Been There, Done That, Got the T-shirt

It's official -- I've become an entrepreneur...

Early in the run of Vehicle Magazine, an e-mail 'publication' I used to send out (still planning on a farewell mailing), one issue was titled 'Inevitable Merchandizing', wherein mocked-up images of Vehicle Magazine T-shirts were presented to the couple of dozen readers I had at the time.

Now, once again, I've mocked-up some T-shirts, but this time the images are available on the Web, @ http://www.unifiedsettlement.org/apparel.html . On Thursday the 13th of January, 2005 (today to me, but technically yesterday, especially considering that post times here are recorded in UTC), I contacted not one, but two local printers about Flag of Earth / Unified Settlement T-shirts. The first offered me a great price, and the second promised to match it -- and thse prices are competitive with what I would get from large Internet-based companies...

Now, all that stands between me and a half a gross of shirts is a sum of $522 -- and demand for these shirts, at least among the few I've 'spoken' with about them, is high.

This is how I'm to be somewhat reimbursed for my time spent developing the Unified Settlement. One in each of the 4 colours of the Flag of Earth for me (I'll wear them often), a few given away, and the rest sold at a profit, sent around the world, generating income.

People like T-shirts, sometimes treasuring the ones that show everyone else what they believe in, often loving the ones that are comfortable and have colours and designs that make them feel good... The Flag of Earth is a design that we should all feel grateful to Jim Cadle for authoring way back in 1970 -- a simple, geometric representation of where we are from in the larger sense. I've felt for months now that it would look great on a T-shirt, and that those shirts would sell much better than actual flags -- those flags (sewn, not printed, in 2 sizes), lapel pins, and window decals being the only merchandise Jim offers on www.flagofearth.com ...

I'll be sending one in each colour to Jim -- and if he should choose to, he can order some from my printer to offer on his site, without having to pay the 'art & screen' charge. If he would rather not do this, I'll send him more shirts as a thank-you, along with a paid order for some of his stuff (I want to wear the pin, fly the flag, and stick the decal on my car anyway -- and I'll want more of these items to give as gifts).

Another shirt will eventually follow, with a large f.i.l. on the front, 'freedom is life' (and perhaps other f.i.l.
acronyms along the same vein) and the Unified Setlement URL on the back...

Click on the title of this blog entry to access my site, and please (if you have something to say) click on the number of comments at the bottom to leave a comment of your own.

"I'm Phil Smith, and I approve this T-shirt."