Posts

Leonardo da Vinci's Customer Service Failures

Leonardo da Vinci's Customer Service Failures

Recently I finished Water Isaacson's fantastic biography on Leonardo da Vinci. As an artist myself, I've admired Leonardo's genius level ability to create on his own terms. He basically just did what he wanted, regardless of what his patrons…
High Fives and Gratitude

High Fives and Gratitude

This article is all about Gratitude, with a capital "G". Thanks! That's right. I want to give you a big High Five and Thank You for reading my blog posts, eBooks, and talking to me about your shop. In December of 2010, I started Atkinson…
Avalanche of Accountability

Avalanche of Accountability

How is the accountability level in your shop? You know, the daily level of "Get 'Er Done"! I'm not singling out production either. They often get the short end of the stick when other departments upstream don't hit all of their goals like…
Shirt Lab Rocks!

Shirt Lab Rocks!

Shirt Lab Rocks! There. I said it. I'm a little biased because it was my baby. But about fifteen minutes before the official start time last Saturday I thought I was going to throw up. Those butterflies felt like pterodactyls. I've…
No Excuses Mentality for Decorated Apparel Shops

No Excuses Mentality for Decorated Apparel Shops

Quick question: Can your shop operate with a no excuses mentality? For the decorated apparel industry, what does that exactly mean anyway? At best, it's a culture-driven herculean challenge. Worst, it probably means some people you work with…

3 Secrets On Outsourcing Art

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Have you ever thought about outsourcing your art? I know. Your creative team rocks. I've been there. I was an art director for 14 years. But in the last few years, many shops have started outsourcing their art tasks to creative teams in…