choose a wholesaler that can personalize your uniforms or other apparel for the customer. 

Skills needed.  A nose for marketing helps the business go far.  Attention to detail can make the difference between sale and no sale.  You will do a fair amount of cold calling and presentations if you plan to operate part of your business locally.  Knowing your product inside and out reduces nervousness during a presentation. 

Friendliness puts potential customers at ease.  Looking them in the eye lets them know that you can be trusted.  Returning phone calls, faxes, and emails promptly is a sign of good customer service. 

Marketing.  A fair amount of money and time should be spent on marketing the product.  Cold calling and hitting the streets is a necessary part of getting your product out there in the local area.  As for online marketing, advertising on sporting websites, building your own, and selling products on eBay all work to provide a customer base. 

Producing a color catalogue and showing it to local businesses is a plus.  It is expensive, but the return will be worth it.  Selling pieces at flea markets and trade shows can yield bulk orders.  Offer a free coach’s uniform when the team purchases their apparel from you.  Partnering with a local cleaning company can bring new business to both of you. 

There is a market for sports apparel.  Knowing where to concentrate your efforts is important.  Sports figures have ideas about what they want to see in athletic wear and this can be helpful to you.

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