Bryant Gillespie: All right guys.
Welcome to the next edition of the Better Sign Shop podcast.
Brian Gillespie here, and as always, I've got my friends and
colleagues, the Sign Shop, Yoda Peter Carus, and the Sign Burrito.
Michael Riley . We need to get a, another nickname.
I, I feel like we have to, every episode, every week,
Michael Riley: It's.
Bryant Gillespie: Maybe we need sign burrito.
If you're listening to this right now, send us your
suggestions for Mike's nickname.
On the next episode, we want to hear from you.
Michael Riley: We need to like hop on Jasper and let a computer, give me a
nickname, see what it comes up with.
Bryant Gillespie: Yeah, yeah.
Let's get some AI involved, Some nickname, so the Terminator.
Give you a new nickname.
. Hey, so what's new with you guys before?
Dive into all things customer experience.
Michael Riley: Well, I'm getting married in two weeks, so it's been, I am like,
like stressed beyond belief right now.
It's crazy.
I don't
Bryant Gillespie: what, what is the, what's your stress
level at like a one to 10?
Michael Riley: Oh, it's cranked up to 11, man.
Like . It's just
. Bryant Gillespie: It's full spinal
Michael Riley: tab . Yeah.
Uh, yeah.
You know, I'm, I'm handling it well.
It's just, it's very, it's a lot of internal stress.
There's, we have a lot of, lot of balls in the air right now trying
to get some stuff done in the house.
We have a bunch of guests that are gonna stay here, so we're trying to
get bathrooms done and citing done.
And the house is just a wreck, so trying to get a back,
Bryant Gillespie: but you're not even stressed about.
The, the wedding part or like getting married or any of that, it's just like,
Hey, we got guests coming to the house.
Michael Riley: The guests are the most stressful part.
Yeah, no, like we don't know what we're gonna do for food for the
wedding yet, so we're still, we're, you know, that's, that's a little up
in the air , which is kind of a big thing, so we need to figure that out.
Um, but now the wedding plans are pretty, pretty solid.
They're, they're.
That's, that's for the most part under control.
I mean, I'm sure that the, you know, the shit will hit the fan
when people start arriving here and parents and people get involved in
trying to, to help and everything.
But, um, yeah, it's really just, you know, all the prep work, trying to get
ready and then I'm gonna shut the business down for a week and a half, um, to go
on honeymoon and everything like that.
So just trying to get everything done and ready is, Well, I
Peter Kourounis: got one
Michael Riley: question for you.
One question.
Lay it on me.
What's that?
You're gonna have
Bryant Gillespie: to get closer to the mic.
Or some Pete who, who, who
Peter Kourounis: was that amazing photographer that you had?
? Michael Riley: Um.
We, we just, we hired a, you know, a local wedding photographer.
Um, he's, he's a pretty, pretty talented guy.
He, he's done quite a bit of, um, I think like nature and landscape photography.
He's published a few books on, uh, like, like photo books as well.
But, um, I, I mean, it's a pat, my, my future wife on the back, like, you know,
she went to school for photography.
She's got a, you know, a degree in fine art photography and she was a, a wedding
photographer herself for many, many years.
Um, so he just sent us the raw files, which were, you know, fairly unimpressive.
They were, they were nice.
They were, well, well compos and framed, but, um, but she actually
did all the editing on them and, and
Peter Kourounis: she's, Oh, get outta here.
Oh my God.
Yeah, because I was gonna give, I was gonna give your
photographer all the accolades.
Those were the best photos I have ever seen, and I think I commented that.
I mean, it , I literally thought my wedding photos might have been the
best, but that wasn't till I saw.
Your photos, so whoever touched them up, I, whether it be your wife
or or the photographer the best.
If you haven't seen it and your friends might go check it out, they.
Literally the best , I guess what is it?
Is that, is that, is that like a wedding photo engagement photo?
What, what, what was that?
What,
Michael Riley: Yeah, that was just an engagement, like photo session that we
did, cuz she, she wanted to have like a, a, a picture of us that we could
send out with the wedding invites.
Um, so we just did a quick, like one hour beach session
with the guy, um, out at Sunset.
Amazing.
Um, so yeah, having like a beautiful spot like that to have pictures
taken as well, really helps.
I mean, having, having a background.
You know, ass beautiful as that, like, doesn't matter what, what the photo looks
like, Like there's no such thing as a bad picture when you're at the Oregon coast.
So, but no, she's a, she's a, like a photo editing, you know, master.
She's really, really good at it.
So she can take a.
Just a crappy, crappy picture and turning into a, a pretty impressive work art.
So I'm, I'm always, I seen some masterpiece as well.
Oh yeah.
She . I know , she's, she's made a few.
Photoshop is, uh, she's good at it.
Um.
Thank you, Peter.
Yeah, they, they we're really happy.
I'm excited to see how the actual wedding photos come out.
He's gonna be the same photographer for the wedding and the wedding's
actually gonna be on that beach as well.
That'll be our backdrop for the wedding.
So, um, the only thing that we're worried about is, you know, we took those photos
in, in like mid-July when the weather is pretty much perfect out there.
But the wedding is, is in late September, um, which, Could very well
be like, you know, 50 degrees pouring down rain, like sideways wind, you
know, like just the, the weather is unpredictable in the fall out there.
So we're a little nervous that the wedding is gonna have to be either moved
inside or we're just gonna get married.
And like the pouring down rain on the beach, which I'm all for.
Like, I think like that's gonna be awesome to get married in the, the rain.
Like, you know, if you're gonna have a Oregon beach wedding, rain, prepare for
rain, rain should be involved I think.
I mean, it's just par for the.
but, well, I
Peter Kourounis: rained on my wedding.
Don't, don't tell my wife that she hates.
Three.
Be reminded I rained on my wedding and it was devastating cuz we picked
this venue for an outdoor venue.
And then we got like huddled into this like small little room.
So it was, yeah, it was, uh, not the best scenario, but you know,
Michael Riley: still great part, you get married, like, it doesn't
matter, like you're getting married.
Like, just, just suck it up and, and do it.
And we're, we're, we're trying to brace ourselves.
Yeah.
Like I'm actually like secretly sort of hoping it rains cuz I, I love the rain.
That's why I live in Oregon because it rains so much here.
I, I just think it's beautiful and like a rainy day at the Oregon coast is
just otherworldly beautiful, but she's a little less enthusiastic about it.
Raining so we'll, , you know, kind of right in the fence here.
No, but yeah.
Yeah.
What about you guys?
What you guys been up to?
Peter Kourounis: Uh, I'm planning something, but not planning a wedding.
I'm planning my son's second birthday and my other son's baptism, so they
are within eight days of each other.
So it's a lot of I and I and I and I'm, I'm just gonna throw this out
there, cuz Bryan, you got kids, Did you, did you baptize your daughters?
Bryant Gillespie: Uh, yes.
Okay.
We're not Catholic or anything like that though.
Peter Kourounis: That's all right.
That's all.
Well, the first one, my first son, it was a full out party,
like a full out extravagant.
, You know, I had dozens and dozens of people at my house.
I, I rented everything, including like a camel at my house, . This one, it's
like, let's just do it at a restaurant.
I swear to you, I feel awful.
I feel careful about it, but I'm just like, there's a birthday with
the first kid and then there's a, like a christening or baptism.
The second time, like for the first, for the second kid.
And I'm like, this is too much money happening at the same
time, so I'm just gonna listen.
It's a baptism and it's a birthday.
We're just gonna do the birthday at home and we're gonna do
the baptism at a restaurant.
And, and my wife and I are feeling so guilty about it because when my, when
my second son gets older, he's, I'm afraid he's gonna ask like, Why didn't
you throw, I feel like I'm damaging.
being by this, you know, I'm not, It was, it was not as exciting as the first one,
and here I am just feeling bad that my second son happens to be just born second.
Bryant Gillespie: we're, we're on the third kid.
Okay.
Like I, I know like you're just now on the second kid that's
kind of like the second kid.
You're, you kind of just like, you're like, eh, but when you get to the third
kid, you're like, uh, like whatever.
Like, fuck it.
Like,
like yeah, like the first kid.
Like we did all the baby proofing all the stuff.
Um, all the little things in the, the outlets and all that stuff.
And like, now it's just like you, like knock yourself out, you know, Like,
Oh, you wanna run around outside?
Hey, you wanna ride your bike without knee pads and stuff like that.
Like, find, like, get after it.
You, Oh my God.
Don't feel bad, man.
Don't feel
Michael Riley: guilty.
I've heard that's the way it goes with kids.
Like with, with every subsequent one you have, like you your, your
helicopter parenting just kind of like goes down a notch or two until
you're just like, eh, they'll survive.
Like whatever.
Yeah.
This is a hundred percent true.
Yeah.
See, I'm skipping all that, that young stuff too.
I'm inheriting a, a, a 15 year old stepdaughter, um, which is awesome.
She's, she's, she's cool, but she's already grown up and so I don't have
to worry too much about all the.
Two I about her just dying
Bryant Gillespie: on a daily basis from self-inflicted
Michael Riley: death.
Well, I, No, actually, I still worry, worry about that for other reasons though.
Cause she, she's not always the best at the logical decision making still,
but, um, less so I probably expect than you guys with your, your young ones.
. Okay.
Bryant Gillespie: A hundred percent.
Yeah.
So what's the topic today, guys?
Michael Riley: Today we are talking about customer experience and, and.
Uh, what you can do improve your customer experience.
What, what makes customers keep coming back and buying from you?
Uh, I think in the first place, and, uh, we're gonna bring on a guest today.
Um, a lot of people probably know the guy TJ Bak.
He owns GCI Digital Imaging down in Cincinnati, Ohio.
You're.
If you spend any time on any of the Facebook forums, like those damn sign
guys or Sign Shop Talk or anything like that, you will inevitably, you know, see
TJ's name, um, thrown about quite a bit.
He seems to be pretty much the go-to guy for anybody who needs, um, you
know, some big wide format digital printing or fleet of rap sprinted,
or you're just like totally in a.
You know, in a rut and need somebody to save your ass.
It seems like TJ is like the, uh, uh, uh, the Superman , uh, and, and, and
apparently he's doing something right.
I don't know the guy personally, but I reached out to him to, to bring
him on the show because he's just, everybody raves about him in his
service and everybody just says like, he just, he will bend over backwards
for you every single time and get it done and knock it outta the ballpark.
And, and on a rare occasion, he doesn't, he'll, he'll be Johnny in
the spot to make it right for you.
So, uh, he's definitely delivering.
Some sort of exceptional customer experience, and I want to know
what and why and how, so I'm excited to talk to the guy.
Bryant Gillespie: Do we, do we just bring him on now?
Michael Riley: He, he, he's in the lobby.
Yeah.
Let's, let's go ahead and, uh, let's bring him on.
He sent me messages waiting.
Okay.
All right.
Well, let's, let's announce him in.
Let's, Yeah, yeah.
Let's do like an intro for him first.
Bryant Gillespie: Yeah.
Yeah.
Here, I'll stop the recording and then.
Michael Riley: Bring 'em on.
Just bring 'em in.
Yeah.
Okay.