For those of you who've followed Parkway Printshop over the last couple years, you've probably followed their journey into their new space, and it's BEAUTIFUL. If you haven't checked them out yet, be prepared for your eyes to get misty. We caught up with Jared and he filled us in on how the new digs are working for them, why they did what they did, what they would've done differently. Following in his father's footsteps, and then diverting down a path of his own, Jared shares how he's combined t...
Sep 26, 2022•1 hr 46 min•Ep. 120
A short few months after a near death experience, we caught up with Mike Galati of Modest Merch. Still healing, Mike is cranking out shirts at his shop, which halted operations after his accident, but kept it's doors open thanks to this amazing print community rallying behind his GoFundMe. Topics of discussion include: Mopeds, printing for bands, Victory Records, Flying solo vs hiring help, contract printing, nightmare emails, crocs, kickflips, and tagging your printers.
Sep 19, 2022•1 hr 30 min•Ep. 119
Whether he helped you out through ROQ, or you're in his Winners Circle and rising and grinding every morning, Richard Tilley is probably a familiar name to you, but there is much more to him than what you've seen on social media. Our first guest to have a story so damn stressful we had to pause and catch our breath, Richard's been on a long journey with massive peaks and valleys to become the guy we know today motivating us all to improve our shops and our lives. Topics of discussion include: Ha...
Sep 12, 2022•2 hr 12 min•Ep. 118
Alex Marx is the perfect example of what happens when you give a motivated employee the freedom to make improvements to your shop. From selling shirts out of his car, and most likely being an accomplice to stealing an auto, Alex has truly hit his stride at SMPLFD, and they're moving towards perfection. Topics of discussion include: Cake, ornithology, sketchy jobs, communicating your desire to grow within a company, creating & shifting positions, choosing positivity over skill, quiet quitting...
Sep 05, 2022•2 hr 22 min•Ep. 117
Rodney Cuda. The man whose aptitude for florals and great mustaches are as high as Tom Selleck's; but with more programming and hacking skills than the nerdy guy from your favorite heist movie, and more optimism than a Disney hero. Don't Lose Hope Screen Print was Salem, OR's favorite one man band print shop, but Rodney recently switched DLH to electric with the knobs cranked to 11 and a full band backing him. Dive into the half full deep end with us as we discuss topics such as: Facial hair, le...
Aug 29, 2022•2 hr 18 min•Ep. 116
Brad Czarnowski is a sneaker head. How you go from sneakers to printing t-shirts is a story you're going to want to hear for yourself, because the way Brad's love of sneaker culture has influenced his shop and how they connect with their customers is fantastic. With their first auto on the way, growth is about to take off for them, but Brad is determined to keep that growth on a leash before it gets too out of hand, too fast. Topics of discussion include: Conscious growth, sneakers, baseball, th...
Aug 22, 2022•1 hr 57 min•Ep. 115
Round 2 with Tony Fish! His shop has recently undergone some serious renovations, and after 15 years in this business, Tony is still cooking up ideas like "THE CYCLE" to improve the shop. Topics of discussion include: Choosing DTG over DTF, a beautiful mind explanation of the cycle, re-hiring past employees, grounds for termination, funeral shirts, failing your customers, staying in your lane or expanding your skills and services, bonus structures, and cataloging.
Aug 15, 2022•2 hr 2 min•Ep. 114
We ended our time at the Water Based Camp with a Q&A, and shared our favorite takeaways from the event.
Aug 08, 2022•1 hr 48 min•Ep. 113
No, there is no known relation. Connor's parents started Disney's Screen Printing in the 80's, before leaving the equipment behind in storage after 20 years of printing and going all in on their boat rental business in Lakeport, CA. But ink in the veins is hereditary, and some time later Connor found himself dusting off the manual and slinging tees. Now with a decked out new garage and an auto, Connor's output is higher than it's ever been, but we're here to poke and prod the possibility of him ...
Aug 01, 2022•1 hr 53 min•Ep. 112
Zach Achorn of Selfmade Designs seems to be on the path to world domination, and he plans on getting there by bringing his peers to the top with him. He has a lot of irons in the fire, and they're all focused on building up artists, printers, and community. Dive in the deep end with us. Topics of discussion include: Air compressor fails, print showmanship, Gym For Artists, traveling printers, fighting burnout, raises and profit sharing, and baby oil transparencies.
Jul 25, 2022•1 hr 59 min•Ep. 111
We caught up with our buddy Jarrod from Rockford Art Deli. Today's special is a delicious conversation on how a long time water based manual shop like RAD decides to go auto, along with a hefty side of bs. Topics of discussion include: the challenge of retail, free print day, shirt repair, cricut pains, internet outage procedures, prepping, recession hesitations, the importance of dryer catchers, and knowing when to hire.
Jul 18, 2022•2 hr 26 min•Ep. 110
Baav Dhanak is the 22 year old vlogger/printer/hustler behind Aesthetic Imprints. He's built such a strong brand and shop, you'd have no idea he's operating out of his parents' basement, but we've got a feeling he won't be there for too much longer. Topics of discussion include: Leaky faces, body pillows, sweet tea, bench press exposure units, we argue over what the next best step is, and Jumanji.
Jul 11, 2022•2 hr 10 min•Ep. 109
We sat down with Joe & Dawn, the power couple behind the fire fighter owned and operated, E2 Embroidery. This is a first for our podcast as they are members of both the CWA, and Allied Printing unions, and they were kind enough to share their story with us, as well as educate us on what it's like being a union laborer shop. Topics of discussion include: Raising employees, battling heat, rapid growth, union labor, USA made goods, never having enough space, supplemental contract printing, if t...
Jul 04, 2022•2 hr 3 min•Ep. 108
There's more to the print life than dialing in your screen printing processes and efficiencies, you've gotta sell the damn shirts too! So we have sales wizard Kevin Baumgart here to help us all pump these sales numbers up to the moon. Topics of discuswion include: Order conversions, speed to lead, handling new customers, the power and fear of phone calls, QPRs, role playing, outbound strategy, and negotiating without racing to the bottom.
Jun 27, 2022•1 hr 22 min•Ep. 107
AAAAAAAAAND... ACTION! We're talking with Erik Naftal, the man behind Action Engineering, the best screen printing accessory manufacturer in the game. He grew up in this industry, and has only ever had his sights on continuing to push it forward. Topics of discussion include: Supply chain, high sales and low profits, investing in efficiency, trial & error, R&D, where their ideas come from, challenges in developing new products, and what their biggest flop was.
Jun 20, 2022•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 106
Andy & Dylan are out in Indianapolis with Jake & Leena from Becker Supply Co. doing our first ever field recording. With their relationship started in a print shop, and eventually they got married, started a family, and opened a shop of their own. The power couple behind Becker Supply Co. are only continuing to go up from here. Topics of discussion include: Separate retail & production spaces, being picky with clients, office romance, getting your brand off the ground, transitioning ...
Jun 13, 2022•1 hr 52 min•Ep. 105
Hayden Barker is more than the owner of Hometown Printed Apparel, he's the king of perseverance. With a list of adversities and obstacles over a mile long, Hayden's story is a reminder to us all that hard work and persistence can get you through almost any hardship. Topics of discussion include: Grocery store renovations, purchasing print shops, equipment failure, health emergencies, small town employment, fire, flooding, electrocution, and the power of Linkedin.
Jun 06, 2022•1 hr 46 min•Ep. 104
We sat down with THE Mark Coudray, and boy did we get learned. This industry OG has developed an unsettling amount of processes and standards using his super brain, which stems from his radioactive childhood. Thankfully, Mark has always and continues to use his abilities to change our industry for the better. Topics of discussion include: Applying Math/Science/Engineering to screen printing, sharing trade secrets, Profit First and The Catalyst Program, equity arrangements, inverse effort, and ho...
May 30, 2022•1 hr 46 min•Ep. 103
BACK TO BACK BABY! SHITAVO PT II. Topics of discussion include: Selling used underwear, attracting and retaining a team, sales forecasting, poached employees, HR, pros and cons of turnover, one on one meetings, work life balance, and chinese farming.
May 23, 2022•2 hr 1 min•Ep. 102
A robot video went viral, and we had to discuss it with Bruce & Steven, who are far more technologically advanced than us. We've got some surprise guests and a call in as well. Topics of discussion include: Frickin robots, the future of automation, whether or not we NEED automation, tech development, and Steven Farag's Lube Tube.
May 16, 2022•1 hr 28 min•Ep. 101
We did it. 100 episodes, 100 Mondays in a row, and WE AIN'T STOPPIN! We're celebrating this milestone with the legend himself, Scott Fresener. With a linkedin list of achievements a mile long, and enough industry experience to fill The Grand Canyon, we had one hell of a conversation with this open book of a man. Oh, and he's not retired yet either, just a heads up. Topics of discussion include: Bootlegging everything under the sun, how he went from selling hundreds of thousands of books on scree...
May 09, 2022•2 hr 16 min•Ep. 100
We had one hell of a therapy session with Chris & Adam from Denial Print Co. These two have been working together for about 20 years, through almost as many business ventures. These two went from being young professional roller bladers, who were running a skate shop, a wheel company, and a massive clothing brand with a worldwide distribution, to becoming the specialty focused printers they are today. Topics of discussion include: Their extreme business evolution, knowing what happens behind ...
May 02, 2022•2 hr 37 min•Ep. 99
Finally getting together with the man behind the Printata, we've got Liam Flaherty of Floodpull with us on the podcast. Now enjoying life back on the east coast, Liam is working UX remotely, and keeping a firm grip on the print industry. Topics of discussion include: Andy's undisclosed location, diners, moving, teenage entrepreneurship, outside sales, United States Screen Printing Institute, reactive airways, selling weight loss pills against Oprah's wishes, printing on model airplanes, the 2am ...
Apr 25, 2022•2 hr 21 min•Ep. 98
Today's guest is David Duran of Kids In The Attic, from Las Vegas, NV. There's a lot more to Sin city than big casinos and slot machines, there's a ton of small businesses and family operations, and David and his crew are printing for them. Topics of discussion include: Generating sales through design, freelance artists, wheat pasting, mid purchase ghosting, stickers, pokemon scrape cards, not doing taxes, updating the old website, going appointment only, ebay supplies, becoming an old man, enjo...
Apr 18, 2022•2 hr 59 min•Ep. 97
Joining us for a second time, just after spending the week consulting with Andy and his crew at Shirt Kong, Ryan Kasparian of COVERED IN INK is here to talk shirt. Topics of discussion include: Bridging communication between employer and employee, Ryanisms, attacking processes, the importance of hierarchies, defining roles, managing, DoorDash, and... Ryan sparks up a fatty.
Apr 11, 2022•2 hr 22 min•Ep. 96
And just like that, another convention come and gone. With the smell of casino still lingering on their clothes, and the slot machines still ringing in their ears, Andy & Dylan recap the events within and around their long weekend at ISS Atlantic City. Topics of discussion include: Thoughts on new equipment, booth hangs, gambling, group dinners, the blue crew meetup, seminars, and how fashionable a $1300 hoodie really is.
Apr 04, 2022•1 hr 40 min•Ep. 95
While Eric's decision to step away from the bar scene may have been sudden, it was his long tenure of serving drinks and making friends in his hometown of Louisville, KY that allowed him to start Full Bleed MFG, and tap into a fresh keg of opportunity. Andy & Dylan got an early start to the day, and Eric was kind enough to talk shirt with us for breakfast. Topics of discussion include: Asking permission, trading shirts for vehicles, bar fights, failed partnerships, contract printing, thrift ...
Mar 28, 2022•2 hr 39 min•Ep. 94
Currently in the throws of installing their first auto, and working on a new space, we caught up with Jonathan and Jarred of Golden Press Studio. These guys are always tackling a new venture, and they don't show any signs of slowing down. Topics of discussion include: Finding and building out new spaces, having room for activities, full circle moments, integrating new services into their business, brand building, choosing Anatol, customers throwing their weight, algorithms and shadow bans, tikto...
Mar 21, 2022•3 hr 29 min•Ep. 93
We're hanging out with Val, the better Solomon behind Night Owls. Unsure whether or not Print Engineer truly works as a title for her role, Val is making production at their shop run as smoothly as possible, no matter how many wrenches (Eric) get thrown into their gears... Topics of discussion include: Living too close to work, production, squeegee dishwasher, near death experience on press, switching to water based inks, holes in shirts, fix cards, hybrid printing, reply all, grape trees, and a...
Mar 14, 2022•2 hr 26 min•Ep. 92
Brett Bowden needs no introduction to those who haven't been living under rocks. You may know him from Printed Threads, or his other ventures like Made Lab, and The Ink Kitchen. He's a well educated man with a passion for education and printing. So consider this episode to be more of a lecture, or an audio course, and Bowden your horizons. Topics of discussion include: Mad Men office bars, the balance between a work hard play hard culture and a lawsuit, growing up not being fun, business soulmat...
Mar 07, 2022•2 hr 38 min•Ep. 91
