Promotional Clothing Business

2 Promotional Clothing Business Success Stories [2024]

Pat Walls

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Updated: October 8th, 2024

Looking for a creative way to promote brands? Dive into the promotional clothing business. This involves designing and selling custom branded apparel like t-shirts, hats, and hoodies to companies seeking to enhance their marketing efforts.

Promotional clothing is not just about printing logos; it’s about creating wearable advertisements that capture attention and build brand loyalty. The demand is substantial, ranging from small businesses to large corporations, all seeking unique ways to stand out. To start, you’ll need basic design skills or a reliable graphic designer, and partnerships with printing suppliers who can produce high-quality garments.

Getting your business off the ground requires market research, a reliable supply chain, and effective marketing strategies. With dedication and a keen eye for quality, you can cater to businesses looking for an edge in brand recognition. The opportunity is ripe for those ready to combine creativity with entrepreneurial spirit.

In this list, you'll find real-world promotional clothing business success stories and very profitable examples of starting a promotional clothing business that makes money.

1. Sockrates Custom Socks ($6.3M/year)

Samuel Moses, the founder of Sockrates Custom Socks, came up with the idea for his business while managing a men's accessory store in Toronto. After realizing the high demand for socks and receiving requests from companies for custom socks, he saw a gap in the market and decided to pivot his business towards producing high-quality custom socks for corporate clients. Today, Sockrates is a global business with thousands of clients worldwide and a reputation for excellence in design and production.

How much money it makes: $6.3M/year
How much did it cost to start: $25K
How many people on the team: 10

Starting A $525K/Month Custom Socks Business With The Fastest Shipping Speed

This case study article showcases the success of Sockrates Custom Socks, a business that started with 10-15 orders a month and now receives 150-350 orders a month from all over the world, specializing in fast 7-day turnaround for high-quality custom socks for B2B clients including Fortune 500 companies.

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2. GoPromotional ($4.8M/year)

Gareth Parkin, the founder of GoPromotional, came up with the idea for his business after gaining experience in the printing and advertising industry. With the emergence of the internet, Gareth taught himself how to build websites and saw an opportunity to launch one of the first online promotional product companies. Through his expertise in digital marketing, he was able to rapidly grow the business, eventually expanding internationally and achieving a turnover of £12m per annum.

How much money it makes: $4.8M/year
How much did it cost to start: $200
How many people on the team: 9

How I Started A $3.5M/Year Branded Merchandise Company After Spending 2 Months In Coma

GoPromotional is a UK-based online distributor of custom-branded promotional products with an annual turnover of around £3m, founded by Gareth Parkin, who learned to build websites for his previous employer before starting the business.

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Read by 3,026 founders