All posts by Brendan O Neill

Class of 2017 Graduation Hoodies!

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You’re coming towards the end of your secondary school journey, and as the summer quiz fast approaches you’re thinking about how it would be great to have a class momento before graduating. And then you think — your own group’s ‘Class of 2017′ personalised hoodies might be the perfect answer!

And you’ve come to the right place! We’ve got a HUGE selection of colours and styles available. Whether you’re looking for a regular hoodie, or a hoodie with a contrast colour hood, or a zippie — we’ve got you covered.

Choosing a design that includes all of your classmate’s names is a popular choice for most graduation classes. Using the classic ’17’ design on the back of the hoodie (see below photo), you can include all of your classmate’s names written inside the numbers so that the hoodie is not just awesome for wearing out and about over the next while, but is also sure to be a keepsake for many years to come!

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You can have your classmate’s individual names either typed or handwritten (you would just have to send us a scanned copy of all of your classmates signatures).

To learn more about our large selection of hoodie styles and colours, you can check out our website at www.customking.ie, or if you email us at hello@customking.ie our graphic designers will also be happy to send on any info you need, and even help create a custom design especially for your own class!

Once you’re ready to order, we deliver your group’s order direct to your door (or your school) within 10 working days of confirming your design.

What’s not to love?

How To Organise Your Club Hoodies Online, with Zero Hassle

Sarah Doyle Photo copy

Photo Courtesy of Revolution Fitness

So you’re thinking of organising hoodies for your club or team. Your group has reached a consensus and now it’s just about getting it all organised. But then, as the organiser, you ask yourself the following questions:

  1. Does this mean I have to go around and collect cash from team members/parents before I can place an order?
  2. If the club agrees to foot the bill up front, is there a chance that it could lose money if there is difficulty collecting the cash afterwards?
  3. Am I going to be the one storing all of this stock in my car, house or shed?

Unfortunately, the answer to all of these questions is usually yes. But what if somebody told you all of this hassle could be removed and managed online, in the click of a few buttons? That the whole process could actually be quite enjoyable, rather than being a tiresome chore on a growing list of things to do? Well, we’ve got just the answer. Enter CustomKing, an e-commerce platform for teams and groups to pre-order top quality customised clothing, all from the comfort of your computer. With CustomKing, you can make your life so much easier when it comes to ordering your club’s hoodies:

  1. Design your club’s hoodie online using our online designer.
  2. Create a dedicated web link for your hoodie, which you can share with your group via social media/SMS/email (or however you please).
  3. All your club/team members can go directly to the link to pay and order their gear by the deadline date. Then we deliver direct to each member for free, freeing you and your club from having to manage stock and distribution.
  4. You stick the kettle on.

Sounds good, right? Check out the below guide for a quick step-by-step guide on how to get set up!

Step 1

Go to www.customking.ie and decide your hoodie design. As you can see in the below image, one of our features includes personalised names. If you need any assistance with this, just email support@customking.ie and our designers will give you any help you need.

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Step 2

We always recommend that you set your target quantity at 10. Even if you do think you will sell more, 10 is a safe bet to make sure the order goes to production (if it falls short of target, the order won’t be produced). Set a window of 7-10 days to collect your orders. The orders don’t go into production until the order closing date (and take 10 working days to deliver after that), so you don’t want to keep early buyers waiting too long from when they bought online.

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Step 3

You have the choice to add a profit margin, or to sell at cost. It is a good opportunity to raise funds for your club/group for trips etc., but it is entirely up to you. Profit margins are paid out after the campaign has ended and you will receive a payout email detailing the process at this point.

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Step 4

Choose the option to deliver directly to each buyer. There is an additional €3.95 cost to each buyer for this option, but it means each purchase is tracked and delivered by courier direct to each buyer’s address. We’d highly recommend it for clubs but it is no problem to choose the batch delivery option either (which is free of charge and all orders will be delivered to you, as the organiser).

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Step 5

Share the URL on club social media pages, email lists, where ever you like. Post frequent reminders, every couple of days, and especially with 24 hours to go and on the last day!

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Step 6

Once the deadline date passes and the target quantity has been reached, your order will go to production and then be delivered (generally within 10 working days from the closing date).

 

So then you are all set! It’s that easy. You can forget the hassle of organising your club hoodies and let CustomKing do the heavy lifting. If you wish to know more, feel free to get in touch at hello@customking.ie or our office on 01-7007885.

Design Awesome Tag Rugby Shirts, Online!

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Photo courtesy of the ‘Dazzlers’

It’s that time of year again. The long evenings creeping in, the BBQ banter in sight on the horizon. Summer 2016 is undoubtedly on the way, and that means one other thing – Tag Rugby season.

So wouldn’t it be awesome to have your team looking the part this season with your own team’s custom performance t-shirts (and maybe even some hoodies to keep the heat in afterwards!)? And wouldn’t it be even more awesome if you could organise your order all online, and you didn’t have to worry about collecting cash, names, sizes from your team?

With CustomKing, our online platform does all the heavy lifting – making this all seem like a dream:

  1. Design your shirt online using our online designer (via www.customking.ie)
  2. Create a dedicated web link for your hoodie, which you can share with your team via social media/SMS/email (or however you please).
  3. All your team members can go directly to the link to pay and order their gear by the deadline date. Then we deliver direct to your door for free, and you can distribute the shirts to each buyer.
  4. You stick the kettle on.

Sounds good, right? Check out the below guide for a quick step-by-step guide on how to get set up!

 

Step 1

Go to www.customking.ie and decide your shirt design. To keep your cost price down, you can try keep the design to just one colour. If you need any assistance with this, just email support@customking.ie and our designers will give you any help you need. Tip: You can also add personalised names (eg. on the back) by clicking ‘Add Personalised Name’.

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Step 2

For tag teams, we’d recommend to set your target quantity at 10. Even if you think you will sell more, 10 is a safe bet to make sure the order goes to production (if it falls short of target, the order won’t be produced). Set a window of 7-10 days to collect your orders. The orders don’t go into production until the order closing date (and take 10 working days to deliver after that), so you don’t want to keep early buyers waiting too long from when they bought online.

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Step 3

You have the choice to add a profit margin, but for tag team orders it’s probably best to sell at cost (unless you’re trying to gather some funds for some post-match grub, trips etc.).

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Step 4

You’ll want the order delivered directly to you (which is free of charge). As you will probably see your team members regularly, you can distribute orders at one of your matches/training sessions. But if you would prefer, you can decide the individual delivery option but this will be an added cost to each buyer at the checkout.

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Step 5

Share the URL on social media group pages, Whatsapp, email lists, where ever you like. Post frequent reminders, every couple of days, and especially with 24 hours to go and on the last day!

 

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Step 6

Once the deadline date passes and the target quantity has been reached, your team shirts will go to production and then be delivered to you (generally within 10 working days).

 

So then you are all set! It’s that easy. You can forget the hassle of organising customised clothing, and let CustomKing do the heavy lifting. If you wish to know more, feel free to get in touch at hello@customking.ie or our office on 01-7007885.

Thinking Of Custom Hoodies For Your Group?

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Photo courtesy of Tradsoc UCD

So you’re thinking of organising your own branded hoodies for your group. You’ve established that there is sufficient demand, and now it’s just about getting it all organised. But then, as the organiser, you ask yourself the following questions:

  1. Does this mean I have to go around and collect cash off everyone before I can place an order?
  2. Is there a chance that I will be the one who has to pay a deposit out of my own pocket?
  3. If everyone says they’re going to buy one and then they decide they don’t want one, am I going to be the one to take the hit?

Unfortunately, the answer to all of these questions is usually yes. But what if somebody told you all of this hassle could be removed and managed online, in the click of a few buttons? That the whole process could actually be quite enjoyable, rather than being a tiresome chore on a growing list of things to do? Well, we’ve got just the answer. Enter CustomKing, an e-commerce platform for teams and groups to pre-order top quality customised clothing, all from the comfort of your computer. With CustomKing, you can make your life so much easier when it comes to ordering your hoodies:

  1. Design your hoodie online using our online designer.
  2. Create a dedicated web link for your hoodie, which you can share with your group via social media/SMS/email (or however you please).
  3. All your group members can go directly to the link to pay and order their gear by the deadline date. Then we deliver direct to your door for free, and you can distribute the hoodies to each buyer.
  4. You stick the kettle on.

Sounds good, right? Check out the below guide for a quick step-by-step guide on how to get set up!

Step 1

Go to www.customking.ie and decide your hoodie design. To keep your cost price down, you can try keep the design just on the front. If you need any assistance with this, just email support@customking.ie and our designers will give you any help you need.

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Step 2

Unless you have a large class with high demand (ie. 100 students), we’d recommend to set your target quantity at 10. Even if you think you will sell more, 10 is a safe bet to make sure the order goes to production (if it falls short of target, the order won’t be produced). Set a window of 7-10 days to collect your orders. The orders don’t go into production until the order closing date (and take 10 working days to deliver after that), so you don’t want to keep early buyers waiting too long from when they bought online.

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Step 3

You have the choice to add a profit margin, but for college orders it’s best to sell at cost (unless you’re trying to gather some funds from the group for a trip/event etc.).

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Step 4

You’ll probably want the order delivered directly to you (which is free of charge). As you will most likely see your group members regularly, you can distribute orders at one of your meetups/classes. But if you would prefer, you can choose the individual delivery option but this will be an added cost to each buyer at the checkout.

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Step 5

Share the URL on social media, email lists, where ever you like. Post frequent reminders, every couple of days, and especially with 24 hours to go and on the last day!

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Step 6

Once the deadline date passes and the target quantity has been reached, your order will go to production and then be delivered to you (generally within 10 working days).

 

So then you are all set! It’s that easy. You can forget the hassle of organising your college hoodies, and let our web platform do the heavy lifting. If you wish to know more, feel free to get in touch at hello@customking.ie or our office on 01-7007885. 

 

Are You A Coach? This App Will Change Your Life

If you’re a coach, organiser, or anyone who has to manage a group on a regular basis, you’re probably familiar with the hassle involved.

Communicating can be a particular challenge – you might need to get the word around at the last minute that an event is cancelled, or you might need to call someone up to the squad. Or even just routine reminders and information about training.

So wouldn’t it be great if there was a dedicated app for doing this, instead of trying to navigate the whirlwind of social media, SMS and email?

Well, today is your lucky day!

Introducing Teamer, an Irish company which is taking the world by storm with its team management app. Available on desktop, Android and iPhone, 2 million members are currently using Teamer in countries all over the world. Here are some of the features that will help you in the organisation of your team:

Team Roster: You can create a roster of your players/athletes/members on Teamer where you can communicate with them on a regular basis.

Events: Create once-off or recurring events (eg. competitions or training sessions) on the internal calendar, where you can update as needed and send notifications to members to make sure they see the message.

TeamTalk: An internal social media network (like Facebook’s wall) where you can post messages and any other items you’d like to discuss with your team. 

Other features include an internal photo board, and a payment collection tool, meaning you can pretty much avoid having to use anything else when it comes to managing your team or group.

Visit www.teamer.net for more. Good luck!

This article was created by CustomKing, an e-commerce platform which enables businesses, teams and groups to sell their own custom-branded clothing online, without any of the risk or hassle. If you would like to know more about how it works, you can visit our homepage here or email us at hello@customking.ie.

Start Your Gym’s Very Own Clothing Line

Sarah Doyle Photo copy

Photo courtesy of Revolution Fitness

So you’re thinking about getting some custom t-shirts/hoodies/gear made for your health/fitness business. It’s a great idea, because it gains additional exposure for your brand and you could even make some money out of it. But then you think how to go about doing this:

  1. Paying your own money up front to buy a job lot of stock, with no guarantee they will be sold.
  2. If you do go about collecting money from clients, it can be an additional stress on top of the rest of your job.
  3. Having to hold the stock at home or in your premises (the less space you have, the more of a problem it is!).

These obstacles can either put you off, cost you money, or cause you unnecessary hassle which you’re too busy to want to deal with. But what if there was a way you could do this online, without any of the hassle or risk described? With the CustomKing platform, you can do just that (and set your own profit margin in the process):

  1. Create a design online using our online designer to perfect your design.
  2. Create a dedicated web link for your design, which you can share with your clients via social media/SMS/email (or however you please).
  3. All your clients can go directly to the link to pay and order their gear by the deadline date. Then we deliver either direct to each client (additional delivery charge for this), or direct to you for distribution (free).
  4. You stick the kettle on.

So now I’m going to give you a step-by-step example on how to do this, and specifically, how you can make €500 profit for your business, while still offering a reasonable selling price!

Step 1

Go to www.customking.ie and decide your garment design. To keep your cost price down, try keep the design to one colour and just one position (ie. front). If you need any assistance with this, just email support@customking.ie and our designers will give you any help you need.

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Step 2

Set your target quantity at 20. Even if you think you will sell more, 20 is a safe bet to make sure the order goes to production (if it falls short of target, the order won’t be produced). Set a window of 7-10 days to collect your orders. The orders don’t go into production until the order closing date (and take 10 working days to deliver after that), so you don’t want to keep early buyers waiting too long from when they bought online.

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Step 3

Here’s where you set your selling price. Add €13.75 to set it to €29.95.

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Step 4

Decide whether you want to deliver to each buyer directly (this costs €3.95 extra to the buyer on top of the selling price, but it means it takes you can remove yourself from the process completely).

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Step 5

Share the URL on social media, email lists, where ever you like. Post frequent reminders, every couple of days, and especially with 24 hours to go/on the last day!

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Step 6

When your order is complete, we’ll send you a success email which will provide all details of the payout. In the meantime, all you do is sit back and watch the progress!

 

Getting to €500 in proceeds

Aim to sell 35 in this first order, and then in another 6-8 weeks, release a second order this time to include t-shirts as an option (with the same design) and a profit margin of €6.95.

Order 1: 20 Hoodies x €13.75 = €275.00

Order 2: 20 Hoodies x €13.75 = €275.00

Total = €550.00

 

So there you have it. Your path to €500 profit from selling your own gym’s merchandise. Of course, this is just a guide and you can choose different price margins, different products etc. It’s entirely up to you. You may not have the membership to sell this many, but you can adjust your targets based on the size of your membership. Our main priority in providing this service is that you can spend more time focusing on your business in the knowledge your branded merchandise is top quality, taken care of, and sure to be a hit with all of your buyers!

If you wish to know more, feel free to get in touch at hello@customking.ie or our office on 01-7007885.

 

6 Online Tools to Give Your Business a Head Start in 2016

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It’s the beginning of another New Year, and with running your business there always seems to be more and more to do. So starting into 2016, what better time to try and adopt some new tools and tactics to help organise, design and grow your business – saving you precious time and hassle in the process? Below is a list of 6 tools which can make your life as a business owner so much easier this year:

 

  1. Google Drive (Basic version is free)

By now, most of us have learnt the hard way how important it is for all of our business files and information to be backed up. Google Drive offers free storage up to 15GB, and then only $1.99 per month for anything up to 100GB (a lot cheaper than Dropbox). It includes free use of Google Docs, Slides and Sheets which can be edited from any computer or device by logging into your account online. (Also, it is especially handy if you already use Gmail, so everything can be stored under the one account.)

 

  1. Mailchimp (Basic version is free)

When it comes to email marketing, Mailchimp is a life-saver. With just a few clicks, you can set up a professional-looking email campaign (beautifully optimised for both mobile and desktop) to communicate with your client base. You can also view analytics to discover what percentage of emails are opened, which links are being clicked and other insights which will help you provide better and better information to your customers.

 

  1. Buffer (Basic version is free)

Doesn’t it seem like every year, there is a new social media craze to stay up-to-speed with?

Between Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Instagram, Google+ and Pinterest, it really is a lot to manage. Yes, it is desirable to be present on all of these channels, and Buffer enables you to do this like a pro. You can set up a Buffer account and pre-schedule all of your posts (let’s say for each week) in the one sitting – freeing up your mind for the rest of the week to stay focused on other important tasks.

 

  1. Fiverr (Paid)

Have you ever been stuck for a graphic designer to design a professional-looking poster or flyer for an event? Or looking to design some t-shirts you wanted to get printed, or even somebody to write some copy for your website? With Fiverr, you can access a worldwide marketplace of services like this for the EPIC price of only $5 (if you want any bells and whistles, you’ll pay extra however). This site really allows you to add professional-look features to your business, without breaking the bank.

 

  1. Canva (Basic version is free)

Simply put, Canva enables anyone to be a designer. Whether you wish to create your own cover photos for social media, or create a slick slide show presentation, Canva removes that stress and does all the heavy lifting for you so your business can have the same design presence online as any of your big-budget competitors. It also has a really handy tutorial section which shows you the basics if you are new to designing your own brand artwork and images.

 

  1. Slack (Basic version is free)

If your business consists of a group of instructors, teachers, or co-workers, Slack is something you should definitely consider using (if you don’t already). Slack is basically a glorified version of Whatsapp, designed for businesses. It has all the communication and chat features as Whatsapp, but also tools for sharing documents and files, and the ability to create different conversation threads for different topics.

 

This article was created by CustomKing, an e-commerce platform which enables businesses, teams and groups to sell their own custom-branded clothing online, without any of the risk or hassle. If you would like to know more about how it works, you can visit our homepage here or email us at hello@customking.ie.

The CustomKing Guide to Class Hoodies

CustomKing.ie allows you to design your group’s customised clothing online, publish a web link for your design, and then collect all orders and payment online.

If you are looking for some awesome hoodies for your school or college class, all we can say is…you have come to the right place! Students from schools and colleges all over Ireland come to us requesting hoodies for their class, and it always comes down to these three reasons:

  • A GREAT selection of colours and styles that are awesome quality.
  • Delivery in just 10 working days.
  • Collect orders and payments from your class-mates online! (see example here). And here’s a happy customer testimonial:

“Custom King made the whole process of ordering group hoodies so much easier. The online link to the order took away the burden of having to be responsible for money collection and minding. I’m a very happy customer!”

Jessica McNamara, Trinity College Dublin Class Rep.

We all know how much effort it can be to round up orders and cash payments from your group, so at CustomKing we have set out to make this process magically seamless and easy for you as the class rep/organiser. Class hoodies should be a fun and easy process and not hampered by the idea of having to pay a deposit out of your own pocket or spend days, weeks (or even MONTHS) trying to get everybody to give you cash.
So to make your life easier, by setting up your class hoodies order online with CustomKing, you can benefit from the following:

  • Having your own order URL which you can share by email, your group Facebook page, or SMS. (eg. www.customking.ie/yourordersname/)
  • Each order will be individually bagged and labelled for your classmates, so you can distribute them with zero hassle once they arrive.
  • You can even include the option for your classmates to PERSONALISE the hoodie online with their own embroidered name.

Long story short – for your class hoodies, CustomKing has you covered! What’s not to love? Save yourself valuable time and hassle and organise awesome quality hoodies for your class online with just a few clicks. And once you get the ball rolling and you’re setup online, you can click here to learn all the tricks when it comes to promoting your order with your group!
To get started, just click here to go to our online designer or you can also email us and we’d be more than happy to help get you setup. We’d love to hear from you!
 

Use CustomKing for your Club Merchandise

CustomKing.ie allows you to design your group’s customised clothing online, publish a web link for your design, and then collect all orders and payment online.

Are you a team or club looking to offer a line of merchandise for your members? You’ve come to the right place!

We don’t just offer awesome quality merchandise for your club, we make it magically seamless and easy for you. Think of the traditional method of ordering/managing/selling club merchandise and the work it can entail:=

  • Physically collecting orders & cash payments from club members.
  • Ordering a stockpile of merchandise and risk having leftovers which can’t be sold.
  • Allocating storage space for stock.

Besides being a nightmare to deal with, each of the above can quite easily turn club merchandise into a loss-making exercise. It can turn something that should be fun and exciting into a cause for worry and concern. But that shouldn’t be the case.

With CustomKing, your club can forget about all of these problems and risks. You can create a ‘pop-up e-shop’ which allows your club to offer great quality merchandise to members in a quick, efficient, and risk-free manner. Forget the hassle, for we do the hard work for you:

  • Collect orders and payments online by a set deadline.
  • Orders can be delivered either directly to each individual buyer or directly to club for distribution (individually bagged and labelled).
  • Share your order link on club social media accounts and email lists (click here to learn more about promoting your order).
  • And best of all…..it’s absolutely ZERO cost to your club!

The best strategy then is to choose a number of short windows during the year when you will open online orders for members. Example:

  • Early-mid September (when school starts back after summer break).
  • Late November (promote this order for Christmas gifts)
  • End of February (new members in the new year)
  • Early May (orders for the summer season)

“With CustomKing, our club has completely eliminated the need to hold stock & collect cash for merchandise orders. Now members can order directly online and get delivery straight to their own address.”

Niamh F., Dundrum South Dublin Athletics Club

Are you ready to forget the hassle and get your club setup online? Click here to go to our online designer, or click here to contact us!

Promoting Your Order

CustomKing.ie allows you to design your group’s customised clothing online, publish a web link for your design, and then collect all orders and payment online.

Once you order link is live, there will be one thing on your mind….’How can I tell everyone about the online order link, and get them to buy?’. It’s a very important question!

Ultimately, your order link is for you to use however you please, and you can be creative with how you use it to promote your order. With that said, some of the tried and tested ways to communicate your order with your group or team is via:

  1. Group Facebook/Twitter Page(s)
  2. E-mail lists
  3. SMS messaging list
  4. Club/Group Website(s) or Blog(s)

However, just posting the order link in these places is only half the battle. Here are some other key points to remember to help maximise awareness and sales:

    1. Urgency: unlike conventional e-shops, CustomKing orders are only open for a short window of time and it’s important to make buyers aware of this. Be clear with your messaging and state that all orders must be placed by the deadline date or else they won’t get a shirt until the next time you decide to open an order. This stimulates a demand which conventional e-shops cannot do, so use it to your benefit!
    2. Post Repeatedly: most times, it’s not as easy as posting the link once and leaving it to look after itself. Every couple of days, post the link again and remind your members that the order is open for a limited time until the deadline date.
    3. 24 hours to go: let’s face it…sometimes it’s easy to put things off to the last minute. With 24 hours to go before your order closes, make another post with the link to catch anyone who has intended to buy but maybe hasn’t got around to it. This is quite often a time when a large portion of your buyers will place orders.
    4. Direct Messaging: send your group/team members a message directly and remind them to order or share the link themselves.

Have any questions? Just click here to contact us and we’d love to chat!