Expanding Business with an Apparel Line – The Story of Kettlebell Kings [Video]

It might not seem like it, but selling clothing, accessories, or home decor isn’t always the main goal for Printful’s customers. Sometimes an apparel line is just a happy, unexpected byproduct of a completely different venture. To show this side of our customer success stories, we sat down with Chad Price of Kettlebell Kings.

Kettlebell Kings started out as a way for Chad and his two college buddies to continue their long-lasting friendship. So they created Kettlebell Kings – a fitness company that sells kettlebells and helps people incorporate them in workouts.

The concept proved to be very popular, and five years later Kettlebell Kings has grown into a tight-knit community of like-minded people.

As the community expanded, the owners of Kettlebell Kings were inspired to give their customers an opportunity to buy custom-made merch and show off their Kettlebell Kings pride. But Chad and his friends quickly realized that buying stock, printing apparel products, and shipping them to customers on their own would shift their focus away from selling kettlebells.

That’s when they decided to go the print-on-demand dropshipping route, and found the Printful + BigCommerce integration to be the best fit for their needs.

Watch the video below to hear Chad’s story about how Kettlebell Kings managed to keep kettlebells at the center of their attention, while creating a popular clothing line.

One of the main takeaways from Kettlebell Kings’ experience is that customer loyalty and sense of belonging can become an essential part of a successful business. Building a meaningful community takes time and drive, but in the long run, it can benefit your business enormously.

According to smile.io, customers are looking for brands that speak to them on an emotional level – customers are interested not only in the products themselves, but also in the message the brand sends. When a brand inspires a community of loyal followers who contribute to the brand’s image, it opens up previously unseen business possibilities.

And here comes lesson #2 – when the opportunity arises and you actually have to expand the business, it’s important to know your limits and remember your core values. Kettlebell Kings quickly realized that they wouldn’t be able to handle an apparel line in a way that would fit their high standards, so they turned to a reliable production partner. Now they can still dedicate their time to maintaining their kettlebell-centered community, while also offering a wide choice of merch.

If you’re new in the business world and are still trying to find your customer base, you might think that at this point merch isn’t for you. But don’t forget that even one customer with a branded t-shirt can start a conversation that leads to more people finding out about you. That is, if your brand represents something customers are eager to talk about.

And this circles back to building a community around your brand. Define what your business is, and what message you want to send to your customers. And by focusing on what’s important to you and your brand, you just might open up a whole new world of business possibilities.

Want to share the story of your brand? Let us know in the comments!