First, thank you for reading my blog!! I appreciate your time and hope that I have contributed something valuable for you.
So the year 2013 has finally come to a close, and like a lot of people there is some time for some introspection. All in all, it was a good year. I owe a lot of accomplishments to my great support team at work (Visual Impression’s awesome staff) and my family at home (wife Jody and son Jack). Without them, I’m really just a squirrel in a cage running on the wheel by myself. Some highlights below:
1. Blog. My goal this year for the blog was to build readership through the use of social media and write at least one blog article a week aimed at the decorated apparel industry. Using the WordPress analytics tool, I’d say my goal was an outstanding success. For 2012 I averaged 1 reader per day, and only had 291 readers for the entire year. Granted, I rarely posted and never really marketed the site so even that number is surprising. 2013 however, was a different story. I averaged 32 readers a day and had 12,000+ readers for the year. My record readership for one day was 452. 8,572 readers were from the US, but other readers were from 118 different countries. Top five blog articles were:
Creating Art for T-shirts: Common Rookie Mistakes Defined
When You Are Up To Your Ass In Alligators
When Lightning Strikes – On the Production Floor with Boston Strong T-shirts
20 Biggest T-shirt Shop Mistakes & How to Avoid Them
10 Creativity Tips for T-shirt Designers
2. Impressions Magazine Contributions. I have really enjoyed my relationship with Impressions Magazine. This year, I had a lot of fun writing pieces for the magazine or their newsletter. Just recently I also put together a video Tech Tips for them (the last one on the list below) which was another enjoyable challenge. In my mind’s eye, I don’t really think of myself as a writer but between these contributions and my blog, it’s proven to be a good outlet for me. Here are the links to the pieces from this year:
Why Cross Training is Critical for Your Shop
Key Traits for Customer Service & Sales Teams
Key Traits for Your Art Department
Key Traits for Your Receiving and Shipping Departments
20 Tips for Hot Market Printing
Key Traits for Your Screen Room
Beat the Heat: 20 Tips for Hot Market Printing
A Social Media Game Plan for Apparel Decorators
Key Traits for Screen Printing Press Operators
Multi-Media Decoration of Color Blocked Hoodies
3. Boston Strong. The tragic bombing at the Boston Marathon and how two college students responded using our Ink to the People website (www.inktothepeople.com) proved that there is indeed hope for this world. My blog article summed up the initial reaction (When Lightning Strikes – On the Production Floor with Boston Strong T-shirts ) but it didn’t end there. Since then, they have raised almost a $1,000,000 for the One Fund Boston and they are still going! I am very proud to be associated with this inspiring effort. Check them out on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/StayStrongBostonStrong. If you haven’t already, buy a shirt!!
4. Sustainability. The idea of focusing a better way of manufacturing (printing) for business has proven to be a great platform for me to use at Visual Impressions and beyond. At Visual Impressions, we’ve lowered our operating costs significantly by focusing our efforts into four core objectives: Energy Reduction, Materials (Ink, Chemicals, & Supplies), Courier (local deliveries), and Trash/Recycling. If you are in the apparel decorating industry and haven’t started a sustainability journey, I urge you to look into it. It’s a fantastic way to build margin, while doing things better for the planet. How can you lose? Some key highlights for sustainability for 2013 include:
a. Speaking at ISS Long Beach again on “Sustainability – Reduce, Reuse and Recycle AND Lower Your Operating Expenses”. I’m giving the same talk again this year – but with new and updated information. Register for it at http://tinyurl.com/loms9eu.
b. Speaking at SGIA 2013 in Orlando on “Sustainability Pays Back” – this was a great show, and I even had a client in the audience!
c. Panelist at the 2013 Wisconsin Sustainable Business Conference for the “Profit in Sustainability” breakout session. You can view the recorded panel discussion here – http://tinyurl.com/k7cquot
d. Last but not least, being named to the Sustainable Green Printing Partnership Board of Directors in December. Being part of SGP on a national level is a great honor for me and I’m very proud to be working for them to advance sustainability in the printing business. With Visual Impressions obtaining the certification, that makes two companies that I’ve captained through the process directly. www.sgppartnership.org
5. Fitness. On a personal level, I started going to the local YMCA on a weekly basis. I’m averaging 3 or 4 visits a week, depending on my schedule. I’m certainly not getting any younger (turning 50 in 2014) and going to the gym has been a great release and outlet for me. I love listening to Spotify while I workout.
a. Ran and finished my first 5k run ever! The Dragon Dash 5k for my son’s school was great! http://www.thedragondash.com/
b. On Thanksgiving I ran and completed the 4 Mile Turkey Trot in Memphis with members of my family, despite the 22 degree weather. http://memphisturkeytrot.racesonline.com/ It was very challenging for this old guy, but I finished 1987 out of 3100 runners, and 105 in my age group! Happy not to be last. A few days before this race I ran over 5 miles in Memphis on their Green Line – it was super!! http://greatermemphisgreenline.com/
c. Visual Impressions had a Biggest Loser competition. We had 10 teams of 4 people compete to see who could lose the biggest percentage of weight by the week following Thanksgiving. It was a wonderful experience and a lot of fun. My team came in 2nd place, and I lost almost 6% of my body weight during the competition. At the final weigh in I was down to 208 pounds. Thanks YMCA!!
6. ScaleUp Milwaukee. Visual Impressions participated in a fantastic entrepreneurial program called ScaleUp Milwaukee (www.scaleupmilwaukee.org). The goal of the program is to develop skills and critical thinking with existing businesses to grow their business in the following year. I wrote a blog article that better describes the classes, Lessons Learned from the Entrepreneur Ecosystem: Scale Up Milwaukee. Our goal for 2014 – 18% growth. It is a big, hairy and certainly achievable goal. Anxious to see how it pans out!!
7. Wisconsin Manufacturer of the Year Nomination. Here’s a great Visual Impressions team award!! Of the 34 companies nominated only 9 are small businesses like Visual Impressions. The winner will be announced in February 2014. http://www.wmc.org/news/breaking-news/2013-wisconsin-manufacturer-of-the-year-award-nominees-revealed/
8. Having our Visual Impression’s team achieve the Sustainable Green Printing Partnership Certification (License Certification ID: 0413-1364915293), this was a year’s worth of effort and some outstanding improvement for the company. The certification is with an independent third party audit; and achieving the certification has allowed us to market our company and acquire new client’s with our efforts. Being an industry leader is a good thing…
9. Finally finding a company in Milwaukee for Visual Impressions to partner with for our recycling…only interviewed 6 or 7 companies… Pioneer International makes it incredibly easy and since March of 2013 we have recycled 26.9 tons of cardboard, paper, plastic and metal. www.pioneerintl.com
So what professional goals are targeted for 2014? Here’s the list so far:
1. Major participation with the SGP Board of Directors. My goal is to represent the decorated apparel industry with this group and get more printers, suppliers and industry media involved. I already have one supplier, PolyOne committed to becoming a major sponsor. (Thank You!!) If you want to learn more and can help, please contact me and let’s discuss why you should get involved!
2. SGIA Leadership Committee. I will be traveling to Ft. Lauderdale in February for the committee meetings and looking forward to serving on the garment decorating and sustainability committees.
3. More public speaking events on Sustainability. I’m already slated for the ISS Long Beach show, but am also participating at the Manufacturing Matters conference in Milwaukee at a breakout session on the business value of sustainability – http://www.manufacturingmatters.org/sessions/sustainability-driven-business-value
4. Recycling – Embroidery Stabilizer. This is the backing material that we use to keep the embroidery secure on the garment. Currently there isn’t a way to recycle this material. This is a project that I’ve believe will change the embroidery industry if we can find a way to recycle this material on a broader scale. Embroidery shops all across the nation are throwing this material away and it’s all going to landfill. At Visual Impressions, we fill two 8 yard dumpsters a week with this stuff. The problem is that it costs more to transport the material to be recycled than what it is ultimately worth. If you have an idea on how this material can be used, or if you are currently recycling it I’d love to hear from you!!
5. Social Media growth and networking. I’ve spent a good deal of effort growing this part of my personal branding and it’s paying off every day. If you are not connected with me currently, I’d love to network with you to share ideas and learn from each other. Here are my major channels:
LinkedIn – www.linkedin.com/in/marshallatkinson/
Twitter – www.twitter.com/atkinsontshirt/
Pinterest – www.pinterest.com/atkinsontshirt/
Blog – https://atkinsontshirt.com/
6. Visual Impressions. As stated previously here, we are all about growth…but this growth has to make sense and be beneficial to both parties. We want to be your trusted apparel decorator that you can turn to for any order or program. We are currently adding personnel, equipment and infrastructure to accommodate the growth and get ready for 2014. It’s an exciting time to be in this industry as there are a lot of new technologies emerging. Contact me and let me know how we can help you with your success! marshall@visualimp.com or (414) 379-6231.
7. Fitness. Keep working out weekly and have my weight consistently under 210. I’d like to run in at least two 5k runs and one 10k run this year. I’m considering this a professional goal, as my improved fitness has helped me daily with my work goals. I do a lot of thinking while I’m running or sweating my butt off in the gym. More than one blog article was “pre-written” while doing laps or grunting through some reps with weights.
8. Professional Networking. It’s great to share experiences and stories with others. Learning and growing are always on the forefront of my mind. Let’s learn together!
9. More articles published in industry trade magazines. I’m still going to write for Impressions, but I’ve also have been asked to contribute to Wearables Magazine and Stitches Magazine this year. I’m on their Advisory Boards as well. I’m writing my first piece for Wearables right now!
10. Be a great husband and father. Really this should be my number one goal, but it’s a personal one too so it’s good to end the list with this one. Since working for Visual Impressions I’ve come to appreciate a better work/life balance than what was my daily life in Florida. The grass is greener over the fence sometimes… I love you Jody & Jack!!
1 comment
customsgcs1
helo Mr. Atkinson your blog very interesting.. did you do gym since now ?
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