How to Start a Tech Company Swag Store: The Vendor Playbook

Starting a tech company swag store at Bear Grips Pro Shops takes less than an hour. Sign up, upload company logos, pick the starter line of pieces, set internal pricing for employees and public pricing for fans and community. Here is the full step-by-step plus revenue math for HR leaders, founders, and ops leads running the program.

Step-by-Step Setup

1. Sign up. Go to shops.beargrips.com/for/tech-company. Pick the plan: Free (3 products), Self-Service VIP at $59/month (200 products), or Done-For-You VIP at $109/month (250 products + shop advisor).
2. Upload logos. Wordmark and logomark in vector format (.ai, .eps, or .svg). PNG works at high resolution but vector prints cleaner.
3. Pick starter pieces. 3-piece starter for free tier, 10-piece for Self-Service VIP, full quarterly lineup for DFY VIP.
4. Configure designs. Pick design placement (centered chest, left chest, back, sleeve) and color for each piece.
5. Set pricing. Internal employee pricing at cost. Public-facing community pricing at $10-25 margin per piece.
6. Share the shop link. In onboarding documents, Slack, team channels, and community forums.

Pricing Strategy for Internal and Public Shops

Most tech companies run two shop modes simultaneously:

• Internal employee shop. Pieces at cost (employees pay base price or company covers cost via expense reimbursement). VIP base $19.88-$47.88 per piece.
• Public-facing shop. Standard retail markup. Tee at $28-32 retail ($8-12 margin). Hoodie at $52-72 retail ($15-25 margin). Polo at $44-50 retail ($10-15 margin).

The shop link supports both modes side by side. Configure each product's retail price separately. Employees see internal pricing, public visitors see retail pricing.

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Revenue Math for a Public-Facing Tech Community Shop

For tech companies with a public-facing community (open-source contributors, conference attendees, customers, podcast listeners, newsletter subscribers, social media followers), the public swag shop generates real passive revenue.

Community Size	Annual Purchase Rate	Margin Per Piece	Annual Revenue
500 (small early-stage community)	15%	$15	$1,125
2,000 (mid-stage with active community)	12%	$15	$3,600
10,000 (scaleup with podcast or newsletter)	8%	$15	$12,000
50,000 (large public tech brand)	5%	$15	$37,500

The public shop revenue does not replace the internal swag budget but covers it (or more) for most companies with even modest public-facing presence.

Affiliate Income From Referring Other Tech Companies

Every paid vendor on Bear Grips Pro Shops gets a unique affiliate link. The terms:

• 10% commission on every paid subscription from referred vendors, forever.
• $1 per unit sold by every referred vendor, forever.
• Bi-weekly payouts.
• 10% discount code for the referred vendor as the acquisition incentive.

For HR leaders and ops leaders running the swag program, referring other HR and ops leaders at other tech companies generates passive monthly income. The affiliate program runs independently of the company swag account so income flows to the individual, not the company.

Common Setup Mistakes to Avoid

• Unisex-only starter line. Adds women's-cut versions of each piece from day one. Avoids the closet-of-unworn-pieces failure mode.
• No design placement consistency. Pick one placement (e.g., left chest logomark) and use it across the lineup. Skips brand inconsistency.
• Internal and public shop pricing confusion. Configure each product's pricing separately and clearly label internal vs public-facing pieces. Avoids accidental at-cost sales to the public.
• No refresh cycle. Plan Q2, Q3, and Q4 refresh pieces from day one. Avoids stale program after month four.
• Not using the affiliate link. Set up the affiliate link the same day as the shop. Refer other HR and ops leaders proactively.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take to start a tech company swag store?

Under an hour for a basic 3-piece starter setup. Full 10-piece Self-Service VIP setup runs 2-3 hours including design placement and pricing configuration.

What does it cost to run a tech company swag store?

Free tier ($0/month, 3 products), Self-Service VIP ($59/month, 200 products), or Done-For-You VIP ($109/month, 250 products with shop advisor). Per-piece costs are VIP base pricing for items ordered through the shop.

Can a tech company swag store generate revenue from the public?

Yes. The public-facing shop sells pieces to community members at standard retail markup. Margin per piece runs $10-25. For a company with 2,000 community members at 12% annual purchase rate and $15 margin, revenue lands at ~$3,600/year passive.

What is the Bear Grips affiliate program for tech swag managers?

Every paid vendor gets an affiliate link. 10% commission on referred vendor subscriptions plus $1 per unit sold by referred vendors, forever. Bi-weekly payouts. Refer other HR and ops leaders at other tech companies.