A student-run business at the University of Wisconsin aims to bring a simplified custom apparel service to campus and the city of Madison.
Shirt and Simple, a free custom T-shirt service launched and copyrighted in 2006 in Iowa City, Iowa, is in its fourth semester of business at UW and has generated about $12,800 in revenue to date since it started at UW in spring 2010.
Bob Engel, a UW senior majoring in marketing and member of the Shirt and Simple committee, said the business started at UW when owner and president George Pfeiffer brought the idea to him in 2010 with a desire to expand his business to more universities.
Engel said he was in a leadership position at UW’s Delta Sigma Pi – which now runs Shirt and Simple in Madison – when Pfieffer contacted him with an interest to develop the business at UW in 2010. He said Pfieffer’s overall business currently based in Chicago now generates more than $200,000 each year.
All proceeds generated from the Shirt and Simple business in Madison go back to Delta Sigma Pi, Engel said.
Now, a committee of six people within Delta Sigma Pi runs the business in Madison, which includes taking care of invoices and the website as well as the more creative marketing side, Shirt and Simple Chair Jack Patten said.
Engel said those using the service can go online to shirtandsimple.com, order their product and the company will take care of the payment system and the printing of the T-shirts, which is done by Madtown Printing.
“We have a cool competency that a lot of other custom printers don’t have, which is that all of our orders and payments are done online,” Engel said.
He said customers can go to the website, make an order page and create the artwork for the apparel so everyone can see it. Then, all of those who will be ordering the shirt can look at the design before indicating their size and paying online.
Engel said this feature forgoes the normal process organizers have of trying to show the design to and collect money from their T-shirt group, which he said can be unnecessarily stressful.
Patten said in addition to providing a unique service to Madison residents and students, Shirt and Simple allows those involved to gain valuable marketing and business experience.
“I’m running it this semester, and I’m just a sophomore,” Patten said. “It’s great in terms of leadership in running the committee, learning what promotions work well, learning to target your market and making the service accessible for college students.”
He added that involvement in Shirt and Simple has helped in terms of gaining hands-on experience in digital marketing and how to effectively run a website-based business.
Patten said overall he has had a great experience with the business as it focuses on serving the community.
“We focus on being the best possible service for students and organizations in Madison and we are committed to maintaining that connection,” Patten said.
