The campaign season is upon us once again (if you’re from
Kenya that is) which means politicians will be spending big money on posters,
t-shirts, caps and umbrellas. And beyond the campaign season; companies,
governments and institutions always have projects to run and they need….you
guessed it…lot’s of promotional materials. So how can you start a business that
fulfills this exact need? Is there a lot of money involved? We take a
look.
How To Get Started
You need to invest in a digital heat press machine (you can
always upgrade to a more advanced machine as your business grows), a computer
and a few sample materials (e.g. sample t-shirts, umbrellas etc). Also, you
need to some graphic design skills which you can acquire through local
trainings (consider interning at a busy printing shop to learn the best
practices of this hustle). Lastly, you need good marketing and networking
skills.
A big office is not even necessary for this kind of
business. We have seen companies that were started and run from verandahs and
even bedrooms. The key thing is to keep marketing and get as many clients as
possible.
You can particularly approach corporate clients,
politicians, schools and even large public gatherings e.g. graduation
ceremonies.
Most importantly, you need to approach suppliers of blank
apparels. Whether blank t-shirts or blank umbrellas depending on what your
clients want.
T-Shirt Printing Business
You simply import plain t-shirts from China or buy locally.
Then you do some design work on your computer and send it to the digital heat
press machine and place your t-shirts for printing. You can charge as much as
Ksh500 per printed t-shirt depending on the quality of the shirt and it’s
design.
Umbrella Printing
You acquire umbrellas on wholesale then customize them
according to your client’s requirements. Depending on nature of the job, you
can charge as much as Ksh2,000 per umbrella.
Branding Of Gift Items
We are talking about metallic business cardholders, cups,
mugs, biro pens, diaries, and so forth. You buy them on wholesale, brand them and
price them in a manner that gives you some good profit margins.
One mistake people make with this kind of business is they
buy the machines, open an office and then sit there hoping for customers to walk
in. Wise businessmen however operate by going to where their customers are.
Keep knocking on doors and keep doing a good job for your clients. This way you
will get so many referrals and your small factory will always be busy. Most
importantly do a great job and customers will keep giving you additional
referrals.
How Much To Invest
|
Requirement |
Cost |
|
Heat press machine |
Ksh50,000 |
|
Refurbished computer |
Ksh35,000 |
|
Samples & Marketing budget |
Ksh15,000 |
|
Miscellaneous |
Ksh10,000 |
|
TOTAL BUDGET (Minimum Possible) |
Ksh110,000 |
How Much To Expect
Returns may vary depending on factors such as number of
years one has been in this business, quality of work, quality of clients and
nature of pricing. On average, small-scale printers look forward to Ksh2
Million in sales per month – with a net profit of 40%. But once again the
figures can be higher or lower than that depending on the skills of the
businessman involved.
Extra Tips
You can combine this business with others like printing of
posters, fliers and calendars. Also, you can capitalize on student leadership
politics in Universities e.g. SONU and KUSO campaigns to drive even more sales.