Start An Athletic Clothing Line - Business Ideas
Please note that the data provided in this article are estimates and may vary depending on various factors, and should not be considered as perfect or definitive.
An athletic clothing line is a great business idea for those interested in the fitness and sports industry. The business idea is to design and manufacture high-quality athletic apparel such as t-shirts, shorts, and leggings that can be worn during workouts and sports activities.
One of the essential tips for running a successful athletic clothing line is to focus on creating high-quality products. This means using durable materials, such as moisture-wicking fabrics, and paying attention to the fit and comfort of the clothing. Another tip is to stay up-to-date on the latest trends in the athletic clothing industry, as this will help you design clothing that appeals to your target market.
Another important aspect of running a successful athletic clothing line is to have a strong marketing strategy. This can include leveraging social media and influencer marketing, attending fitness and sports events, and collaborating with fitness studios and gyms.
Finally, it’s important to have a strong customer service team in place. This includes providing excellent customer service through email, phone, and social media, as well as offering returns and exchanges if necessary.
Starting an athletic clothing line is a great business idea for those passionate about fitness and sports. By creating high-quality products, staying up-to-date on industry trends, and having a solid marketing and customer service strategy, founders can run a successful business in this line.
Starting an athletic clothing line requires a great deal of effort, dedication, and most importantly passion.
If you're interested in how to sell activewear, or selling activewear online, you can use this page as a guide for everything you'll need to know.
Want to learn more? You can check out our full guide on how to start an athletic clothing line ➜
Key Stats
Startup Costs
| Min Startup Costs | Max Startup Costs | |
|---|---|---|
|
Office Space Expenses |
$0 |
$7,000 |
|
Employee & Freelancer Expenses |
$151 |
$352 |
|
Website Costs |
$223 |
$7,215 |
|
Business Formation Fees |
$5,600 |
$20,400 |
|
Inventory Expenses |
$350 |
$9,000 |
|
Training & Education Expenses |
$0 |
$1,000 |
|
Software Expenses |
$162 |
$3,094 |
|
Advertising & Marketing Costs |
$0 |
$550 |
|
Total Startup Costs |
$6,486 |
$48,611 |
Case Studies
•
$15K/mo
•
$88K/mo
•
$5K/mo
Successful Businesses
| Business | URL | Rank | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Athleta |
athleta.gap.com |
801 |
|
|
Lululemon |
https://shop.lululemon.com/ |
3,855 |
|
|
Barstool Sports |
store.barstoolsports.com |
5,868 |
|
|
Fanatics |
fanatics.com |
6,227 |
|
|
Academy Sports + Outdoors: Sporting Goods Store |
academy.com |
7,185 |
|
|
East Bay |
eastbay.com |
8,238 |
|
|
Road Runner Sports |
roadrunnersports.com |
24,901 |
|
|
Brooks Running |
brooksrunning.com |
31,535 |
|
|
FansEdge |
fansedge.com |
47,763 |
|
|
American Giant |
american-giant.com |
63,562 |
|
|
Bo+Tee |
boandtee.com |
121,456 |
Pros & Cons
| Pros | Description |
|---|---|
|
Ability to start your business from home |
It's not necessary to have a physical storefront or office space to get your business started. You can do everything from the comfort of your own home, at least in the beginning! |
|
Little startup costs required |
The cost to start a athletic clothing line costs significantly less money than most businesses, ranging anywhere from 62 to 48,611. |
|
Rewarding work |
Starting a athletic clothing line can be really rewarding work. After all, you are solving an immediate issue for your customer and you're working on something you truly care about. |
|
Scalable |
With businesses and processes changing daily, there will always be demand for new features, products and services for your business. Additionally, there are several different business models and pricing tiers you can implement that will allow you to reach all types of customers. |
|
Traffic to your website |
A athletic clothing line gives people a reason to visit your website and to keep coming back to you! |
|
Quick build time |
The average time it takes to build your product is quick - typically around 10 months. This will allow you to bring your product to market faster. |
| Cons | Description |
|---|---|
|
Crowded Space |
Competition is high when it comes to your athletic clothing line, so it's important that you spend a good amount of time analyzing the market and understanding where the demand lies. |
|
Finding The Right Supplier |
Most businesses in this space go the supplier/manufacturer route, which isn't a bad thing! However, finding the right supplier can take a lot of time, energy and trial/error. If done properly, this process can save you months (if not years) of time and energy. More on this below in the "finding a supplier" section. |
|
Motivation of employees |
If you plan to have a sales/content team on board, finding creative ways to motivate them can be a challenge. It's important that you're able to offer great incentives and a good work environment for your employees. |
|
High employee turnover |
In the athletic clothing line, employee turnover is often high, which can be quite costly and time consuming for your business. It's important to try and avoid this as much as possible by offering competitive pay, benefits, and a positive work environment. |
|
High overhead expenses |
With starting an athletic clothing line, there are overhead expenses that come with selling a physical product. You will want to make sure you strategically budget for these overhead costs. We discuss this more in the startup costs section below. |
|
You may need to charge sales tax |
If you are selling your products in various states, you may be required to charge sales tax. Although this may not impact your financials specifically, it can be a headache to create a process and procedure for this. To learn more about sales tax, check out this article |
Marketing Ideas
-
1
Affiliate Program
Affiliate marketing is a great way to bring in a new revenue stream, especially when you don't sell products or services.
Simply put, an affiliate program is an agreement where a business pays another business or influencer ("the affiliate") a commission for sending traffic and/or sales their way.
The affiliate typically gets a unique link where clicks and conversions can be tracked.
-
2
Word of mouth
Word of mouth is when a consumers reflects their interest in a company’s product or service in their daily dialogues.
Therefore, word of mouth advertising is essentially a free advertising triggered by the customers experience.
According to Nielsen, 92% of people trust recommendations from friends and family.
Therefore, in today’s hyper-connected world, a single recommendation through a word of mouth can have a huge impact to your business.
-
3
Social Media Advertising
Social media advertising is the use of social media platforms to connect with your audience with the objective to build your brand, increase sales, and drive website traffic.
According to Oberlo, approximately 48% of the global population use social media, and the number is ever-growing.
Therefore, social media allows brands access to cost-effective advertising by enabling them to interact with a large audience.
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
