The 10 shirt problem

If you’ve ever looked into branded uniforms, you’ve probably had the same experience.

You only need ten shirts. Maybe twelve if you’re planning ahead. Enough to kit out your team, look professional, and give customers confidence in your brand.

Then the quotes start coming back.

“Our minimum order is 50.”

“The price drops significantly at 100.”

“You’ll get much better value if you order 500.”

Before long, you’re being encouraged to buy five years’ worth of uniforms for a business that’s only been operating for six months.

The frustrating part is that it often makes you question whether you should bother at all.

The truth is, this isn’t because suppliers are trying to make life difficult. Most are set up to service larger organisations where ordering hundreds of garments at a time is completely normal. Their pricing, production processes and minimum quantities are built around efficiency, not flexibility.

Unfortunately, that’s not how most small businesses operate.

When you’re just getting started, cash flow matters. Staff come and go. Businesses evolve. Logos get refreshed. You might hire three people next month or decide polo shirts aren’t right for your team after all.

Ordering hundreds of uniforms before you’ve even figured those things out rarely makes sense.

It’s one of those strange situations where trying to save money can actually cost you more.

We’ve all seen it happen. Boxes of unused uniforms sitting in a storeroom because someone left the company. Shirts with an old logo after a rebrand. Sizes that nobody wears anymore. Stock that seemed like a bargain at the time but never actually gets used.

That’s money tied up in shelves instead of growing the business.

For most small businesses, branded uniforms aren’t about achieving the lowest possible cost per shirt. They’re about looking professional, building trust with customers and giving your team something they’re proud to wear.

You don’t need a warehouse full of polos to achieve that.

You just need enough.

That’s why I always encourage business owners to think about what they actually need today, not what someone else’s pricing model tells them they should buy.

If that’s ten shirts, order ten.

If it’s fifteen, order fifteen.

You can always order more later.

Your business will change, your team will grow, and your branding may evolve along with it. Uniforms should support that journey, not lock you into decisions you made before your business found its feet.

Ironically, the businesses we admire most didn’t become successful because they ordered 500 polos on day one. They became successful because they focused on serving customers, building a reputation and growing sustainably.

The uniforms came along for the ride.

So if you’re holding off because everyone keeps telling you that ten shirts isn’t enough, remember this:

It isn’t a uniform problem.

It’s a minimum order problem.

And thankfully, that’s one the industry is finally starting to solve.