Printavo PrintHustlers Podcast

Nicole from Embellishr joins Steven and Bruce fresh off Impressions Long Beach to discuss the booming used equipment market in the decorated apparel industry. As the founder of the leading pre-owned screen printing equipment marketplace, Nicole shares insider knowledge on buying and selling used presses, dryers, and embroidery machines—plus what's driving the resurgence in analog screen printing equipment sales.

Weston Cotton of Custom Print Graphics joins Steven and Bruce to break down one of the most aggressive acquisition strategies in the decorated apparel industry. In just 9 months since buying his first contract print shop in May 2025, Weston has closed 3 acquisitions and is working on a 4th—building a roll-up strategy that's transforming how print shops consolidate and scale.

Matt McLellan from Apparel Lab joins Steven and Bruce to share his unconventional journey building a thriving DTG (Direct-to-Garment) print shop in Madison, Alabama—without ever touching screen printing equipment. Starting in the back room of his nutrition store in 2016, Matt has grown Apparel Lab into a multi-service operation proving you don't need to follow the traditional decorator path to succeed.

What would it take to grow a print shop from zero to $1 million in revenue? In this episode, Steven from Campus Ink teams up with Kevin Baumgart from Sales Ink to map out the complete playbook for scaling a decorated apparel business from day one.

Steven sits down with Daniel, Senior Product Manager at Roland DGA, for an in-depth conversation about Roland's entry into the DTF (Direct-to-Film) market and an ambitious mobile printing project that's pushing the boundaries of what's possible in the custom apparel industry.

As 2025 wraps up, it's the perfect time to reflect, reorganize, and plan ahead for your print shop. In this episode, Steven and Bruce discuss practical strategies for year-end shop organization, budgeting for 2026, and setting goals that actually stick.

In part 2 of our year-end conversation, Justin Lawrence and Steven Farag get deeply honest about the hardest parts of business ownership—from the loneliness of financial struggle to making tough decisions that saved their companies. They discuss the Thunder championship impact, 30% workforce reductions, knowing when to step back from trade shows, and why both are working to build businesses they could sell (but may not).

Join us for part 1 of our year-end conversation with Justin Lawrence (Oklahoma Shirt Company) and Stephen as they share their annual planning rituals, team bonus strategies, and the business metrics that transformed their shops. From implementing Traction EOS to discovering that 30% of revenue comes from email marketing, this episode is packed with actionable insights for print shop owners.

n this episode, we explore how print shop owners can apply "Unreasonable Hospitality" principles from Will Guidara's acclaimed book to transform ordinary transactions into extraordinary customer experiences. Learn why emotional connection matters as much as perfect execution, and discover practical ways to stand out in a competitive industry.

Looking to close out this year strong and set your print shop up for success in 2025? This comprehensive annual checklist covers everything you need to review, plan, and optimize your custom apparel business for the year ahead.