More Money, More Problems: The Truth About Growing Your Screen Print Business

As noted philosopher (and occasional rapper) Notorious B.I.G. said, "More money, more problems." On the latest episode of Printavo's PrintHustlers Podcast, we sat down with Steven Farag to discuss how growing his screen printing business 400% has led to a lot of new and interesting challenges.
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Steven has invested thousands of dollars into Campus Ink's screen room this year. They've almost automated every part of their screen making and imaging process, purchasing a glut of high-tech screen printing equipment:
- A second M&R Sportsman screen printing press to standardize operations and replace their old Lawson press
- M&R's Starlight exposure unit for super fast exposure times
- Douthitt's wax-based CTS machine for imaging screens quickly and improving registration
- M&R's UniKote screen coater to ensure perfectly coated screens and speed up the coating process
- A used RapidTag machine for printing tags and other small items
Steven points out that Campus Ink reached a point where it was obvious they had to invest in their screen printing production capabilities. "We have the sales to feed it, we're subbing out lots of work, and the screen room is the final piece of the automation puzzle so we can go from online stores straight to the press," Steven said.
"Jaws dropped in the shop when they saw how easy it was [to use the new Douthitt CTS machine to burn screens]," Steven noted. "We made 60 screens in an afternoon on a whim. It was a cool feeling for all of us. Like a breath of fresh air in the shop."
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"Taking jobs and turning them into careers is going to be my biggest challenge," Steven said. Unfortunately, it's probably true! For most employees at screen print shops, screen printing isn't a career. It's just a job. Screen printing has a notoriously high turnover rate, and lots of businesses struggle with growth because they can't find good screen printers to hire.
Campus Ink always has a supply of students, but they don't necessarily stay in the business for the long haul. "Retaining people is a big issue," Steven said. "Some shops like Printed Threads have people that stay with them for 10 years." What did it take for Printed Threads to get employees to stick around? "I talked to Brett (Printed Threads' owner), and he said it came down to training, growing, and progressing with them," Steven mentioned.
Retention is going to be an ongoing theme for screen printing businesses throughout 2020. With wages and expectations rising, employers have to think seriously about how they can retain great staff. One strategy is less complicated and painful than you might think, and one both Steven and I have encouraged every business owner to work on: their values.
Look at Shirt Kong, Superior Ink, and Printed Threads. Every employee there gets it. "I talked to a guy that owned a company who started his career at Disney. Disney has their values posted everywhere. Everyone knows it. He did the same thing," Steven said. It may seem almost cheesy – but you really have to hammer home your values over and over. Post them around your shop. Talk about them. Share them. They are the foundation for every relationship you have with each employee!

This is so helpful if you're going to grow your business: https://www.printavo.com/blog/truth-about-screen-print-business-growth
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