Print shop automation is usually the key to growing and scaling a business. That switch can turn hobbyists into full-time business owners of a custom-branded merchandise operation. For Jeff Massey, owner of TrezenBold, starting his Omaha-based business began with a simple school T-shirt request, leading the company into its growing, profitable operation.
Today, Jeff and his team use Printavo to process orders for everything from screen printing to auto wraps. Through tools like automations and API integrations, his team has grown the shop into a well-known name within Omaha and far outside their local zip code.
The Road to a Full-Time Business
Jeff’s foray into the industry started with a simple design job for his kids’ school. The school was looking for a new T-shirt design, so he applied his design skills to building something for them.
“When they needed to write a check, I came up with the business name, and that’s where it started,” he notes. Following that job, he freelanced for about seven years.
As the jobs started picking up, he decided to open a full-time business. In the early days, though, the business was more of a design resource for companies that sold promotional products and apparel but didn’t have a designer.
“They would contact me and say, I need proof set up on a Gildan 8000 yellow with a white imprint on the left chest, and I’d provide the mock-up,” he explains. “Those companies would send the mockup to their client for approval.”
Eventually, the business started selling products like decorated apparel. Jeff and his team expanded that design work to other categories, such as promotional products, printed goods, business cards, and flyers.
As Jeff continued to evolve what Trezenbold looked like as a company, he encountered customers looking for auto wraps. While he wasn’t initially offering that service, he decided it’d be ideal to add to his lineup.
“I’m a car guy by nature, so it fits with my needs,” he says. “This industry is flexible and fun because you’re not doing the same thing daily. There’s a lot of versatility.”
Adding New Services
Today, the business has seven employees, including Jeff: two designers, an order processor, an in-house printing production person who helps with shipping and deliveries, and two vehicle wrap installers.
“We use a third party for our screen printing and our embroidery, and then we purchase the promotional products from national vendors,” says Jeff.
The business also uses Printavo for all its customer orders and print shop automation. Their standard SOP is a submission form they direct all clients to on the website. Then, the company gets an email, which is routed from Asana to Printavo, where they start the process of approving and declining orders.
Trezenbold’s customer list includes businesses in fitness, construction, corporate, chiropractic, and daycare, to name a few.
The company is now a multifaceted operation, with screen printing and promotional products accounting for a significant chunk of jobs. With its established reputation as a brand, Trezenbold also opened an online company store with swag like T-shirts, fleeces, and headwear.
Additionally, vehicle wraps have helped grow the company name over the years. That arm of the business has grown into various subcategories of wraps, like PPF, full body paint protection, paint correction, and window and wall graphics.
Even with apparel and promo products accounting for a large portion of the shop’s sales, the business prides itself on the speed, volume, and quality of its wrap jobs.
“We really are a one-stop solution for any business within reason,” says Jeff. “Over the summer, we did 90 wraps in 14 days between Omaha, Lincoln, and Kansas City.”
Onboarding Printavo and Implementing Print Shop Automation
As the business grew between 2020 and 2021, Jeff says he was seeking a solution to help him better track orders and automate parts of his process. Initially using a combination of Excel sheets and other online solutions, he says he landed on Printavo, partially because of the APIs for all the products they use and the ability to notify customers efficiently.
“I don’t feel like the client should have to contact me to find out where their goods are, and Printavo allows me to automate and track all of our orders,” he explains. “By onboarding, we were able to quickly automate, move orders faster, duplicate orders quicker, and handle reprints better.”
Outside of giving them a more convenient and efficient way to handle operations, Trezenbold has also seen a jump in profits and time savings.
“We went from $600,000 to 1.2 million in sales within about a year with Printavo,” says Jeff. “And if I had to equate a time savings percentage, I’d say 80% time savings, especially with reorders.”
Moving Ahead
While Jeff says there wasn’t one specific job that signaled a high watermark for the point they’ve reached recently, his team follows their sales numbers closely, often daily, and they took notice as the numbers climbed.
When the business hit the million-dollar mark, that was what he classified as a turning point.
“At that point, we realized we had something pretty viable,” he says. “I feel like we use Printavo outside of its scope since we do auto wraps, and it absolutely changed how we were moving through the industry.”
He describes Trezenbold as a “small company that does big things” and a scrappy business ready to compete with companies of all sizes.
Rather than play the price-matching game, Jeff says the company focuses on artwork quality, transparency, and exceeding customer expectations.
As of late, Trezenbold has been busy enough that the production department is at capacity space-wise. The company is eyeing potential equipment expansion, like an HP Latex roll-to-roll printer and a flatbed printer, and there is a continued call for new custom apparel and wrap orders.
From the early days of printing a small school T-shirt order to a bustling business with regional and national customers in the auto wrap category, Trezenbold has been able to focus on high-quality artwork, print shop automation, and build a successful business that serves a broad set of customers.
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