On occasion, I write pieces about entrepreneurship, especially as it pertains to the custom screen printing business.
Within
the scope of private business, capitalism, or what have you, it’s
not only possible, but indeed necessary to construct deals in which
both parties gain, in order to be truly successful.
Integrity,
Honesty and Frankness
Business
is nothing if not a series of relationships to the bohemian sole
proprietor. In my central Screen Print business, I have roughly three
dozen active accounts (a.k.a. customers). My ability to earn an
income is dependent on successful navigation of those relationships.
It may sound altruistic to pursue the win-win deal, but it’s really
pragmatic. Simply, a happy client will recommend you to others. An
unhappy one will spread the word that you suck. Take it from a guy
who has had both experiences!
Integrity
may mean that I suggest an order of 50 shirts to someone who
initially says they want 500. My experience is that you shouldn’t
“over order” on a design that doesn’t have a track record, or
is not presold to some group, or is for some major concert, etc. If
one of my clients gets stuck with 450 shirts they have no use for, it
may occur to them to blame me! If they buy 50 and sell 45, I have a
new on-going client.
As
for honesty, no need to tell your life store, but do keep your client
informed of any information they need to know. Try to make quotes
that cover all contingencies so there will be no surprise charges.
If, for example, the client hands me an art file that I need to do
two hours of work on, I call them right up and say, “This will cost
another $130.00 in art time to produce the job.” Then, they have
the chance to back out before I start the job. If they become unhappy
with the new information, at least you know before the job started!
In
case of a dispute, if you are straightforward and keep your client
informed, and track all order information in writing, you will be
able to create a chronology of the facts of the deal to support how
the job unfolded. This can be a valuable tool in discussion and
settlement of disputes. A chronology of facts is the only tool you
would ever need in a court of law, in the unfortunate event that it
comes to that (happily, this is rare indeed).
Manx Media logo
(Manx cat with no tail)
Pursuit
of Quality
I’ve
been in the T-Shirt printing game since I was an undergraduate in the
late seventies (who knew that an easy way to earn beer and date money
would turn into a “career”?).
Not
a week goes by where I don’t learn something new about screen
printing garments. It is a very simple technology, photographically
based, that works swell for printing on fabric. But there is endless
and infinite finesse (and technology) that can be brought to bear to
make it work better.
As
a kid, I got into the business as a low baller, (price wise) which
was appropriate. As I improved my craft, it occurred to me that is
was more satisfying to pursue the highest quality available, and that
there is always a market for quality.
I
had run a low tech water based ink shop for years, still the best
approach for the low overhead start-up shop, and the perfect dorm
room option. As the demand for multicolor printing on dark shirts
increased, I began to farm out jobs to a colleague, Dan O’Neill
Custom Screen Printing. Most of what I have learned about quality
printing comes from Dan, who is incapable of doing a bad job. I
subsequently expanded my shop to run these jobs in house. As of this
writing, I've sold my press equipment to my former printer, David
Perkin, who has gone into business for himself. All my printing is
now handled by these two capable guys.
In
terms of supporting the win-win deal, quality trumps everything.
Everybody loves a job well done.
