7 ways to start a pet apparel design business
If you’re someone who loves animals, it’s worth considering starting your own pet apparel design business. As the owner of such a company, you’ll be able to help pet owners find fashionable outfits for their pets that are comfortable and appropriate for each animal’s lifestyle and personality.
Starting your own pet apparel design business can be very profitable, but it does require a lot of time and hard work. The first step to starting your own pet apparel design business is to research. – You’ll need to do some research, but luckily tons of online resources will help you find fabrics, figure out how to sew specific pieces together, and sell your products online or in-person at events and local boutiques.
You should also decide how much of your time you’re willing to devote to your business, as well as what kind of price range to have with your products.
Thankfully, these eight tips will help you start your pet apparel design business with the right knowledge and tools to achieve success:
Learn About The Industry
The first step in starting any business is getting familiar with your industry. It doesn’t matter if you plan on selling pet apparel online or starting a pet clothing retail store. The more you know about your industry, including its trends and other businesses that are doing well, the easier it will be for you to stay ahead of your competition and start a pet apparel design business that thrives. Once you have your plan together and a company name then the next step is to do a companies house name check to ensure the trading name you want is available!
Make Yourself Known
The best way to kick off your new business is by making yourself known. By signing up for industry-specific listservs, joining local community organizations, and attending industry events, you’ll be able to build your network and generate leads. You can have the chance to meet pet clothing designers in your area who will hopefully become good clients.
You can also make content online and distribute it through social media channels-if you know where to look, there are many free and inexpensive ways to get your name out there. Just make sure what you share is valuable and can be able to show your products and branding well.
Add Accessories
Pets are part of your family and deserve outfits that reflect that. Just like you’d want your children or spouse to wear nice clothes, consider their accessories such as collars, leashes, and harnesses. Instead of just clothing, you can also include bags, shoes, and custom-made leashes. Collars are an essential part of any pet’s wardrobe. You can sell collars for dogs in various sizes and colors, and even customize them for certain activities. Make it unique by adding some bling, like customized attachments and pendants.
Build Your Website
One of the most popular ways for pet apparel designers to sell their products is through online marketplaces. If you’re looking for more control over your sales and business, consider building your website instead. With your website, you can offer not only apparel, but also your other products such as collars, leashes, shoes, and any other apparel that you can offer.
Just remember to post good photos, especially with your customized leashes and pet jewelry. There are professional photo retouching services for online jewelry shops to make your products look better since such items can be difficult to take pictures of.
Get to Know Etsy
What Is Etsy? It is one of several large online marketplaces that sell handmade and vintage goods. While some people view these sites as potential new revenue streams, others use them as places to expand their product lines. However, you choose to use these sites, learning how they work can give you valuable insight.
Market Yourself Well
You might have an amazing and unique product, but if no one knows about it, your business won’t last. So make sure you tell people! There are lots of ways to do that, from advertising on Facebook and Instagram, setting up a website, or even buying offline ads in places like print magazines and newspapers. Once you’ve built up an awareness of your brand, you can start getting sales.
To get started, you’ll need a few good and unique ideas. One way you can start is by brainstorming new designs and concepts. Once you have your list of potential ideas, it’s time to turn them into products. Think of your favourite apparel or accessories that you wear every day – most likely, they don’t follow conventional designs. You can do something similar with pet apparel, like making fanny packs or even clip-on earrings.
Embrace New Technology
Technology has made it much easier for pet owners to take their animals with them wherever they go, and today’s digital landscape offers plenty of opportunities for people looking to start pet apparel design businesses. It might mean creating apps that offer valuable information about your shop, or building interactive sites for them to buy your products.
Online platforms also make it easy to reach customers all over the world, which can be appealing if you live in an area where animal-related industries aren’t particularly robust. The most important thing is being able to leverage technology effectively.
*This is a collaborative post.
