AE Member Zone

Apparel Business Downloadables

The Apparel Entrepreneurship Member Zone contains a wide range of templates, cheat sheets, and checklists to facilitate your everyday work and hustle. You can find design tech packs, cost sheet, product price matrix, croquis templates and much more.

99designs

Graphic Design

When you need help with e.g. logos, web page design, infographics, pamphlets, leaflets, printing on t-shirts,  jersey, sweatshirts, and hoodies, or designing labels for various products,  99designs.com can be an option for you. You are essentially hosting a contest online where you will be able to attract a lot of great graphic designers that will submit their concept to you on the website, and you’ll be able to provide feedback and pick and choose out of many different concepts.

Bluehost

Domain, Web Host & E-mail

Blueshost is powering over 2 million websites worldwide. It is the #1 recommended web hosting by WordPress.org. Every account features 1-click WordPress installation, and they have hosting starting at $2.95/month.

Creative Market

Design Assets

Creative Market is an online marketplace for community-generated design assets. The company sells graphics, WordPress themes, stock photography, and other digital goods for use by web creatives. With over one million users and more than 250,000 purchasable items, there is a big chance you can find something to help you in your creative process.

Shopify

Online Shop

Shopify is an out of the box solution to create and run your online shop. It is based on a subscription model where you let Shopify handle the maintenance, support, hosting, tech, and even design. This is an easy solution if you want to spend as little time as possible running your e-com site. Click the button to start a free 14-day trial period.

Shipstation

Shipping

Shipstation is a shipping software that can help you if you are selling your apparel online. You can import, manage, and ship your orders in an efficient way. Shipstation works in the US with the most popular marketplaces and shopping carts using all the top carriers. We have heard great things about Shipstation, but we haven’t used it ourselves. You can try it 30 days for free by clicking the button.

Building A StoryBrand by Donald Miller

The Building A StoryBrand Book is a must read for all business owners, designers, and storytellers that want to better connect with their customers. It’s about learning how to shift from talking about you, your product and your brand, towards your customers’ needs and what your products can do for them. It gives the reader a 7 framework setup for how to achieve this.

Key takeaways:
– The customer is the hero, not your brand. Your main business purpose is to solve your customers’ problem.

– Never assume people understand how your brand can change their lives. You must tell them through great stories.

Purple Cow – Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable by Seth Godin

On the back of it says: Your product will only survive in a crowded marketplace if you stop advertising and start innovating. This is a must read!

Fashionpedia by Fashionary

This is a book every designer and apparel startup entrepreneur should have in their studio! As they describe the book – The ultimate fashion bible. Fashionpedia is a visual fashion dictionary covering all the technical terms from style to materials to production with illustrations and infographics.

The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing by Al Ries & Jack Trout

It it was it sais in the title. Follow the 22 laws and have a winning brand. A classic book in the marketing segment, quick read, that you will pick up over and over again.

Blue Ocean Strategy by W. Chan Kim & Renee Mauborgne

Find your niche and dominate it. Going into a “busy” market will mean less atention and less customers. I strongly recommend this book to not only sportswear brand startups but anyone that’s thinking about starting a company.

Creative Confidence by David Kelley and Tom Kelley

For all creatives out there this is an extremely powerful book on unleashing the creativity that lies within all of us.

Steal Like An Artist by Austin Kleon

Want to boost your creativity? Read this book! If you steal from one artist it’s stealing, but if you steal from 100 artists it’s called inspiration and reasearch. Nothing is original and what makes the work yours is the remix and the YOU seasoning you add to it. All the best artist steal?

The One Thing by Gary Keller & Jay Papasan

This book is a must read not only for business purposes but for your entire life. The title says it all – mutitasking doesn’t work, focus on one thing at a time.

Let My People Go Surfing by Yvon Chouinard

This is the book that inspired me to start my first brand. I really resonated with the fact that you can run a clothing business your way. It’s a fantastic example of how you can live a life doing things you love and working with things you are passionate about. The Patagonia “purpose” is much bigger than just some clothes. They inspire and motivate for more sustainable businesses.

It’s Not How Good You Are, It’s How Good You Want To Be by Paul Arden

A fantastic quick read! Not only for startup entrepreneurs, but for all creatives out there!

Start Something That Matters by Blake Mycoskie

This is a book about doing good and starting something with a purpose.