One Year Anniversary And Some Reflections

One year ago today, I launched Sinotology with its first few shirts. I really didn’t know much about what I was getting into but that this was something I wanted to do for a long time, so I went into the venture with excitement. Sinotology is a product of three parts: my passion for design and illustration, my love of t-shirts, and my Chinese ethnicity. Creating a business out of these seemed a no-brainer, but maintaining a business was what I had to learn fast. 

Running a t-shirt line is really hard work. If you build it they will not come. You have to constantly push your name out there for people to notice. The t-shirt industry is a very saturated market and I thought that since I had a specific niche, Chinese t-shirts, customers would find me. That is not the case. Marketing is just as important a part of running a business as product design. No one will find you in this vast ocean. You have to do the finding.

However, running my own t-shirt brand is a very rewarding experience. Not only am I doing what I really want to do, but having people buy my products, and having repeat customers, validate the effort I’ve put into the business so far. It just pushes me harder to put out more products. Every artist seeks, on some level, acceptance of his art. Having people buy my shirts is that acceptance for me and I’m super excited about it.

I plan to do much more in this second year. For starters there will be more shirts coming out. Also, I’m looking to grow the brand and evolve its aesthetic. How? I’m not sure yet but I’m really excited to start planning! Here’s to year two!