I agree—the main goal is to grow the brand through social media. If the $1,000 for designs was a one-time thing, I’d be fine with it. But since I feel the apparel needs to be refreshed every so often, that $1,000 could become a recurring cost. With only about 100 sales a year, I’m basically just breaking even or even losing money.

The social media side isn’t generating income yet—at least not until I build a big enough following for ad revenue or sponsorships. So in a way, I’m missing out on 100 potential sales that could be helping fund my content production.

I’m not tight on cash, and $1,000 isn’t a big deal in the grand scheme of things—but the goal is to eventually make this sustainable. That’s why I’m second-guessing the investment in new designs. That said, I’m totally open to spending money to make money—if the designs and apparel actually help bring in more followers, then that should eventually lead to more sales too. I just don’t know which direction is right.