Printavo PrintHustlers Podcast

Hiring & Training A Production Manager For Your Screen Printing Shop by Printavo

IntegriTees' Sean Kirkpatrick joins us to talk about M&R's Digital Squeegee. He's had this hybrid printing machine in his west Texas shop for more than two years. It's pushed the boundaries of what's possible and opened a new niche for his shop. The Digital Squeegee combines screen printing and digital printing in one package and the results are fascinating. Sean discusses everything from pricing to printing for niche women's apparel brands in this episode of the PrintHustlers Podcast. 00:00 Intro 01:05 About IntegriTees 02:25 M&R's Digital Squeegee (DS) 05:50 Equipment needed for a Digital Squeegee 06:55 Smallest shop with a DS?? 07:30 M&R Stryker presses 08:33 Why try new technology? 12:30 How much a Digital Squeegee costs 15:30 Hybrid printing artwork & screens 16:18 Learning curve & struggles 19:03 What jobs you should print with the DS 21:23 When prices make sense 22:30 Growing in 2020 23:00 Pricing as a luxury service 24:20 A warning about Digital Squeegees 25:58 Does it break? 28:10 10 days without turning it on? 29:25 Women's apparel niche 31:35 How fulfillment works for brands 32:50 Handling inventory 34:20 Why 2020 was great 36:50 Biggest challenge 38:45 Delegating 41:30 Reflecting on what's next 44:50 Outro

Lucky Prints in Chicago moved to a 4-day workweek. Could your print shop pull off a 4-day week? And why would you want to do it, anyway? Owner Adam Smith sits down to discuss what it took to pull of a 4-day work week, why it means less downtime, and how the Lucky Prints culture led to small (but very significant) improvements over time. Visit Lucky Prints on Instagram to see what they're up to: https://www.instagram.com/luckyprints Contents: 00:00 Introduction 02:25 About Lucky Prints 04:25 Are restaurants like print shops? 06:45 Why hiring from restaurants works 10:15 Changes in 2020 11:10 Why work 4 day weeks? 12:25 How the 4 day week works 14:20 4 day week means happier people 16:50 Tracking downtime 21:00 Building a culture of improvement 24:40 How workers give feedback 27:45 Competition in screen printing 31:30 Saying no to bad jobs 35:40 Firing a bad customer 39:04 How to compete: experience! 42:10 Digital printing? 46:10 Patches, transfers, embroidery

Missed Sales Opportunities For Your Shop by Printavo

Creating a business plan? Easy. But executing on it? That's hard. We dive in to planning and setting goals for your business in the coming year. It's time to stop thinking short-term and bouncing from one task to the next! The biggest trick? BREAK DOWN YOUR GOALS to execute them. Get out a pen and paper and start writing down your ideas! Let's dive in, set aside some time, and start with the questions you should ask yourself: - What is the company you want to have in one year? - What is realistically possible in your circumstances? Set conservative goals to start. - Can you actually measure your goals? If you can't – find a different goal, or a way to measure it. - Who owns (and controls) measuring these goals? It shouldn't always be you! - Can you set aside a weekly meeting to check in on your goals? This is the JET FUEL for meeting goals – it keeps goals top-of-mind. Every business owner has wound up in December wondering how the year slipped by – this is how to conservatively and proactively think longer-term. You really have to jump out of the short-term mindset and start thinking like a BIG business with LONG-TERM goals. Try Printavo: https://www.printavo.com Join us at PrintHustlers Conf: https://www.printhustlers.com Check out Printavo Merch: https://www.printavo.com/merch Follow us on Instagram for all of the latest updates: https://www.instagram.com/printavo

Golden Press Studio explains why they've moved beyond being a print shop – and become a branding agency. Watch the full episode: https://www.printavo.com/blog/branding-agency-vs-screen-printing-shop Try Printavo: https://www.printavo.com Join us at PrintHustlers Conf: https://www.printhustlers.com Check out Printavo Merch: https://www.printavo.com/merch Follow us on Instagram for all of the latest updates: https://www.instagram.com/printavo

Wondering why you suck with money? "Profit First" author Mike Michalowicz explains the human psychology behind why we're so bad with money. Your business suffers when you don't know this! Watch the full presentation here: https://youtu.be/X_ewZ-Ni3EA Try Printavo: https://www.printavo.com Check out Printavo Merch: https://www.printavo.com/merch Follow us on Instagram for all of the latest updates: https://www.instagram.com/printavo

Should you try embroidery? We share what you need to think about before you purchase an embroidery machine. FIRST: How often do you really get embroidery orders? If 20 to 25% of customers are asking for embroidery, it's worth the investment. SECOND: What kind of equipment will you need? Will you need a large, medium, or small machine? THIRD: How will embroidery work in your business? Will you do all of the embroidery, some of it, or none of it? How much do embroidery machines cost? Used embroidery machines cost around $15,000 for a 10-head machine. For around $2,000, you can get a great 1-or-2-head machine. Things to consider: 1. Embroidery has a steep learning curve. You have to learn the vocabulary. Reach out to manufacturers and suppliers to learn more. 2. Can you contract out embroidery? If you're already contracting out embroidery, ask to visit your local embroidery shop and see how they work. 3. Embroidery has a different file type. Digitized files explain where each stitch needs to go. This can be very difficult to learn! Chapters: 00:00 When it's time to buy 00:40 What to consider 01:05 How much it costs 01:20 Why embroidery is hard 02:03 Contract embroidery 03:30 Digitizing and file types 04:48 Our favorite digitizer 05:25 Machine prices and sizes 06:00 How much space you need 06:45 Conclusion Try Printavo: https://www.printavo.com Join us at PrintHustlers Conf: https://www.printhustlers.com Check out Printavo Merch: https://www.printavo.com/merch Follow us on Instagram for all of the latest updates: https://www.instagram.com/printavo

Where should you learn about screen printing? We ask the professionals. Remember trade shows? In January 2020 we interviewed some of the industry's best and brightest. Here's what they had to say about learning to screen print. We shelved these interviews because of the chaotic months that followed, but now it's time for them to hit the airwaves. Enjoy, Print Hustlers – and see you soon! Try Printavo: https://www.printavo.com Join us at PrintHustlers Conf: https://www.printhustlers.com Check out Printavo Merch: https://www.printavo.com/merch Follow us on Instagram for all of the latest updates: https://www.instagram.com/printavo

How do you take your shop from "busy" to truly profitable? We talk to Blue Grimes from Out Of The Blue Printing in Denver, Colorado. Their team aimed for a 20% profit margin – and met it. This episode covers everything from hiring an operations manager (6:20) to breaking down your gross margin so you can calculate your pricing (16:20). 00:00 Introduction 02:00 Changes in 2020 04:40 Monday morning meetings? 06:20 Hiring an operations manager 09:40 Making cuts to grow the business 11:30 How they price for 20% profit 12:50 How they built their price sheets 16:20 Understanding gross margin 17:53 How much a screen print shop can actually work 18:50 Did customers hate higher prices? 21:30 From operator to owner 23:33 Goals and accountability 26:15 Sales: defense to offense 27:00 New sales structure 29:30 Challenges with change 34:20 Conclusion Try Printavo: https://www.printavo.com Join us at PrintHustlers Conf: https://www.printhustlers.com Check out Printavo Merch: https://www.printavo.com/merch Follow us on Instagram for all of the latest updates: https://www.instagram.com/printavo