The college apparel market can be a lucrative business for print shops, but it takes skill to navigate the complicated field of licensing approved logos and branding, meeting deadlines, and serving all the different groups affiliated with college merchandise, such as booster clubs, bookstores, and alumni organizations.
Nicholas Sulak, the founder of North Carolina-based One Chaptr, developed an early passion for branded sports apparel, which led to his current main revenue generator: producing a wide range of licensed merchandise for his alma mater, UNC Charlotte.
Along the way, Nicholas has implemented Printavo and InkSoft to help grow and scale his business, cementing his name in the local community and beyond.
Early Days in Apparel
Even before One Chaptr, Nicholas had an interest in branded apparel solutions. He’d been around the clothing industry for the majority of his life, and through a colleague of his father’s, he was able to get Reebok to sponsor his high school off-field gear.
“It started with the baseball team, went to the football team, and they were able to have a contract with Reebok for a few years,” he adds.
Through college, Nicholas continued to explore the world of decorated apparel and licensed team wear. He joined a fraternity and was intrigued by the formal T-shirts and event T-shirts he’d recognize around campus.
Capitalizing on Change
As Nicholas began to ramp up his exploration in the custom-branded merchandise market, he saw a golden opportunity with his college. He graduated from UNC Charlotte in 2017 and a short time later, saw the perfect moment.
“Coming out of COVID, UNC Charlotte had announced a rebrand,” he says. “They went from a pickaxe, with a hand, to what is now known as the ‘All-in C.’
Nicholas and his fraternity brothers were season ticket holders for football and decided to create some potential merchandising ideas for the school.
“Costco had come out with a Hawaiian-printed polo, so we bought 30 of them to put the logo on but needed something else to go with it,” he explains.
At that time, there were only two approved vendors for the university with the new logomark. Nicholas approached one of them about having a branded straw hat to accompany the decorated polo. The vendor originally asked for a minimum order of 50, but he decided to order more than the minimum and committed to selling the first batch.
“We partnered with the athletic department and raffled them off,” Nicholas says. “So, we ordered 150. My guys took 30, and the other 120 we raffled off for season tickets, and we were able to provide two families with tickets who’d never been to the stadium.”
That initial project inspired Nicholas to continue his journey with UNC Charlotte, and it’s been a lucrative endeavor ever since.
Scaling Up with Printavo
Nicholas says that as the demand for licensed gear with UNC Charlotte began to tick up, so did the need for better systems to stay on schedule and fill orders. Coming from an IT and agile background, he had some tools in place but needed to streamline them.
“Prior to using Printavo I was using Trello to track projects and then invoice through QuickBooks, but the only way that we were able to communicate with our clients was via email,” he explains. Invoicing and quoting were much more laborious with this older setup. “Printavo has really made the production bulk management side seamless.”
Now, One Chatpr has several tools in place through Printavo to maximize efficiency, including customer approvals, production scheduling, and automated emails for job statuses to clients. He’s also implemented payments through Printavo to speed up the invoicing process.
“For our customers that want to pay with a credit card, Printavo takes the payment and deposits it from there and has been very easy to work with,” he says. “We are a smaller company, so Printavo helps us make sure that we have everything we need for each project at the right time and are communicating with our customers.”
That constant communication has also helped One Chaptr separate itself from competitors and maintain a reputation for high-quality, on-time delivery.
Online Stores with InkSoft
More recently, One Chaptr has also found success using InkSoft Stores for several customers related to UNC Charlotte, as well as other local businesses and organizations. Most of those stores operate with a print-on-demand dynamic.
“Right now, we have around 12 active stores, probably 4 of them opened this year, and clients have enjoyed it,” he says. “[Print-on-demand] is a better alternative than customers ordering 50 screen printed T-shirts and putting them in a closet if they don’t sell.”
With the print-on-demand model matched with InkSoft Stores, One Chaptr has worked with UNC Charlotte organizations like the Black Alumni Chapter, Young Alum, gymnastics, lacrosse, and baseball teams.
The business also has managed an employee store for UNC Charlotte and a full retail store for fans, friends, and family.
Thanks to the ease of customization and branding options, the business has seen dramatic growth with InkSoft Stores.
“We did over $75,000 in revenue through our InkSoft Stores in less than a year, with a previous stream of income we didn’t have,” Nicholas says.
Philanthropy and Community Involvement
In addition to business operations, Nicholas uses One Chaptr to head up various philanthropic initiatives. The company is involved in community partnerships, scholarships, addressing food insecurities, and supporting mental health causes.
Nicholas shares his personal commitment to giving back and how One Chaptr is dedicated to making a positive impact on society.
“For our bulk customers on the collegiate side, if your department orders $10,000 or more from us in a calendar year, we will donate back 5% of what you spent in scholarships,” he states. “We’ve started doing that this year.”
The business has also undertaken other charitable efforts, like raising over $6,000 for the campus food pantry during the COVID pandemic and, more recently, raising $5,000 for the student affairs office.
Production, E-Commerce, and Future Growth
Alongside meeting customer demands, Nicholas says InkSoft and Printavo have been instrumental in his and his fiance Kelly’s ability to run the business while still working a second job.
“My fiance and I still have a full-time 9-5 job, so we are able to produce orders on nights and weekends,” he says. “That’s why it’s super nice for us to use the Printavo calendar view, and we know where an order’s progress is at.”
The company currently does print-on-demand in-house including embroidery of select quantities, DTF, and works with a screen printer in an adjoining space in the same building.
As the business continues to grow its name with UNC Charlotte, Nicholas says he wants to keep that momentum going into the new year.
“Going into 2025, I think the big thing for us is just overall growth in terms of adding new schools, growth in adding new stores,” he says. “Our goal is to grow efficiently and effectively.”
Part of the long-term growth also includes adding new machinery for embroidery and DTF printing.
“This is year two and we did over $200,000 in revenue, so it’s been cool to see the growth that we’ve had,” he says. “It’s also awesome to be able to have tools like Printavo and InkSoft that help make our lives to sell and our lives to assist clients a lot easier.”
For more information, visit onechaptr.com.
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