Claim OwnershipPrintavo PrintHustlers Podcast
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Discover amazing stories & lessons from fellow shop owners and industry leaders. Hosted by Bruce Ackerman and Steven Farag
445 Episodes
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Dominic Rosacci of Superior Ink is back — and this time, the conversation goes deep. After relocating his entire manufacturing operation 90 miles from Denver to Fountain, Colorado, rehiring from scratch, and opening a satellite office to keep the culture intact, Dom sits down with Bruce and Steven to break down what's actually working, what he got wrong, and what he's still figuring out.
Jordan of Fast Threads is back for Part 2, and this one goes deep. After last week's episode on multi-location expansion and the Four Burners Theory, Bruce and Steven invited Jordan back to pull the curtain back even further — on how he actually runs the business day to day, where the gaps are, and what it would take to get to the next level.
Jordan Tollakson built Fast Threads in Montevideo, Minnesota — a town of 6,000 people — and has since expanded to three locations across rural Minnesota and South Dakota. In this episode, he sits down with Bruce and Steven to share how he blew past the ceiling that most small-town shop owners run into, and what it actually took to get there.
After 15+ years of running In the Zone Inc, Deanna and Josh Smith finally did what most print shop owners only dream about — they took a real two-week vacation. No day trips, no long weekends. Two full weeks away from the shop, exploring Yellowstone, the Grand Tetons, and glaciers. And it changed everything.
You say you value your team. You say sales is the priority. But if you looked at your calendar from yesterday — does it actually back that up?In this solo episode, Bruce shares a simple but eye-opening idea from a recent nutritionist podcast that applies directly to running a print shop: you make time for the things you value. The question is, are your actions matching your priorities?
What does it take to build a print shop that survives 40+ years of economic crashes, technological upheaval, and a global pandemic? Jedd Swisher — co-founder of Campus Sportswear and Steven Farag's longtime business partner — sits down with Bruce to share the raw, unfiltered story of how it all started in a basement in 1981 and how it's still standing today.
Nicole from Embellishr joins Steven and Bruce fresh off Impressions Long Beach to discuss the booming used equipment market in the decorated apparel industry. As the founder of the leading pre-owned screen printing equipment marketplace, Nicole shares insider knowledge on buying and selling used presses, dryers, and embroidery machines—plus what's driving the resurgence in analog screen printing equipment sales.
Weston Cotton of Custom Print Graphics joins Steven and Bruce to break down one of the most aggressive acquisition strategies in the decorated apparel industry. In just 9 months since buying his first contract print shop in May 2025, Weston has closed 3 acquisitions and is working on a 4th—building a roll-up strategy that's transforming how print shops consolidate and scale.
Matt McLellan from Apparel Lab joins Steven and Bruce to share his unconventional journey building a thriving DTG (Direct-to-Garment) print shop in Madison, Alabama—without ever touching screen printing equipment. Starting in the back room of his nutrition store in 2016, Matt has grown Apparel Lab into a multi-service operation proving you don't need to follow the traditional decorator path to succeed.
What would it take to grow a print shop from zero to $1 million in revenue? In this episode, Steven from Campus Ink teams up with Kevin Baumgart from Sales Ink to map out the complete playbook for scaling a decorated apparel business from day one.
Steven sits down with Daniel, Senior Product Manager at Roland DGA, for an in-depth conversation about Roland's entry into the DTF (Direct-to-Film) market and an ambitious mobile printing project that's pushing the boundaries of what's possible in the custom apparel industry.
As 2025 wraps up, it's the perfect time to reflect, reorganize, and plan ahead for your print shop. In this episode, Steven and Bruce discuss practical strategies for year-end shop organization, budgeting for 2026, and setting goals that actually stick.
In part 2 of our year-end conversation, Justin Lawrence and Steven Farag get deeply honest about the hardest parts of business ownership—from the loneliness of financial struggle to making tough decisions that saved their companies. They discuss the Thunder championship impact, 30% workforce reductions, knowing when to step back from trade shows, and why both are working to build businesses they could sell (but may not).
Join us for part 1 of our year-end conversation with Justin Lawrence (Oklahoma Shirt Company) and Stephen as they share their annual planning rituals, team bonus strategies, and the business metrics that transformed their shops. From implementing Traction EOS to discovering that 30% of revenue comes from email marketing, this episode is packed with actionable insights for print shop owners.
n this episode, we explore how print shop owners can apply "Unreasonable Hospitality" principles from Will Guidara's acclaimed book to transform ordinary transactions into extraordinary customer experiences. Learn why emotional connection matters as much as perfect execution, and discover practical ways to stand out in a competitive industry.
Looking to close out this year strong and set your print shop up for success in 2025? This comprehensive annual checklist covers everything you need to review, plan, and optimize your custom apparel business for the year ahead.
Nathan from Relentless Merch shares the complete journey of launching Atonal Headwear - from investing in inventory before making a single sale, to losing 4,000 hats to mold, to building a headwear brand while simultaneously running an print shop with 48 employees.
n this episode of the Print Hustlers Podcast, Bruce and Steven sit down with Miles from Miles T-Shirts (Springfield, IL) — a 25-year print shop owner who built a wildly successful niche business serving disc golf, apparel brands, and national clients.
This week on the Print Hustlers Podcast, Bruce and Steven break down every major moment from PrintHustlers Conf 2025 — live from Chicago. From AI tools that are reshaping production workflows, to Alex the Economist’s data-driven outlook for apparel decorators, to social media advertising insights that every shop needs… this episode is packed with takeaways you can apply immediately.
In this episode of the PrintHustlers Podcast, Kyle Robinson from Print My Threads shares how his shop transitioned from traditional screen printing to a DTF-powered hybrid model — and why that move led to record profits with a lean 9-person crew.
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