The tradition continues! Join the 2 Regular Guys as they unveil their highly anticipated “10 Things We Want for the Decorating Industry in 2025” list. In this annual episode, Aaron and Terry will share their hopes and aspirations for the future of garment and product decoration. From must-have innovations to game-changing ideas, they’ll cover the trends and changes they’d love to see shape the industry in the coming year. And as always, this isn’t just about their ideas – we want to hear from YOU! Join the live conversation and share your wishes and predictions for 2025. Let’s dream big and work together to create a better, brighter future for our industry!

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Terry: What’s a spider’s New Year’s resolution?

In 2025, to spend less time on the web

What We Were Looking for in 2024

Terry: Among manufacturers and distributors I would love to see more ongoing training and support. I think we banged on this drum many times in the past, but if possible I think it got worse in 2023. What I’m talking about is the fact we are not selling and buying just equipment, we’re selling and we’re buying technology that requires proper training and ongoing support. Why do I think it got worse in 2023? Just the sheer number of new resellers in the DTF marketplace. And too many of their customers are left high and dry by their dealers. Do better in 2024 manufacturers and dealers! Unfortunately, it’s gone in the opposite direction with some companies. (613 Originals)

Aaron: Support for grassroots programs. First I just want to shout out the support I have been getting for SkillsUSA. Epson, Conde, Craft Express, Stahls, Sewingmachine.com, Artesprix for providing the prizes. David, Nick, Stephanie, Sandy, Ann, Richard, Kristin, and Mark for their help and being the judges. Also shout out to Mimiki for their support and Insta Heat Presses for their help already in 2024. Those kids are blessed to have that support, but I think we need to be greedy. These kids are our future customers, employees and maybe even bosses. Do we want uneducated and unsupported kids, or do we want to nurture them? The local schools need more support, the state competitions need more support. Open your shop to a school. Looking at the major sublimation distributors. Outside of Conde, there are notable names missing from the list. It’s not about competition, it’s about building our future. And it’s not just SkillsUSA. There are other programs or just locally in your community. – Big shoutout to Stahls for their programs and support

Terry: Maybe garment decorating is really high school and cliques happen naturally no matter what we do. And of course, we are drawn to like-minded people. Everyone wants to belong to something bigger and be accepted. But when the industry cliques are tasked with education and managing groups, I feel a lot of educators or people who have something to contribute are looking in from the outside. It’s the same type of good ole boys and girls, just wearing different t-shirts. For 2024 I’d like to see the folks who make these decisions make these opportunities more open to everyone who wants to participate. Hope this isn’t a trend. I haven’t seen any change.

Aaron: I’m going to parrot Terry a little bit, but go at it from the other side. We need more people to step up and be educators. Lots of people have knowledge to share. DAX education program as an example. I reached out to over 50 people. Got 14 responses and most of them were the same educators. The program is great, but it would be nice to have more new faces. I’m not sure what side needs to look in the mirror, the organizers or educators, but education this year seems pretty stagnant or in the case of a show like APA, underwhelming outside of a couple of highlights. 

Terry: I believe with the surprising success of DTF printing, that maybe by Printing United we will see more of the major industry manufacturers make a serious plunge into DTF technology. It’s inevitable. I think there was some level of looking down their noses at the process, and now I’m guessing there has been some scrambling to not be left behind. Let’s remember this prediction when we’re broadcasting live from Vegas this fall at Printing United. At Printing United in Las Vegas, Epson introduced a prototype of their own DTF printer. Stay tuned. And of course, Mimaki has been shipping their own machine for a while now as well.

Aaron: Better team store option. There are a few on the market, but some are overly expensive, too narrow or hard to use. Still waiting… Prove me wrong

Terry: Based on a suggestion from a friend of the show Tom Rivet at Chicopee High School, in 2024 I’d like to see the industry create pathways to careers in the industry. Tom is training high school students in garment and product decorating already, and I’d like all of us at 2RG whether on the microphones and listening in your own businesses, to think of ways to help high school and college students find attractive opportunities for careers in our industry. Aaron, I know you are deeply involved already through Skills USA, but we can all be a part of bringing the next generation of decorators forward. I actually want to talk about this further in the 2025 section.

Aaron: Bookkeeping / Accounting specialized – Its still pretty rough out there. 

Terry: I know you’re going to put me on the clock here, but I want to at last build on my 52/15 Training and make it more than just an educational concept that I teach. We talked recently on the show about how our listeners can put this concept into action in their own shops. I’m going to do more in 2024 to help facilitate this training in shops across the country and the world. Still in the works. Stay tuned.

Aaron: OK, putting ourselves on task sounds like a good idea. Now that the book is done, the next thing I want to see is a time (priority) management system for small business owners. I’m already working on it and have been using my own system for a while, but want to refine it and add some details for decorators and their marketing. I have some MOS members I’m working with on that, so before the end of the year for sure, and shooting for mid year. – Got pushed off. The MOS member went another direction and I changed my focus, so stay tuned. Maybe when Terry retires we can do it together with his production scheduling? I guess 2024 was a little dismal, so here is hoping we do better in 2025. Cheers!

And now for 2025

Terry: I know this exists in pockets of the industry, but I would love to see Printing United Alliance build a fill-in-the-blank High School and College Internship Program. If this already exists, somebody isn’t widely promoting it. I realized after I wrote this one you really touched on it last year, but I’d like to go at this from a different angle. To a day-to-day fill in the blanks guide to where to start and what to do next. Everyone probably thinks it’s a good idea, but lots of business owners don’t know where to start and it ends up as a good idea down a dead-end street. Printing United Alliance has the resources of its members to interview and build this valuable too.

Aaron: I’ll start off with something that could be seen as self-serving, but I put my heart and soul into it because I really believe it. A Focus on Mindset Training for Business Owners. Success in the decorating industry isn’t just about technology—it’s also about mindset. In 2025, we’d like to see more companies and business owners share some of their focus on revenue (make more money) and technology (how too) and realize a growth-oriented mindset is crucial. I am continuing to put out workshops, and podcasts – SBS every Saturday at Noon, and even partner up on an amazing retreat in April, so it is available. I know it, I live it daily, but not enough decorators are seeing the need. Yet I hear them all the time commiserating yet not realizing the key to overcoming scarcity thinking and managing burnout is finding purpose in their businesses.

Terry: Promotions Calendar with not only “what will I promote?” but with some new concepts to try and monitor. Jay Busselle’s promotional package concept we talked about on the show recently. Offer your customers a promotional package that you can send out for them, personalized to each customer. Or, promote yourself to your customers or potential customers with additional products you offer that they may not know about. My Secret Sauce today is about screen printing specialty inks. What a great promotional product to send them their logo but printed with 4-6 different specialty inks.

Or maybe a true social media concept and calendar. Social media posting is like New Year’s resolutions, they shrivel up and die before the end of January. I remember someone telling me one of their employees would be doing weekly TikTok posts. I’m still waiting to see the second one… from three years ago. Build a schedule and make it a part of your weekly or even daily tasks.

It’s a new year. Open your mind to new possibilities, and put it on a schedule! 

Aaron: I feel like I need to invite Cassie Green in for this one, but I’m going to do my best to say what I believe Cassie would say. Better Eco-Friendly Solutions Across All Decorating Methods. Sustainability is imperative for the future of our industry. I’d like to see manufacturers focus more on developing sustainable consumables (inks, pretreats, blanks) and technologies that produce less waste and are more energy efficient. Not just green washing, but real solutions. Since I’m not in the trenches daily, maybe I’m missing something and it is more of an adoption issue, but let’s keep this conversation going. 

Terry: Think Outside the Box for New Employees. I kind of like to think I was ahead of my time on this one. I had work-from-home employees 30 years ago when it meant the difference between losing a great employee or retaining them by being flexible. I’ve had several employees, both men and women, who were the primary caregivers of their school-aged children, and we worked around the school schedule. There are so many talented people out there in the world who can’t for one reason or another fit into the 8:00-5:00 workforce. Take a look at all the positions you have to fill, and ask yourself if that person has to fit a rigid mold or not.

Aaron: I’m going to leave this slot open for the #Regulators. I’m not as involved with the day to day as much anymore, so I’m really curious what you all, the listeners, want to see in 2025. What would be a technology, software, service, or opportunity you would like to see that would make your life / business easier?

Doug Sobel: My unicorn hope is to see someone create Creat dtf that would have the softness of dye sub with the color saturation of dtf to be able to do transfers on any type of fabric. no more plastic feeling.

Craig Bradley: Some insight into laser engravers

Simply Embroidery: How to utilize internships

Ramona McKee: White toner might be the back burner tech but it is out there and it does a great job for what it does. bring Joe or Chuck on for them.

Terry: I hope to see a Calming Down of the DTF Industry. I think it’s a confusing whirlwind of cold peel, hot peel, instant peel… adhesive powder is the great satan, and adhesive powder is not so bad… 

Interestingly, after a cooling down of DTG sales, it’s almost as if there’s new and renewed interest in that technology. It helps that you can do both DTG and DTF on the same machine with minimal investment.

Aaron: More diversity in the blanks distributors. I know there are some little guys out there, but honestly, all I hear are people going to the big 2. How can the smaller ones make that easier? And maybe this comes from a wider adoption of tools like our soon-to-be sponsor PromoHunt. I’m not sure it does our industry any favors to have everyone sourcing from two main places. There doesn’t seem to be much incentive to do better, innovate and look out for the needs of their customers.

Terry: Blue Checkmark as Recognized Authority on the internet. Aaron, we talked about this years ago, but the amount of misinformation on the internet is exploding. When I thought several years ago that the concept in screen printing of flashing between colors had been tamped down, it’s back with a vengeance. (Yes, I know I’ve harped on this before.) But I can’t do a screen printing class anymore without someone saying, “Wait, you’re not flashing between colors? On the internet they say…” Maybe I should go back to Printing United Alliance and see if they could create that Recognized Authority badge for everyone giving solid information based on facts and experience in our industry. Don’t get me wrong, there are differences in opinion on everything, but that’s entirely different than giving wrong, bad or dated information.

Aaron: (Erich’s item) Erich is hoping to see embroiderers of all stripes joining in the bigger trade discussions and expanding their sense of belonging in the larger industry. Erich has found himself at a lot of tables with printers and other decorators where he was the lone ambassador of embroidery or where embroidery was an afterthought over the years, and though embroidery is an undeniable part of the industry, he wants to see embroiderers growing and moving, especially as we see the increasingly fast-changing print industry continue to pick up the pace. That means stretching our boundaries a bit, embracing enhanced decoration options, incorporating other media, and on the ‘working on the business’ front, engaging in the larger conversations about how we operate, market, and move through the world.

We serve up bite-sized tips for our #regulators to instantly spice up their decorated apparel business. Just like the perfect wing sauce, these quick tips can transform your business experience, adding flavor and depth to your operations. Each video in this playlist is a nugget of wisdom, carefully selected for its potential to bring immediate value to your work. So, whether you’re a seasoned pro or just getting started in the decorated apparel industry, dip into our ‘Secret Sauce’ for insights that can help you soar.