Most shop owners are buried in the day-to-day. Orders, emails, interviews, production — it never stops. But what if just 1% of your time could change everything?

In this solo episode, Bruce Ackerman breaks down a tactical, three-part framework for using 1% of your time each month (just 2 hours!) to slow down, think, and define where you actually want your business — and your life — to go.

He shares his personal experience of realizing he was just “keeping water out of the boat” and not steering it. This episode is a practical roadmap for print shop owners and business leaders who feel stuck in the weeds.

🧠 Key Topics:

• Why 1% of your time could be your most valuable asset

• The 3-part reflection process: Income, Role, Business Structure

• How to define your “dream scenario” — and use it to make better daily decisions

• What to actually write down and post in your office

• Breaking out of reactive mode and regaining clarity

🎧 Watch now and start designing a shop that serves your goals — not the other way around.

#PrintHustlers #ShopOwnerTips #BusinessGrowth #EntrepreneurMindset #Printavo #ScreenPrintingBusiness #StrategicThinking

Sponsors:

GraphxSource: https://www.graphxsource.com/ Use PRINTAVOPOD for 50% off your first order

Easiway: https://www.easiway.com/

Multicraft: https://www.multicraftink.com/ Mention Printavo and get 10% off your first order!

DGI Apparel: https://www.dgiapparel.com/

Print Profit: https://www.printprofit.com/

Bruce and Steven sit down to talk shop — literally. No guests, no fluff — just two print industry veterans breaking down the realities of running, growing, and surviving in the custom apparel world.

They dig into:

• Why most shop owners never make time to think strategically

• The 5 stages of business growth (and where most shops get stuck)

• How to avoid burning cash during busy season

• What real customer success should look like in 2024

• And why Slack, surprise gifts, and T-shirt cannons might be your secret weapons 🧨

Whether you’re prepping for a busy season, feeling overwhelmed by growth, or just looking for that next-level operator insight — this one’s packed with practical wisdom and sharp humor.

🎯 Featured topics:

• Making time to think (1.5% rule)

• The accountability vacuum in small shops

• Hiring, delegation, and leveling up your role

• Customer success that builds brand loyalty

• Emotional decisions in chaotic seasons

• Creating unforgettable client experiences

📈 From half-a-million dollar shops to $10M+ operations, these lessons apply.

In this solo episode, Bruce from Printavo breaks down what it really means to reach peak performance as a shop owner — and how to build a business that doesn’t run your life.

After over a decade of running Printavo, helping thousands of shops, and reflecting on leadership at scale, Bruce shares his vision of the “Mecca” for print shop owners

This is an honest, tactical look at how to stop grinding endlessly and start making smarter, high-leverage decisions for your business — and your life.

🧠 Key Takeaways:

• The mindset shift that changed how Bruce runs his business

• How to calculate the “comfortable” income baseline for your family

• Why stepping back is harder than it sounds

• The addiction of always doing everything yourself

• Practical ways to stay accountable and work on what matters

🎧 Want to grow your shop and your freedom?

Start here.

Hiring the right production manager can transform your shop — and hiring the wrong one can set you back months. In this episode, Billy McDevitt returns to the Print Hustlers Podcast for part 3 of his hiring journey.

Billy opens up about what went wrong with the first candidate, how they revamped their hiring process, and how Josh — their new production manager — changed everything. From trial days and onboarding to production tracking and letting go of control, this is a raw and actionable deep dive into hiring smart for leadership roles in your shop.

In this episode of the Print Hustlers Podcast, Bruce and Steven go deep. From the long-awaited receiving feature launch in Printavo, to scaling with better tools like Zapier and Gusto, to what shops are getting totally wrong about buying DTF machines — this one’s full of sharp insights, hard truths, and software that actually saves your sanity.

They also share what they’ve learned running Fabric.ink, a peer-based business coaching group for print shops focused on growth, automation, and reclaiming work-life balance.

Oh — and Steven may or may not have triggered a DTF Facebook group during a live talk titled “DTF Doomsday.” 💣

👕 Topics Covered:

• Printavo’s new Receiving feature: is it a game changer?

• The power of Zapier and automating your operations

• Tools that scale vs. tools that trap

• Fabric.ink group coaching update

• The real cost of running a DTF machine

• Why small shops should think twice before buying equipment

• Creating VIP-level client experiences

• Bezos-style meetings at Campus Ink

Sponsors:

GraphxSource: https://www.graphxsource.com/ Use PRINTAVOPOD for 50% off your first order

Easiway: https://www.easiway.com/

Multicraft: https://www.multicraftink.com/ Mention Printavo and get 10% off your first order!

DGI Apparel: https://www.dgiapparel.com/

What does it take to build a powerhouse sales and customer service team in the print industry? Zach Corn, VP of Sales & Customer Experience at Barrel Maker, breaks it all down — from managing live events across the world to crafting intentional hiring and training systems that actually work.

Zach shares the lessons learned from cold-calling at Groupon, managing massive live printing gigs, and scaling Barrel Maker’s sales engine with authenticity and logic. If you’re running a shop or trying to build a serious sales culture, this episode is a masterclass.

📈 Topics Covered:

• Sales strategy in a modern print shop

• Inbound vs. outbound sales

• Hiring & onboarding reps

• Compensation plans that don’t suck

• The difference between “rigid” closers and flexible sellers

• Why feedback loops and culture shape success

In this episode of the Print Hustlers Podcast, we sit down with Clive Ormerod, CEO of AS Colour, one of the most respected premium apparel brands in the world. Clive shares his approach to leadership, brand building, innovation, and why obsession with detail separates good companies from great ones. From his time at Nike to growing AS Colour globally, Clive’s journey is packed with real, practical insights for entrepreneurs and brand builders.

🔥 Whether you’re building a shop, scaling a brand, or leading a team — this episode is a masterclass in leadership and growth!

How do you run a $1.5M screen printing shop while working 48-hour shifts as a full-time firefighter? Jared Gavard of JG Graphics in Northern California joins the Print Hustlers Podcast to break down how he scaled his print shop, delegated operations, and stayed focused on what matters.

What happens when you turn the page on one chapter of your business and start another? 🌀 In this honest conversation, Andy Rudman of Shirt Kong joins Bruce and Steven to talk about his recent transition, what it means to grow a business, and how he’s setting anti-goals to stay focused and fulfilled.

From printing industry trends to leadership lessons and personal growth, this episode is packed with real talk about building a meaningful business—and life. 💬

📌 In This Episode:

✅ Why Shirt Kong just had a record-breaking start to the year

✅ What it means to work with grace—even when things fall apart

✅ The power of anti-goals (what you DON’T want for your business)

✅ The rise of affordable DTF machines & what it means for print shops

✅ What most shops are not doing enough of (hint: it’s training)

✅ Hard truths about leadership, delegation & giving feedback

✅ Reflections on burnout, balance, and building your “fab five”

💬 “Sometimes you’re in control of your future… and then all of a sudden, you’re not.”

Whether you’re starting, scaling, or selling your print shop, having the right legal foundation is critical. In this episode, attorney James Bebawy breaks down business structures, legal protections, and exit strategies to ensure your print shop is set up for success.