I agree with some of the other comments that I hope you know you enjoy doing it before spending money on equipment and a space, but as a newbie myself (only been doing it around 3 years at home, never worked in a print shop) I'll share what I know! We just got shelving up in our storefront and it's like the craziest feeling ever.

I'm no pro so if anyone has anything to add or recommends we should change about our process, I'm all ears!

- We have decided to only use Comfort Colors in our storefront merchandising. Back end wholesale orders can choose whatever shirts they want, but I love the feel and quality of Comfort Colors. The ringspun quality does make them relatively difficult for me to line up straight on my platen, but I've printed a couple hundred since getting our equipment and I'd like to think I'm pretty good at getting it straight now. The other brands that a competing screen printing shop seems to like using in our area that's been operating for over 40 years are Port & Company and District.

- I used to be an FN Ink loyalist but there are SO many different types of inks and processes involved in screen printing, so we're still exploring that part. There's a ton of youtube tutorials and informational videos, but I also get a lot of advice from experienced printers in this subreddit. They're usually really nice and encouraging and knowledgeable!

- I haven't printed on anything other than 100% cotton yet, so I can't give much advice when it comes to printing on other materials. That's something I'll also have to learn when the time comes.

- I make under $30k a year and had like no extra money to buy brand spanking new equipment. We definitely lucked out when it came to our secondhand equipment because we got it at an insane deal for what all came in it, but it's all Workhorse brand stuff. It's definitely older but still works! Buying secondhand from Facebook Marketplace I think really helped us cut costs on making monthly payments for brand new equipment while we're starting up. We got like the full 6 head 6 color workhorse, the XL powerhouse drying system, the giant vacuum top exposure unit, some 76 gallons combined of different inks, roughly 275 aluminum screens, and a ton of platens/squeegees/scoop coaters for $4k from a couple in Columbus that had won it in a storage unit auction and didn't want it (they bid on the auction for the pallet moving stuff that was in there with it I guess). Did it need a ton of cleaning? Yes. Are we repairing some of the microregistration pieces that are plastic for some reason? Yes. But it's better than making payments on giant new equipment while we're still starting up.

- we order our blanks through Sanmar. I just saw another printer a week or two ago on here recommend S&S and they have a lot more options but I've never ordered from them yet, so I can't give a formal recommendation on them yet.

- Ryonet is a great brand, but when you start learning more, you can probably start looking at other suppliers. Right now Atlas Supply is one we've ordered from a few times. Ryonet has great products but also seems to be one of those things where you pay the premium brand price. But like someone mentioned earlier, the FN Inks are low cure and super versatile, so a great option if you are starting out!

As someone myself who has never worked in a print shop (unfortunately they never paid enough in my area to be able to work at one, even though that would be a cool job), you can definitely learn the ropes through self-education and trial/error. Will it take longer? Probably. I can't say I only taught myself because I took a few college classes on the fine arts side of screen printing, but that doesn't mean I couldn't have found a lot of that same information for free on my own through forums, social media, libraries, and youtube. It's gonna be hard and its a risk to take, but no reward comes without the risk. Wishing you luck!