My topic today is the re-activation of my Etsy shop. I started this shop in 2010 to sell some handmade cardigans. When those were gone, the store was deactivated, until now!
Slogans Inspired by Barn Hunt
I was discussing my dog Brook’s performance at a barn hunt trial with our instructor, and she mentioned something about being “At the mercy of the terrier brain.” Thinking that would make a great slogan for a T-shirt, I got started on a project. I came up with a graphic with a Bull Terrier brain with sections labeled for all the things my dog typically did in the ring. After a meeting with a former colleague from the ad agency and a fair bit of research later, I had a print-on-demand (POD) direct-to-garment (DTG) printed shirt from Printful in my possession. A friend admired my shirt. I thought I should put the shirt in the shop, and she purchased a couple of shirts.
More Ideas, More Barn Hunt T-Shirts
Then I got more ideas for shirt slogans. I searched barn hunt t-shirt listings, I didn’t find anything like my ideas. I saw market potential, and besides, I wanted these shirts! So I came up with a few more designs, decided to try Printify to add those to my shop, and now I’ve got 5 different shirts. Still only a couple of real orders, but I can create shirts I like better than ones I can buy for less than I’d have to pay for them elsewhere.
What Will the Future Bring?
I don’t know if this shop will be any sort of success except for my personal wardrobe, but it’s fun, and I get to play around with marketing. Which I’ve done most of my adult life, so it’s fun to play around on my own time and dime. Stop by my shop if you’re interested in shirts with a humorous twist on the barn hunt experience.