Planning for 2024: Preparing for Success

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Join us for an insightful episode as Terry and Aaron bring you their annual tradition of gearing up for success. As we approach the new year, it’s time to break out your junior yellow legal pad because we’re diving into the art of PLANNING for 2024. In this episode, we’ll discuss valuable strategies to elevate your game in the coming year. Discover indispensable tips that will set you up for triumph as a product decorator in 2024. Don’t miss this opportunity to kickstart your journey towards a prosperous and fulfilling year. It’s GO Time on The 2 Regular Guys Podcast!

Our regular listeners know this, but 2 Regular Guys are all about garment decorating, a bit of fun, and no rants, lectures, or selling. 2 Regular Guys was not created 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 improve your business and our industry. 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!

🏆🤑 Ready to have clarity and confidence in your business? 🥇🎯 Got to https://oursuccessgroup.com/tryosg

News

If you have anything newsworthy you would like us to share, please email details to info@2regularguys.com. Use the subject line “Weekly News.”

Dad Joke

Terry: Did you know I was on an elevator with 8 department stores Santas yesterday?

It got a little Claustrophobic in there.

Last Year – Planning for 2023

Terry: Do you know your brand?

• And if you do, is it the brand you want?
• Here’s what it’s not…
• Your brand is not your logo
• Your brand is not “Hey, look at me!”
• Your brand is not a mission statement
• So what is your brand?
• Your brand is your promise
• Brand is about relationships
• What can they expect from you?
• What separates you?
• Why do you do what you do?
• Your brand is who you are… who you want to be… who people perceive you to be

Aaron: Love that you brought up branding. Clarity on who you are and who you serve is so important.

• What customers did you enjoy working with?
• What customers need to go elsewhere
• When you try to be all things to everybody, you end up being nothing to no one.

Erich: Review & Forecast FURTHER OUT than you think you should

Terry: In 2023, become an expert at what you do

• Every expert has a beginning
• What 1 task or technique would you like to be better at in 2023
• Lay out a plan for weekly efforts in that area
  • Reading up on the subject
  • Set aside time to experiment

Aaron: Systems

• Business needs to be a system. Things you can repeat
• Automate – What are you doing over and over?
  • Stop going it alone. https://osg.link/iworker

Erich: Learn to ‘Prune’ & Understand ‘Fitness’

Terry: Plan to become the “go to” decorator in your area… in your marketplace

• Do good work and deliver on time!
• This is the true secret to success
• You can compete with anyone large or small if you do good work…
• Make it easy to buy from you
• It’s often not about price
• Most customers are not professional buyers
• Innovate – try something new
• Specialty inks, vinyl, thread, techniques

Planning for 2024

Terry: Stop and take a deep sigh of relief. You made it through the worst business interruption in decades. How can we use this experience in 2024 and beyond?

• What did you learn about you… about your business?
• Who helped you keep your business afloat? What can you do to show your appreciation, and build on that relationship?
• Diversify your technology
• Diversify your customer base

Aaron: Sustainability Initiatives: In 2024 the customer’s priorities are changing. Sustainability is no longer a buzz marketing term, but a requirement to a lot of our markets. The buyer has increased awareness and demand for eco-friendly and ethically produced apparel. Understanding what that truly means to your customers is crucial. 

• Sourcing sustainable materials
• Reducing waste
• Adopting eco-conscious production methods.

Terry: It’s time to implement 52/15 Training. A new year and a new approach to education in your shop.

• What it’s about…
• Best-trained staff in your market
• Don’t know where to start? Go into the 2RG archives and use the Secret Sauce videos.

Aaron: Customer-Centric Approach: I believe 2024 is going to be a good year, but I think it is also going to be a cautious year. Election year, lots of unrest in the world. Decorators must make decisions based on their unique business foundation. Decorators need to be very clear about what their reason and values are, who exactly their ideal customers are, and what specific internal challenge they can solve for their ideal customers. So take some time to look at how you interact with your ideal client.

• Do your services really meet their complete needs?
• What processes or “ways we have always done it” need to be changed?
• What policies need to be rewritten to make sure they focus on what is in it for the customer?

Terry: Take a look back at your 2023 expenses. Compare them with 2022, and beyond, maybe your last healthy year before covid. Everything costs more now, and we can’t expect inflation to turn into deflation.

• Does anything stand out?
• Anything you can remove or tighten up?
• How does this impact what you’re charging? 

Aaron: Become a Goal Getter. Planning and goal setting go hand in hand, but I’d encourage you to make 2024 the year that you become a goal getter instead of a goal setter.

• Quitter’s Day Story
• What is the difference (Getter v Setter)
  • Vague versus Specific (How Much and By When)
  • Huge Leap versus Broken Down
  • Hidden versus Shared with Others

Terry: Cut your losses… processes, employees, equipment, customers…

• The year in review
• Start the year with a clean slate

Aaron: Your Support System: If you ever want to get into an unending argument with me, try to explain to me why you believe that success is something you can do alone and that you are independent and don’t need any help. Success is a team sport. And one of the most important things you can do to ensure success in 2024 is to be intentional about your success team. 

• Top 5 – You are the sum of the 5 people you spend the most time with – Be intentional
• Hire a VA – OSG.link/iworker
• Leave some Facebook Groups / Start Your Own with Your Ideal Customers Instead!
• Join a Mastermind Program (HSS and MOS)

We’re very excited about 2024. The 2 Regular Guys are ready to take the journey with you. We are getting ready to start our 12th season and we need the regulators now more than ever. We need your feedback. What do you need support with? What topics would you like to hear on the 2 Regular Guys? Who should we be reaching out to? Do you want to join us? We are already booking guests for next year, so let’s make sure 2024 is a valuable year for you all. We thank you for spending your Friday mornings with us!

The Secret Sauce

We serve up bite-sized tips for our #regulators to instantly spice up their decorated apparel business. Just like the perfect wing sauce, these quick tips can transform your business experience, adding flavor and depth to your operations. Each video in this playlist is a nugget of wisdom, carefully selected for its potential to bring immediate value to your work. So, whether you’re a seasoned pro or just getting started in the decorated apparel industry, dip into our ‘Secret Sauce’ for insights that can help you soar. Remember, the right tip at the right time can be just the secret ingredient you need for success.