10 Things We Would Like to See

Our regular listeners know this, but 2 Regular Guys are all about garment decorating, a bit of fun, and no rants or lectures or selling. We are not doing this for our employers, but rather for our industry. Since February 2013, The 2 Regular Guys have been the first and the most listened to garment decorating industry podcast on this planet! We are humbled by all of you tuning in each week. We work hard to bring you information that will make your business better, and our industry better. Take a look at our incredible weekly guest list and you’ll understand where this industry goes for news, interviews, and the heartbeat of garment decorating. Thanks for listening!

News

• CONGRATULATIONS TO THE six winners of the third annual Screen Printing Rising Stars Awards, which shine a light on emerging talent in the specialty graphics industry. The honorees – all of whom are age 35 or younger and work for printing companies – were chosen based on their professional accomplishments, fresh thinking, contributions toward industry advancement, commitment to excellence, and impact on their organizations. These award winners carved a path for themselves with fierce determination to master their chosen craft and dedication to continually build and improve on the work they are doing. Nominators highlighted their candidates’ experience, philanthropy, vision, and drive. The chosen winners – selected by the Screen Printing editorial staff – have become proven leaders, share an enthusiasm for the world of print, and possess an eagerness to push the boundaries beyond the status quo.
  Joshua Bunton – PRESIDENT, SLI CUSTOM SIGNS & APPAREL, TOLEDO, OH
  Veronica Anderson – OWNER, V. ANDERSON DESIGNS, OKLAHOMA CITY, OK
  Scott Kelly – SCREEN PRINTING DEPT MANAGER, KOTIS DESIGN, CINCINNATI, OH
  David Kent – VICE PRESIDENT, SIGNET MARKETING, WINCHESTER, VA
  Robert Mensah – CREATIVE DIRECTOR, BRAND EMP, ACCRA, WEST AFRICA
  Eric Solomon – OWNER, NIGHT OWLS, HOUSTON, TX
  
  Go here for the Screen Printing article and bios: http://bit.ly/2XGHIIn
  
  

  Dad Joke: Did I tell you about the time I met a ventriloquist at a bar she told me I was attractive?

  I wasn’t sure if it was her or the beer talking.

10 Things we would like to see...

Last Year

Terry: I’d like to see DTG polyester printing worked out or admit that DTG printing is best suited to 100% cotton or high cotton content blends.

Terry: I’d like to see more training, more discussions, more tips and tricks on dealing with employees.

Terry: Vendors and educators should put together side hustle packages, and how you can get a return on investment on nights and weekends.

Terry: I’d like to see some new faces in the training arena. 

Terry: I will get more of my training opportunities online this year.

Aaron: I would like to see some more innovation on the sublimation printing side.

Aaron: I would like to see a software program/services for sublimation to manage jobs, build stores and more. 

Aaron: I always felt like there was a big opportunity for an equipment supplies/vendor to have a franchise-type program where it is a business in a box. 

Aaron: I’d like to see the efforts of SGIA and the convergence of the paper world with our world bear some fruit. What have the advantages been so far and what should we be working towards in 2020 and beyond?

Aaron: I want to expand on DC and what I’m doing with OurSuccessGroup.com and complete my Success Principle Training course and incorporate those success principles into the training 

10 Things We’d Like to See in 2021

1) Terry: I don’t know how big a “big trade show” is going to be this year, but everything can’t happen online forever. Attendees are hesitant to travel, vendors are hesitant to put employees in that position, and everyone is wondering if anyone will show up so do we write off 2021? There are some things that are better in person, whether it’s training or kicking the tires on new equipment. I’d like to see maybe some regional concepts where we can still get out and kick the tires, without putting anyone into danger.

(DAX has come closest at figuring out a virtual event)

2) Aaron: We have talked about it before in shows with things becoming more and more personalized. Even to the point that I recall an episode with Johnny Shell a while back where we talked about the possibility of completely personalized fashion. And not just the decoration, but the entire item like an Aaron Sized shirt instead of an L or XL. 2020 pushed most “I avoid the internet for buying” hold outs to online purchasing. I’d like to see continued innovation and more user-friendly services that allow for the personalization of people’s webstores. I know there are tools out there, but as far as I can tell they allow people to give their customers a blank canvas. The end-user doesn’t know what to do with a blank canvas and it is overwhelming to them to be the designer. I’m looking for a tool that is easy to use on the front and back end where people can offer personalized items and have templates, where people just drop in a special picture, add the text to be personalized and see the mock-up on the finished product. Place the order and depending on if the shipping companies ever get their stuff together, it arrives in 5 to 7 days. I’m currently looking at something that might fit that need, but not sure it is in the right hands to take it to the masses, so we will see.

3) Erich: I’d like to see more people adopt ‘design thinking’ to apparel decoration and promotions. Design thinking being the attempt to understand the user, challenge assumptions, and redefine problems in an attempt to identify alternative strategies and solutions, sometimes in an iterative way. I’ve always preached that decorators increase their value to the customer by ‘being a consultant and not a commodity’ and the way to do that is to attack the problem that a customer is trying to solve or aim for the result the customer wants to achieve, and to work from there to the product and decoration more than from the product as a foregone conclusion back to the problem. There’s always the customer who just wants an image on a shirt, but to court the customers who value us most, we should always look to be their partners. I see this more and more, but I want to see it take off in all strata of the industry.

4) Terry: I’d like to see more people become experts at what they do. I see a lot of folks online asking some pretty simple questions and repeatedly saying, “Tell me what to do now!” Sometimes you need to try some things, do a little experimenting on your own before running to the internet for instructions on the next step to take. Oh, and half of the responses you get on the internet are wrong anyway. Pierre Jamnicky with Blue Moon Screenprinting said it best when I asked how he got to be an award-winning printer in just three years. He said, “It was easy. I just worked at it 100 hours a week for the last three years!” Don’t run to the questionable at best “keyboard experts” out there as your first option. Become an expert through time, effort, experimentation and work. Choose to be an expert in your field.

5) Aaron: For my next one, I’d like to see something from the #regulators. I love what you just shared about the need for people to take 100% responsibility for their business and their education. I also would like to see a mindset shift start to occur. So the thing I would like to see I for all of us to start acting like we are the big global industry that we are. Yes the initial cost to get into our industry is low, so many people start out with next to nothing but you are part of a nearly 25 Billion dollar industry. Here is the exact data from Statistica – In 2017, the total decorated apparel market was valued at approximately 24.2 billion U.S. dollars and was forecast to reach a value of 50.8 billion U.S. dollars by 2024. So we need to work towards dropping the “No one in my market will pay what I need to charge to make a profit” and the I’m just a small town this or that and try to go cheap on everything. Let’s adopt an investment mentality and realize we are part of the soon to be $50 Billion dollar industry and we will get the share of that that we act if we are going to get.

To be continued…

5 simple things you should do *right now* to improve your ecommerce sales and perspective

1. Run an order ENTIRELY through your system. Yes, even paying for it- you can use a coupon, but let something hit your card. Know how things show up and what every response, email, and notification looks like so you can change as needed or document it for training.
2. Look at your site on multiple browsers/mobile. Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and devices If you don’t have a Mac/Android/Iphone, make a friend who does and have them check things out. Make sure the mobile and tablet makes sense as above.
3. Ask a friend! Have someone preferably outside the industry and who isn’t afraid to tell you the truth run through the order process. Give them a coupon code and have them actually get something if possible.
4. Remember your best online customer experience – write down what strikes you from your favorite store- what can you do to be more like them?
5. Think about utility and purpose – Why should your customer choose your site instead of others, and why should they use your site rather than call you with an order. Why does your site exist?

Plug: If you want more information like that, show up to Impressions Connect and DAX!

Be Part of #5Things

If you would like to present your 5 Things, five quick points on any subject whether it be advice or five instructional steps, we would love to hear from you. You can come on the show and present them yourself, or we will share your list with our listeners or even play a recorded video of you sharing 5 things. Whatever is easiest.

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