Workwear for New Business Starters: The Essential Checklist

Starting a new business is relentlessly demanding — there are a hundred decisions to make simultaneously and workwear rarely makes the top of the list. But presenting your business professionally from day one has a disproportionate impact on first customer impressions, word-of-mouth referrals and the credibility signals that turn enquiries into orders. The good news: getting the basics right is straightforward, and it doesn’t need to cost a fortune.

TL;DR: For a new business, the minimum effective workwear kit is 2 embroidered polo shirts per person in company colours, plus a branded fleece or jacket for cooler months. Add hi vis if your sector requires it. Use WorkwearLab’s Bundle Wizard to order all in one go at the best price.

Step 1: Define Your Brand Colours and Logo

Before you can order workwear, you need a logo that’s ready for embroidery or DTF printing. For embroidery, you need a vector file (AI, EPS or PDF) or a high-resolution PNG. The simpler your logo, the cleaner the embroidery result — and the lower the stitch count, which means lower per-garment cost. If you’re still finalising your branding, consider ordering plain polo shirts now and adding embroidery once your logo is confirmed — though the most cost-effective approach is to do it all in one order.

Step 2: Choose Your Core Garments

The minimum viable workwear kit for a new business is typically: embroidered polo shirts (2 per person), a branded fleece or hooded top for cooler months (1 per person), and hi vis workwear if required for your sector. For a solo trader, that might mean just 2 polo shirts and 1 fleece — a total investment of approximately £60–£90 including embroidery. For a team of five, the same kit scales to around £300–£450, which comfortably reaches the free delivery threshold.

Browse the WorkwearLab range: polo shirts, fleeces, hoodies and hi vis workwear.

Step 3: Measure Your Team and Place the Order

Measure each person’s chest circumference and cross-reference against the size chart for your chosen garments. Don’t rely on self-reported sizes — the cost of a wrong-size embroidered garment is losing the garment entirely, since personalised items can’t be returned. Once sizes are confirmed, build your order in the Bundle Wizard.

Build your new business workwear kit in 60 seconds — all garments, all sizes, all decoration in one order:

Auto 5% off over £100 · 10% off over £199 · FREE UK delivery from £199.

Frequently Asked Questions

• The Complete UK Polo Shirt Buying Guide 2026
• How Many Polo Shirts Does a Team Need?
• Branded Workwear ROI: How Uniform Pays for Itself
• Embroidery Setup Costs Explained

Written by the WorkwearLab Editorial Team — Burnley, Lancashire.