Differentiation is the key to success when it comes to business. We have to know what we’re good at, and do it well. We have to find and listen to our target market.

“A lot of decorated-apparel shops get into trouble with things like scheduling production, lack of quality of their craft, their efficiency is down or how they’re training their employees isn’t working,” says Marshall Atkinson, a consultant and coach for Atkinson Consulting and Shirt Lab. “These are all skills that people have trouble with these days.”

Atkinson shares advice to help apparel decorators stand out from the competition. He encourages entrepreneurs to become more than just a T-shirt shop by creating a holistic approach, increasing speed, playing up key skills, listening to customers and learning along the way.

“It’s important to find how you can invent your own market differentiator so no one can compete with you,” he says. “That sounds difficult, but in a lot of ways it’s really simple.”

Try Atkinson’s tips to differentiate your shop from the rest:

1. Create a Holistic Approach

With business, everything is connected. Productive shops rely on each part doing well to thrive as a whole.

“To be successful in this industry, you need to have a holistic approach to your business,” Atkinson says. “It’s not just that you’re creative, have a good artistic sense or embroider well because a lot of people can do that. To be successful these days, you need to understand some foundational business practices.”

Your craft as a decorator isn’t enough to launch a business. Your decorating capabilities can be top-notch, but if you’re not focused on marketing and improving your shop from a business standpoint, it may put you at a disadvantage.

Atkinson encourages shop owners to have a strong business plan: “First, understand how you’re aligning with your customers and how you’re solving their problems,” he explains. “Then, it’s all about executing. How are you doing things better than the next guy?”

Using this holistic approach helps decorators tackle each problem with customers in mind.

Jeanene Edwards, Fruit of the Loom/JERZEES (left) and Marshall Atkinson, Shirt Lab and Atkinson Consulting (right)

2. Be Faster Than the Other Guys

Efficiency should be a priority. Make sure that every part of the decorating process is quick, effective and produces a high-quality product.

“How can we print faster? Burn a screen faster? Develop art faster? Push that job through our systems faster? This is all going to be technology driven,” Atkinson says. “How can you do it so you’re touching it less? A lot of shops need to reexamine their business model to find a way to be the shop that turns things in one day. Instead of trying to make $1.50, they could be making $8 or $9 a shirt if they start turning things the same day. What’s the value opportunity here and how you can take advantage of that?

3. Leverage Your Skillset

“Being better than everyone else could mean having a better printer and fantastic art staff, and educating yourself continuously,” Atkinson says. “If you know how to print on polyester performance shirts without dye migration and you can do that with a soft hand, you’re way better than the next shop whose white ink turns pink on a red shirt.”

Learn what your shop does well, whether it’s art, efficiency, online sales, customer service or incredible quality products, and sell that. Market what you know you’re good at and capitalize on that service.  

“In that sense, you own that channel because you have the craftsmanship built into your process,” he says. “People will pay for that knowledge and experience, but you have to demonstrate you have that.”

4. Learn and Grow

While it’s great to have one or two incredible skills that differentiate you from the market, there are always new things to learn. Learn more about the skills and services your shop doesn’t specialize in. Grow that section of your business.

Whether you’re learning from other decorators, attending trade shows or reading industry publications, Atkinson says, “There’s always opportunity to collaborate with others. … When your focus is learning new things, what you’ll find is everyone has the same problems. This is such a great industry because people are so willing to share and give you those answers.”

Taking time to attend events and meet your peers is important. “What you’ll find is that you’re all serving different markets, but you all have the same problems. You’ll find that you can learn a lot from each other,” he says.

It’s not all about competition. Sometimes, the best way to differentiate yourself is to learn from others who do the same work. Think of other decorators as allies rather than enemies to learn how your shop can improve.

5. Customer Care Rules

Listening to customers is key in any business setting. Decorators especially need to listen to the needs, problems and questions customers have in order to deliver the best products. Find a way to listen to your consumers.

“If your sales are oriented toward rock bands, schools or B2B markets – all those have different needs. One of the things you should be looking at is your customer base,” Atkinson says.

Think about what your customers are doing now and try to predict what they’ll be doing in five years. Find out what your customers’ problems are and where you fit in. A lot of shops aren’t asking good questions, Atkinson says. “They aren’t talking to their customers.”

Customers can teach you a lot about your business and help you stand out in a crowded marketplace. After all, how can you deliver on customer needs if you don’t know what they are.