Printavo PrintHustlers Podcast

What's it like to buy a screen printing business? Lantern Ink, founded by Heather Searcy, grew significantly when they purchased another print shop in 2017. Read the full story and see inside Lantern Ink's shop: https://www.printavo.com/blog/buying-a-screen-printing-business Screen printing was that calling: "I found some equipment, called my husband, took $5,000 and drove to Austin." After diligent research and a leap of faith, Heather spent 3 years in her garage printing by hand. "It's the classic story," she says, "I was looking for a way to spend more time with my kids." But Lantern Ink has grown quickly from a hobby into a 10-person operation that balances contract work and high-quality boutique printing. Read the full story and see inside Lantern Ink's shop: https://www.printavo.com/blog/buying-a-screen-printing-business 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 if you're still reading comment "Hammertime" #screenprinting #printlife #printhustlers #printavo #screenprintlife #dtg #embroidery #merch #ecommerce #printshop #screenprint Subscribe to the Printavo channel for more amazing interviews, shop tours, and tips for your screen printing business.

Join Printavo's Matt Marcotte in this exclusive Printavo University webinar. Featuring live Q&A and an in-depth discussion about what it takes to run a successful screen printing business, this webinar was held September 2020. Want to sign up for the next Printavo University? Join in here: https://www.printavo.com/blog/printavo-university-101 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 #screenprinting #printlife #printhustlers #printavo #screenprintlife #dtg #embroidery #merch #ecommerce #printshop #screenprint Subscribe to the Printavo channel for more amazing interviews, shop tours, and tips for your screen printing business.

The funniest couple in screen printing, Barrel Maker Printing's Justin and Erin Moore, join us for Printavo's PrintHustlers Podcast (aka "Printavocast," according to Justin and Erin). They've grown a print shop from an operation in a drafty apartment to a modern print-on-demand experience backed by a formidable live printing operating. What does it take to be a close-knit family, raise children, and manage a fast-growing screen printing operation? Here's two people that have made it happen. 3:55 How it all began: “I got fired. I got an unemployment check. Instead of paying rent or buying groceries, I bought a press.” WHY BARREL MAKER WORKS: "Every single day I operate as though we're going out of business," explains Justin. He's built a robust website and e-commerce juggernaut to back it up – "I feel like it’s a fine line between doing well and living on the streets homeless." There's one thing that's kept them profitable: a search for someone who understands that the key is keeping product moving out the door. Despite that, hiring people that will stay for the long haul is always a challenge: "So, bigger picture, you have to think about the fact that: maybe in 2 years this person will leave and we’ll need someone else for this role." 54:00 Live printing events: What's that like? Why do it? WHAT'S NEXT FOR BARREL MAKER: "I'm of the mindset that if you get something the next day, you're going to be happier," Justin says. Print-on-demand (1:06:30) has become a hot topic in the industry, and they're creating their own model that works with what consumers expect. "There's this whole Amazon culture: people want things quickly." Are they going to grow into something like Custom Ink? Probably not. “Barrel Maker has run on spontaneous, creative energy. It might just die in a board room," Justin says. BALANCING FAMILY AND THE SHOP: "One person’s stress ruins another person’s good time," Erin says. Since Erin runs the how and Justin works on the what, they're often out of sync. The solution? "We stopped working together," Erin laughs. From working in 2,000 square feet with 3 presses (11:35) to building a solid internship program (19:10), Barrel Maker and the family behind the business have crafted a Chicago print icon while growing a family. A huge thanks to Justin and Erin for taking the time to chat with us! Check Barrel Maker out: https://barrelmakerprinting.com/ Their live printing operation: https://barrelmakerprinting.com/live-printing/ Check out their work on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/barrelmakerprinting/ 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 #screenprinting #printlife #printhustlers #printavo #screenprintlife #dtg #embroidery #merch #ecommerce #printshop #screenprint Subscribe to the Printavo channel for more amazing interviews, shop tours, and tips for your screen printing business.

Why is there a t-shirt shortage? What happened when COVID hit Bella + Canvas? What's next for the screen print industry? You've got questions, and Bella + Canvas President Chris Blakeslee has answers! In 2020, the screen print industry has been hard hit. From the lack of events to shortages in common t-shirts and larger sizes, it's been a struggle. And for the 1,000+ people team based out of Los Angeles that makes up Bella + Canvas, it's been no exception. "One of my biggest focal points has been keeping up with production. Right when we got stock and production where we wanted it to be, the pandemic hit," Chris explained. While Bella + Canvas operates the biggest automated cutting facility in the world in their LA campus (and dyes their fabrics in the US as well), closing a 2.1M square foot facility was no simple task. They originally projected a sharp drop in demand, but have far outpaced their initial projections after weathering a challenging 30 day period. "When lots of businesses were closing, we were busier than we had ever been before in terms of management, production, operations, and customer interaction," Chris said. You'll hear why there's been a shortage of t-shirts and sweatshirts this year, why it's hard to find the extra large sizes in stock, and even what the future of screen printing holds. Chris also offers an honest take on what it means to be a leader in such difficult times: "I know in our industry, one of my favorite things about this whole process – so many companies did so many things to adapt and pivot. They did an incredible job finding ways to survive and keep their people employed. It really was that entrepreneurial spirit, which is our industry. There are lots of people that did just as good as I did in lots of businesses." Want to see the highlights? Click a timestamp to jump to that topic: 8:45 What happened with the first Bella + Canvas face coverings? "We were introduced to some people close to the White House Coronavirus Task Force right in the middle of March." 12:00 Why some print shops weren't happy with Bella + Canvas (and how they made it right). "If I could go back, I would have called it a face cover right off the bat." 13:30 What Bella + Canvas' ultimate goal is: make profitable products for print shops. "We have always tried to create products that allow our customers, particularly decorators, to buy them, embellish them, and sell them at a much higher price and make a much stronger margin." 14:10 How COVID affected the supply chain for the screen printing industry. "The reaction to things get amplified every time you go a step further up the supply chain." 19:25 Why is there a t-shirt shortage? "Sewing became a total bottleneck." 22:10 Why XL and larger size t-shirts and garments are hard to get right now – from the President of Bella + Canvas! "Each supplier got bought out in successive order." 28:00 How Chris faces the challenges of leading a big company like Bella + Canvas. "You have to overcommunicate. You have to be very compassionate for your people." 32:10 Where is the industry going for now and what is the company planning for? "All of that consumer-facing purchased merchandise is doing surprisingly well. While the big 'giveaway' and events space is doing terribly." 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 #screenprinting #printlife #printhustlers #printavo #screenprintlife #dtg #embroidery #merch #ecommerce #printshop #screenprint Subscribe to the Printavo channel for more amazing interviews, shop tours, and tips for your screen printing business.

If 80% of your screen printing business is walk-in retail, what happens when customers can't come into your store? You pivot to online sales and fundraisers like Rockford Art Deli (RAD). But this wasn't easy! "It's almost worse to have too much success and not be prepared for it," explains Jarrod Hennis from RAD. By joining the 50-state-wide Here For Good campaign, Jarrod and his team took part in a nationwide movement to help sustain small businesses...but it wasn't easy. After donating more than $100,000 to local Rockford businesses, Jarrod and the RAD team have seen it all. From angry emails telling them how to run their business to media coverage to dealing with t-shirt shortages, Rockford Art Deli has made it through this challenging period with an eye toward the future. Jarrod exclaims: "5 years ago you could never have done any of this!" This in-depth conversation covers everything from how RAD balance custom and retail screen printing, why they only do hand-printed and simple designs, and what happens when you're not ready to handle a crush of orders. Software mentioned in this episode: Frontapp: https://www.front.com - a shared inbox Kloud: https://kloud.io/ - better marketing Signpost: https://www.signpost.com - get more (and better) reviews Gusto: https://www.gusto.com - HR, payroll, and more...made easy BombBomb: https://www.bombbomb.com - video marketing made simple Since this is a long interview, we've highlighted some moments below. Click the timestamp to jump straight to a topic that interests you: 2:20 HILARIOUS clip about how screen printers chat with each other at trade shows 5:35 Why Rockford Art Deli's Free Print Day cost "pennies in marketing” but delivered a huge return on investment for RAD 7:00 What happened to Rockford Art Deli in March 2020 when COVID hit 18:00 “I’ve made every mistake. I’ve had every customer tell me how to run my business.” 23:20 How did the Here For Good campaign wind up financially for the company? 29:26 How Jarrod would have ran his store differently if he’d known this would happen 31:00 Would DTG have been better than screen printing for this campaign? 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 #screenprinting #printlife #printhustlers #printavo #screenprintlife #dtg #embroidery #merch #ecommerce #printshop #screenprint Subscribe to the Printavo channel for more amazing interviews, shop tours, and tips for your screen printing business.

Family Industries hosted hundreds of live printing events every year. But that's over for now. The Family team isn't stopping, so what's next for live printing? Companies are still desperate to hold some kind of event! Family's Max Hellmann joins us to discuss how they pivoted their print shop on a dime to virtual events, pick-and-pull fulfillment, and a unique slant on their position between business and customer. With laser engraving, transfers, embroidery, and custom developed apps so people can design on site – the Family Industries team has made the live print game into a futuristic fantasy. Now they've crafted a way to do virtual brand activations with their own custom platform. From Amazon to ComicCon, Family Industries has mastered on-site activation despite a new paradigm in events. Printavo's COVID podcast from March: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LK92RmB2uw Max at PrintHustlers Conf 2019: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4n3TCyL4Nqk Family Industries on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/familyindustries 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

Are you too busy to do everything you need to do in your screen print shop? Tune in for an insightful conversation between Printavo’s Bruce Ackerman and Campus Ink’s Steven Farag about hiring the right people in your screen printing business. “The breaking point is when you have a to-do list that’s 50 things long...and by lunch it’s 75 things,” Steven said. Think carefully about hiring an assistant – there are so many tasks and draining activities you do every day that an assistant can take off your hands. “There are people that are extremely talented at being executive assistants,” Steven told us. “I use Loom videos a lot to share instructions now.” He’s hired an assistant to help him handle HR, payroll, reporting, and simply managing the chaos. At 9:00, Steven explains why you need an assistant to help you get organized – and be a buffer between the chaos around you. “There are people that enjoy the things we don’t enjoy, no matter what you think,” Bruce points out. This is a great time to hire – people are in new routines, finding new ways to work, and simply looking for new jobs. If you need help, it’s the time to ask! p.s. who's your best employee? What makes them great? How did you find them? Links from the interview: Dr. Sherry Walling at PrintHustlers Conf: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ol_Rx2vwdx8 Kevin Baumgart at PrintHustlers Conf: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrvFLBdQT1w Loom: https://www.loom.com 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

Music merchandising isn’t an easy game. Neither is fulfillment for major bands, brands, and businesses. But Night Owls Print in Texas have mastered their craft: “We make things your customers WANT to wear.” Their vibrant water based screen prints are a testament to how seriously the team has dedicated themselves to putting quality first. Now the game has moved beyond screen printing – jumping to vinyl, pins, mugs, Nalgene bottles, hot sauces and just about everything else under the sun that people want to buy. Hear from Night Owls' Eric Solomon about everything from how they got into music fulfillment and merchandising to their (good!) struggles with the Profit First program. This is another candid and insightful interview for the PrintHustlers Podcast. A huge thanks to the Night Owls for opening up about their business, their techniques, and the future! ----- QUESTIONS AND TOPICS Click the links below to jump to a question or topic! 2:00 What we do in the shop during holidays 2:45 About Night Owls Print 4:00 What goes into the logistics of music merchandising? 8:30 Does fulfillment mean more than t-shirts? What else does Night Owl Printing fulfill? 9:15 What pushed you to try fulfillment and other types of vertical integration? 10:10 Why meeting Matt & Kim, a big touring act, led to doing fulfillment 11:00 How do you decide what kind of things to do fulfillment for? 12:00 “500 records is...5 feet high and 5 feet deep Where do you put it? How do you store them? Vinyl is climate-sensitive! You can’t just put it in a hot warehouse!” 13:00 The biggest lesson from COVID. 13:40 How do you manage your shop? What kind of tech do you have? 14:28 ShipStation 14:48 Shopify 15:10 Bartender 15:50 How do you price fulfillment and merchandising as a service? 18:40 Is it about price, or about creating something great for the end customer? 20:00 Do you do print-on-demand, or do you do inventory? How do you decide what risk to take? 21:27 The one email every print shop hates. 22:30 Why customers are so picky and expect so much. 24:00 Why you need a customer service manager and an operations manager. 26:10 How do you decide what to do each day as an owner? How do you process this all? 28:10 Why Night Owls is still thriving during COVID. 30:15 How much of the business at Night Owls is screen printing? 30:45 What was the thought process behind buying your building? 32:40 How do you handle in-person distribution? Do you send someone out on tours? 34:15 Has Night Owl always used water based inks? 36:00 Do you charge more for Pantone matching? How does your pricing work? 39:10 You did Profit First. Tell us about that and how it’s going. 45:00 How are you planning for the future? What sort of financial picture is there? 46:45 When did you realize you needed help to get better? What advice do you have for shops that are afraid to pay into something that seems expensive? 52:00 Was there a certain dollar amount when you decided to put your money to work? 54:00 What’s your goal for Night Owls, ultimately? Have you thought about that? 55:30 What’s your biggest concern right now? ----- Visit Night Owls Print: https://www.nightowlsprint.com Profit First at PrintHustlers Conf 2019: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_ewZ-Ni3EA 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 buy screen printing supplies? Every print shop – even the biggest ones in the world – struggle with this question. From inks to emulsion to screens to simple things like tape and ink cards, your supplies are how you turn a customer’s idea into a paying order. Read more: https://www.printavo.com/blog/where-to-buy-screen-printing-supplies You don't want to overpay, you can't stockpile most supplies, and you have to get your supplies quickly. So choosing a supplier is a delicate balancing act for print shops. Matt Marcotte from Printavo breaks down where you should buy screen printing supplies from. You may be surprised that we aren't just going to give you a list of companies! Instead, Matt will arm you with the right strategy for purchasing supplies: https://www.printavo.com/blog/where-to-buy-screen-printing-supplies 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

Stoked on Printing in Las Vegas has shifted from bulk screen printing to a print-on-demand business model. They've purchased 9 GTX DTG machines and hired 3 full-time developers to make their print shop into a future-focused print-on-demand machine. "The model of selling bulk t-shirts to people is saturated," says Stoked on Printing's Kevin Oakley, "We saw a potential moat around our business by focusing on technology. How can we use technology to make a customer’s experience seamless?" If you're curious about print-on-demand services, fulfillment, using technology to grow your shop, and even plain old screen printing – this interview is for you. There has been a massive shift in how print shops will operate going forward. "Up until last year I was trying to convince people that print-on-demand was a good idea. COVID completely accelerated that. People that used to have a huge warehouse are doing print-on-demand. There’s been a huge shift to e-commerce. I don’t think it’s ever going back," says Kevin. Kevin explains the hurdles that Stoked on Printing has faced, from connecting online stores to their shop, to getting high-quality artwork, to just dialing in their printing and hiring the right employees. Stoked on Printing has had a wild ride during 2020, going from 48 employees down to 18...and now rocketing back up to 70 employees. The biggest struggle of all? Kevin is candid: "Management!" A huge thanks to Stoked on Printing for sharing their experience and knowledge. Don't hesitate to reach out to Kevin & the Stoked team! They're easy to find at https://www.stokedonprinting.com 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