Jodi Redding from Redding Company in New Braunfels, TX has turned screen printing and embroidery into his life’s second act. A husband-and-wife shop in the heart of Texas, Jodi says point-blank: “There’s a world before March 1st, 2020 – and a world after that.”

Yes, this is a scary and difficult time. But it’s also an opportunity. Jodi’s relentless positivity and constructive mindset is a model for how to maintain your well being despite an onslaught of daily challenges. “Customers are not going away. We’ve touched thousands of people in our community. They’re going to be here in 3 or 4 months. Schools are going to open again. And when they do, I want to be a better, and more organized, and more efficient company.”

What if this is a huge chance to dial in your printing business and spend time on things you always meant to do? “A lot of this is out of our control,” Jodi points out. “But I’ll probably never have this much time to stop my business and dive in from a financial, organizational, and profitability standpoint.” From identifying core customers to developing a laser-targeted marketing strategy, Jodi has plenty of projects to tackle while production has come to a halt.

Jodi uses the example of his production expenses as an improvement area: “If you spent $12,000 a month on supplies before this crisis, what if you get it down to $7,000 with the work you do right now? That money goes straight to your bottom line.” By hiring a bookkeeper (“That’s not something I’m good at!”), Jodi has super clear expense statements, profit/loss statements, and a great handle on what's happening financially with his business. Jodi's ability to self-improve and take an honest inventory of his strengths and weaknesses has allowed Redding Company to grow quickly. "We were about 40% above last year before March!"

Diving deeper, this slow period is also a chance to re-examine two majorly important areas of your business: your workflow and your core values. “This is how we’ll do things going forward. We’ve talked about our core values, but we haven’t really put together something for our employees. Do you have an actual workflow chart in place? Does everyone in your organization understand how a sale becomes a t-shirt?”

A huge thanks to Jodi for taking the time to chat with us. A side note: we’re thrilled to see how Jodi has used Printavo Merch’s online stores to raise several thousand dollars for local businesses in New Braunfels, TX that have been impacted by mandatory closures and stay-at-home orders.

Redding Company on the web: https://www.reddingcompany.com/

Redding Company on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/redding_company/