Many of you regularly make posts asking the questions: "What about this Logo?", "How's this name?", and countless others, attempting to get a feel for branding and how it relates to your company. I myself started off on this site, and without the wonderful community of Emptees and the helpful opinions on this site, I wouldn't be anywhere near achieving success with my brand today. So with that said, I would like to share some of the things that have helped me with my business tremendously, and maybe they can help you as well. <h3>1. Have a solid concept behind your brand.</h3> You know the main reason it is so hard for tee shirt companies to actually make it big? Because <strong>everyone</strong> is doing it. Literally, hundreds if not thousands of companies, organizations, and individuals each year make an attempt to create Tees that sell. Most fail. Why you ask? Because the market is flooded with companies that do the <strong>exact same thing</strong>. So how do you succeed in an industry that is flooded with the same thing? Differentiate yourself from the masses, by being unique. If you cant think of a reason why your company isn't different from any other company, then why would someone choose to buy a shirt from you as opposed to an already established brand? They wont. And that is why its so important to have a unique selling point, whether it be amazing art, or the way you treat your customers, or even the way you sell your shirts, the bottom line is that the more you do to separate yourself from the pack, the more successful you will become over time. <h3>2. Don't force your name.</h3> Often times, in an attempt to get things going with your company, you may hastily decide upon a name, only later to realize that it no longer coincides with the direction you would like for your company. It is not necessary to have a company name immediately. It is however, necessary to have a heading, a course that you would like to see your company follow, and <strong>solid designs</strong>. Doing this will ensure that even if people aren't familiar with a name, they are familiar with your handiwork, and <strong>that</strong> is true branding. <h3>3. Don't Unveil your company too early.</h3> Speaking from personal experience, hold off announcing your presence to the world before you really have anything to show. As tempting as it may be to tell everyone and anyone who will listen that you are now the Supreme Overlord of the Illustrious (INSERT COMPANY NAME HERE), hold off until you have a solid collection of things to keep the public's attention. In the end, when you finally do launch, you will feel much more confident in your brand's ability to speak for itself through the items you offer, and will most likely also have more of a buzz generated by a professional looking store with various items, not just 1 or 2. and last but not least... <h3>4. Be passionate about your work.</h3> If you have a true passion about what you are doing, and where you plan to go, that will be evident to those around you. But don't just focus on the shirts themselves. Find other nuances of the industry that fascinate and inspire you, and learn as much about those topics as possible. Knowing about the inner workings of the biz and how things are made and presented will not only give you a clearer understanding of the industry you wish to be in, but will also give you things to keep you motivated and keep you inspired when your plain sick of seeing .PSD save files and the same graphic you have been staring at on your monitor for the last week straight. And if you aren't sick of either of those things yet, you will be. So hopefully this was helpful to any of you who might have questions about branding and starting a successful company, please feel free to leave any comments or questions you might have, and ill do my best to answer them. Until next time, Julian Cooper The Elegant Scoundrel <a href="http://www.theelegantscoundrel.bigcartel.com/blog" rel="nofollow">Blog</a> 2008-12-27T05:14:24-05:00 A collection of tips on how to successfully brand your company for success. 214 The Importance of Branding and its Impact on your Business 1822 1 2009-11-08T06:11:18-05:00 1568