HOUSTON
–News Direct–
Jim and Jane Sweeney have owned the Minuteman Press Houston franchise for 29 years. They joined Minuteman Press back in June 1994. 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:
“These past two years have been very interesting. We are currently 30.5% ahead (as at July of 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 shares specific details about the booming apparel business 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 much has your business expanded in the last two-year period?
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 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.
Finaly, by 2022 our traditional printing had finally begun 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 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. “Our marketing efforts consist of: direct mail postcards – especially this year, with the Deal of the month art provided by MMP Corporate; SEO/SEM for the Minuteman.com site, and social media specifically in relation to Direct to Film Transfer Sales.”
What has been your strategy to grow your apparel business? What has your business done to increase 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 area includes apparel, promotional items, and large format.
The Epson F570 added dye-sublimation capability, and we then added DTG printing to produce one-offs (we sold the DTG machine). We used a lot screen-printed transfers during this period, mainly from 613 Originals or FM Expressions. It was the turnaround time that became a problem. The turnaround time was the issue.
In this period we bought a second Stahls’ press, then a third. We decided to start a Direct to Film (DTF), printing business. About 2.5 years ago, after trying to print our transfers on several desktop printers, we bought our first dual printhead DTF large format printer and finisher. 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 Groups/Etsy users. In January, we added a 4-head DTF printer (we’ll likely 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.”
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. The orders were 150-200 shirts each. We had a grocery chain, 2 local hospitals and a large hospital. We completed a jacket embroidery order of $24,000 in the fall and just delivered a $32,000 order to the same client. For larger quantities, we always use a trusted vendor in our area.
Jim adds:
“Our apparel sales continue to increase weekly. We are selling more and larger in-house turnkey t-shirts.”
What are three tips that other business owners can use to grow their apparel businesses?
Jim Sweeney:
“1. Our lobby display is the main thing driving our clothing sales. This display, which includes apparel samples, promo items and large format samples, was put in our store several years back. This display is always the first thing that a customer notices when they enter our shop. About one in five people who come into the shop inquire about something on this display. We convert about 85% inquiries into sales.
2. The fact that our CSR has a wealth of knowledge about clothing, and about our entire product line is also a plus. Allison, who is our 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. Although I understand that not everyone is as lucky as me, this does not mean that you should stop training your staff and giving them the tools they need to perform their job well. 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 an ASI or local apparel trade show. The MMP International World Expo is also a great option. Begin small by using your own shirts. Visit your existing clients to demonstrate your new abilities. Apparel works well with all the other services our shops offer our clients. 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. We have provided the hospital with more than $200,000.00 in high-end promotional products and apparel in the past 3 years. The hospital referred us back to this hospital
Could you give an example of how you have worked with a client?
Jim Sweeney:
“One of the regular clients that we order apparel for is a local hospital. They also have 15 physical therapy centers around Houston that they own or are partners with. 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. The hospital can purchase clothing for its new employees and employees may purchase branded apparel on one of the two websites. Each department also has its own branded tee shirt.
Do you have any other thoughts or ideas to add?
Jim Sweeney:
Clothing is easy to sell. Wear your logo. Wear your logo. Ask for recommendations. Do not be afraid to try something new.
For more information about Jim Sweeney and Jane Sweeney’s Minuteman Press Houston/Clear Lake franchise, visit https://minuteman.com/us/locations/tx/houston27/
Read Minuteman Press reviews and learn more about the #1 rated Minuteman Press franchising opportunities. https://minutemanpressfranchise.com
Contact Details
Minuteman Press International
Chris Biscuiti
+1 631-249-1370
Company Website
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