Minuteman Press Franchise Review: Jim Sweeney ‘Talks Shop’ on Growing Sales With Booming Apparel Business in Houston, Texas
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 have been a great help in building their business. 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% over 2021. “It seems as if the world, or at least ours, has come out of its 2-year-long malaise by 2022.”
In the interview below, Jim gives more details about the booming apparel industry at his center and how he has helped Jane’s Minuteman Press Houston franchise achieve such strong growth. Their center is located in Houston, Clear Lake City at 1040 Hercules Ave.
How has your business grown in the last two years?
Jim Sweeney:
“During early pandemics, we switched to personal protective products. This naturally led to the creation of custom 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 40,000 custom-made masks in that period, which we either heat-pressed or sent to a screen printing vendor. We donated many masks to non-profits and schools.
In 2022, we finally began to see our traditional printing return to its pre-pandemic level. As trade shows and marketing calls increased, promotional products also grew. After the initial surge, large format work actually slowed. EDDM has also grown to be a greater portion of our print sales. We definitely noticed a large increase in our direct mail once we registered with the USPS as EDDM suppliers. We have always had a strong business in printing Business Cards, but the addition of Graphic Whizard’s slitter-cutter-creaser made it 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 steps have you taken to boost your apparel sales?
Jim Sweeney:
“We began to take apparel seriously about eight years ago after we purchased a machine for commercial embroidery. Jane created a wonderful lobby presentation about five years ago. This section features clothing, large format and promotional items.
The Epson F570 added dye-sublimation capability, and we then added DTG printing to produce one-offs (we sold the DTG machine). During this period we used screen printed transfers, mainly from 613 Originals or 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 time, we bought a second Stahls’ press and a third one. Then we decided to enter the Direct to Film printing business. We purchased our first DTF printer with dual printheads and large format about 2.5 years back after trying several desktop converters to print our own transfer. We have the capacity to produce transfers not only for our own use but also to sell to other printers and screen printers as well as sign shops, Facebook Group/Etsy users. In January, we added 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. Clothing sales, including embroidery and our own t-shirt business, make up approximately 30% of the monthly revenue.
The embroidery business grew at the same time as transfer sales. 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. In the past, we have completed a $24,000 jacket embroidering order and delivered a $32,000 jacket order. Both clients are hospitals. We use a local vendor to produce larger quantities.
Jim adds:
“Our apparel sales continue to increase weekly. We are selling more and larger in-house, turn-key tee shirts.”
What are your 3 best tips to help other owners grow their clothing business?
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 daughter and CSR/production manger, worked as the store manager of the Galveston location that we sold in 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. It goes without saying, too, that your entire staff should wear logo shirts to showcase your abilities.
3. Attend a local trade show for the apparel industry, an ASI event, or the MMP International World Expo if you can. Start small with your own shirts. Then, visit your clients and show them what you can do. Apparel is an excellent way to tie into all the other services our shops offer to their clients. Apparel sales are a great way to spur sales of printing, and vice versa.
The hospital buys 430 tee-shirts in bulk for the entire staff at least twice per year. This could include jackets or rain jackets as well as backpacks and other special items. T-shirts are also possible. In the last three years we have provided the hospital with more than $200,000.00 in high-end promotional products and apparel. This hospital referred to us the hospital
What is an example of someone who used your services for clothing?
Jim Sweeney:
“One of the regular clients that we order apparel for is a local hospital. The hospital also owns or partners with 15 other physical therapist centers in Houston. We first provided them with large format printing, then we contracted to create new building signs for the offices in the surrounding areas. Finally, our relationship grew and expanded into apparel. We have 2 screens set up for them. Stahl’s Spirit Sale websites. The hospital can purchase clothing for its new employees and employees may purchase clothing for themselves. In addition to the standard corporate apparel, every department has its own branded T-shirt.
What else would you like to say?
Jim Sweeney:
Clothing is easy to sell. Wear your logo. Spread the word. Ask for recommendations. Do not be afraid to try something new.
Visit the website for more information about Jim and Jane Sweeney’s Minuteman Press in Houston/Clear Lake. 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
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