Being successful in the print industry requires plenty of technical skills, but it also requires a knack for business management and insight into how to treat customers well. Zach Puckett, co-owner of SKAZMA Custom Apparel in Longmont, Colorado, has created long-term customer relationships, optimized operations, and maintained a clean facility that’s continually improving and growing.
SKAZMA, A Family Name
Founded in November 2004, SKAZMA has evolved from a specialty sporting goods store with a small screen printing operation to a full-service custom apparel business projected to hit $1.7 million in revenue this year.
Zach and his father, Kevin, own the business together. The shop team also includes several family members and close friends. In fact, the letters in the business’s name represent each family member who works for the company: Shawnda, Kevin, Amber, Zach, Melinda, and Aiden
Like many printers, Zach’s introduction to custom-printed apparel was through team sports.
“We started as a specialty sporting goods store doing hockey and volleyball,” he explains. “I was 21 years old, came out of banking, and had other previous businesses.”
Initially, the company had a 6×6 Workhorse screen printing press in the back of its sporting goods store, which was doing minimal volume when they took over.
Zach estimates the previous owners of the space were netting about $12,000 yearly in screen printing. Over a short period of time, Zach and his team expanded screen printing offerings and surpassed those output numbers within a few months.
As big box stores continued overtaking the retail market for sporting goods, Zach shifted the business focus. In 2010, they closed the retail operation and focused on the early iteration of the shop, offering screen printing and embroidery.
Serving the Community
While they’ve occasionally shipped products as far as Africa and South America, most of SKAZMA’s business is in Northern Colorado.
“Hands down, our biggest revenue generator is institutional work. We do a lot of school work,” adds Zach, pointing to local districts like St. Vrain and Thompson Valley.
The business also focuses on B2B clients and a small portion of nonprofits and churches.
Unlike many screen printers focusing primarily on wholesale, SKAZMA leans toward retail printing.
“I am sheerly a retail printer,” he adds. “We probably have a lower piece count than most people in the industry. We do about 90,000 pieces a year.”
Rather than churn out high-volume piece counts, the bigger focus is building long-term customer relationships, where SKAZMA has a strong understanding of the customers’ branding and needs for their merchandise.
Keeping it Clean
One of SKAZMA’s differentiators is its cleanliness. Zach says he’s committed to keeping the shop well-kept in an industry notorious for messy production floors and scattered boxes.
“My mother ran the tea shop at Celestial Seasonings, and since we previously had a retail shop, we understand how important it is to keep a clean facility,” Zach notes.
That attention to detail not only provides an enjoyable environment for the team to work in and reduces waste, but it also benefits clients and other visitors.
“Whether it be supply reps on the screen printing side or the apparel side, they always want to bring the national sales managers to show off an account because of how clean we are,” he adds.
From a customer service standpoint, Zach says the diligence in maintaining a clean space offers them a bright, open, airy, and clean place where their T-shirts aren’t getting dropped on a dirty floor, orders are well-organized, and customers enjoy coming back to visit.
Implementing Printavo
Recently, SKAZMA implemented Printavo’s shop management software to streamline their operations. Unlike many shops that only use portions of such platforms, Zach committed to full integration.
“My specialty is operational efficiency,” he says. “We wanted something that created ultimate efficiency within our business, and it seemed like Printavo was the best tool for that on the market.”
Since implementation, Zach’s seen positive results with his sales team. He estimates a 25% increase in efficiency since they can easily set up and manage orders.
He’s also seen improvements in other areas.
“How file management is handled is probably one of my top three favorite features,” Zach explains. “We’re able to put in all the graphics. It’s a huge time saver over our old paper system, where we had to match the right DST with the right color sheet. Going into next year, I can already tell we’ll have some amazing efficiencies, not searching for files or having product messed up because we pulled the wrong file.”
Customers have noticed the difference, too. One of the shop’s larger customers—a haunted house that orders about $45,000 of apparel annually—particularly appreciated the streamlined approval process.
“They loved the efficiency of just going in, clicking one email, one approval, and completing everything in 15-20 minutes rather than having 20 emails going back and forth on approvals,” says Zach.
Customer Service Excellence
While online stores account for about $250,000 of their business, SKAZMA maintains strong in-person bonds with their customers and potential clients. Zach’s philosophy contradicts the digital trend many shops are pursuing.
“I’ve taken on challengers over the last 20 years; I’m not the lowest priced and not the highest priced– I’m a medium-high,” he contends. “But you will not replace the service, and you will not replace your experience with us.”
Zach believes that while his competitors focus on technical improvements, he focuses on what matters: treating every customer as valuable. While he recognizes that innovative technology like laser-to-screen systems can optimize productivity, there’s still a human element in closing the deal.
“At the end of the day, I shook their hand and made them feel important,” he notes.
Further Growth
With a successful business model established, Zach is now looking to expand to multiple locations. The business is eyeing other Colorado hotspots like Fort Collins and Loveland while continuing to build its name in Longmont.
Zach points to his business-first approach when pondering SKAZMA’s expansion:
“I tell other shop owners, if you’re a car mechanic and want to open up your own business, you’re no longer a mechanic; you’re a business owner,” he explains. “You need to concentrate on invoicing, marketing, customer service, and all the business planning to succeed. But you need to hire somebody to work on the cars.”
For SKAZMA, a business-focused mindset combined with relationship building and operational efficiency has created a formula for success over 20 years—and appears positioned for continued growth.
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