Printavo PrintHustlers Podcast

HR expert Wendy Davids from BHRS Partners joins Bruce from Printavo for a conversation about how to handle this crisis for screen printing shops – from an HR perspective. Bruce and Wendy dive deep on the many questions and issues of the day: What is a furlough? What's up with the new laws coming out of the federal government? How should you take care of your team? How should you communicate with your team about this? What are Wendy's biggest tips? While this situation is extremely fluid (we here in Illinois were just issued a stay-at-home order!), we will continue to provide you access to experts and resources that can help. Contact Wendy Davids and her crew if you need help with your HR: http://bhrspartners.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

COVID-19 is devastating screen print shops. There are no easy choices. But here's what you can do RIGHT NOW to save your business and prepare for the struggles to come. Read the full article, full of helpful links and resources: https://www.printavo.com/blog/covid19-for-screen-print-shops 1. 100% downpayment policy Get pre-payment for all orders going forward. Now is the time to implement this policy. No exceptions. This is an existential matter for screen printing businesses right now. Our industry is not in the position to offer customer interest-free loans during the best of times – and certainly not now. 2. Sick policy Do not let sick people come to work. If you or your employees get sick, your problems get much worse. You will have to determine what is appropriate given your situation, but you have a duty to forbid sick workers from coming to work for the near future. 3. Clarify your terms & conditions Have clear terms and conditions that outline exactly what you will do - particularly regarding returns, refunds, and order cancellations. 4. Get paid: reduce accounts receivable Have a staff member dedicated to reducing your accounts receivable. That means calling every customer that owes you money and getting them to pay – or figuring out a plan to pay as soon as possible. Protect your cash supply at all costs. Settle up now! 5. Get rid of debt & delay accounts payable Immediately work to protect your cashflow. Audit your debts by cost and importance. How much risk is there in your shop? It is far better to be open with creditors early on before you are in crisis. There are deferment and reduced payments available from most creditors. Talk to your landlord about reduced rent, speak with your banker about reducing payments or extending them, and realize that your creditors are likely looking for chances to reduce their risk as well right now. 6. Employees: offer furloughs If your employees are amenable to it (and are financially able), offer a temporary furlough. A furlough is when an employee is asked to temporarily stop working. Additionally, if there is an employee that you need to cut or are contemplating cutting – this is the time. Make the hard cuts now. 7. Leadership and management: cut hours and pay First, take a pay cut yourself. That is a bitter pill, but true leadership during a time of crisis. Inform the staff that you have taken this action. Next, have a candid discussion with management about the situation you are in. They will not only offer their advice but help you decide what's possible. They may be able to take reduced salaries or hours. While you still must abide by all labor laws, you can offer your employees the choice of a pay cut or reduced hours upfront. 8. Drive revenue from online stores If you're not using online stores, you should start. Offer free shipping for the stores to incentivize shopping – and avoid possible infection. 9. Back to basics: cut expenses Review last month's expenses and begin cutting them. The sooner you feel the pain the easier the process. Here's how to structure this process: list all your recurring expenses from largest to smallest. Then determine what you must have, what's nice to have, what you don't need, and what you can cut today. Then get to work. 10. Don't buy equipment right now Delay any large capital expenditures immediately. If you are going through with a large deal, consider halting it. This is deeply unfortunate. But it is essential to cut upcoming expenses immediately. Cash is king. 11. Contact your suppliers now No matter who you purchase wholesale garments and supplies from, contact them immediately. Inform them of your financial situation. Ask them for guidance about their plan for dealing with the crisis. At the time of this writing, it is likely they are still formulating their plans as the situation develops and changes.

How will coronavirus hurt or help screen print shops? Bruce from Printavo talks to Steven Farag from Campus Ink. He prints for college campuses...and every college in the US just went remote. “It’s a gut punch,” he said, “everything was going so well and it was a very weird day in my print shop.” Steven runs through what he’s doing to prepare for disruption in his business, his tips for how you can prepare for the rough weeks ahead, and how to really understand how much money you need to stay open. Recorded in mid-March 2020, the coronavirus situation will surely change dramatically – and this will be a fascinating document to look back on. “There are less gatherings, there are less events, there are less things happening,” Bruce said. That’s disastrous for the screen printing industry. “T-shirts are usually for events,” Steven notes. Some veterans of the industry have said this is far worse than 2008’s financial crisis. Rushed to release, we want to start the conversation about how the screen printing industry is going to deal with this potentially catastrophic disruption. What effects from coronavirus are you seeing your print shop? What is your backup plan? What’s your “corona print shop plan”? What help do you need, and what would you like to see in response to COVID-19? How are you feeling about your business?

Ryan Moor from Ryonet, ROQ, and Allmade has made a huge impact in the screen printing industry. But the question remains: what's up with Ryonet in 2020? Between Ryonet, Allmade, and the newly formed ROQ.US, and giving away an entire screen printing press as Impressions Expo 2020, Ryan has his hands full. So what's up with Ryonet? It's changing: better before bigger. Visit ROQ.US on the web: https://www.roq.us Read the full story: https://www.printavo.com/blog/whats-up-with-ryonet-and-roq-us ROQ.US is the newest Ryonet endeavor. Why ROQ.US? Ultimately, it's an answer to a big question: "How can we take this ROQ equipment that really changes lives...and give more resources to printers using the equipment?" So what's up with Ryonet? Here's the word, straight from Ryan himself: Ryonet isn't selling out. Ryonet doesn't own ROQ (ROQ is a 37+ year old manufacturer based in Portugal). But ROQ.US is a new endeavor to take Ryonet's existing knowledge about ROQ and expand it. Ryan was super candid with us about the plan: "Ryonet and screenprinting.com are moving off to the side, like sister companies. We want to grow the ROQ business. We had this whole side of our [ROQ distribution] business: installation, financing, managing all of the ROQ process. So our team joined ROQ.US." Ryan explained why investing in ROQ is so crucial for the US market, framing it in terms of a common objection that US screen print shops have: "This other company has been around for 35 years, so I know their screen printing presses are great...and you guys have only been doing this for 8 years!" After all, their first US-based ROQ was only installed in 2012 at Twin City Tees (and their second was in Family Industries in Los Angeles). Read the full article: https://www.printavo.com/blog/whats-up-with-ryonet-and-roq-us 2020 is shaping up to be a pivotal year for the screen printing industry. Ryonet's mission isn't to grow as big as they can as fast as they can. Instead, they're going to get better...then bigger. After a seismic shift away from industrial-scale screen printing in the US during the 1990s, Ryonet has proven pivotal to growing the "entrepreneurial" screen printing market in the US. Whereas the custom printing process is industrialized abroad, with shops owning hundreds of large oval screen printing presses and using panels to print instead of full garments, the US market is unique on the world stage. "So for ROQ to come to the US – it's totally different. It requires 1-on-1 relationships with the shops," Ryan remarked. The entire goal of Ryonet's ongoing investment is surprisingly simple: Ryonet wants to be more than your first distributor. This process has been difficult. Ryonet can't pivot on a moment's notice. It's taken months of iteration, pitching, development, meetings, and honest conversations to discover what should happen next. But it's obvious from Ryan's candid conversation that he's determined to do the right thing for screen printers: make Ryonet a hub not just for equipment, but for the entire ROQ community. Read more (and see a picture of that massive shop with 100+ ROQ OVAL screen printing presses): https://www.printavo.com/blog/whats-up-with-ryonet-and-roq-us 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

Jarrod Hennis from Rockford Art Deli (RAD) explains why community-based experiences like a Free Print Day matter for screen printing businesses in this exclusive interview at THREADX 2020. “How many businesses have a line out the door for 8 hours?”, Jarrod said. From printing a Christmastime Baby Yoda print for 8,000+ people that waited in line for 2 hours to donating 1% of Rockford Art Deli’s gross sales to 1% For The Planet, Jarrod has spearheaded an amazing mission to use his business to spotlight Rockford, Illinois’ community...and push the screen printing industry forward. Visit Rockford Art Deli on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rockfordartdeli/?hl=en Jarrod asked a poignant question about how print shops could impact their community with events: “When you have 800 people coming in the door, and they all bring in one can of food, what’s that do for the local food pantry?” That’s why he’s been highlighting local nonprofits in Rockford at the most recent Live Print Days. How do the Live Print Days actually work? Jarrod explained that customers wait outside the shop, then check in the garments they bring. The shop only offers a single-color black print. “They come in, check-in their shirt, then they can watch us print it or watch it come out of the dryer. It’s fast-paced.” The RAD team doesn’t let people print their own shirts. It’s too fast-paced: “It’s 400 shirts an hour.” On a manual screen printing press! Check out the PrintHustlers Blog: https://www.printavo.com/blog But Jarrod isn’t just thinking about fun designs to print for Rockford’s local population. He’s thinking about the global impact that screen printing has: “A lot of companies are greenwashing it,” he said candidly. “The garment industry is the second most polluting in the world after the oil industry,” Jarrod explained. By partnering with Allmade to ensure a sustainable product made ethically, Rockford Art Deli expands the conversation about the impact a seemingly small business can have. This interview took place at SGIA’s THREADX 2020 in Scottsdale, AZ during February 2020. We were fortunate enough to bring ART BY MATOS and CEDAR CITY PRINTS to the show, and can’t wait for future SGIA events.

Brett Bowden from Printed Threads saved his screen printing business. How? By focusing on putting the right people in the right seats. "I started Printed Threads when I was 28 years old and didn’t really know the basics of running a business," Brett told us. In the latest PrintHustlers Podcast, Brett recounts how hiring a VP of Operations revitalized Printed Threads. Read the full story: https://www.printavo.com/blog/how-brett-saved-printed-threads Brett's advice for screen print shops? "Stop being the firefighter and start being the visionary." By leading his team, delegating, and truly developing the vision and values of Printed Threads, Brett built a strong foundation for his team. "Without that foundation, you have nothing to grow on," Brett added. Brett visited a prominent nationwide fast-food chain recently for a sandwich and immediately noticed something wrong. "I go in there, order my sub, and I'm like...man, these people hate working here." The last thing anyone wants to do is spend every day at a bad job they hate. That's a recipe for misery. But as we've often noted, screen printing isn't seen as a desirable career. So how can screen print shops be a great place to work? Build a great team. Read more about Printed Threads and Brett’s journey: https://www.printavo.com/blog/how-brett-saved-printed-threads Brett’s tips for creating an amazing screen print shop: Empathize "Being a business owner that can relate and empathize to everyone else who works here helps. Hey, I know what it’s like to clean screens all day. I know what it’s like to print all day. I can help you. Having that empathy is crucial." Celebrate your wins together "I want to work and grind but when we’re done I want to celebrate together. I think what a lot of companies miss is they don’t struggle and then celebrate together. If you do everything together it creates camaraderie." Create a company your employees are a fan of "If they're a fan of the company, they won't just let it sink. They don't want to go work at Firehouse Subs or whatever." Make a mission "You should take a Saturday with key employees and be like: what are we doing? What is special about what we’re doing? Why do you want to work here? Ask the hard questions. Then write down the vision." Get a business coach "There are a lot of entrepreneur organizations. You might pay a few hundred dollars a month to join, but you’re getting in with a good group." Note: check out SGIA if you're looking for industry-specific help. Practice affirmation "I need someone here to give high fives. I need the positive vibes. I’m actually really bad at affirmation. I really struggle with. It’s part of my personality. I don’t say good job, or hey man, here’s the high five. But Seth (Printed Threads' longtime employee and marketing/content mastermind) is really good at that." Read more on the PrintHustlers blog: https://www.printavo.com/blog/how-brett-saved-printed-threads 4:21 If the description is too long use this one: Brett Bowden from Printed Threads saved his screen printing business. How? By focusing on putting the right people in the right seats. "I started Printed Threads when I was 28 years old and didn’t really know the basics of running a business," Brett told us. In the latest PrintHustlers Podcast, Brett recounts how hiring a VP of Operations revitalized Printed Threads. Read the full story: https://www.printavo.com/blog/how-brett-saved-printed-threads Brett's advice for screen print shops? "Stop being the firefighter and start being the visionary." Brett’s tips for creating an amazing screen print shop: https://www.printavo.com/blog/how-brett-saved-printed-threads

Alexa Cary from In House Prints in Frenchtown, NJ has made a name for herself and her screen printing business with a customer-first mentality. "We create a custom relationship," she told us. We interviewed Alexa at Impressions Expo 2020 in Long Beach, CA earlier this year to discuss the major ups and downs of owning a screen printing business, her favorite piece of equipment in the shop, and what it's like to be a woman in a male-dominated industry. "There is no manual for 'this is how you run a screen printing business.' There is no playbook for screen printing," Alexa said. She knows that she's fortunate to enjoy great customers, adding, "You are never guaranteed a job in the screen printing industry." Read more: https://www.printavo.com/blog/life-of-a-female-screen-printer-interview Alexa's Instagram is a great peek into her day-to-day life. She rides motorcycles, makes amazing prints, and always keeps a great Story going. Oh, and her handle is great: @lifeofa.female.screenprinter. Follow Alexa here: https://www.instagram.com/lifeofa.female.screen.printer/ With a new ROQ press powering their production capabilities, Alexa and husband Tyler have created a deep connection to Frenchtown's community. "All of our marketing is word-of-mouth," Alexa said. The ROQ has enabled them to take on bigger jobs and freed them up to do more outreach...and even take time to travel. "We can print what we would do in 5 days in just 1 day [with the ROQ]," Alexa explained. Read more: https://www.printavo.com/blog/life-of-a-female-screen-printer-interview "I'm not saying being a female in the screen printing industry is difficult," Alexa said, "But people look at you differently because it's unexpected." Women have made a big impact in the screen printing industry, from tech wizards like M&R's Michelle Moxley and Night Owl's Val Solomon to leaders like Kristene Shreve from EnMart – thousands of women laborers, printers, artists, and business owners push the industry forward. Alexa has embraced the need for women leaders in the industry, joining conversations, events, podcasts and Facebook Groups designed to share resources, knowledge, and support for women in the industry.

The Yetee in Aurora, IL has helped raise millions for charity with their powerful merchandise. Featuring bold artwork, a strong sense of identity, and a truly impressive website, The Yetee has created their own niche. By helping Awesome Games Done Quick and other high-profile organizations donate millions to charity, The Yetee boosted talented illustrators and artists. Some have even landed dream artist jobs at big video game and merchandise companies thanks to their exposure on The Yetee's daily shirt market and merchandise. We were lucky to sit down with Mike, co-owner of The Yetee, for a conversation about their unique business. Read the full story here: https://www.printavo.com/blog/yetee-screen-print-shop-tour

As noted philosopher (and occasional rapper) Notorious B.I.G. said, "More money, more problems." On the latest episode of Printavo's PrintHustlers Podcast, we sat down with Steven Farag to discuss how growing his screen printing business 400% has led to a lot of new and interesting challenges. This is so helpful if you're going to grow your custom printing business: https://www.printavo.com/blog/truth-about-screen-print-business-growth Steven has invested thousands of dollars into Campus Ink's screen room this year. They've almost automated every part of their screen making and imaging process, purchasing a glut of high-tech screen printing equipment: - A second M&R Sportsman screen printing press to standardize operations and replace their old Lawson press - M&R's Starlight exposure unit for super fast exposure times - Douthitt's wax-based CTS machine for imaging screens quickly and improving registration - M&R's UniKote screen coater to ensure perfectly coated screens and speed up the coating process - A used RapidTag machine for printing tags and other small items Steven points out that Campus Ink reached a point where it was obvious they had to invest in their screen printing production capabilities. "We have the sales to feed it, we're subbing out lots of work, and the screen room is the final piece of the automation puzzle so we can go from online stores straight to the press," Steven said. "Jaws dropped in the shop when they saw how easy it was [to use the new Douthitt CTS machine to burn screens]," Steven noted. "We made 60 screens in an afternoon on a whim. It was a cool feeling for all of us. Like a breath of fresh air in the shop." Read more, including more about "Traction," the book every screen print business needs: https://www.printavo.com/blog/truth-about-screen-print-business-growth "Taking jobs and turning them into careers is going to be my biggest challenge," Steven said. Unfortunately, it's probably true! For most employees at screen print shops, screen printing isn't a career. It's just a job. Screen printing has a notoriously high turnover rate, and lots of businesses struggle with growth because they can't find good screen printers to hire. Campus Ink always has a supply of students, but they don't necessarily stay in the business for the long haul. "Retaining people is a big issue," Steven said. "Some shops like Printed Threads have people that stay with them for 10 years." What did it take for Printed Threads to get employees to stick around? "I talked to Brett (Printed Threads' owner), and he said it came down to training, growing, and progressing with them," Steven mentioned. Retention is going to be an ongoing theme for screen printing businesses throughout 2020. With wages and expectations rising, employers have to think seriously about how they can retain great staff. One strategy is less complicated and painful than you might think, and one both Steven and I have encouraged every business owner to work on: their values. Look at Shirt Kong, Superior Ink, and Printed Threads. Every employee there gets it. "I talked to a guy that owned a company who started his career at Disney. Disney has their values posted everywhere. Everyone knows it. He did the same thing," Steven said. It may seem almost cheesy – but you really have to hammer home your values over and over. Post them around your shop. Talk about them. Share them. They are the foundation for every relationship you have with each employee! This is so helpful if you're going to grow your business: https://www.printavo.com/blog/truth-about-screen-print-business-growth 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

The way to grow your screen printing business is to work on the business – not in the business. If you want to create a company that's durable, profitable, and runs on it own – it's not enough to be a good screen printer. You have to put in high-value work around finances, people, processes, and delegation. Read Bruce’s full article about how to work ON your screen printing business, and not just IN it, here: https://www.printavo.com/blog/working-on-your-screen-printing-business If you've ever trained for a marathon, started a new diet, or just challenged yourself to use the gym more, then you already know that you can't just put in a month's work and reap the benefits. Athletes know that success involves three core components: Fuel: a good diet Activity: an exercise regimen and focused practice Dedication: a long-term commitment Great athletes don't play their first game as a fully developed athlete. The major areas you can work on TODAY to help your business grow are: Finance: implement Profit First, only take orders with 100% down payment, raise your prices. People: hire for talent and train for skill, hire managers from other industries, look for Spanish speakers and college dropouts Process: implement processes so good you can leave your screen print shop and it keeps operating normally Delegation: give tasks that you’re not good at, that aren’t high-value, and that you don’t like doing to others. Immediately. Delegation is not an option! Printavo helps thousands of print shops grow their business. But we can’t do it alone – you have to take the lead and work on your business. Our software can help with invoicing, scheduling, payments, online stores, and so much more...but you have to put the rubber to the road and develop your business. Read more: https://www.printavo.com/blog/working-on-your-screen-printing-business Can you take a vacation? Here's a gut-check for any screen print shop owner: can you leave the shop for a day? How about a week? What about a month? If that sounds impossible, it's time to look at the overall processes in place within your shop. This typically involves three discrete operations: Customer-facing operations Sales, communications, order intake, artwork, quoting, invoicing, customer education, marketing, social media Printing operations Screen burning and reclaiming, printing, quality control, packaging Management operations Scheduling, procurement, equipment maintenance, technique standardization, training The shop owner exists within all three aspects of the business through the processes they implement. This is high-value knowledge for any screen printing business owner: https://www.printavo.com/blog/working-on-your-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 #screenprinting #printlife #printhustlers #printavo #screenprintlife #dtg #embroidery #merch #ecommerce #printshop #screenprint Follow us for more amazing interviews for your screen printing business.