Longtime musician turned printer, Nick moved up from Nashville to put down roots in Maine. With a partner focused on the financial side of the business, Nick has been building the shop, the team, and the client base that calls High Pine their home printer. Topics of discussion include: Neck kisses, Christmas breaks, going against your better judgement, lessons learned, taking risks, having a business partner, how our day-to-day duties evolve over time, meeting your neighboring shop, glory days, ...
Jan 13, 2025•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 240
We're all looking to approach the new year a little differently, and hopefully for the better. When John from LogoDaddy shared that he was playing moneyball with his shop this year, we had to hear more. By implementing Nick's program, Print Profit, you can understand your shop's profitability, uncover hidden opportunities, and strategically drive the business in real time with confident decision making. Are your ears perked up yet?
Jan 06, 2025•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 239
What was once inaugural, has now become annual… The Shirtees. Co-hosted with Bruce Ackerman and Steven Farag, we are giving out this most prestigious award to our favorites of 2024 across the following categories: Our Favorite Episodes, Most Memorable Moment, Shops To Watch For, Biggest Story of the Year, Blank of the Year, Product of the Year, Person of the Year, Business Lesson of the Year, and What To Bet On In 2025.
Dec 30, 2024•1 hr 21 min•Ep. 238
The Graphic hive is a digital design agency located in an apartment, or at least it was 15 years ago. Today, that agency is now a full fledged screen printing shop, and while John has automated the heck out of his operation, he’s still figuring out the whole people problem thing… Aren’t we all? Topics of discussion include: Andy’s real name, favorite stores, conspiracy theories, holiday embroidery rush, software issues, running meetings, department leads, hiring the right people, and a slew of s...
Dec 23, 2024•1 hr 35 min•Ep. 237
After a successful career in the hospitality industry, Ashley redirected her expertise back home into Windmill City. Her incorporation of corporate structure within their small business has been extremely beneficial to their operations and growth, and we're stoked to have Ashley share her journey with us all. Topics of discussion include: Pitch Perfect, walking, operations management, starting the desert busy season, Black Friday scams, changing careers, customer experience, bonuses, getting int...
Dec 16, 2024•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 236
We’ve teamed up with the Printhustlers fellas to tackle this highly anticipated conversation with Frank Myers. With 15 years at S&S, Frank shares his journey from investment banking to leading our favorite apparel powerhouse, who has recently just acquired Alphabroder. We discuss what this means for the industry, and what our shops can expect. Other topics of discussion include: Aliens, Christmas, free webcams, strategizing acquisitions, frickin robots, optimizing shipping, relationships, de...
Dec 09, 2024•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 235
We've got Tony on the pod again, and this time we're diving deep into the lost art of wet on wet printing. Equal parts history lesson and masterclass, and class is in session. Topics of discussion include: Holiday to-do lists, learning Spanish, wet on wet printing technique, difference between ink generations, problem solving, ink gutters, the travel variable, Black Friday, and Thanksgiving.
Dec 02, 2024•1 hr 21 min•Ep. 234
Andy is back and we’re talking with fellow printer and industry podcaster, Shawn Sckoropad of Printeez. A former dirt biker, who shifted to the apparel side of the scene after a bad accident. After years of spearheading the print side of his family business, Shawn’s well of wisdom is honestly much deeper than it should be, so don’t mind us as we wet our whistles on his philosophical approach to business and life. Topics of discussion include: Printing a 35,000 piece order on a manual, car wraps,...
Nov 25, 2024•1 hr 29 min•Ep. 233
Two individuals who rose from the ashes of their previous shops, Alex & Tyler found the balance they needed in joining forces to create Streetwearhouse. Specialized in the streetwear market, and crushing the social media game, we had a lot to pick each other's brains about, and this insightful episode is the result. Topics of discussion include: jumping the gun on DTG, embroidery, good and bad partnerships, specializing your offerings, investing in new equipment, the science behind streetwea...
Nov 18, 2024•1 hr 51 min•Ep. 232
Hot on the heels of Print Hustlers Conf 2024, Dilly and Christina compare notes with Jordan Green from Daze Printing. Jordan's unique approach to social media makes sense for a business that was born through instagram. While he's still relatively early in his print journey, his perspective on this industry and the keynotes from Print Hustlers Conf is invaluable. Topics of discussion include: Buttered sandwiches, universal business experiences, making mistakes, automations, the value of quality p...
Nov 11, 2024•1 hr 48 min•Ep. 231
With nearly four decades of experience and sage wisdom in hand, Tony Palmer is traveling the globe and making people's lives easier one consultation at a time. There's a theory behind pushing ink through holes, and Tony loves to teach it. Topics of discussion include: Trade shows getting smaller, falling into becoming a full time traveling consultant, skill dilution, flat stock printing, print team configurations, the printer’s curse, value of embroidery, workflow, self worth, and selling sizzle...
Nov 04, 2024•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 230
FInding the right distributor for your shop is like finding the wise wizard on your hero's journey. He's always got your back, he's gonna level you up, and you can't imagine having anybody else by your side as you ✨s l a y✨. Dylan's longtime wizard is AJ from Davis International, may this conversation be a case study to hold against you and your current print plug. Topics of discussion include: Bills mafia, Every Time I Die, AOL trial CDs, shifting from printing to distribution, testing product,...
Oct 28, 2024•1 hr 24 min•Ep. 229
Adam's father had a side hustle of selling 1" buttons back in 1991. Now with over 30 years of business under their belt, Dr. Don's is a staple in the political sphere, and a one stop shop that can do it all. Topics of discussion include: buttons, wedding photography, niche markets, being a union printer, operating in politics, narrowing your offerings, and rebranding.
Oct 21, 2024•1 hr 32 min•Ep. 228
Fresh off an enlightening and fruit punch flavored trip to Zion, we have Christy Rossi stepping in as guest host to help tag team this discussion with our esteemed (and possibly AI generated) guest, Aparna Avasarala of Denimrush. Aparna has forged a truly original path for herself, from designing hotel bathrooms, to providing some of the most memorable, and unique experiential activations for her clientele. Scaling is on the mind while navigating her success, as well as the business owner/client...
Oct 14, 2024•1 hr 42 min•Ep. 227
It was the pursuit of a design career that got Tim sucked into the world of screen printing. 7 years later and in a brand new space, Howlers Design is running at maximum capacity thanks to the grassroots growth that comes with word of mouth and quality work. Topics of discussion include: The weird busy seasons this year, moving shops, starting with design, going to college, portfolios, starting from scratch in a new town, collection issues, self branding, bringing embroidery in house, the excite...
Oct 07, 2024•1 hr 23 min•Ep. 226
BMX has been a lifelong passion of John's, and not only did it give him his 'Superfly' moniker, it also gave him the craft of screen printing through the streetwear culture within BMX. Recently, John has shifted gears into printing full time, but he won't be putting the bike down any time soon. Topics of discussion include: Dilly’s press conversion, cicada piss, leases, the process of installing an auto on the 3rd floor, managing art studio spaces, the ban of methylene chloride, printing fundame...
Sep 30, 2024•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 225
Of all the gurus in the world, Kevin is definitely our favorite. Need we say more? Topics of discussion include: Backup quarterbacks, the importance of having a skilled rep, new technologies, finding what works best for your shop, backups and redundancies, climate variables, and cutting boards.
Sep 23, 2024•1 hr 26 min•Ep. 224
On this episode of Shirt Support, we connected with Lee Stuart and tackled heavy topics of depression, anxiety, and mental health. Further topics of discussion include: Dilly contemplating embroidery, panic attacks, anxiety disorders, trying different treatment options, diet & exercise, addressing burnout, writing vs typing, accountability, and how the universe is looking out for us.
Sep 16, 2024•1 hr 50 min•Ep. 223
Back again on the pod we’ve got Max from Family Industries. We just got back from an event he was working his magic at, and we had to have him on again. After all, the industry has changed a lot in the last few years, especially in the live events market. Topics of discussion include: Airplane food, managing short weeks, jet lag, live activations, experiential marketing, how to keep your event running smoothly, customer involvement, pitching your services, bad events, the best custom promo item,...
Sep 09, 2024•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 222
Catching back up with Zach as he and his crew are developing a way to bring fun and competition into the industry, and they're calling it the Print Masters Throwdown. Topics of discussion include: Creed, Oasis, waterbed camp, finding your role in the industry, curveball and virtual challenges, burnout getting in the way of growth, viewer voting, the productivity and time management that comes with working from home, and the storytelling behind content.
Sep 02, 2024•1 hr 28 min•Ep. 221
After a brief hiatus on the high seas, Dilly has returned with tales from his time away and newly reinforced fears for the future of humanity. As a good screen printing podcast does, we do eventually talk shop, this time with Alex Haug of Twin City Tees. A lifer by trade, our discussion naturally begs the question: Was it all worth it? Topics of discussion include: Prepping, interfering with production, personal sacrifices for business gains, covering customer mistakes, customer phone calls, hav...
Aug 26, 2024•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 220
After a 4+ year recording streak, Dilly missed his first episode of Shirt Show. But who better to fill his shoes than 40 year old celebrity guest host Nick Wood? We put together a hot episode with Mr. JG of JG Graphics, a full time firefighter and shirt head. Starting from the ground up with his brother and a self made press, Jared has successfully scaled over the last few years and has kept a level head throughout the process. After all, shirt happens, but it isn't life or death like the firefi...
Aug 19, 2024•1 hr 23 min•Ep. 219
What is an exit strategy, when do we need one, and do we even need one at all? We put our heads together with Bruce & Steven, and our mind amalgamation provided a rich conversation filled with plenty of questions, a few answers, and just an overall good time. A good time that would never touch on anything too personal, or even think about hitting a little too close to home for any of us, in any possible way... Topics of discussion include: Choice produce, popped screens, S&S acquiring Br...
Aug 12, 2024•2 hr 1 min•Ep. 218
This episode description was created with Ai: Dive into our episode with Michelle Moxley, where the conversation takes us from her adventurous summer road trip in an RV to the forefront of AI in the creative industry. Michelle, who made a notable shift from screen printing to the digital design space, shares her insights on integrating AI into your shop and the transformative power of generative art. Topics of discussion include: Dilly’s ladder mishap, Starlink, navigating the ethical gray areas...
Aug 05, 2024•1 hr 21 min•Ep. 217
Free Cheese Prints has come a long way from their humble punk roots, but their business aspirations remain grounded, and complimentary to the lifestyle Tate & Reesa want to lead. A rare quality among entrepreneurs, Tate & Reesa's ability to prioritize a healthy work/life balance over blindly scaling their business provided a very refreshing perspective. Topics of discussion include: Stresses, image capture beta testing, spelunking, vegan and government cheeses, doubling down on printing ...
Jul 29, 2024•1 hr 25 min•Ep. 216
Back on the pod, we've got Gabe from MAYB TMRW. This time with a timely topic to discuss, painful customers. Who are they, how are they created, and what are we to do about them? Topics of discussion include: Iced tea intervention, battling heat, bucket hats, new presses, sticker mule, Tenacious D, being personable, QR codes, and eggs.
Jul 22, 2024•1 hr 31 min•Ep. 215
Jeremy Panda is the mad scientist behind Peace & Cotton. Sure they have multiple locations and offer many services, but they are constantly pushing their boundaries and keeping things fun and interesting with their live print activations. That really caught our attention and we were stoked to get a peek behind the curtain and understand a bit of the method behind their madness. Topics of discussion include: Bad ham, facebook’s impending comeback, leaving the band life for screen printing, Ni...
Jul 15, 2024•1 hr 30 min•Ep. 214
Back on the pod is Mr. Jared Mendelewicz, of AKT. Originally based in Florida, they are now expanding a second location out west in Nevada. We’re catching up, we’re talking expansion, and getting into the nitty gritty of their fulfillment and full package merch services. Topics of discussion include: Farmers tans, puzzles, memes, M80s, Applebee’s, business negotiations, Two Decades of Merch, and fireworks.
Jul 08, 2024•1 hr 30 min•Ep. 213
Fresh out of a business partnership, Wayne Sherman is pushing Ohio City Screen Printing's boundaries with his fiancé by his side. With a long list of print shops in his employment history, Wayne has a strong self awareness with his operation, and is dialing in exactly where he wants to take it. Topics of discussion include: Hydroponics, hawk tuah, insurance, doing before thinking, bank robberies, setting a 5 year plan, shifting to water based ink, and working through adversity.
Jul 01, 2024•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 212
Specializing in high color counts and a beachy Comfort Colors aesthetic, Seth’s ability to sell R&S’s services to new customers face to face has proven to be able to get them through just about anything, including hurricanes. Topics of discussion include: Amazon, urine, lord of the rings, bird rescue, hiring stupid people, a $150k mistake, working with Nicolas Cage, haunted houses, door to door sales, followups, building your brand, marketing flops, and aliens.
Jun 24, 2024•1 hr 28 min•Ep. 211
