Printavo PrintHustlers Podcast

The only real sales outlet for screen printers right now? Online stores. Bulk custom orders – the traditional backbone of the industry – have dropped by more than 50% for thousands of print shops. That's why we wanted to share 7 tips we've learned from helping print shops across the US run thousands of online stores and collection millions of dollars in sales. See example stores and get great marketing ideas here (must read): https://www.printavo.com/blog/7-tips-for-screen-printing-online-stores 1. Use great artwork to drive sales Strong artwork is great marketing. Do you already know some artists? Get their help. Maybe raise money for them, if they're out of work! 2. Set up your stores to be profitable and easy to fulfill Since you're in the driver's seat with Merch, you can control the choices customers have and the way you actually get them their order. Note: we've got tons of tips and tricks for running successful online stores in our online stores guide. It's awesome: https://www.printavo.com/blog/the-ultimate-guide-to-online-stores 3. Make your value proposition simple They key here? Keep your value proposition simple. Something like: $10 per shirt sold! And we've already mocked up your shirts here: (include link to a quick logo mockup here). 4. Fewer choices equals more sales Here's an amazing statistic: 85% of Merch stores that made more than $10,000 in sales had fewer than 9 items for sale. 5. Help your customers promote the store themselves Lean on their existing goodwill to help market the stores. Tell them that it won't be successful without their active participation. People miss their local businesses and want to help! 6. Set realistic goals for your stores As you work through your online store workflow, you'll want to give yourself room to grow. 7. Every new online store customer is an opportunity in the future During checkout, customers need to enter their email address. You can collect this information and, when the time is right, do targeted advertising with it! See example stores and get great marketing ideas here (must read): https://www.printavo.com/blog/7-tips-for-screen-printing-online-stores Try Printavo Merch: https://www.printavo.com/merch Follow us on Instagram for all of the latest updates: https://www.instagram.com/printavo

Jodi Redding from Redding Company in New Braunfels, TX has turned screen printing and embroidery into his life’s second act. A husband-and-wife shop in the heart of Texas, Jodi says point-blank: “There’s a world before March 1st, 2020 – and a world after that.” Yes, this is a scary and difficult time. But it’s also an opportunity. Jodi’s relentless positivity and constructive mindset is a model for how to maintain your well being despite an onslaught of daily challenges. “Customers are not going away. We’ve touched thousands of people in our community. They’re going to be here in 3 or 4 months. Schools are going to open again. And when they do, I want to be a better, and more organized, and more efficient company.” What if this is a huge chance to dial in your printing business and spend time on things you always meant to do? “A lot of this is out of our control,” Jodi points out. “But I’ll probably never have this much time to stop my business and dive in from a financial, organizational, and profitability standpoint.” From identifying core customers to developing a laser-targeted marketing strategy, Jodi has plenty of projects to tackle while production has come to a halt. Jodi uses the example of his production expenses as an improvement area: “If you spent $12,000 a month on supplies before this crisis, what if you get it down to $7,000 with the work you do right now? That money goes straight to your bottom line.” By hiring a bookkeeper (“That’s not something I’m good at!”), Jodi has super clear expense statements, profit/loss statements, and a great handle on what's happening financially with his business. Jodi's ability to self-improve and take an honest inventory of his strengths and weaknesses has allowed Redding Company to grow quickly. "We were about 40% above last year before March!" Diving deeper, this slow period is also a chance to re-examine two majorly important areas of your business: your workflow and your core values. “This is how we’ll do things going forward. We’ve talked about our core values, but we haven’t really put together something for our employees. Do you have an actual workflow chart in place? Does everyone in your organization understand how a sale becomes a t-shirt?” A huge thanks to Jodi for taking the time to chat with us. A side note: we’re thrilled to see how Jodi has used Printavo Merch’s online stores to raise several thousand dollars for local businesses in New Braunfels, TX that have been impacted by mandatory closures and stay-at-home orders. Redding Company on the web: https://www.reddingcompany.com/ Redding Company on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/redding_company/

We interviewed more than 15 different screen print shops from across the US at Impressions Expo 2020 in January. Now, the world is totally different. But there's still a lot of value in hearing what successful print shops were thinking about before this crisis. Listen in as we talk through the biggest victories shops had throughout 2019: - Printing for the Oklahoma Thunder, turning around 20,000 shirts in less than 2 days at Oklahoma Shirt Company. - Everlane at The New York Times through Barrel Maker Printing. - Joining 1% For The Planet at Rockfort Art Deli in Rockford, IL. - Watching employees step up and realize how invested the team has become at Rowboat Creative in Chicago, IL (and building incredible systems to train people!) - Being able to leave the shop and travel at In-House Prints from NJ. - Being profitable, getting three new presses, and running a truly happy shop at New Era Apparel in NY. - Fully automating the screen room at Campus Ink (the correct answer for Steven was getting engaged at Rowboat Creative!). - Getting the team in place at Let's Print LA. - Leveraging technology to provide genuine services and add more value at Stoked On Printing in Las Vegas, NV. - Participating in the industry and making new friends at trade shows with Noreast Apparel in Lowell, MA. - Hiring a videographer to document their shop at Golden Press Studio. More to come from our interviews at Impressions Expo 2020 – in a totally new context. 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 Subscribe to the Printavo channel for more amazing interviews, shop tours, and tips for 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

Your mindset is everything right now. Justin Lawrence from Oklahoma Shirt Company and Steven Farag from Campus Ink join Bruce from Printavo to talk about how screen print shops are adjusting to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. This is heartfelt, practical, and occasionally hilarious – and a reminder that everyone in this industry is having a tough time right now. They discuss: - How online stores are or aren’t helping the industry right now - Data showing custom orders are down 50% for screen print shops - Why our grandparents are a model for how to behave right now- - What’s up with Printavo - What’s up with PrintHustlers Conf 2020 - Why sleep is so important right now - What the economic future really looks like - Why asking your customers for help is a great move right now Justin doesn’t shy away from the candid truth: “I’m excited to figure out what it means to run a business that’s sustainable. It’s one thing to talk about that when things are good. But when things dry up...how do you pivot? How do you secure the future?” From looking at your fixed costs to shotgunning a beer at 9:45 AM, Justin, Steven, and Bruce have a great conversation about how hard it is to own a business right now. “We all know the feeling of waking up at 3 AM terrified about the people you’re responsible for,” Justin opines. He continues: “But now is the time to swallow your pride and ask for help. If you don’t need a handout, don’t take it - pay your bills if you can. But if you can’t, don’t panic. Everyone has provisions. All of these people will defer loans. They will defer the payments. If they can’t do that, maybe you can pay interest only. Just don’t bury your head in the sand. You’re not alone in this. You will survive this!” Once this passes (and it will pass!) your team will feel like they’ve fought a war together. The camaraderie will be incredible. The loyalty will be unparalleled. Screen printing is not going away. But the only way out of this mess is to keep pushing through it. Keep pushing, #printhustlers! 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

Need a laugh? We ask the screen printing pros at Impressions Expo 2020 a simple question. What do you wish you'd known before you started screen printing? The answers are hilarious, honest, and true to the industry. "I would have done a lot of work up front," Joe Zangrilli from Rowboat reflects. Alexa Cary from In-House Prints told us: "Make sure you're ready to dedicate your life to it!" "Be able to say no!" said Jarrod Hennis from Rockford Art Deli. "It's ok to be learning all of the time. You're not rushing toward some end goal or trophy. It's a process and we're all learning and growing," Erin Moore from Barrel Maker told us. "Know deeply that the process is really what it's all about." Also appearing: Dave Quigley from Noreast Apparel, Jonathon from Golden Press Studio, Steven Farag from Campus Ink, Erin Moore from Barrel Maker Printing, and Rene Perez from Let's Print LA. Keep pushing, #printhustlers. Erin's right – it's a process! We know we'll come through this stronger than ever. 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

WEBINAR: If you thought print shops are just "non-essential businesses," think again. Print shops across the US are using online stores as a lifeline for their community. The t-shirt is an ideal e-commerce product: it's light, easy to ship, can't be broken, doesn't go bad, and it doesn't cost a lot. But it's also become a way to serve local businesses and organizations in a time of need. Read our detailed guide with tips and tricks here: https://www.printavo.com/blog/online-stores-for-print-shops-during-covid Join Dave Quigley from Noreast Apparel in Lowell, MA and Steven Farag from Campus Ink in Champaign, IL as they discuss how to use online stores to help your community during this crisis. Dave's raised more than $9,000 for local businesses in Lowell with his web stores, a vital lifeline for service and hospitality businesses that have been slammed by this crisis. Printavo's Luke Gardner and Nick Martin drop in to show you some amazing examples of community-oriented stores that Printavo Merch users have created. Additionally, Steven arms us with a ton of awesome tricks and tips gleaned from running thousands of online stores. As a team, we've been floored by the creativity and persistence of the screen printing community. Together, we'll get through this. Keep pushing! See examples and interesting ideas here: https://www.printavo.com/blog/online-stores-for-print-shops-during-covid Note: the first few minutes were cut off, but you just miss some introductions! 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

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

More than 500 print shops from around the world joined us for our emergency webinar about the COVID-19 crisis. We asked Max Hellmann from Family Industries, Justin Lawrence from Oklahoma Shirt Company, and Steven Farag from Campus Ink to join us to discuss what's going on. This is no easy discussion, but we have some laughs and tackle how everyone is moving forward. Join us for the next webinar at 2:30 PM CST Thursday, March 26th - we'll talk online stores, how to pivot, and what to do next: https://www.crowdcast.io/e/surviving-covid-19-for-2 Check out Printavo Merch's online stores: 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?