5 THINGS I LEARNT FROM STARTING A SMALL SPORTS BRAND

1. Anyone can do it

You dont have to have alot of money to start but practically you definitely need some money. I think i started with like 12k and a old laptop. The 12k was used to buy my first heatpress of which a friend lent me. I still joke with him about it becuase thats the only machine that runs without any problems. Still so grateful to him.

Usually its your passion and drive that gets your going. After that discipline and grit gets you to the point where you can start paying the bills. Note i said start paying bills meaning it takes a while before you make enough to start paying your month end bills. In my case my wife carried our family for a while. Which comes to my next point. You also need help ( usually family & friends ). Sometimes its financial but most of the time its just support emotionally. Its a rough ride to start so don't be fooled. It was never meant to be easy, it was meant to be worth it. Dont be scared to ask for help you will need it. People that say they did it on their own are lying to themselves. I personally think its their egos speaking. Lastly the main factor in determining if your business will last is your belief that Allah ( God ) is in control of the outcome. Your Job is to put in the effort. Always be aware you could lose it at anytime so be greatful.

2. You are not the Boss

The Customer will always be the boss. Its that simple. Understanding their needs, preferences, and challenges is crucial for creating products that will meet their expectations. Beware you cant please everyone all the time , but you should always strive to do so. Thats the hard reality. As a owner you try your best not to take it personally but we only human so it does get to you sometimes. Nevertheless you should always treat any customer with the utmost respect no matter what.

3. You will have failures starting out

You will messup some orders starting out. Thats part of the hard lessons in order to get better andwhen you do messup ( and you will ) you try your best to make it up to the client. Sometimes its things outside your control, sometimes its your inexperience, but anything worthwhile is something that had challenges. If you develop good relationships with your clients they will be lenient and even do more work after it. In our second year we did an order whereby the client tried to negotiate for a much cheaper product. I agreed it to the cheaper product as it was a decent size order. I was open and told him we will use a different material for his order. to get the price down. Team tracksuits from age groups from 5-6yrs right up to seniors. I went to a different material supplier for material completed the order. A few weeks later he called me upset ,the material started breaking. We ended up refunding the whole order and making a massive loss. Lesson learnt stick to your reputable suppliers always.

4. You need to adapt constantly

The sports industry is ever-evolving, with trends and technologies continuously shaping customer preferences. As a small brand, staying nimble and adaptable is key to survival. The market changes all the time. When we started out ,what set us apart was doing digital designs and photograhy free for our clients. Like team sports poster style. Making local teams look professional. Nobody else in our area was doing it at that time. Nowadays its all about videos . Pictures are not as effective as video currently. We got us a small studio with cameras and green screen setup. Its a basic setup but we planning to do some video apparel releases this year for customers. Also AI will play a big part this year. We still trying to figure out how we can integrate it in YSPORT.

4. Effective Marketing is key to survival

Sometimes you get so involved and focused in the actual manufacturing that you forget about marketing. This year I will try my utmost to learn and improve our marketing. Even writing this post is part of the marketing strategy. Everyone knows social media is key nowadays. Facebook ads has been crucial to our business. I mean you can spend like R350 a week and get thousands of people to see your ad. This year Video Marketing will be key growth so that in itself will require more effort and planning. We were never big on Video but we've realised it vital in 2024. I heard someone say nowadays it not who has the best product its about who is seen. We believe we have a brilliant product we just need people to see what we can do.

5. Networking and Relationships

Our first client was my local sports club in Salt River that I played for as a kid. It was because of my relationship that they gave me a chance. 10 years later they still one of my best clients and I get many clients by referrals from them. I basically told them openly i need a chance. I will do the order with very little profit. I just need to show people what we can do. From that first order other clubs saw it , loved it and came to us for their work. Having good relationships is not only for clients but it should extend to staff and suppliers. Its like one Big Family thats helps each other to achieve the ultimate goal.

Conclusion

Running a small sports team-wear brand is a journey filled with challenges and opportunities. Its challenging at times but also very rewarding at the same time.

At Ysport we always tell each other. Y cant we be as big as Adidas or Nike ? Ynot just go for it. Y Y Y ? Ynot. ( You see what is did there lol. )