Next comes an important reminder. People like printwear - it's distinctive and comfortable. More than that the quality is good - compared to high street offerings it's usually significantly better. The choice of colours is far more extensive as is the range of sizes. Ask anyone who is XXL or above how easy it is to find a polo shirt in a shop. Hence the underlying product proposition is good before you add creativity.

As I wrote here recently a visit to a business park will demonstrate that a majority of businesses don't buy printwear and that the key reason for this is that they don't know the reasons why they should. Putting that right is down to old fashioned selling but add in the creative buzz and the result improves significantly.

But (see above) you may not have the creative ideas. In which case, copy others - without infringing copyright or blatant plagiarism you can re-use ideas seen elsewhere. Plug into your suppliers' marketing teams' ideas. They should have success stories to share and it's mutually beneficial to increase sales. If your suppliers can't help, have you got the right ones?

The sports retail business is close to printwear. I was told last month by the MD of a major sportswear manufacturer that the key to success in that market is to stop being a shopkeeper. That's good advice for any printwear business owners who have become tied to their premises. Get out there and develop contacts with potential buyers.

Where do you look for new contacts? For those who want to have a local focus scour your local newspapers. I've written recently about clubs and societies and the potential business from them. Your local paper will feature what a number of them are doing or planning. The sports pages will be full of lists of league tables. Contact the leagues themselves for details of clubs and contacts. Some of those leagues will be pretty informal - 5 a side leagues as a case. They can often be reached via the sports centre where the league operates.

Golf clubs offer great potential. Most of them run regular tournaments across the age ranges and they are always concerned that players maintain appropriate standards of dress. This is a competitive niche but the collection of polo shirts my golfing brother-in-law has built by this means would get any printwear business excited.

The key point with sports clubs is to remember that for every player there are dozens, perhaps hundreds of spectators, family, staff and sponsors' employees. The latter in particular can be an excellent source of added business - they're investing in the club, printwear is the ideal way to make that sponsorship work harder. Some very small clubs indeed have sponsorship. Remember, too, that playing strips are only a small part of the potential. There are tours and events as well.

Local newspapers offer another potential source of clients - the advertisers. "You advertise in the Gazette so buy printwear" is a crummy sales pitch. But stressing the local potential to reinforce the advertising message is a real proposition. Be aware of advertising rates in the local newspaper. The cost of that ad, multiplied by 52, will usually dwarf the cost of printwear. Any ad which promises a new store opening, a new product range on offer or a special event should have you round to their premises hotfoot. Such businesses will probably have already bought (or rejected) printwear, but they may not even have thought about it.

If the big charities can make revenue by selling printwear then so can the small ones. I was once shown a list of charities that ran to hundreds - just for the county of Devon! Some of the small ones are so small as to be effectively inactive, but there's a lot of potential and it's a proven revenue generator for them. Contact the Charity Commissioners.

Consumer magazines are by their nature national, but again the potential is there. Let's take a simple example - classic cars. My researches suggest that just about every car that you can think of that you would call  ‘classic' (and some you wouldn't) has a dedicated owners' club. They have rallies, websites and some have a lot of members. The same applies to motorcycles. There are practical reasons related to spares why people join these clubs but they also want to wear their hearts on their sleeves.

It's my strong impression that the more specialist an activity, the likelier the participants are to want printwear to announce their involvement - this is about showing off your uniqueness. For instance, millions of people go fishing (the biggest activity sport in the country), but the sales opportunities are with those hunting, say, shark, conger, pike and carp. There are specialist magazines for the various enthusiasms.

A jaunt round my local WH Smith gave me a dozen titles covering such different enthusiasms as shooting, extreme sports, camping and caravanning, martial arts and so on. The classified ads feed you the business opportunities and they're a comfortable sale because you're proposing a means whereby the club/association/event etc can make some more money.

Talk to local petshop owners. If you don't have occasion to visit petshops, the phenomenon of pet bling may well have passed you by. The reality is that fashion is the fastest growing sales sector in the trade. You may have seen the "hers and hers" T shirts with the slogan "one of us is a bitch". Believe me, that is the tip of the iceberg. There are hundreds of items and the ranges are expanding. One of the zanier examples is a dog-coat styled like a flying jacket. Customers who will buy pet fashion are highly likely to want to put Rover or Fluffy's name on it and retailers report that buying pet bling becomes a regular habit. It's highly unlikely that pet shops have the capability to do this themselves.

Make friends with your local tourist authority. My experience says that they vary dramatically but they are local authority funded and they are a key source of information on events and attractions, not to mention hotels, guesthouses and pubs. One visit could give you access to events in your region for a whole year, plus updates.

Right let's talk internet because the web should throw up a mountain of opportunities and ideas, which it will do if you are disciplined about what you're looking for and how you approach it. Let's start with ideas. Google search "niche apparel" and you'll find stories from lots of relevant businesses, most of them in America. One example is the business which has focused on providing yoga clubs with a range to sell to members. Then there's the company providing honeymoon clothing (how niche do you want!). There are a lot of wedding planners out there to talk to.

Talk to teenagers. Yes, I know it's painful but they do know what the latest trends are. By the time the big new thing gets out of the clubs and college bars it's gone mainstream and an opportunity is lost. Imagine having been first to exploit the surfwear market.

If the people don't come to you, go to them. Just4fun leisurewear focus on the motor racing world, providing an on-course embroidery service. The potential is there to use this in a range of other sectors: equestrianism, sailing regattas, mini-rugby tournaments all attract both lots of participants and spectators. It isn't the easiest way to build a business, but it is a way.

There's a great phrase "when you hit gold, dig right through the mountain". A lot of businesses miss that trick. Consider which are your best, most regular clients and then aim to sell to other businesses in that sector. Care is needed - if you sell the same idea to your existing client's toughest competitor you're likely to lose business, not gain it. But the advantages are big for both parties. You understand the business sector already, you're aware of the issues, you know when they go to exhibitions, you're aware of some dos and don'ts. This is a real positive to the customer and gives you great confidence when selling. Your existing best customer will know others in the sector who are not competitive and if asked will, in most cases, supply an introduction.

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