Profile
| Company: Professional Threads Embroidery Owner: Mike Gibson Number of employees: 1 Year Established: 2007 Sales: 2007 – $32,000 2008 – $62,000 2009 – $85,000 Type of business: Home Based Apparel Decorator |
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To start, who is Mike Gibson (laugh)?
Well that’s a good place to start! From Mentor, Ohio (outside of Cleveland), married to a lovely wife and have two beautiful younger children. My conventional profession is being a Fire Fighter/EMT, my wife works for the school board so we are pretty busy. I now consider myself a little bit of an entrepreneur after I started our home-based business, Professional Threads. Both of us still work but my goal is to create enough income with the business for my wife to work less if she wants to, not because she has to.
How did your business get started and why?
As a professional Firefighter/EMT, my schedule has me working several consecutive days on and off. During my days off I was looking for an opportunity to supplement the family income. I needed something that was flexible that could work around my schedule and being my own boss seemed like a good idea.
What made you choose decorated apparel?
I could operate the business out of my basement. There are no dangerous chemicals needed which is important for me since I have two small children. Embroidery has a high-perceived value and I thought it would be profitable.
What type of equipment did you purchase and why?
I have a SWF 2 head multi-head embroidery machine, 2 heat presses and 1 DTG Viper. I started with the 2 head machine because I wanted to be able to handle more production than with a single head. Once I got started, I was receiving a lot of inquiry about printed t-shirts so I invested in the DTG Viper. I chose the Viper because it is capable of printing on dark shirts and has a larger print area.
What is your target market?
Since I work as a firefighter, I first offered my service to my firefighter friends and their families. My hobby is boating so I also reached out to my boating friends and Yacht club associations. My circle of friends and co-workers is how I started and my business grew through referrals.
How did you decide what market to go after?
My profession as a firefighter created the market. Before I got into the business I was sourcing patches and embroidered uniform shirts for my department. I saw how much was needed and how profitable it was. When I realized the volume of business, I decided I could handle the orders myself.
How did you determine pricing?
I researched what my competitors were charging as a guideline but not as pricing war. My goal is to make it easier for the customer. I quote each job individually. I take the time to build a relationship of trust and high quality. When you build your business around your circle of contacts they know you will do what is best for them.
What is your product range?
With the combination of embroidery machine and DTG printer I can decorate just about anything. It’s true what the industry says, “if you can hoop it you CAN embroider it.” The majority of my products are hats, team apparel, t-shirts and sweatshirts for public service, schools, sport teams and special events.
How do you reach out to new customers?
I have been very fortunate they are coming to me by word of mouth. Being social and simply letting people know what goods and services I offer is one of the keys to my success.
Where are you with your business now?
My business is 3 years old with steady growth, so I’d say I’m getting established. I get calls daily for new business and am able to fulfill my orders as a part-time business; I dedicate about 20 hours a week on average.
Name something interesting about your business that you want people to know about.
I operate my business out of my basement! Most people can’t believe that I am running a business out of my basement. It’s hard work but it has paid off. I’d like to build this company for my family, so when my children are older it will be there for them.
What is your most challenging obstacle?
Sourcing, finding the garments and supplies at wholesale prices. Learning the equipment took a little time in the beginning. I was doing orders right after I got my machines and was proficient operating the equipment after 6 months, so learning the process wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be. The training and support from SWF East was very helpful in getting me jump-started.
What is your greatest achievement in your business and the reason why it is all worth it?
The financial aspect is rewarding and I like the challenge. I am proud to say I have my own business and that I am in control of my financial destiny. I’m my own boss.
What’s on your equipment wish list?
I am working towards getting a SWF 4-head dual-function embroidery machine through the SWF Guaranteed Trade in Program so I can be working multiple jobs at the same time.
What advice would you give someone starting?
If you’re gonna do this, do it! I wish I would have started earlier but no regrets. Also, don’t think you’re a car salesman when you tell people about what you do. Surprisingly as I started to tell my friends and family I was getting an embroidery machine, I had people wanting to order before I had received my equipment so don’t be afraid to tell people what you are doing. One other thing that I really notice now is how much embroidery and printing is used, there is a huge demand and shirts wear out, so there almost always are re-orders.
Here are some questions that were asked
Do I do Advertising? I do not have any formal advertising. All my advertising is word of mouth and referrals. Word of mouth and referrals are one of the best marketing approaches for a small company. I tell everyone I meet what I do. As I’m talking to them its conversation but also marketing, I hand them a business card and tell them if they need any thing let me know. I also get a lot of my business through referrals. I post a few things on Face book once and awhile.
Family and Friends? That’s very simple; when you start a business your Friends and family are the ones that want you to succeed the most other than yourself. They are a great resource when it comes to spreading the word that you have started a business.
Out of town orders? I do most of my business around my area that I live in but also have customers that I ship to also. My website is one page information page that once I give a perspective customer a business card to if they need any info they can get from the website.
Artwork? When I purchased the DTG I had no formal Training in graphic arts. I purchased Corel and Photoshop and have become proficient in both programs. There are so much free tutorials on line for beginners that it’s easy to grasp the programs. It would be great if all of my customers sent ready to print art work but it’s not always the case. For art work that is over my head that needs work I send it out to companies that do that sort of thing. I also out source my digitizing (Embroidery designs).
SWF-East has been great for me. My equipment has worked great and I have had no major issues with any of there machines. There support/ Tech Department has always been able to help with the issues I have had.
I encourage anyone starting out to attend as much training as possible. It just makes the process of starting out easier. Trade shows are a great way to see new products and meet people that are doing the same things that you are doing yourself. They also offer classes at trade show that you can take advantage of. There are many wholesalers out there. I use Sanmar and Alphahshirt company. But again there are many good ones out there. Trade shows are a great way to find wholesaler that fit the products you intend to focus on and Sell.
