Plank noticed that, after a practice or a game, the cotton T-shirt that he and the other players wore under their pads would be heavy, soaked with sweat.
To get even more color on her market, Jarecki posted research surveys at her company's site and inserted them into the dye packaging. (Buyers who filled them out received a free "My Betty Is Ready" black cotton T-shirt.) About 1, 000 responses told a surprising story: Less than 5% of her customer base came from the 18- to 25-year-old demographic, and half lived in non-urban zones like Nebraska, Washington and Arkansas.