Growing a small business has always hard but now it's even more difficult as our economy remains slow. Cole talks with Eli the owner of AB Graphics and Promotionals about ways he can make more than 10k a month in his screen-printing business. Topics include- Website Best Practices, Finding your ideal client, Cold Calls, Developing relationships that lead to sales and utilizing social media. Powered by ShirtAgency.com | Brought to you by Printavo.com for $50 off your first month click https://www...
Nov 18, 2020•1 hr 2 min
In this Episode, Cole talks with the incredible Andrea Lake about how so many start up t-shirt companies have no idea what they are doing. Her insights and experience into the industry are fantastic listening. Since starting her first web company in 1999 Andrea has started 14 companies, including: StickerJunkie, YogaJunkie, Delinquent Distribution (which owned the sales rights for merch on Minecraft, World of Warcraft, Call of Duty, The Walking Dead, and more), Quarantini, and Power Chick Mafia....
Nov 06, 2020•32 min
Bruce Ackerman the Founder of Printavo goes in depth with Cole about the state of the industry. Topics include: The sales data Printavo is seeing at all shops, revenue being down, future opportunities and more. Don't miss out on this great episode with possibly the most plugged in businessman in the industry. Printavo.com ShirtAgency.com | Brought to you by Printavo.com for $50 off your first month click https://www.printavo.com/r/cole and enter promo code "Cole" | For 15% off any course or book...
Aug 06, 2020•44 min
Milissa Clark the Sales Director for US Blanks discusses their companies quick switch to sewing masks in Los Angeles. She also discusses the longterm adjustment she is seeing the industry take to stay open.
May 14, 2020•18 min
Tim Gibson the Director of Sales for Hanes Brands talks with Cole about how the company has been pivotal in providing masks for front-line workers. After being contacted directly by the US government Hanes created millions of masks and are now able to provide them to the promotional products industry. Tim also discusses how he sees the state of the industry going forward. Additional topics include updates on Alternative, Comfortwash and Champion's upcoming releases.
May 13, 2020•17 min
Chris Blakelee the President of Bella + Canvas talks with Cole about the dramatic pivot the company made to create 100s of Millions of masks during Covid-19. He also goes into detail about what Bella + Canvas is expecting for the apparel industry moving forward. Shirt Agency.com BellaCanvas.com
May 05, 2020•21 min
Nabeel Amin the Founder of Lane Seven discusses their businesses response to the shutdown. He gives insight into PPP, Staffing and creating inventory for fall. LaneSeven.com ShirtAgency.com
May 04, 2020•23 min
In this episode of Building your T-Shirt Empire Cole talks with the Founder of Ryonet and Allmade Ryan Moor. Topics include: Masks Managing Staff Creative ways to stay in Business The present state of Allmade, Ryonet and Roq Us PPP loans How to reach out to new clients during the shutdown Ryonet.com ShirtAgency.com
May 01, 2020•16 min
Nate Goff aka @printsnate is the owner of Fresh MFG. After working at another shop he quickly built his new screenprint shop by working for retail giants Forever 21 and Zumiez. We chat about printing late into the night, finding big clients and doing whatever it takes to make the customers happy. Powered by ShirtAgency.com | The best t-shirt printing and fulfillment company in the Pico Union district of Los Angeles.
Nov 12, 2018•22 min
Ruben from Grandline Graphics returns with more questions on how to grow his t-shirt print shop. In this hour long conversation we discuss a variety of topics including production efficiency, outside sales, lead generation and online marketing. POWERED by | ShirtAgency.com the best screenprinting and fulfillment company I have ever built.
Oct 13, 2018•55 min
Bruce Ackerman is the Founder and forward thinking leader of Printavo. Starting in 2011 as successful print shop owner Bruce began coding what is today one of the largest shop management solutions in the industry. He chats with Cole about what is next for his company and why he thinks some shops are growing so quickly while others plateau. Powered by Shirtagency.com | The most incredible place to print and ship a t-shirt.
Aug 15, 2018•33 min
Whenever I go to a conference I almost always get sucked into a conversation about how Shirt Agency does online advertising. So in this episode I go over the basics of online advertising by breaking it into 3 difficulty sections: EASY STUFF- Facebook Boosts, Google Search ads. REQUIRES SOME EFFORT- Instagram ads, Video Ads on FB Youtube, Basic Targeting. TRYING AS IF IT WAS YOUR JOB- Pixels, Re-targeting, Funnels, A/b Testing. I also go over my strategy for creating engaging content and why I ha...
Aug 06, 2018•5 min
Brett Bowden Founder of Printed Threads flew out to LA to work with Shirt Agency on improving our print shop. Obviously we can't tell you everything he taught us here. But in this episode we go over some of the major take-aways from his two day trip to help us up our screen printing shop's game. POWERED by SHIRTAGENCY.com also Check Out PRINTEDTHREADS.com
Jun 20, 2018•24 min
****NOTE: For the first time this episode was filmed live for Youtube. So please Head to youtube.com/shirtagency and subscribe.**** In this episode of Building your T-Shirt Empire, Ryan Moor from Ryonet talks with Cole about a variety of topics. Topics include: Marketing Fulfillment Services Future Screen Printing Tech Grandline Graphics Update Allmade Sales Strategies 80/20 Rule and more... Check out ShirtAgency.com Allmade.com Screenprinting.com GrandlineGraphics.com and theshirtsociety.com...
Jun 11, 2018•34 min
We invite screen printer Mark back into the room for another episode of shop therapy. Grandline Graphics discusses what is making their shop run inefficiently and how we can fix it. Topics include: Job roles, Rush Orders, Receiving, Darkroom management, and how to actually get stuff done on time. Powered by ShirtAgency.com | The best t-shirt printing company of Spring 2018
Apr 19, 2018•49 min
Inspired by the book "Made to Make it" by Ryan Moor we focus on what will make a print shop stand out. We discuss building customer profiles and how best to serve those clients. This leads into building a basic vision for their company Grandline Graphics. Just being a printing company is not enough! Customers need clear messaging to understand why a shop is unique. Powered by ShirtAgency.com | The shop I record these in.
Apr 18, 2018•39 min
On our second day of growing Grandline Graphics we dive into online advertising. After making some basic improvements to their website we now are ready to spend some money on ads. We discuss A/B Testing on Google, Instagram and Facebook. Check out future episodes where we go thru the results. Powered by ShirtAgency.com | The best T-Shirt Printing and Fulfillment company in the world.
Apr 17, 2018•35 min
In this first episode of our "Saving the Shop" series- Grandline graphics flies to Los Angeles to work with Cole on overhauling their entire business. This episode is an overview of their issues. This week we will be posting daily updates on how we are changing their model. Powered by ShirtAgency.com | The best print shop I own.
Apr 16, 2018•1 hr 12 min
In this episode Cole chats with Amy from Threadbare and Gavin from Proud T-Shirts about growing their manual print shops. Listen in as they chat about the real issues that arrive when you are expanding a small t-shirt printing business. Topics include- Advertising, Production Speed, Marketing, and firing your employees ;) Powered by ShirtAgency.com | The best printing and fulfillment company in Pico Union.
Mar 09, 2018•37 min
Want to know how to expand your business’s reach and party at the same time? It’s simple- start live screen printing! My company Shirt Agency waited almost three years before offering live screen printing services for events and the effects on our growth have been phenomenal. I only wish we had started sooner. Live printing engages your audience and strikes conversations with potential customers in an open and friendly atmosphere. Everybody deep down wants to make their own t-shirt and setting u...
Feb 06, 2018•9 min
In this episode Cole talks with Brett Bowden (SGIA Chairman/Owner of Printed Threads) and Rogier Ducloo (CMO of Ryonet) about how Allmade is making a better t-shirt. This month the 3 of us, along with about 20 other screen-printers, went to Haiti to see the amazing LIFE facility where Allmade is created. Allmade pays 5X the standard wage to all cut and sew workers and is creating their own incredible fabrics right here in the US. For more info check out ALLMADE.com and to book your spot at THREA...
Jan 25, 2018•40 min
Recorded Live at ISS 2018 in Long Beach CA. In this episode, listen in on Cole's conversations with some of the most interesting people in the apparel industry. Learn about the newest product launches and trends brands will be loving in the coming year. Interviews INCLUDE: Ryan Moor (RYONET), Tim Gibson (BELLA+CANVAS), The Legend Dov Charney (LOS ANGELES APPAREL), Dana Pineda (ALTERNATIVE APPAREL) and More! Powered by SHIRTAGENCY.com | The best printing and fulfillment company in Los Angeles....
Jan 20, 2018•32 min
In 2013, Brendan Wenzel realized he was on to something when he sold 100 t-shirts on Facebook with zero advertising. Fast forward to present day and Brendan has built himself an e-commerce empire with $6.5 Million in t-shirt sales. In this episode, we talk about Facebook ads and building the strong social presence businesses need to sell online. Topics include, Ad Manager, Influencers, Ad Costs, KPIs, hiring graphic designers and more... Powered by ShirtAgency.com | The Greatest Printing and Ful...
Dec 19, 2017•51 min
Nabeel Amin started Lane Seven apparel to bridge the gap between premium and cost conscious fleece hoodies for the wholesale market. His rapidly growing company sold 400,000 hoodies this year alone and he has plans for MASSIVE GROWTH in 2018. Learn how he started out in Pakistan on the factory floor and took that first hand knowledge to the US to take on the big manufacturers. Topics include: Market Trends. Manufacturing Methods. Global Production. Powered by: ShirtAgency.com | The Greatest T-Sh...
Nov 22, 2017•52 min
Carissa and Cole walk thru the entire Bella + Canvas factory and discuss every step in the production process of creating a t-shirt. Take a look behind the scenes to see how the tees you print on are actually manufactured right here in Los Angeles. Plus learn some secrets about the upcoming 2018 Fast Fashion releases. ShirtAgency.com | The Best T-Shirt Printing and Fulfillment in the world!
Nov 06, 2017•32 min
Charley Pangus has been designing for over 8 years now specializing in merch design and brand identity. In 2013 he started a Youtube channel and uploaded a tutorial teaching people how to make a t-shirt design. Within 1 years time the video accumulated over 400k views which motivated him to keep making more videos. Fast forward to 2017 and he's still making videos and managed to gain 40k+ subscribers. Listen to our chat on the state of modern merch design and how you can improve your skills.
Oct 13, 2017•45 min
In this episode, Cole goes further into detail explaining how to do artwork separations for full color designs. Recorded live at one of Shirt Agency's screen printing classes. Learn about how to use Accurip, Separation Studio and Illustrator to create amazing print ready artwork. To attend a class in person head to screenprinting.com click on the learn tab and sign up for the Los Angeles location. Powered by ShirtAgency.com | Screen Printing + Fulfillment
Sep 15, 2017•28 min
Our good buddy Nathan Harbison stops by to ask Cole questions about starting his own screen printing shop. Topics include: How to get new customers, marketing, partnerships, basic printing tips and how Shirt Agency first started to get large orders. Sponsored by ShirtAgency.com
Sep 01, 2017•1 hr 1 min
Pulled directly from our monthly screen printing class this episode takes you thru the process of creating print ready artwork. Cole goes over all the steps needed to create a customer mockup, convert your artwork to a vector and output films. To learn more come to one of our classes in LA. You can register at screenprinting.com As always Building your T-shirt Empire is sponsored by ShirtAgency.com the best printing and fulfillment company on planet earth.
Aug 08, 2017•19 min
In Building your T-Shirt Empire's first Video podcast Cole takes you through the pros and cons of Direct to Garment printing vs. Screen Printing. Learn the strengths and weaknesses of both t-shirt printing methods and learn even more about specialty inks by watching the video ShirtAgency.com made with Bella + Canvas HERE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIzBb4o5AjI
Jun 16, 2017•4 min
