Now, for the issue of the retail label. The retail tag is the paper tag attached to the outside of the shirt. It’s usually the first thing to go when you get it home. However, it HAS to be on there. Not only to make your clothes stand out, but to affix retailer information as well- bar codes, price tags etc…

If you do some shopping, you’ll find that the most basic of tags are costly. The best price I could find for a 1000 black and whites with an 1/8 hole for the affixing plastic tag was $1000 dollars.

I’m all about supporting business. But, I’m not about getting burned for 1000 little pieces of paper.

So,  after ordering 1000 business cards from gotprint.com with amazing quality for 11.50$ , I realized that I could easily do 1000 double sided tags in business card size for 18 dollars. All you have to do is create your art in business card size without doing the typical business card info. I’m not beyond doing work myself. So, I bought an 1/8 inch hole punch and punched out a few hundred cards in about 30 minutes. The order itself cost 26 dollars to print and ship. I even put promo info on there to use as handouts at shows.

So, if you’re starting a label, you’ve quickly realize the importance of saving a dollar or a thousand. Check out gotprint.com, create your tag and you’ll have your stuff in less than a week. You can choose glossy, flat, matte etc…. It really is a good find – Enjoy!!!

taken with a camera phone-but you get the idea

I hear this all too often.  Before you say this to someone who’s selling a product such as ours, think about it for a second. An actual billboard is a massive structure that sits in an exact location for all to see that pass by it. It’s very hard to miss. It’s rented for thousands of dollars in blocks of time – usually 3 months at a time or greater. It’s great physical size is the main reason these things are such an effective advertising tool.

The “walking billboard” however, is almost the complete opposite of all the above mentioned things.

It is small. It is worn probably (hopefully) once a week or less. And, it’s probably only seen by a dozen or less people a day. Unless they’re  a celebrity of some sort, the “walking billboard” really provides no real value to the product- enough to warrant people to go buy the product. It’s the design and the feel of the brand that warrants the purchase. I’ve never bought an item of clothing because my neighbor had it on – have you?. The purchase was made because I saw it on someone famous or because I liked the look of it or the design on it. I have countless shirts that were give aways or throw outs at a fight or contest that I never wear or have turned into rags for armor-all. The greatest form of flattery is an actual purchase where someone actually seeks to buy something that we produced. Our time, effort and money went into that product. It feels good that somebody actually wanted it.

We’ve sold to people of all ages, all colors, all races and all religions. It’s a testament of our brand that we can do this. So if you really want to be a “walking billboard”, buy that product and wear it with pride. It’s obvious when you wear a shirt or just throw something on. But don’t insult a manufacturer by asking for free stuff. They put their hard work and effort into bringing something unique to the table. If you really want it, then buy it. Support the economy, support your local guy and support the American dream.

When people come to the booth and I lay down the skinny on Headshot, it just clicks to them. That’s what I get the biggest enjoyment out of – seeing people get it. It’s a gimmie on those who just generally like the imagery of the shirts with guns on them or the MMA designs. But it’s the one’s who light up with a smile when the idea clicks like they just discovered the truth behind a magic trick.

Now, the saddest thing is seeing fellow vendors disappointed that their sales are declining due to the enormous amount of competition forced upon the market because of the increasing socialist threat. These are hard working, honest americans who don’t deserve the backlash of all of this. Again, it’s not just the “rednecks” as some would put it. I see every color, age, gender & religion selling items at these shows. The gun is what freed this country in front of men and women with a true heart , strong ideas & a will to work – not by defeatists seeking entitlements and popularity.

So, if you see an ad for a gun show… go buy something. Even if it’s a t-shirt or a hat. Find out where they’re from and talk to them a bit. You’ll find they’re not the fanatical right-winger you’ve been led to believe they are. They’re just like you – trying to make a living.

Dan

As I travel, sell and develop this beast, I’ll post my thoughts and feelings of the experience. I don’t expect them to all be good – that would make for poor reading. But, I hope that I can look back on this experience some day when we are successful and marvel at the ride.

Stay tuned

Dan Crowson

President

Headshot™ Clothing

http://www.headshotonline.net