Running a wholesale clothing business with children is one of the hardest jobs out there.
School drop offs, emails from suppliers, screaming toddlers and shipping deadlines all land on the same day. Let’s just say…
Most parents in the apparel space are running on fumes by 2pm.
There’s no reason you have to fall into that trap. With the correct systems in place you can build a successful business selling plain t-shirts for printing and still spend time with your family.
Here is how to do it…
Here’s what’s coming up:
- Why Bulk Apparel Is A Great Business For Parents
- The Reality Of Parenting While Building A Business
- 5x Strategies To Balance Parenting & Your Apparel Business
- Tools That Make Life Easier
Why Bulk Apparel Is A Great Business For Parents
Bulk clothing is a massive industry and it’s incredibly family-friendly.
Why? After you have your supplier and systems set up, your business cycles through the day. There is no need to be tied to a clock or on live camera each day. You can pack orders while your kids nap, answer clients during lunch and prospect new business after the kids are asleep.
Sell to clothing brands, print shops, sports teams, schools, even online sellers who need blank tees to print on each month. You’ll have repeat customers which equal a consistent income and workflow.
And the numbers back it up…
A new KPMG survey found that 76% of working parents say becoming a parent boosted their motivation at work. That ambition will take you far in a competitive arena like bulk apparel.
The Reality Of Parenting While Building A Business
Let’s not sugarcoat it.
Parenting and growing any business is challenging. Throw inventory, shipping and customer service into the mix and you’ve got three full time jobs.
Another finding from the KPMG survey: 53% of working parents struggle with childcare arrangements. No surprise there if you own an apparel company with young children at home.
But there’s a flip side.
Parents bring skills other entrepreneurs don’t:
- Time management — you’ve already mastered scheduling around chaos
- Problem solving — you do this every hour with your kids
- Resilience — you don’t quit when things get tough
Skills that anyone can master. With those skills you can make a bulk apparel empire. All you have to do is direct them there.
5x Strategies To Balance Parenting & Your Apparel Business
Ok, time for the tips themselves. Here are some actionable ways moms and dads in the clothing industry stay connected with family WHILE growing their business.
Pick the ones that fit your life and start there.
Block Your Day Into Chunks
Time blocking is the single biggest game-changer for parent entrepreneurs.
Here’s one way to think about it: Instead of multi-tasking all day long, divide your day into distinct blocks of time where you only focus on one thing. Say, for instance:
- 7am — 9am: Family time (breakfast, school run)
- 9am — 12pm: Deep work (sourcing, supplier calls, sales)
- 12pm — 1pm: Lunch with the kids
- 1pm — 3pm: Order fulfillment
- 3pm — 6pm: Family time
- 8pm — 10pm: Admin, emails, planning
When you do this, you eliminate context switching, which saps your energy faster than anything else. You also won’t feel guilty about your phone when spending time with family because you already worked on that task during it’s block.
Pick The Right Wholesale Supplier
This one is huge.
The wrong vendor will suck up your weekends and frustrate you for years. The right vendor becomes an extension of your team and saves you hours every week.
When choosing a supplier for plain t-shirts for printing, look for:
- Fast shipping times so you can promise quick turnarounds
- Consistent stock so you aren’t out of popular sizes
- Bulk pricing tiers that improve as you scale
- Reliable customer support when something goes wrong
A quality supplier is your free employee. Never underestimate how valuable his time is to you.
Automate The Boring Stuff
Anything you do more than twice a week should be automated.
For an apparel business, that includes:
- Order confirmation emails
- Shipping notifications
- Invoice generation
- Inventory restock alerts
- Social media posts
Shopify. Klaviyo. Buffer. These tools automate everything mentioned above for you. Setup will take a weekend or two of your time. What you gain is hundreds of hours per year back. Hundreds of hours more you can spend with your kids … Or hours you can spend growing your business strategically rather than being buried in admin.
Outsource Before You Burn Out
Most parent entrepreneurs wait too long to outsource.
They try to be everything – packer, shipper, marketer, customer service. Until they crash and burn.
Start small. Hire a virtual assistant for 5-10 hours a week to handle:
- Customer service emails
- Social media scheduling
- Order processing
- Basic bookkeeping
It’s more affordable than you realize and you’ll regain hours of your day. One industry roundup found that 82% of small businesses fail because of poor cash flow management — so intelligent outsourcing allows you to prioritize your company’s financial wellbeing.
Set Real Boundaries (And Stick To Them)
This is the hardest one for most parents.
Running your business out of your home or a small warehouse can easily become meshed together. You may find yourself answering emails at the kitchen table or boxing up orders during movie night.
Set hard rules:
- No phone at the dinner table
- No emails after 8pm
- One full day off per week
- Saturdays are for the family
Boundaries aren’t just for your children. They are for you. Burnout is real and will kill your business faster than anything else.
Tools That Make Life Easier
Here are the tools parent entrepreneurs in the apparel space rely on most:
- Shopify — for your storefront and order management
- QuickBooks — for bookkeeping
- Google Calendar — for time blocking
- Slack — to communicate with your VA or team
- Trello/Asana — for keeping projects organised
You don’t have to purchase them all immediately. Get started with one or two and scale as you grow your business.
Bringing It All Together
Parenting AND owning a bulk clothing business isn’t easy… but it can be done. The parents that come out on top in this arena:
- Pick a great supplier
- Block their time properly
- Automate and outsource early
- Set firm family boundaries
- Stay consistent over the long haul
Entrepreneurship and parenting will challenge your patience. However, the flexibility and financial rewards on the other side are worth the late nights.
The secret is letting go of doing everything yourself. Utilize systems. Utilize people. And most of all…utilize time with your family.
That’s what makes the whole thing worth it.
