HOUSTON
–Information Direct–
Jim and Jane Sweeney are the house owners of the Minuteman Press franchise in Houston, Texas for the final 29 years; they first joined Minuteman Press in June of 1994. Jim and Jane have finished an amazing job constructing their enterprise over time. Most not too long ago, they’ve really excelled in rising their attire gross sales.
Jim summarizes:
“The previous 2 years have actually been fascinating. We’re at the moment (as of July of 2023) working 30.5% forward of 2022 gross sales, which was up 35% over 2021. It looks as if the world (or our world anyway) got here out of its 2-year lengthy malaise in 2022.”
Within the beneath interview, Jim shares extra particular particulars about his middle’s booming attire enterprise and the way he and Jane’s Minuteman Press franchise in Houston have completed such sturdy progress of their attire gross sales. Their middle is positioned at 1040 Hercules Ave (Clear Lake Metropolis); Houston – Clear Lake Metropolis, TX 77058.
How have you ever grown what you are promoting normally over the previous two years?
Jim Sweeney:
“Throughout the early pandemic we pivoted to non-public safety merchandise, which naturally led to customized face masks. Whereas Jane was busy truly stitching 1000 face masks, I used to be offering customized emblem fabric masks to hospitals, medical workplaces, service suppliers, and faculties. We offered about 40,000 customized masks throughout that point, and we both warmth pressed them or despatched them to an area display print vendor. We additionally donated a number of masks to colleges, non-profits, and so on.
Lastly, in 2022, our conventional printing was lastly beginning to climb again to pre-pandemic ranges. Promotional merchandise additionally grew as commerce exhibits and advertising calls grew to become extra the norm. We additionally had a giant spurt of huge format work, however that truly slowed down a bit after that preliminary spurt. EDDM printing has additionally develop into a bigger portion of our print gross sales. As soon as we registered as EDDM suppliers on the USPS web site, we positively noticed a really giant enhance in junk mail normally. Enterprise Card printing has all the time been massive for us, and the addition of the Graphic Whizard slitter, cutter, creaser has made it much more worthwhile. Our advertising efforts consists of: heavy neighborhood involvement; junk mail postcards, particularly this yr with the Deal of the Month artwork supplied by MMP company; web optimization/SEM on the Minuteman.com web site, and social media, particularly because it pertains to Direct to Movie Switch gross sales.”
How have you ever grown your attire enterprise? What have you ever finished to get your attire gross sales going?
Jim Sweeney:
“We actually began getting critical about attire about 8 years in the past after we bought a business embroidery machine. Then, about 5 years in the past, Jane put collectively an amazing foyer presentation. This space options attire, giant format, and promotional gadgets of curiosity.
We added dye sublimation capabilities with the Epson F570, after which we added DTG printing for one- offs (we finally offered the DTG printer). Throughout this time, we had been utilizing a number of display printed transfers, largely from 613 originals or FM expressions. The problem grew to become turnaround time. It could take as much as 2 weeks to obtain these transfers, after which after all we needed to press them.
We bought a second, after which a 3rd Stahls’ warmth press throughout this time. That’s after we determined to maneuver in to the Direct to Movie (DTF) printing enterprise. After going via a number of desktop transformed printers to attempt to print our personal transfers, about 2.5 years in the past we bought our first giant format, twin printhead DTF printer and finisher. Along with producing transfers for our in-house use, we now have sufficient capability that we promote transfers to different printers, display printers, signal retailers and Fb Group/Etsy house owners. We added further capability with a 4 head DTF printer in January of this yr (we are going to more than likely be including a 3rd printer within the third quarter this yr).”
Jim continues:
“Wholesale Switch printing is now roughly 20% of our month-to-month gross sales; we ship all around the nation, with a each day capability for printing 1000’s of transfers. Including embroidery and our in-house t-shirt gross sales makes attire roughly 30% of our month-to-month income.”
“Concurrently with this progress in switch gross sales, the embroidery enterprise was taking off. We usually obtain orders for 10-50 polos or button-down shirts for embroidery. We landed a grocery retailer chain and a couple of native hospitals, and the orders grew to become 150-200 shirts at a time. This previous fall we accomplished a $24,000 jacket embroidery order, and we simply delivered $32,000 jacket order to that very same shopper, a hospital. In fact, we use a trusted native vendor for bigger portions of jackets.”
Jim provides:
“Our attire enterprise continues to develop weekly with extra, and bigger, in-house turn-key t-shirt gross sales actually ramping up.”
What are 3 ideas for different house owners on rising their attire enterprise?
Jim Sweeney:
“1. We really feel that the #1 factor that’s persevering with to drive our attire gross sales, along with the wholesale switch gross sales, is our foyer show. A number of years in the past, we put this show of attire samples, promotional gadgets, and a few of our giant format samples in our store. Every time a brand new, and even an present buyer comes into the store, invariably they’re drawn to this show. About 1 in 5 individuals who stroll into the store asks about one thing that they see on that show. We flip about 85% of these inquiries into gross sales.
2. It additionally helps that our CSR could be very educated about all facets of attire, as she is about all of our services and products. Our CSR/manufacturing supervisor, our daughter Allison, was the shop supervisor at our Galveston location (which we offered in August of 2022), and has labored in each facet of our enterprise over time. I notice that not everybody may be this fortunate, nevertheless, that doesn’t cease you from coaching and offering your employees with the instruments that they should do their jobs effectively. SanMar has nice attire catalogs with swatch samples, and you may put collectively a easy attire web site utilizing their advertising instruments. In fact, it additionally goes with out saying that everybody in your employees needs to be carrying emblem shirts, to additional showcase your capabilities.
3. When you’ve got the chance, attend an area attire trade commerce present, an ASI present, and most particularly the MMP Worldwide World Expo. Educate your self, request samples, buy a superb warmth press, begin small, with your personal shirts, then go to your present purchasers to indicate them your new capabilities. Attire is an ideal tie in to all the different companies that our retailers present to our purchasers. Attire gross sales spur printing gross sales, identical to printing gross sales ought to spur attire gross sales.”
Not less than a couple of times a yr, this hospital does a bulk buy of 430 t-shirts for all of the employees members. The acquisition would possibly embrace jackets, rain jackets, backpacks, different specialty gadgets, or t-shirts. We have supplied $200,000 or extra in simply attire and high-end promo gadgets to the hospital within the final 3 years. This hospital then referred us to the hospital
Are you able to present an instance of a shopper who has used you for attire?
Jim Sweeney:
“Certainly one of our common ordering attire purchasers is an area specialty hospital. Along with their hospital facility, additionally they personal or companion with 15 different bodily remedy facilities within the Houston area. We began out offering them with the same old printing and huge format merchandise, then contracted with them to supply new constructing signage for every of the outlying workplaces, after which grew into attire with them. We’ve got them arrange on 2 Stahl’s Spirit Sale web sites. Certainly one of them is for workers to buy branded attire, and the opposite is for the hospital to buy attire for brand new staff. Along with normal company attire, every division has their very own branded t-shirt.
Is there the rest you’d prefer to share?
Jim Sweeney:
“Attire is a straightforward promote. Put on your emblem. Speak it up. Ask for referrals. Do not be afraid of it simply because you have not finished it earlier than.”
For extra data on Jim and Jane Sweeney’s Minuteman Press franchise in Houston/Clear Lake, go to https://minuteman.com/us/areas/tx/houston27/
Study extra about #1 rated Minuteman Press franchise alternatives and skim Minuteman Press franchise opinions at https://minutemanpressfranchise.com
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