Hi I have been handpainting clothing for a little while..I made custom pants for my daughter for cheerleading now everyone wants a pair.(they are just asking for them , not offering to pay and they take quite a while to do!!).They are really cool and I have alot of ideas and time since my three kids are in school and my mother just passed away from Breast Cancer in July..I really need to do this and would also like to incorporate Breast cancer items to donate the money..Help..how do I start??? How will pople take me seroiously..And what should I do first...I already bought some bulk jeans to paint and have all the very expensive paints and everthing I need to go....What should I do next?? Thanks for your help...:-)

Get yourself some business cards and/or flyers and just start handing them out "religiously". Be proactive and don't just wait on people to call. You probably will continue to have people call so it seems, since your daughter seems to be drawing in friends and schoolmates, but then you can just tell them, that it really takes a lot of time to do them, and that you have to charge a little, but that you would love to do one for them. Maybe have designs already done, so that others can see what they look like and for those who are not creative that need ideas to get them going.

Also, since you already have bulk jeans, how about teaching them to design their own and holding classes. Charge for the classes. Or how about designing parties where each child gets to design their own. Of course this is a whole different diretion to take the business and you have to think about whether that is the direction that you want to go.

Ssounds like a fun business. I wish you success with it. Hope this helps a little.

Daphne
Sage Logos
$40 off first logo design to idea cafe readers (reg.$99)
http://www.sagelogos.co.nr

Sounds like a great little business that could take off.
I love Daphne's suggestion of teaching how to paint your own jeans and a nice idea for an additional stream of income down the road.

I would also suggest making some for friends and their kids and having them "advertise" for you. Give the moms your business cards so they can pass them out when others ask where she got them.

Also, to get you started, make up a few and shop them around to local boutiques. Have order forms ready to go. They will likely want wholesale pricing so price them with that in mind (wholesale is usually 50% of retail.

Sounds like a fun business! Hope it goes well for you.

Thanks so much for all your help and wisdom!!! I feel so great that you both responded and I do love your ideas.I am working on a jacket for a friends daughter so people can see.. I am also handpainting all the centerpieces for my sons Bar Mitzhfa...( alittle off the clothing track but i don't see anything I like) I will make business cards as you both said..I am naming the business after my mother who died July 5 of Breast cancer....Hence, Helen's daughter!! I want to donate a % of what I sell to Breast cancer research ..Maybe everthing will tie in together..thanks for your kind words..

All my very best,
Helen's Daughter Liz........

By the way, I once bought up the entire lot of children's hand painted fleece outfits when someone just walked into my shop and showed them to me. She was getting out of the business and was looking to sell her left overs. So, I can tell you firsthand that just walking into boutiques with your samples can bring you business.