Hi Mike,

Welcome to the Warrior forum!

You say you want to start a clothing brand and have the concept and the brand nailed down - so you mean the logo/site?

Yes, you can make it big with either but if you are a clothing brand you will be selling some form of clothing not sure how an info product would help you?

The clothing niche is a HUGE undertaking - not meaning to put you off but you need something that is full of hungry people to make it big.

Chris

That is definitely a pretty tough and competitive niche if this is going to be your first online business, but there is a lot of potential there. Be sure to get a good domain name that has keywords in it you wish to target, then concentrate on fresh, unique content and building backlinks on other related blogs, forums, article directories etc. using the keywords you wish to target as anchor text.

Concentrate on the SEO side because if you can get a leg up on many of the competitors in the market that aren't concentrating on it, you can get some search traffic and hopefully start making some sales within a few months. But, it does take a lot of work. If you are determined and have the mind set to succeed and do whatever it takes, then go for it and get it done!

I have a clothing company startup in my list of clients....

Its not an easy market to get into at all....

Making shirts is the easy part...from what I have seen.

They are 4 and going at it grass roots and online using PPC.

It has not been a inexpensive venture..

If you have a new baby and need stable income I would suggest a real product that has a higher value then $20 per item. Think items in the $200-400 category as you will only need to sell a 1/10 of the volume to make the same amount of money...

Just my 2 cents

Fashion is highly competitive, (although doing a little better than jewelry) the bottom like all too often is price, which is best met with bulk purchases of off-short made goods. I would look at it as a venture to invest in, not an immediate source of income.
Without a reputation and contacts, I'm guessing a stand out concept, like Little Miss Match is needed to make a spot in the marketplace.

I started a weight loss supplement company (liporidex) 3-4 years ago. It's been an amazing ride and learning experience. Weight loss is highly competitive, like fashion, but what I found is that the hardest thing was not the product development, SEO or online stuff. No, the rubber meets the road with the development of your DISTRIBUTION CHANNEL.

Everything else is just a hobby. You dont really "start" becoming a biz untill you have distribution and demand.

Also, I think your comment re: online vs retail is a bit backwards - online has lower overhead, but WAY lower numbers. This is something that you learn by experience. With physical goods, despite this internet age etc, you dont get HUGE numbers unless you're at retail.

However, retail COSTS way more to be involved in.

If you tons of cash and help, I suggest you go big, if not you may want to test diff aspects of your plan and the market in general first.

I sell physical and digital products. IMHO, both are difficult if you are in a competive niche/market. Mass media would be important for brand recognition. Be ready for a ride, thats for sure. Also, make sure you are properly capitalized. Whatever amount you think you need, double it, and triple you timeline as well.

Hope this helps.