Building a reputation is crucial to running a successful custom-branded merchandise business. For Oregon Design Specialist, that reputation has been focused on quality and reliable turnarounds since day one.
Based in Portland, Oregon, co-owners Leydi and Edgar Meza originally started Oregon Design Specialist as a side hustle, but that’s changed significantly over the past decade.
The business grew quickly into a full-time enterprise thanks to financial savvy and excellent customer service.
Early Days at Oregon Design Specialist
The journey began in 2013 during a time of economic uncertainty. Edgar Meza found himself at a crossroads after being laid off from a corporate bank position. Leydi says Edgar’s generous severance package gave the duo some headroom to explore new opportunities and set out on an unexpected path.
The couple was introduced to the industry by a friend who owned an embroidery machine but was struggling to make ends meet.
“We had a friend going through some hard times who came to live with us, and he owned an embroidery machine,” says Leydi.
While they helped their friend get back on his feet, the Mezas started learning their way around the machine and saw potential in starting a side business.
Striking a Deal
The business operated out of Meza’s garage in the early days, with few clients and fewer resources. But steadily, they began to accumulate embroidery jobs through word of mouth. Leydi continued working full-time while the couple explored the decorated apparel market and worked on bringing in new customers.
Then, a visit to a local retail soccer store helped ramp up the business quickly. During a routine stop at the store to pick up soccer gear for her daughter, Leydi seized the opportunity to pitch their embroidery services.
That persistence paid off, and Oregon Design Specialist soon had its first major B2B client—a partnership that would prove transformative.
“That first job, I was able to decorate one backpack, turned it around in a few hours, and dropped that one back off,” she explains. “Then they gave me a few more backpacks and every day, it became the same thing- they were just giving me more and more backpacks!”
Expansion and Growth
Within a year of partnering with the soccer store, the company asked the Mezas to set up shop in a commercial space they had available that wasn’t in use, and they could move from a garage to a standalone location.
That substantial growth continued, as did the shop’s array of services.
“From there, we outgrew that spot with more machinery,” says Leydi. “We were able to introduce vinyl, banners, and wide format printing within a year.”
Faster-than-normal turnarounds have also helped the growth. They’ve been able to offer a one-week turnaround time for embroidery and a one-week turnaround time for screen printing jobs.
As the order volume continued to grow, the business also continued to grow in size. Oregon Design Specialist now operates two different sites in the city: one for embroidery and vinyl and a second facility for screen printing.
Now, the business is eyeing a bigger facility to combine all operations.
Growing a Partnership
Oregon Design Specialist’s partnership with the soccer retailer has also helped expand the business’s reach outside the greater Portland area. The partnership has enabled them to expand into additional soccer store locations in 16 states.
Outside of the solid partnership with a successful retail chain, Leydi credits their success to a solid commitment to customer service and her knack for dialing in crucial finances.
“We ensure that we are on top of everything when communicating with the customers,” she says. “I’ve noticed that in this industry, there’s not a lot of quality customer service, and that is one of the things we stand out for.”
This focus has earned them loyal customers and allowed them to grow their business into what it is today—an operation with 15 employees handling everything from embroidery to screen printing in-house.
On the finances front, Leydi has helped by making drastic changes over the past 5-6 years to ensure the business is profitable and efficient.
Initially, the couple considered selling the business when Edgar was slotted to leave for the military a few years ago. After taking a closer look at their unique business model, Leydi was convinced it was worth keeping and improving upon what Edgar and his friend had started.
“I started looking at all of the finances and did an audit of everything,” she notes. “I was able to go from what they were paying themselves monthly and doubling that just by canceling some subscriptions we didn’t need and finding income in other places too.”
Signing up for Printavo
During the business’s recent periods of growth, it also needed better tools to manage customer orders and production.
“For the longest time, I was looking for software that can do what Printavo was doing and was getting frustrated because I wasn’t finding anything for embroidery and screen printing,” she says. “I came up with my own ordering system through Google Docs.”
She says she was to use Google Docs as a feasible system for the soccer store and color-coordinate all the orders. But as business picked up, it started to get time-consuming.
“It was a lot; I was running with maybe two hours of sleep for a while,” she points out.
When the business set up Printavo, Leydi says she found a solution that simplified her needs.
“If I sign up for something, I want to use it for a while because it’s just too much of a headache to relearn everything and train people,” she says. “That’s why I use Printavo and love it.”
Printavo has also helped improve internal and external communication. Departments now connect better on production notes, and customers have a more fluid dialogue with Oregon Design Specialist.
Previously, it would often take a long time for customers to approve quotes, or the company would lose track of approvals, slowing down the overall production process.
“The first time we saw that a customer had approved something through Printavo, we’re just amazed,” she says. “We knew then that we were going to use it for quite some time.”
“I also like the feature that customers can pay through Printavo,” she states. “That’s helped our business a lot because, before that, they paid through QuickBooks, but sometimes it wasn’t as smooth.
Moving Forward
With their growth, the Mezas now face the question of where to move the business so that it can fit all its operations under one roof. Currently, the company runs wide-format printers, embroidery machines, and screen printing machines across its two buildings.
Portland traffic, in particular, makes running two busy locations with separate services a challenge. Driving between the two locations gets time-consuming and can take time away from the work day.
But, while they search for a bigger shop, Leydi says Printavo has helped her, Edgar, and the rest of the team stay on target with the current volume.
Plus, it’s helped keep track of their B2B customer invoices to stay current on job profits without chasing clients down.
“ I have seen a revenue increase because I do much less worrying about collections,” she adds. “I would estimate a 50% increase in revenue.”
Overall, the addition of Printavo has also saved the company time as they continue to explore their options for the future.
“I have noticed that too, and my time has increased. I can do other things, and having Printavo has helped me get back some of that time,” she says. “We’re not spending so much time on one quoting or invoicing, having to go back and forth because everything’s already there.”
For more information, visit Oregon Design Specialist on Facebook and Instagram.
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