Peggy Dwyer at Great Garment Graphics has been working on a series of towels for my blog. Next week I will talk more about this inexpensive to print yet lucrative custom item. Until then, be kind to someone!

It’s Friday and I had so  much activity and response to yesterday’s posting on Chagrin Falls and the importance of small business in America. I wanted to say thank you to all my readers and especially to those who commented. One of the purposes of this blog is to invite feedback from the heat printing community and the world at large. Some of those who commented would prefer I stick to heat printing topics. Next week I have more examples of printing on towels and I will also be talking more about what I experienced at the Long Beach Imprinted Sportswear Show. There is more to tell. But in the meanwhile, have a great weekend and remember to be kind to someone today!

In this photo taken Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012, Jack Shutts, front right, works the counter as throngs of people wait to make their purchases at Chagrin Hardware in Chagrin Falls, Ohio. The crowds came to support the family-owned business after an email from resident Jim Black looking for people to come Saturday and spend at least $20.00 at the store went viral. (AP Photo/Amy Sancetta)

This story about the “cash mob” that took place in Chagrin Falls, Ohio really hit home with me. Small family businesses, like the Chagrin Hardware store, are what America is all about.  Here’s what happened in Chagrin Falls–A resident sent out an email to 40 friends asking them to spend at least $20 on January 21st in the local hardware store that has been in business since 1857. The email was sent and resent, resulting in a wonderful outpouring of support and purchases from the community. People from out of town were even phoning in orders. I have a local hardware store here in St. Clair Shores that I have frequented for many, many years. It’s called Gilberts Pro Hardware. Blair Gilbert now owns and runs the company, he is a 3rd generation hardwareman. Blair has worked very hard to grow the business and according to his website he tripled the size of the business in 1999. Today he continues to offer customers the “small business” feeling, providing how-to information and help and advice on projects, not just when you see him in the store, but also online. His website is called mrhardware.com and it features videos and how-to articles on all sorts of home improvement or home repair projects. I’m a do-it-yourselfer but I don’t always have all the answers. Just recently he helped me find a lightbulb adapter to make a modern lightbulb fit into a much older lighting fixture. Who knew something like that existed! Anyway, President Obama didn’t really address how important small business is to the future economic success of America in his State of the Union address but we all know that small business is the engine that runs America. Since he didn’t mention it, let me restate the facts:

How important are small businesses to the U.S. economy? Small firms:

• Represent 99.7 percent of all employer firms.

• Employ about half of all private sector employees.

• Pay 43 percent of total U.S. private payroll.

• Have generated 65 percent of net new jobs over the past 17 years.

• Create more than half of the nonfarm private GDP.

• Hire 43 percent of high tech workers (scientists, engineers, computer programmers, and others).

• Are 52 percent home-based and 2 percent franchises.

• Made up 97.5 percent of all identified exporters and produced 31 percent of export value in FY 2008.

• Produce 16.5 times more patents per employee than large patenting firms.

Thank you small businesses out there! Here’s hoping that political change in 2012 will make it easier than ever for you to do business.

I debated whether to call this blog entry “how to heat print for extreme sports” or just “how to heat print on sublimated jerseys”. (and I think I already used that title last year) Not all extreme sports wear sublimated jerseys but in the end the word extreme just seemed more “extreme.” Here is a video produced several months ago by Josh Ellsworth. I think it answers a lot of the questions I heard at the ISS Long Beach Show this past weekend, since there is a huge increase in the number of people trying to print on sublimated shirts. Josh goes over the challenges and as always, offers you several solutions to get the job done.

This Stahls' customer wears examples of her ability to print glitter and other eye-catching materials on her sweatshirt as she visits the Long Beach Imprinted Sportswear Show.

What are my impressions (no pun intended) after spending 3 days here at the Long Beach Imprinted Sportswear Show? Well for starters, you can rest assured that the custom decorated apparel industry is alive and kicking. The lobby of the Long Beach Convention Center was hard to navigate at 10:00am on Friday, there were so many people. Not to mention a practically naked sumo wrestler and the Fruit of the Loom guys running around taking photos with everyone.

Byambajav Ulambayar, a three-time world champion sumo wrestler was on hand to sign autographs and take photos on behalf of Hirsch International.

Mary Grimm of Stahls' ID Direct shows a customer how to find the heat applied graphics she needs at the Long Beach ISS Show.

There was a lot of excitement in the air and it continued throughout the weekend. It has become more clear than ever that heat printing is a true garment decoration category, with heat presses hard at work in so many different booths. At the Stahls’ ID Direct, Transfer Express and Imprintables Warhehouse booths the number of Hotronix heat presses sold was record-breaking. The floor models, especially the six Hotronix Fusion presses that were on display, had SOLD signs on them within the first few hours of the show. I haven’t seen such a strong opening day in years. The visitors all had very specific reasons for attending–to buy equipment and see new decorating ideas first hand. As one booth visitor commented: “It’s one thing to look at all the new products online and watch videos, but I wanted to see them for myself.” Shoppers were armed with “to-do” lists of what they wanted to see and what they needed to buy. This industry has always been a hot spot for entreprenuers, but this year there seemed to be more than usual, and many of the new businesses were being started by young, professional women. Expansion was another key word on the lips of many show visitors. Everyone is looking for ways to complement their current services, whether they are screen printers or embroiderers. People want to offer their customers full color digital prints, glitter, rhinestones and more types of special effects. There was a huge interest in distressed twill and the garment samples that showed how easy it is to turn an athletic jersey into something entirely different simply by cutting the logo in Glitter Flake, a CAD-CUT material. Cutter sales also reconfirmed the fact that the ability to cut your own logos and lettering in-house is more popular than ever. I also had the opportunity to spend time with Dane Clement of Great Dane Graphics. Dane had a record show, reporting that more folks than ever are looking for better art. And the number of rhinestone vendors at the show was also proof that this trend is still on the rise. Even Stahls’ ID Direct is now offering 15 stock rhinestone designs as well as the ability to cut your own custom templates that can easily be filled with loose rhinestones.  Mark Venit said it best: “People want something different. And they’re willing to pay for it.” That “something different” can be as simple as adding texture to your design. A few cents worth of puff or foil can add dollars to the value of your design. If you were in Long Beach yourself I’m sure you’ll agree that spicing up your custom apparel offering is easier–and more exicting than ever with the wide variety of heat applied graphics out there. Keep on heat printing everyone!

Thank you to Sean Oakley of Stahls’ Canada for this contribution to my series on Predictions 2012 for the custom apparel industry. I always appreciate your insight and international point of view.

Sean Oakley, General Manager of Stahls' Canada, shares his views on what business owners should be mindful of in 2012.

Stahls’ Canada Customer Trends and Business Outlook for 2012 by Sean Oakley:

We recently completed our largest tradeshow, the Toronto Imprint Show and it really set the stage and revealed what is to come for 2012 and onwards.

Big Picture Economic & Business Overview 2012:

2012 will be a monumental year filled with conspiracy theory predictions, real fears and concerns about economy, job security, and business survival.  There is a global awakening to a new consciousness and way of looking at the world, people, economy and business. Over the past 10 years our “Westernized Ego” has prevented North Americans from seeing the true evolution of their business and more importantly, their customers.  This has allowed the rest of the world– China, India, and other well populated, “hungry for business” countries– to take a very healthy part of the consumer demand away from traditionally domineering economies such as the US and Europe, by offering same or better value at a better price.

Without rambling too much about economic predictions, the value of the dollar, and what the US and Europe are going to do in 2012, I will say the following: The way businesses and their customers have operated WILL change.  Companies, Government, and People will evolve in 2012 whether they want to or not.  Materialism, Debt, Spending more than you have, being unhappy with what you have, are all ingredients to the recipe of economic chaos and will lead to business survival uncertainty. What can you do about it?

Know your customer!

Think like a customer as you package your products and services.  Put yourself in their shoes.  Ask yourself why they should choose you, your company, and your goods and services.  Think globally when asking this.  If you don’t know how to think Global, just Google your products and services and see what the rest of the world is doing.  See how they compare.  Your competitors are no longer “On-Shore,” they are all around the world.

Study your customers, their demographics– how are they trending, how do they think, what portion of them are Baby Boomers, young up and comers, and middle aged consumers?  You may have a good business with great products and services but if the majority of your customer base is the Baby Boomers, keep in mind they are at the point of retirement, have an uncertain pension plan they are not sure how is going to support them when they stop working.  How are you going to appeal to them? How are they going to afford what you offer? Are they going to be attracted to you and your business?  Ask these same questions for all your demographics and strategize your story around them.  Too many times businesses create great ideas and just think they will be successful without actually studying the demographic trends of their customers.

Understand the Dynamics of the Economy in Which You Operate

Look at the U.S. government.  They keep interest rates low, hoping that this will stimulate the economy. But what about the fact that about 60% of the current work force (Baby Boomers) in the U.S. is about to retire and is very concerned about their pensions?  They will never spend money or go in debt when they have this very serious concern in front of them.  Once again… Think Like Your Customer!