REGGIE Award winner Meghan Rodenhouse joined the 2 Regular Guys this Friday. Meghan is the spokesperson and runs marketing for Craft Express. We’ll discuss the importance of education and how to become an educator. And discuss creating online content via Facebook live, TikTok video, Reel, and more. Join us for a conversation with a rising star in our industry.

Our regular listeners know this, but 2 Regular Guys are all about garment decorating, a bit of fun, and no rants, lectures, or selling. We are not doing this for our employers but rather for our industry. Since February 2013, The 2 Regular Guys have been the first and the most listened-to garment decorating industry podcast on this planet! We are humbled by all of you tuning in each week. We work hard to bring you information that will improve your business and our industry. Take a look at our incredible weekly guest list, and you’ll understand where this industry goes for news, interviews, and the heartbeat of garment decorating. Thanks for listening!

Ready to have clarity and confidence in your business? Got to https://oursuccessgroup.com/tryosg

News

If you have anything newsworthy you would like us to share, please email details to [email protected]. Use the subject line “Weekly News.”

Dad Joke

What did one volcano say to the other?

I LAVA you!

Sublimation Education

Meghan Rodenhouse is the current spokesperson and runs marketing for Craft Express. Previous Sawgrass spokesperson where she ran social, worked on Academy, had a podcast, hosted lives, etc. And Meghan is a current REGGIE Award winner.

What sets Craft Express apart from other dealers?

Education is important to us!  We do Facebook lives, reels and TikTok videos regularly focusing on education.  Plus, our YouTube video is stocked with How To videos.  Most importantly, we are approachable.  We love our crafty community members and want to help them.  We will answer messages at all hours of the day and night.  We see our users as family and we love helping them and being involved in their lives.

What does Craft Express bring to the crafting world?

Craft Express is focused on the joys of crafting for makers at all levels.  At Craft Express we cater to sublimation, vinyl/HTV, rhinestone, laser engraving and several other forms of crafting.  We offer makers and small businesses with the basic cornerstone products, but also offer them unique products they can’t get anywhere else.  We also offer heat presses and machines that are made to not only be functional, but that people want to show off in their craft room. 

Why are you working to build a community of users with Craft Express?

We are working to build a community of users because we think its important that people know that they are not alone.  Crafting can be fun but it can also be difficult,

It is Friday the 13th, but the 2 Regular Guys listeners are in for a lucky day. Marketing guru Jay Busselle is taking a break from his speaking travels and will join Terry and Aaron to talk branding. By studying successful businesses in a variety of fields, Jay has put together a blueprint for branding success we can follow in our own businesses. Fasten your seatbelts whenever Jay joins the 2 Regular Guys!

Our regular listeners know this, but 2 Regular Guys are all about garment decorating, a bit of fun, and no rants, lectures, or selling. We are not doing this for our employers but rather for our industry. Since February 2013, The 2 Regular Guys have been the first and the most listened-to garment decorating industry podcast on this planet! We are humbled by all of you tuning in each week. We work hard to bring you information that will improve your business and our industry. Take a look at our incredible weekly guest list, and you’ll understand where this industry goes for news, interviews, and the heartbeat of garment decorating. Thanks for listening!

Ready to have clarity and confidence in your business? Got to https://oursuccessgroup.com/tryosg

News

If you have anything newsworthy you would like us to share, please email details to [email protected]. Use the subject line “Weekly News.”

https://youtu.be/73PvQcu28to

Dad Joke

Did you know the new book I’m working is set entirely in my own basement

I’m hoping it makes the best cellars list.

Branding Success

It's been about 30 years since Jay started printing and selling “unofficial replica” t-shirts in the mid 80’s of his favorite skiing and skateboarding companies. Jay is a board member, referred to as “chefs” for PromoKitchen, an all-volunteer nonprofit group focused on mentorship within the promo and apparel industry. He is a highly rated industry presenter and a trainer on topics like branding, social media and LinkedIn. Jay is currently the VP of sales and marketing at Equipment Zone, founding partner at FLEXpoint and a self-proclaimed CTO: Chief Taco Officer. Jay says he found his home hanging out with the other promo peeps and apparel geeks on the island of misfit toys!

Terry: What can I do to “future proof" my business?

Aaron: What is "Brand Relevance" 

Aaron: Jay, how cool would it be if there were an index that measures how relevant your brand is?  (Explain / show the BRI: Brand Relevance Index & Prophet.com) 

Terry: Do you think you could break this down a little and keep it simple for us apparel decorators and branded merch business owners?  (Explain 4 Pillars - the blueprint)

Terry: Can you share any examples of businesses in our industry that have created culture and maintain their brand relevance? ( Printed Threads & BrandFuel)

Terry: Jay, you’ve got a special project going next week in Long Beach. Tell us about that.

Aaron: How can our listeners find you?

https://youtu.be/UXN-MtCz7yU

OTHER EVENTS

* The Half – 11:30 AM CST every Friday. Erich Campbell and Aaron Montgomery. Thirty minutes of Q&A. See past episodes and support the show – 

From things the industry really needs to wishful thinking, the 2 Regular Guys are back in 2023 with their annual “10 Things” list in their own 10th year on the air. Whether from a 10,000-foot perspective to nuts and bolts ideas, Aaron and Terry look to the coming year with hope and anticipation. Join in with your own thoughts on the future of our industry in this new year.

Our regular listeners know this, but 2 Regular Guys are all about garment decorating, a bit of fun, and no rants, lectures, or selling. We are not doing this for our employers but rather for our industry. Since February 2013, The 2 Regular Guys have been the first and the most listened-to garment decorating industry podcast on this planet! We are humbled by all of you tuning in each week. We work hard to bring you information that will improve your business and our industry. Take a look at our incredible weekly guest list, and you’ll understand where this industry goes for news, interviews, and the heartbeat of garment decorating. Thanks for listening!

Ready to have clarity and confidence in your business? Got to https://oursuccessgroup.com/tryosg

News

If you have anything newsworthy you would like us to share, please email details to [email protected]. Use the subject line “Weekly News.”

https://youtu.be/gurRFB5YUfA

Dad Joke

Did you know I opened a gym called New Year’s Resolution

For the first two weeks I have gym equipment there. After that it’s just a bar.

10 Things

Our list from last year…

Terry: Is it too easy and cheap to just say I’d like to see more trade shows happen this year? Most of us like to touch and feel new products, and more and more new industry participants need to be face-to-face with not only equipment and supplies, but vendors, instructors and other decorators. 

Aaron: What Printing United Does in the Garment and Personalized Product Space? This is not necessarily something I'd like to see that I'm not seeing, more of a hope to see what comes from our industry's trade association. My concern is the packaging and printing worlds that they've acquired push out the garment space. But I know there are some fantastic people there like Amanda, Josh Carruth and Cassie Green. So I'm optimistic, just more of a cautionary tale. I'm happy to participate be on panels or support so I'll do my part.  I'd also love to see more sublimation and embroidery representation. ThreadX?

Terry: Fewer snake oil salesmen. That sounds like a negative but I’m just asking for people to do their research before handing over your CC. There are a few companies in our industry that cause you to cringe when someone says “I just bought from…” 

Aaron: Less “Cliques”. We are all decorators and I know we all have our own communities and what we are drawn to, but how do we support the greater good?

Terry: Shop checkup checklist. When I talk to decorators in a variety of areas about an issue they’re having, I always have them walk step by step through their process. There are certain things consistent from shop to shop I’m looking for. A checklist could be applied to most any decoration method to get everyone “on the same page.” Maybe suppliers could put together a loaner kit to use for testing.

Aaron: A USA made Vacuum Press - I thought back about 5 to 10 years ago there was some interesting s...

Break out your junior yellow legal pad or Google Docs, and let's do some planning for success. It's time for another annual 2 Regular Guys tradition. PLANNING for the new year. 2023 is going to be a great year for the Decorators Community as we all continue to get better at this “new normal.” Aaron and Terry will break down how they plan for the next year, and we are excited to discuss with the #Regulators what the future will hold. It’s GO Time!

Our regular listeners know this, but 2 Regular Guys are all about garment decorating, a bit of fun, and no rants, lectures, or selling. We are not doing this for our employers but rather for our industry. Since February 2013, The 2 Regular Guys have been the first and the most listened-to garment decorating industry podcast on this planet! We are humbled by all of you tuning in each week. We work hard to bring you information that will improve your business and our industry. Take a look at our incredible weekly guest list, and you’ll understand where this industry goes for news, interviews, and the heartbeat of garment decorating. Thanks for listening!

Ready to have clarity and confidence in your business? Got to https://oursuccessgroup.com/tryosg

News

If you have anything newsworthy you would like us to share, please email details to [email protected]. Use the subject line “Weekly News.”

Dad Joke

When Santa’s elves are busy in the workshop, what music do they listen to?

Wrap Music

Terry's New Book

Exciting News! Terry has published his latest book. Beer, Bait & Barbecue: The Secret and True Origin of Vampires upon the Earth. Get your copy at https://decorators.ink/bbb

Planning for 2023

Previous Year - 2022

Aaron: Have a Process 

Aaron: What are the metrics you will be used to track your progress in 2022

Aaron: Set clear goals that include how much and by when

Terry: Look at the changes your business went through during the 2021 version of the Covid year, and determine which you want to keep

Terry: Equipment purchases in 2022 - Lead times are real and not going away

Terry: Follow through… with customers, with employees, with your personal plans…

Planning for 2023

Terry: Do you know your brand?

* And if you do, is it the brand you want?

* Here’s what it’s not…

* Your brand is not your logo

* Your brand is not “Hey, look at me!”

* Your brand is not a mission statement

* So what is your brand?

* Your brand is your promise

* Brand is about relationships

* What can they expect from you?

* What separates you?

* Why do you do what you do?

* Your brand is who you are… who you want to be… who people perceive you to be

Aaron: Love that you brought up branding. Clarity on who you are and who you service is so important.

* What customers did you enjoy working with?

It's that time of year again for the 10th time since the inception of 2 Regular Guys. The Decorators Community Industry Awards - the REGGIE'S! The only industry award that the people completely run. You all nominate, you all vote, and we get to facilitate. On this show, we will announce the winner from the 10 categories and host as many of them live as we can to accept their awards. The REGGIE'S this year is sponsored by Our Success Group. Please support them to be able to keep the REGGIE going by going to https://oursuccessgroup.com/tryosg/

Our regular listeners know this, but 2 Regular Guys are all about garment decorating, a bit of fun, and no rants, lectures, or selling. We are not doing this for our employers but rather for our industry. Since February 2013, The 2 Regular Guys have been the first and the most listened-to garment decorating industry podcast on this planet! We are humbled by all of you tuning in each week. We work hard to bring you information that will improve your business and our industry. Take a look at our incredible weekly guest list, and you’ll understand where this industry goes for news, interviews, and the heartbeat of garment decorating. Thanks for listening!

Ready to have clarity and confidence in your business? Got to https://oursuccessgroup.com/tryosg

News

If you have anything newsworthy you would like us to share, please email details to [email protected]. Use the subject line “Weekly News.”

Dad Joke

How do Baby Boomers change a lightbulb?

We don’t. We just tell people how much better the old lightbulb was.

Terry's New Book

Exciting News! Terry has published his latest book. Beer, Bait & Barbecue: The Secret and True Origin of Vampires upon the Earth. Get your copy at https://decorators.ink/bbb

10th Annual REGGIE Awards Announcement

* Best New Product - This category is for products that have made an impact on our industry in 2022. These products must have been released in the last 3 years and have not made the voting before. 

Nominees

Threadconverter.com Matt Enderle

Sublimation Paints from Artesprix

Corel Font Collector by TRW

Ultra Color Max Transfers by Stahls

Chenille Native BX font from Lynnie Pinnie Embroidery

Aaron: Tell us how you found yourself in the decorating industry

Terry: As a REGGIE Award winner, what one piece of advice would you offer to our listeners?

* Best Customer Service (List the Company and Person) - Share a specific company and if there is a person who stands out there, share them too. This company and team member are customer service oriented. These companies have specific policies in place that are customer service oriented and put their customers first in our industry.

Nominees

Vik Patel - Craft Express

Marvin Peardon- Driven By Graphics Supply Co

Amanda Jordan -True Digital Artistry

Lisa Shaw - Embrilliance

Pilar Harrison - The Rhinestone World

Travis Ross will be joining the 2 Regular Guys on Friday. In 2017, Travis began experimenting with Print on Demand and now owns and operates Make Your Mark Design – a full-service POD fulfillment service. We’ll talk about POD opportunities and how our listeners can take advantage of this segment of the decorating marketplace. Special thanks to Christopher Kretz of Kretz Family Designs for suggesting and connecting us with Travis. We truly are run by the #Regulators and are so grateful.

Our regular listeners know this, but 2 Regular Guys are all about garment decorating, a bit of fun, and no rants, lectures, or selling. We are not doing this for our employers but rather for our industry. Since February 2013, The 2 Regular Guys have been the first and the most listened-to garment decorating industry podcast on this planet! We are humbled by all of you tuning in each week. We work hard to bring you information that will improve your business and our industry. Take a look at our incredible weekly guest list, and you’ll understand where this industry goes for news, interviews, and the heartbeat of garment decorating. Thanks for listening!

Ready to have clarity and confidence in your business? Got to https://oursuccessgroup.com/tryosg

News

If you have anything newsworthy you would like us to share, please email details to [email protected]. Use the subject line “Weekly News.”

https://youtu.be/cWubYo1h_Os

Dad Joke

Ever heard of the Christmas Alphabet?

Only 25 letters… it has no L

Terry's New Book

Exciting News! Terry has published his latest book. Beer, Bait & Barbecue: The Secret and True Origin of Vampires upon the Earth. Get your copy at https://decorators.ink/bbb

The Print on Demand Market

Travis Ross has always had the entrepreneurial bug, but early in his career could never find the perfect fit. After being laid off in 2015, he jumped head first into selling physical products on Amazon using arbitrage, wholesale, and private label, as well as launching the Rocky Mountain Reseller Conference in Denver. In 2017, he began experimenting with Print on Demand and now owns and operates Make Your Mark Design – a full service POD fulfillment service with 5 different printing methods. He also co-hosts the Print On Demand Cast each week with Josiah Sifuentes and has spoken at different events about the Print On Demand industry. Travis currently lives just north of Denver, CO with his wife and five children.

Terry: What got you into the print on demand industry?

Aaron: Where do you currently sell your products?

Terry What other ways are you involved in the POD industry?

Aaron: What are the different ways business owners (and aspiring business owners) can take advantage of print on demand?

Terry: How can existing printers leverage their current equipment and skills by using a POD model?

Aaron: Are there any pitfalls that people should avoid as they begin down this path?

Terry: In your opinion, what does the future hold for POD?

Aaron: Travis, how can our listeners find you?

The Women in Garment Decorating episode has a wonderful twist thanks to a chance encounter at the recent Printing United Alliance Expo. As garment and product decorators, we are also part of a larger group of printing professionals on full display at the Expo. In the print and wide format world is a group called the Women in Print Alliance. We are excited to welcome two advisory council members, Ann Crum, the Executive Director of Phoenix Inkjet & Colour Solutions LLC, and Kristin Lanzarone, the Owner/Operator of WrapStar Pro. Ann and Kristin will share more about the Women in Print Alliance's work, how we can all support women in the industry, and gain a very amazing perspective from two amazing women.

Our regular listeners know this, but 2 Regular Guys are all about garment decorating, a bit of fun, and no rants, lectures, or selling. We are not doing this for our employers but rather for our industry. Since February 2013, The 2 Regular Guys have been the first and the most listened-to garment decorating industry podcast on this planet! We are humbled by all of you tuning in each week. We work hard to bring you information that will improve your business and our industry. Take a look at our incredible weekly guest list, and you’ll understand where this industry goes for news, interviews, and the heartbeat of garment decorating. Thanks for listening!

Ready to have clarity and confidence in your business? Got to https://oursuccessgroup.com/tryosg

News

If you have anything newsworthy you would like us to share, please email details to [email protected]. Use the subject line “Weekly News.”

https://youtu.be/9Vh4P9S7DfM

Dad Joke

What do you call a detective electrician?

Sherlock Ohms

Terry's New Book

Exciting News! Terry has published his latest book. Beer, Bait & Barbecue: The Secret and True Origin of Vampires upon the Earth. Get your copy at https://decorators.ink/bbb

Women in Print Alliance

* Can we start with the Women in Print Alliance (https://womeninprintalliance.org/)? Tell our listeners about the organization and its purpose. How was it started? Ann

* What does it mean to you to be a part of it? Kristin then Ann

* What changes have you seen since the inception of the women in print alliance?

* I love the mission of the alliance - to attract, retain, advance, and advocate for women in the printing industry through education, personal and professional development, networking, and community building. How can we attract more women to the printing industry?

* Ann I saw one of the blogs on the site that you wrote about a new adventure back in 2020 (https://www.printing.org/blog/women-in-print-blog/2020/07/14/are-you-ready-for-an-adventure)

* What is your best piece of advice for and women out there looking to start their own company?

* Kristin I know you are a single Mom, started your own business and really have been doing most of the business on your own. What has been the trick to balancing all of that?

Ready to have clarity and confidence in your business?

We are excited to bring you the complete nominations for the 2022 REGGIE Awards. This is our 10th annual "peoples choice" style industry awards, and we will be announcing all of the nominees as well as the 5 people that you will be voting for during the month of November. Then we will crown the 2021 REGGIE Winners on  December 9th. This is one of the most important shows we do each year because this is where we get to recognize all of the people who have made a difference in our industry.

Our regular listeners know this, but 2 Regular Guys are all about garment decorating, a bit of fun, and no rants, lectures, or selling. We are not doing this for our employers but rather for our industry. Since February 2013, The 2 Regular Guys have been the first and the most listened-to garment decorating industry podcast on this planet! We are humbled by all of you tuning in each week. We work hard to bring you information that will improve your business and our industry. Take a look at our incredible weekly guest list, and you’ll understand where this industry goes for news, interviews, and the heartbeat of garment decorating. Thanks for listening!

News

If you have anything newsworthy you would like us to share, please email details to [email protected]. Use the subject line “Weekly News.”

https://youtu.be/UTGG2dJKya0

Dad Joke

Did you know that trees commit to one romantic relationship at a time?

They practice mahogany

Terry's New Book

Exciting News! Terry has published his latest book. Beer, Bait & Barbecue: The Secret and True Origin of Vampires upon the Earth. Get your copy at https://decorators.ink/bbb

REGGIE Nominees

Here are some ground rules for nominating:

* You must nominate a company or individual in at least seven of the 10 categories. Nomination forms that have less than 7 categories filled in will be tossed out and not counted.

* To encourage a wider range of participation from around the industry, we are limiting nominations to a maximum of two categories per company or individual. In the case a company or individual receives nominations in more than two categories, the top two vote counts per category will be used.

* Nominations close on November 10th at 5 PM Central Time. This is a hard date, so no emails afterwards asking us to make an exception.

* Nominee announcements will be November 11th

* Voting will take place beginning December 8th at 5 PM Central Time

* Winners will be announced on our show December 9th

Notes:

137 Nominations Forms Completed - 33 Kicked out for not following instructions. Not bad, 75% of the industry took time to read. 

(Other Comment) - You need to add a category for Best Dad Joke!!! :) :) :)

* Best New Product - This category is for products that have impacted our industry in 2022. These products must have been released in the last 3 years and have not made the voting before. (We will do our best to police, but we can’t verify every product was released in the last 3 years.

Merrowly by Embrilliance - Last Year

Ready to have clarity and confidence in your business?

Jed Seifert from Stakes Mfg will join the 2 Regular Guys on Friday. Stakes Manufacturing is a print-on-demand apparel company out of Cleveland, OH, where they are passionate about inclusion and currently employ several individuals with different disabilities. Jed has been leading the charge to make employing people with disabilities the norm in our industry, not just an outlier. Jed will share what he learned from the panel discussion at Printing United and where he sees the need for more education and information. He will also share how you can participate in this worthwhile effort within your business because it makes sense morally and business-wise.

Our regular listeners know this, but 2 Regular Guys are all about garment decorating, a bit of fun, and no rants, lectures, or selling. We are not doing this for our employers but rather for our industry. Since February 2013, The 2 Regular Guys have been the first and the most listened-to garment decorating industry podcast on this planet! We are humbled by all of you tuning in each week. We work hard to bring you information that will make your business better and our industry better. Take a look at our incredible weekly guest list, and you’ll understand where this industry goes for news, interviews, and the heartbeat of garment decorating. Thanks for listening!

News

If you have anything newsworthy you would like us to share, please email details to [email protected]. Use the subject line “Weekly News”

https://youtu.be/yreN84xT1xk

Dad Joke

From Erich Campbell

No matter where I go, I like to bring my ukulele.

That way, whenever someone asks if I play an instrument I can say, “I play a little guitar."

10th Annual REGGIEs

Nominate at https://www.2regularguys.com/reggies until November 10th at 5 PM Central Time.

Terry's New Book

Exciting News! Terry has published his latest book. Beer, Bait & Barbecue: The Secret and True Origin of Vampires upon the Earth Get your copy at https://decorators.ink/bbb

Disability Inclusion

Aaron: Jed Seifert is the Co-founder of Stakes Manufacturing, a print-on-demand and wholesale apparel printing company out of Cleveland, OH where they are passionate about inclusion and currently employ a number of individuals with different disabilities. Stakes was recently awarded the APSE 2022 National Employer of the Year recognizing their hard work building an inclusive workforce employing people with disabilities.

Terry: Jed, let’s start with how you came to our industry.

Aaron: Talk to us more about your passion for disability inclusion in business.

Terry: Why does inclusion make sense for businesses? 

Aaron: Why do you think more companies aren’t hiring people with disabilities?

Terry: You were a part of a Printing United panel about a week ago. Talk to us about that panel and what it brought to light for the audience.

Aaron: Tell us how companies can get started with hiring people with disabilities?

Terry: If our listeners want to participate, what resources are available for them to find s...

Ready to have clarity and confidence in your business?

Cory Cissell, MAS with Cap America, will join the 2 Regular Guys this Friday.  We’ll be talking headwear trends today and all things hats and caps. Plus, we'll talk about employee training, quality assurance, and more from Cory’s position as VP of Customer Experience. This will be a rewarding high ranging discussion and an opportunity to talk to someone with over 10 years of experience in headwear and promotional products.

Our regular listeners know this, but 2 Regular Guys are all about garment decorating, a bit of fun, and no rants, lectures, or selling. We are not doing this for our employers but rather for our industry. Since February 2013, The 2 Regular Guys have been the first and the most listened-to garment decorating industry podcast on this planet! We are humbled by all of you tuning in each week. We work hard to bring you information that will make your business better and our industry better. Take a look at our incredible weekly guest list, and you’ll understand where this industry goes for news, interviews, and the heartbeat of garment decorating. Thanks for listening!

News

If you have anything newsworthy you would like us to share, please email details to [email protected]. Use the subject line “Weekly News”

https://youtu.be/aYeqQoWS5Ns

Dad Joke

From Aaron Montgomery

What do you call a zombie who cooks stir fry? 

Deadman wok-ing

10th Annual REGGIEs

Nominate at https://www.2regularguys.com/reggies until November 10th at 5 PM Central Time.

Terry's New Book

Exciting News! Terry has published his latest book. Beer, Bait & Barbecue: The Secret and True Origin of Vampires upon the Earth Get your copy at https://decorators.ink/bbb

Trends in Social Media

Aaron: As VP of Customer Experience, Cory Cissell strives to establish service levels and requirements for three key departments: customer service, marketing, and art. He develops and implements methods to record, assess, and analyze customer feedback. He is also responsible for developing and implementing training and quality assurance programs for new hires and experienced employees. He oversees the weekly, monthly, and yearly goals of 90+ team members.

Terry: Let’s start with sharing with our listeners how you came to the industry.

Aaron: What are the headwear trends today, and what should our listeners be decorating?

Terry: In our show prep, you told us about converting old systems to new ones and automating the workflow. Talk to us about that.

Aaron: Let’s talk about websites. Tell us why staying current and user-friendly is important.

Terry: To continue on marketing, give our listeners some ideas to stay top of mind in a recession.

Aaron: Hiring in the current marketplace is a subject we hear about all the time. Give us some tips on how you are accomplishing the task.

Terry: Now that we have these new employees, talk to us about your own training techniques.

Aaron: In your bio,