HOUSTON
–News Direct–
Jim and Jane Sweeney, who joined Minuteman Press as employees in June 1994, are now the owners of Minuteman Press’ Houston, Texas franchise. Jim and Jane Sweeney have built their business in a very successful way over the years. They have excelled at growing their apparel sales in recent years.
Jim summarizes:
“It’s been a fascinating two years. We are currently 30.5% ahead (as at July 2023) of the 2022 sales. That was an increase of 35% compared to 2021. In 2022, it seems that the world (or at least our world) has recovered from its two-year malaise.
In the interview below, Jim gives more details about his apparel center’s booming business. He also explains how he and Jane’s Minuteman Press Houston franchise have achieved such a strong growth in apparel sales. The center can be found at 1040 Hercules Ave, Clear Lake City; Houston – Clear Lake City TX 77058.
How has your business grown in the last two years?
Jim Sweeney:
“During the first pandemic, we shifted to personal protection products which led naturally to custom-made face masks. Jane was busy sewing 1000 masks while I provided custom logo cloth face masks to schools, hospitals, medical offices and service providers. We sold around 40,000 custom masks at that time. They were either heat-pressed by us or sent to an area screen printer. We donated many masks to non-profits and schools.
In 2022 our traditional printing finally started to return to the pre-pandemic standards. Trade shows and marketing campaigns became more common, which led to an increase in promotional products. After the initial surge, large format work actually slowed. EDDM printing is also a bigger part of our sales. Direct mail increased dramatically after we registered on the USPS site as EDDM providers. The Graphic Whizard’s slitter cutter and creaser have made business card printing even more profitable. We have a lot of community involvement, direct mail postcards (especially this year), SEO/SEM, Minuteman.com, and social networks, particularly as they relate to Direct to Film Transfer sales.
How has your clothing business grown? What has your business done to increase apparel sales?
Jim Sweeney:
“We started to get serious about apparel around 8 years ago, when we bought a commercial embroidery machines. Jane then put together an impressive lobby presentation around 5 years ago. This section features clothing, large format and promotional items.
The Epson F570 was upgraded to include dye sublimation, then DTG printing (which we eventually sold). We used a lot screen-printed transfers during this period, mostly 613 originals and FM expressions. It was the turnaround time that became a problem. We would have to wait up to two weeks for those transfers to arrive, and then we’d need to press them.
In this period we bought a second Stahls’ press, then a third. We decided to start a Direct to Film (DTF), printing business. We purchased our first DTF printer with dual printheads and large format about 2.5 years back after we tried several desktop converter printers in order to print our own transfer. Our capacity allows us to not only produce transfers for in-house usage, but also sell them to other printers. This includes screen printers. sign shops. Facebook Group/Etsy owner. In January, we added additional capacity by adding a 4-head DTF printer (we are likely to add a third in the third quarter of this year).
Jim continues:
“Wholesale transfers printing accounts for about 20% of our monthly revenue. We have the capacity to print thousands of transfer every day. Add embroidery and in-house sales of t-shirts to make apparel about 30% of our monthly revenues.”
“Along with the growth of transfer sales, embroidery was also booming. We get regular orders of 10-50 polos, or button-down shirt for embroidery. Our customers included a local hospital and two grocery stores. Each order consisted of 150-200 shirt. We completed a jacket embroidery order of $24,000 in the fall and just delivered a $32,000 order to a hospital. We use a local vendor to produce larger quantities.
Jim adds:
Our apparel business is growing weekly, with larger and more in-house t-shirt sales.
What are three tips that other business owners can use to grow their apparel businesses?
Jim Sweeney:
“1. The lobby display, along with wholesale transfers, continues to be the primary driver of our apparel sales. We put up this display of clothing samples, promotional products, and some large format samples several years ago in our shop. This display is always the first thing that a customer notices when they enter our shop. Around 1 out of 5 customers who enter the store ask about something they see displayed. We convert about 85% inquiries into sales.
2. Our CSR also knows a lot about apparel and all our other products. Allison, who is our CSR/production manger, worked as the store manager of the Galveston store (which will be sold in August, 2022). She has been involved in all aspects of our business. It’s true that not everyone has this kind of luck, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t train your employees and give them the tools to succeed. SanMar offers great apparel catalogs that include swatches, and their marketing tools allow you to create a simple website for apparel. All your employees should also wear logo shirts in order to show off your company’s capabilities.
3. Attend a local trade show for the apparel industry, preferably an ASI event, or the MMP International World Expo. Start small with your own shirts. Then, visit your clients and show them what you can do. Apparel is the perfect complement to all other services we offer to our customers. Apparel sales drive printing sales just as printing sales should lead apparel sales.”
This hospital purchases 430 t-shirts in bulk at least twice a year for its entire staff. This could include jackets or rain jackets as well as backpacks and other special items. T-shirts are also possible. In the past three years, we’ve donated more than $200,000 in apparel and promotional items. The hospital referred us back to this hospital
Could you give an example of how you have worked with a client?
Jim Sweeney:
“One client that regularly orders apparel from us is a specialty hospital in the area. The hospital also owns or partners with 15 other physical therapist centers in Houston. We began by providing them with printing and large-format products. Then, we contracted with them for new building signage in each of their outlying offices. Finally, we expanded into apparel. We have them setup on 2 Stahl’s Spirit Sale websites. Both websites are for hospital employees to buy apparel and for employees to order branded apparel. Each department also has its own branded tee shirt.
Do you have any other thoughts or ideas to add?
Jim Sweeney:
“Apparel sells easily.” Wear your logo. Spread the word. Ask for referrals. “Don’t be scared just because you’ve never done it before.”
Visit this page for more details on Jim and Jane Sweeney’s Minuteman Press Houston/Clear Lake franchise. https://minuteman.com/us/locations/tx/houston27/
Find out more about Minuteman Press, the top-rated franchise opportunity. Read Minuteman Press Franchise Reviews. https://minutemanpressfranchise.com
Contact Details
Minuteman Press International
Chris Biscuiti
+1 631-249-1370
Company Website
https://minutemanpressfranchise.com
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