New surfbrand

Aside from spamming forums, you could always take out some advertising on Swellnet. 

"Fellow surfers" indicates you're a surfer yourself. So being part of your target market, you only have to think about what media you use to gather information or make decisions to purchase. But do we really need another surf brand? IMHO We need more surf, less brand.

Have you thought about recycled materials, sustainable production, and really, really expensive price tags?

Ahh...drop the name but not the link.

Pay google to increase your search results.

What are you selling?

FFS Fuzz spit it out man !

Alright, here we go.

http://www.heaving.com.au

Do you only have four t-shirts on offer?

No need to be a ripper or a hellman in order to create something worthwhile.

So, time to expand a little. What is the story behind the brand? The website is a little light on info. What sets you apart from other brands? Why should people buy your clothes instead of another one?

Might be stating the obvious fuzz but social media is your entry level marketing tool, I see your already on facebook, as small business you could also try to tap into other small business using twitter, Instagram etc. Doesn't necessarily need to be all surf related, most entrepreneurial types will be happy to spread the word if you do likewise. You might be surprised how many people are going it alone on a small budget meaning word of mouth is key. A physical presence also helps so try markets and independent shops (again doesn't have to be surf related) to get your wares on display. Pretty crowded market your getting into with plenty of people (surfers) over the surf brand idea so be clear on your point of difference and your target market. Feedback wise don't listen to your friends and family particularly if they are saying how cool it looks. Personally i like your logo and your price point seems reasonable, hope your working hard on expanding your product range. Good luck.

Fuzzy, your 'about us ' section tells us nothing ?

Fuck, I can't help myself...

OK, so he has a Facebook page ( https://www.facebook.com/HeavingIndustries?_rdr=p ), so I guess upnorth he is already onto the social media thing? He does have 317 "likes" ... And well, give him credit he now also has 'google' search cred with links from swellnet to his website, and now his facebook page (it's ok , you can thank me with a free shirt)

Agreed udo, the 'about us' says nothing.

OK, some idea's ...

1. Your price point is wrong for the 'brand' you have ... is the price based off the cost plus a margin? You need to create value in the brand, so think in terms of a story, perception feeling or vibe you want for your brand ... then price accordingly.

2. What about setting up a campaign for shark attack victims, or donate x% of all sales to one? Create a community value around your brand linked with recent "surf" events.

3. Website - oh dear, too much logo at the top of each page, not enough 'story'. People need, want, to connect in some way with the brand. As a new brand, you need to give them more than a huge logo on a website. Oh and your need WAY more contact info - you need people to trust you / your brand so need a street address and a phone number.

4. Have your facebook, twitter, instagram etc. feeds and posts on your website - simple plug ins can do that for nix ... that way, everything links together and you got ongoing content for your website. Have a look at a few of the pro surfers websites for ideas :)

Again, you can thank me with a free shirt ;)

Oh, yeah ... what about us fat fella's ... where are the XL sized shirts!

fuzz wrote:

Thanks for your comments wing nut,contact me via
the heaving website and I will send you a tee( as long as you help me out with advice and wear the tee heaps)thanks mate

Facebook instead :)

Good luck to you fuzz

and some cool advice wingnut...I learnt a lot reading that...then I took a look through your site...

I actually wanted to see a photo of you in there but, for some reason...i think it was that talk about wanting to connect...or maybe I just wanted to see how big your ears really are!

wingnut2443 wrote:

Fuck, I can't help myself...

OK, so he has a Facebook page ( https://www.facebook.com/HeavingIndustries?_rdr=p ), so I guess upnorth he is already onto the social media thing? He does have 317 "likes" ... And well, give him credit he now also has 'google' search cred with links from swellnet to his website, and now his facebook page (it's ok , you can thank me with a free shirt)

Agreed udo, the 'about us' says nothing.

OK, some idea's ...

1. Your price point is wrong for the 'brand' you have ... is the price based off the cost plus a margin? You need to create value in the brand, so think in terms of a story, perception feeling or vibe you want for your brand ... then price accordingly.

2. What about setting up a campaign for shark attack victims, or donate x% of all sales to one? Create a community value around your brand linked with recent "surf" events.

3. Website - oh dear, too much logo at the top of each page, not enough 'story'. People need, want, to connect in some way with the brand. As a new brand, you need to give them more than a huge logo on a website. Oh and your need WAY more contact info - you need people to trust you / your brand so need a street address and a phone number.

4. Have your facebook, twitter, instagram etc. feeds and posts on your website - simple plug ins can do that for nix ... that way, everything links together and you got ongoing content for your website. Have a look at a few of the pro surfers websites for ideas :)

Again, you can thank me with a free shirt ;)

I did mention he was already on facebook but no sign of other links to social media on his site. Personally I find twitter the most useful, easy to connect with other small businesses and customers who reciprocate whereas farming likes on facebook can be harder initially although he's doing well so far. There are also start up and small business hubs on twitter who at certain times of the day will retweet something you post, some of the ones I use have 30k+ followers, can't argue with that sort of exposure and I get a fair bit of business through them, gratis.
The site is a work in progress but the young feel of it matches the price point in my opinion, could be cheaper of course but still pretty reasonable I think. A blog keeping people up to speed with the progress of the new venture might be a good idea, will get people involved feeling part of the brand and is a way to create a presence on google while keeping your site up to date.
Do I get a free t shirt? If you post one to the UK your instantly global : )

wingnut2443 wrote:

Oh, yeah ... what about us fat fella's ... where are the XL sized shirts!

come on wing nut, we know its an xxl- notice to consumers, dont take this serious.

davetherave wrote:

wingnut2443 wrote:

Oh, yeah ... what about us fat fella's ... where are the XL sized shirts!

come on wing nut, we know its an xxl- notice to consumers, dont take this serious.

Steady on Dave... It's winter warmth, mate!

Hey Fuzz, take anything I say with a grain of salt as my attempt at launching my product was bit of a flop, I can't even afford labels or website anymore. Having said that I am happy where I am.

First up like wingnut says your website is bland, every page you go to has the same logo, nothing different and you need to scroll down to see anything different(annoying).

All your really selling is a logo, as far as I can tell your selling me cheap imported shirts that have your logo printed on them. Do you print it or is it done overseas? You need to tell me why I should buy, superior material, stitching ect.

Finally my pet hate and it's probably only me so don't take it to seriously. You say on your facebook page you are "Australian based" does that mean your an aussie and that's a good reason to buy off of you, or are you a Korean national on a student visa with an Australian bank account?
Good luck.

I tell you the best example I can think of, of all this...is that Carmans muesli bars...check out their website and products

I think I wanted to marry that founder after the first bite

Hey Fuzz,its coming on summer,get into the singlets cause its hard to find a good singlet.!

I think your logo is cool. Simple but certainly conveys the ocean and waves.

Good luck with it mate.

Quality surely needs to be a high point... anyone over 30 would remember that surf tees back in the day had a thicker material, double and triple stitched seems... you could wear em to work, swim in em, leave em in the back of ya ute then wash em a week later and they looked like new... were pre shrunk when you got em so you couldn't kill em in the dryer and would last for years if you treated em nice...
New surf tees shrink, fall apart, have less stitching than my last reef cut and look like shit after 3 months

First off, be prepared for a long, hard slog to get any footing in the game, if at all.

Second, take some business improvement studies if your seriously serious in making this more than just a garage business.

Check out Godspeed Fashion...the guy who started this is a mate of mine. He started screen printing shirts under his house as a hobby 15 yrs ago in little old Falcon, WA. I won't go into what really got him going cause that would be giving away his secret to success...suffice to say it had to do with educating himself in the tricks of the fashion trade through a business improvement program....ask the right questions, listen to the answers and success will hopefully follow.

Fuzz, I'm sure Shane would be happy to give you some tips...he's an approachable bloke. Contact him via his facebook page or the godspeed website.

Something i should have mentioned...find books on Lean Manufacturing or Lean Thinking, they'll start you on the right path to success...don't bother with any that delve too much into the Six Sigma side of things, that'll just do ya head in and you're a world away from that shit right now.

I spent a few years in business improvement working for Newcrest, a lot of the lean principles cross over to small business.

Hey fuzz like the idea behind it... Are you using gildan tees as the blanks? Just looks like them on your site, and have u had them retagged/labelled?

Nice, JBs go well, how is the softness on them? Haven't tried them myself but they say they are ringspun so am curious :) umm there's lots of places especially if you are based in Vic/around Melbourne, I'm in perth and most of our local screen printers will do it... Have u asked the place you are getting them printed whether they do it? Usually costs and extra $2 or so

fuzz, you also need some attractive females modeling your tshirts.