Small screen printing and custom apparel shop

Schools, sports leagues, companies, event and festival organizers, bands and local nonprofits placing orders of dozens to hundreds of shirts.

Setup fees per design plus a per-shirt price that drops as quantity rises. Add-ons like embroidery, hats and rush orders raise the average order.

• Screen printing or willingness to train
• Design and artwork preparation
• Pricing, scheduling and customer service

• Local zoning, business license and certificate of occupancy for a commercial unit, check with your city or county
• Sales tax registration and resale certificates, check with your state tax agency
• General liability, property insurance and workers' compensation once you hire
• Proper disposal of inks and cleaning chemicals, check local environmental rules
• Large startup spend before you have steady orders, consider buying used equipment

Startup costs are typically around $8,000 to $40,000, depending on your equipment, the commercial space and whether you buy used equipment. Spending heavily before you have steady orders is a risk to weigh.

Monthly revenue is typically around $3,000 to $15,000, depending on order sizes and how many bulk jobs you win from teams, schools and businesses. The idea assumes at least about 30 hours a week.

Check local zoning, business license and certificate of occupancy requirements for a commercial unit with your city or county. Also check sales tax registration and resale certificates, insurance including workers' compensation once you hire, and local environmental rules for disposing of inks and cleaning chemicals.