Printavo PrintHustlers Podcast

“A magic shop. Screen printing, embroidery, dye sublimation, direct to garment, fulfillment, alterations. You name it, we do it.” We interviewed Lucas and Joe from Rowboat Creative, one of Chicago's (and the world's) most imaginative print shops, at ISS Long Beach 2019. Are they an agency? A creative firm? A brand activation boutique? Yes – and more. Try Printavo: https://www.printavo.com They've built an awesome culture in their 60,000 square foot warehouse and production facility in Logan Square, Chicago. What's the secret? "You have to be sympathetic to the nightmare that custom printing is." Remember what production hell was like when you started in your basement (like Lucas and Joe did) – and keep your team tight-knit. Visit Rowboat Creative's website: https://www.rowboatcreative.com Between clients big (Nike, Adidas, Bella + Canvas, Dell Computers) and small (local contract printing), Rowboat Creative is emerging as part of the new generation of print shops. They do much more than printing. Their vision extends far beyond dragging ink across a screen. They're building experiences, brands, and their own unique take on how to back it up with a work culture that emphasizes humanity over robotic printing precision. Check out Printavo Merch: https://www.printavo.com/merch Follow us on Instagram for all of the latest updates: https://www.instagram.com/printavo Join us at PrintHustlers Conf 2019: http://www.printhustlers.com Found this valuable? Be sure to Like, Comment, and Follow for more great info!

From 18 to 39 employees. A relocation. Two new automatic presses. Employee heartbreak. And through it all: becoming Oklahoma City's favorite screen printer. Check out this candid interview with Oklahoma Shirt Company owner Justin Lawrence filmed at ISS Long Beach 2019. Bruce from Printavo, simple shop management software, asks Justin about how his values and vision have changed. Try Printavo: https://www.printavo.com Visit Oklahoma Shirt Company: https://oklahomashirtcompany.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 Join us at PrintHustlers Conf 2019: http://www.printhustlers.com Found this valuable? Be sure to Like, Comment, and Subscribe for more great info!

Listen in as Steven Farag and Bruce Ackerman discuss why barbershops – and Amazon – provide a great model for screen printing shops to copy. The secret is in the way they manage Customer Care, communicate, and provide a customized experience. Try Printavo: www.printavo.com This in-depth discussion has too much great info to summarize here. Check out Printavo Merch: www.printavo.com/merch Follow us on Instagram for all of the latest updates: www.instagram.com/printavo Join us at PrintHustlers Conf 2019: www.printhustlers.com Liked this? Comment! Like! And Subscribe for more great info for growing your business!

Bruce Ackerman from Printavo sits down with Steven Farag from Campus Ink to talk about how he got to $1M in online store sales for screen printing and custom merchandise. Steve's shop was the first on Printavo Merch [Beta] – our solution for simple online stores – and his insight is valuable. Bruce and Steve discuss: - Building a customer profile for great Merch customers - Developing store-specific minimums - Calculating an upcharge and treating the store as a premium service - Why Printavo Merch [Beta] makes so much sense when paired with Printavo - How Amazon shapes thinking about customer service - Why trade shows are so crucial to growth and development Try Printavo: www.printavo.com This in-depth discussion has too much great info to summarize here. Check out Printavo Merch: www.printavo.com/merch Follow us on Instagram for all of the latest updates: www.instagram.com/printavo Join us at PrintHustlers Conf 2019: www.printhustlers.com Liked this? Comment! Like! And Subscribe for more great info for growing your business!

When do you hire a sales rep for your screen printing and custom merchandise shop? How do you pay them? What should they actually do? These questions come up again and again. Luckily, Steven Farag from Campus Ink shared his first-hand experience with hiring a dedicated outside sales representative. Steven discusses recruiting, training, incentives, salary, commissions, lead generation, and measuring value with Bruce Ackerman from Printavo. This question and answer session will resolve your questions and give you the best practices for moving forward with hiring your first sales rep. Read a summary here: https://www.printavo.com/blog/shop-ta... Try Printavo for free: https://www.printavo.com Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/printavo

It's time to CRUSH your goals in 2019! It's a great time to have a bit of a mental refresh from last year and separate it from the goals and accomplishments you want to achieve this year. You can get yourself pumped up, get your team pumped up. What I've got for you are 10 different tips. These are 10 really great tips to take your shop to the next level and get ready for the new year. Here we go! Read the full list with more details and info: https://www.printavo.com/blog/screen-... 1. Evaluate poorly performing employees. 2. Upgrade your efficiency. 3. Clean up your branding. 4. Get your online reviews right. 5. Go to trade shows. 6. Use social proof. 7. Do social advertising. 8. Invest in direct to screen. 9. Get that automatic press. 10. Stay extremely optimistic. Try Printavo: https://www.printavo.com

7 Ways To Get Another Sale Right Now by Printavo

9 Ways to Compete Other Than Being the Cheapest by Printavo

Marketing your screen printing business is difficult. Retargeting is an automated advertising strategy that improves your brand's visibility and credibility. Retargeting puts you in the background of prominent websites your customers visit – without you lifting a finger. The two primary retargeting services are: 1. AdRoll 2. Perfect Audience It works by adding a tracking pixel to your website, setting an advertising budget, and running the ads you choose. You can control the precise parameters that trigger retargeted advertising so you don't pay to show ads to people that only visit your site for a moment. Retargeting is powerful. It puts your brand back into your customer's mind. This doesn’t just increase the familiarity your customers have with your brand, it bolsters your credibility and leverages social proof to make you seem even bigger than you are. Try Printavo for free: https://www.printavo.com Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/printavo

2018 has been wrapped up and we hope it was a solid growth year for everyone. As the new year begins, it's great to list out your goals for 2019. We create a list of 8 potential ideas you can use to craft your own list. 1. Raise Prices. As business owners, we undervalue what we offer. It's natural to think that someone won't pay our asking price so we undercut. As printers, we do this to get more business out of the gate. It's dangerous to the industry as a whole and doesn't accurately reflect the value provided. Instead of a race to the bottom, let's race to the top. Shoot to increase your prices by 10-15%. If you provide enough value, you'll be surprised what people are willing to pay for your services. 2. Delegate. You started the business, but it's to be on top of the business. Focus on extracting yourself out of the business. If you take a week off, your training, systems, and processes should continue to work as if you were there. If they don't, it's time to dive back in and create better, repeatable systems. 3. Pay Yourself. To create a sustainable business, you need to take a fair salary. Shops of all sizes skip payroll to make ends meet especially during slow periods. This isn't a sustainable business. Get to a point where this doesn't have to happen. Read Profit First: (https://profitfirstbook.com/) by Mike Michalowicz to help you execute a plan do this. 4. Fire Non-Performers. If you have an employee that doesn't follow protocol, is absent or just a poor cultural fit, it's time to move on. Clean out the employees holding your company back and create a superstar team. Stop giving excuses. I guarantee you'll wish you did it sooner. 5. Operations Manager. Day to day operations is where many shop owners get swamped. Hiring an operations manager to take this off your plate will greatly help you to delegate. Imagine a day where the tasks you set to complete actually get done in an 8hr period. Sounds exciting, doesn't it? You may have to wait until you can reach $2-3M in revenue, profitably, and that's okay. Keep an eye out for a great fit early. This will be someone you can rely on when you're not at the shop. 6. Visit Your Customers. Take an hour every month to visit a customer of yours. Show up at their office with a small gift and ask them to show you around. They'll be unbelievably thankful you spent time with them and you build a great rapport. Remember, each shirt, trophy, sign, and hat has a story behind it. Tapping into that story will help build a deeper relationship and increase sales. 7. Go to a Tradeshow. There are incredible tradeshows in our industry including ISS, NBM, SGIA, and DAX. Be sure to take the time to visit one. The network gained, relationships built and knowledge learned will be worth the time & money. Make this an annual event and bring your star players from the shop. 8. New Sales Channel. The world of marketing is changing. You're able to tap into customers worldwide in 15min and measure conversion rates. Setup your website funnel to handle inbound leads. It should look something like: Website/Audience Specific Landing Page Submit Contact Form Sales Rep Phone Call Drive sales through this funnel using AdRoll (retargeting), LinkedIn messaging, shop open-houses, community events, small business committees, and Facebook ads. Pick one and grow it! Best of luck in 2019 and let's all grow together!