1 00:00:01,200 --> 00:00:03,240 TJ Bedacht: Learn how to build a better sign and 2 00:00:03,240 --> 00:00:05,610 Bryant Gillespie: print shop from a few crusty sign 3 00:00:05,610 --> 00:00:08,039 TJ Bedacht: guys who've made more mistakes 4 00:00:08,039 --> 00:00:08,430 Michael Riley: than they 5 00:00:08,435 --> 00:00:09,240 TJ Bedacht: care to admit. 6 00:00:09,900 --> 00:00:14,400 Conversations and advice on pricing, sales, marketing, 7 00:00:14,700 --> 00:00:17,280 workflow, growth, and more. 8 00:00:18,300 --> 00:00:24,440 You're listening to The Better Sign Shop podcast with your hosts, Peter Kaunas, 9 00:00:24,900 --> 00:00:27,060 Michael Riley: Michael Riley, and Bryant 10 00:00:27,065 --> 00:00:27,780 TJ Bedacht: Gillespie. 11 00:00:29,910 --> 00:00:30,450 Bryant Gillespie: All right, guys. 12 00:00:30,450 --> 00:00:34,170 Welcome to the next edition of the Better Sign Shop podcast. 13 00:00:34,590 --> 00:00:39,030 Brian Gillespie here, and as always, I've got my friends and 14 00:00:39,030 --> 00:00:46,950 colleagues, the Sign Shop, Yoda Peter Karus, and the Sign Burrito. 15 00:00:47,250 --> 00:00:51,880 Michael Riley . We need to get a, another nickname. 16 00:00:51,880 --> 00:00:53,194 I feel like we have to switch every 17 00:00:53,194 --> 00:00:53,474 Michael Riley: episode. 18 00:00:54,824 --> 00:00:55,314 It's. 19 00:00:56,874 --> 00:00:59,064 Bryant Gillespie: Mayor McKee signed burrito. 20 00:00:59,064 --> 00:01:02,424 If you're listening to this right now, send us your suggestions 21 00:01:02,424 --> 00:01:06,384 for Mike's nickname On the next episode, we want to hear from, 22 00:01:06,384 --> 00:01:13,584 Michael Riley: You mean we need to like hop on Jasper and let a computer, give 23 00:01:13,584 --> 00:01:15,052 me a nickname, See what it comes up with. 24 00:01:15,052 --> 00:01:15,235 yeah. 25 00:01:15,235 --> 00:01:16,565 Bryant Gillespie: Let's get some AI involved. 26 00:01:16,592 --> 00:01:18,752 let's let the Terminator give you a new nickname. 27 00:01:19,942 --> 00:01:20,212 . Hey. 28 00:01:20,212 --> 00:01:24,452 So what's new with you guys before we dive into all things customer experience? 29 00:01:24,477 --> 00:01:27,848 Michael Riley: I'm getting married in two weeks, so it's been, I am 30 00:01:27,879 --> 00:01:29,589 stressed beyond belief right now. 31 00:01:29,599 --> 00:01:31,599 It's crazy. 32 00:01:32,649 --> 00:01:33,049 I don't 33 00:01:33,071 --> 00:01:38,121 Bryant Gillespie: what is, what's your stress level at a one to 10? 34 00:01:39,741 --> 00:01:41,181 Michael Riley: Oh, it's cranked up to 11, man. 35 00:01:41,706 --> 00:01:42,441 , like it's just 36 00:01:43,911 --> 00:01:45,021 Bryant Gillespie: as full spinal tap. 37 00:01:45,093 --> 00:01:46,476 Michael Riley: Yeah, I'm handling it well. 38 00:01:46,476 --> 00:01:48,336 It's just, it's very, it's a lot of internal stress. 39 00:01:48,336 --> 00:01:50,448 There's, we have a lot of balls in the air right now trying to 40 00:01:50,448 --> 00:01:51,858 get some stuff done in the house. 41 00:01:51,888 --> 00:01:54,228 We have a bunch of guests that are gonna stay here, so we're trying 42 00:01:54,228 --> 00:01:58,578 to get bathrooms done and siting done, and the house is just a wreck. 43 00:01:58,668 --> 00:01:58,968 So, 44 00:01:59,508 --> 00:02:02,283 Bryant Gillespie: But you're not even stressed about the wedding part or 45 00:02:02,313 --> 00:02:03,753 like getting married or any of that? 46 00:02:03,758 --> 00:02:05,792 It's just Hey, we've got guests coming to the house. 47 00:02:08,162 --> 00:02:09,752 , Michael Riley: the guests are the most stressful part. 48 00:02:09,752 --> 00:02:12,257 Yeah, no, we don't know what we're gonna do for food for the wedding yet, 49 00:02:12,257 --> 00:02:15,239 so we're still, we're, that's a little up in the air , which is of a big 50 00:02:15,269 --> 00:02:16,499 thing, so we need to figure that out. 51 00:02:16,560 --> 00:02:20,014 but no, the wedding plans are pretty, pretty solid. 52 00:02:20,026 --> 00:02:21,950 they're, that's for the most part under control. 53 00:02:21,991 --> 00:02:24,073 I'm sure that the, the shit will hit the fan when people start 54 00:02:24,073 --> 00:02:27,613 arriving here and parents and. 55 00:02:28,588 --> 00:02:31,379 People get involved in tr trying to help and everything. 56 00:02:31,379 --> 00:02:33,875 But, yeah, it's really just, all the prep work, trying to get ready 57 00:02:33,875 --> 00:02:38,250 and then I'm gonna shut the business down for a week and a half, to go on 58 00:02:38,250 --> 00:02:39,330 honeymoon and everything like that. 59 00:02:39,330 --> 00:02:42,300 So just trying to get everything done and ready is, 60 00:02:42,377 --> 00:02:44,057 Peter Kourounis: I got one question for you, Michael. 61 00:02:44,477 --> 00:02:46,187 Michael Riley: One question, lay it on me. 62 00:02:46,547 --> 00:02:46,997 What's that? 63 00:02:48,837 --> 00:02:52,342 Peter Kourounis: who was that amazing photographer that you 64 00:02:52,342 --> 00:02:55,152 Michael Riley: had we just, we hired a, a local wedding photographer. 65 00:02:55,194 --> 00:02:56,994 he's a pretty, pretty talented guy. 66 00:02:57,008 --> 00:02:59,782 he's done quite a bit of, I think like nature and landscape photography. 67 00:02:59,782 --> 00:03:03,058 He's published a few books on, like lake photo books as well. 68 00:03:03,298 --> 00:03:06,911 But, it's a pat, my, my future wife on the back, she went to school for photography. 69 00:03:06,911 --> 00:03:07,511 She's got. 70 00:03:07,569 --> 00:03:09,693 a degree in fine art photography. 71 00:03:09,693 --> 00:03:12,352 And she was a wedding photographer herself for many years. 72 00:03:12,356 --> 00:03:12,626 Wow. 73 00:03:13,196 --> 00:03:16,193 So he just sent us the raw files, which were, fairly unimpressive. 74 00:03:16,263 --> 00:03:16,893 they were nice. 75 00:03:16,893 --> 00:03:19,949 They were, compos and framed, but, but she actually did all the editing on it. 76 00:03:19,949 --> 00:03:20,189 Oh, 77 00:03:20,389 --> 00:03:21,429 Peter Kourounis: yes, she's outta here. 78 00:03:21,889 --> 00:03:22,459 Oh my God. 79 00:03:22,464 --> 00:03:25,219 Because I was gonna give, I was gonna give your photographer all the accolades. 80 00:03:25,219 --> 00:03:27,799 Those were the best photos I have ever seen. 81 00:03:27,949 --> 00:03:29,269 And I think I commented that. 82 00:03:29,285 --> 00:03:33,248 it sincerely . I literally thought my wedding photos might have been the 83 00:03:33,248 --> 00:03:35,498 best, but that wasn't until I saw. 84 00:03:36,128 --> 00:03:37,208 Your photos. 85 00:03:37,208 --> 00:03:40,867 So whoever touched them up, I whe whether it be your wife 86 00:03:40,867 --> 00:03:42,798 or the photographer the best. 87 00:03:42,798 --> 00:03:45,408 If you haven't seen it and you're friends with Mike, go check it out. 88 00:03:45,408 --> 00:03:48,606 They are literally the best in, I guess what is it? 89 00:03:48,606 --> 00:03:51,218 is that like a wedding photo engagement photo? 90 00:03:51,232 --> 00:03:51,930 what was that? 91 00:03:52,110 --> 00:03:52,620 What was it? 92 00:03:52,860 --> 00:03:53,220 Yeah, that 93 00:03:53,220 --> 00:03:55,380 Michael Riley: was just an engagement, like photo session that we did. 94 00:03:55,380 --> 00:03:57,929 Cuz she, she wanted to have a picture of us that we could send 95 00:03:57,929 --> 00:03:59,109 out with the wedding invites. 96 00:03:59,127 --> 00:04:02,583 so we just did a quick, like one hour beach session with the guy, out of sunset. 97 00:04:02,612 --> 00:04:03,059 Amazing. 98 00:04:03,149 --> 00:04:05,418 So yeah, having a beautiful spot like that to have pictures 99 00:04:05,418 --> 00:04:06,708 taken as well, really helps. 100 00:04:06,723 --> 00:04:09,809 having a background like, as beautiful as that, doesn't matter what the photo 101 00:04:09,809 --> 00:04:12,597 looks like, there's no such thing as a bad picture when you're at the Oregon coast. 102 00:04:12,627 --> 00:04:15,601 So, But no, she's a, like a photo editing, master. 103 00:04:15,601 --> 00:04:16,492 She's really good at it. 104 00:04:16,552 --> 00:04:17,662 So she can take a. 105 00:04:18,487 --> 00:04:22,805 Just a crappy picture and turning into a pretty impressive work of art. 106 00:04:22,805 --> 00:04:25,355 So I'm, I've seen some masterpieces as well. 107 00:04:26,105 --> 00:04:31,174 Oh yeah, she . I know she's made a few . Photoshop is, she's good at it. 108 00:04:31,221 --> 00:04:31,641 thank you, Peter. 109 00:04:31,641 --> 00:04:32,705 Yeah, they, we were really happy. 110 00:04:32,735 --> 00:04:34,625 I'm excited to see how the actual wedding photos come out. 111 00:04:34,625 --> 00:04:36,905 He's gonna be the safe photographer for the wedding, and the wedding's 112 00:04:36,905 --> 00:04:38,315 actually gonna be on that beach as well. 113 00:04:38,315 --> 00:04:39,545 That'll be our backdrop for the wedding. 114 00:04:39,575 --> 00:04:41,975 So, the only thing that we're worried about is, we took those photos in 115 00:04:41,975 --> 00:04:45,035 like mid-July when the weather is pretty much perfect out there, but 116 00:04:45,040 --> 00:04:46,477 the wedding is in late September. 117 00:04:46,509 --> 00:04:50,558 which could very well be like, 50 degrees pouring down rain, like 118 00:04:50,558 --> 00:04:54,920 sideways wind, like just the weather is unpredictable in the fall out there. 119 00:04:54,925 --> 00:04:57,590 So we're a little nervous that the wedding is gonna have to be either moved 120 00:04:57,595 --> 00:05:00,770 inside or we're just gonna get married in like the pouring down rain on the. 121 00:05:01,430 --> 00:05:02,270 Which I'm all for. 122 00:05:02,270 --> 00:05:04,822 Like I think that's gonna be awesome to get married in the rain. 123 00:05:04,822 --> 00:05:07,707 if you're gonna have a Oregon beach wedding, prepare for 124 00:05:07,707 --> 00:05:09,837 rain, rain should be involved. 125 00:05:09,837 --> 00:05:10,077 I think. 126 00:05:10,077 --> 00:05:11,077 I mean it's just part for the course. 127 00:05:11,077 --> 00:05:11,200 I 128 00:05:11,200 --> 00:05:12,190 Peter Kourounis: rained on my wedding. 129 00:05:12,237 --> 00:05:14,080 don't tell my wife that she hates three B. 130 00:05:14,080 --> 00:05:16,330 Reminded rained on my wedding. 131 00:05:16,330 --> 00:05:20,300 It was devastating cuz we picked this venue for an outdoor venue. 132 00:05:20,363 --> 00:05:23,019 and then we got huddled into this like small little room. 133 00:05:23,019 --> 00:05:25,652 So it was not the best scenario still 134 00:05:25,712 --> 00:05:28,132 Michael Riley: a great, you're getting married, it doesn't matter 135 00:05:28,132 --> 00:05:28,990 like you're getting married. 136 00:05:28,990 --> 00:05:30,680 just suck it up and do it. 137 00:05:30,680 --> 00:05:32,147 And we're trying to brace ourselves. 138 00:05:32,177 --> 00:05:32,477 Yeah. 139 00:05:32,477 --> 00:05:35,837 Like I'm actually like secretly sort of hoping it rains cuz I, I love the rain. 140 00:05:35,837 --> 00:05:37,957 That's why I live in Oregon because it rains so much. 141 00:05:38,852 --> 00:05:42,122 I just think it's beautiful and like a rainy day at the Oregon coast is 142 00:05:42,122 --> 00:05:46,412 just otherworldly beautiful, but she's a little less enthusiastic about it. 143 00:05:46,412 --> 00:05:49,352 Raining so we'll, , kinda don't blame her. 144 00:05:49,352 --> 00:05:50,366 The fence here, I don't blame her. 145 00:05:50,366 --> 00:05:51,026 What about you guys? 146 00:05:51,266 --> 00:05:51,866 What have you guys been up to? 147 00:05:51,890 --> 00:05:53,849 Peter Kourounis: I'm planning something but not planning a wedding. 148 00:05:53,854 --> 00:05:59,129 I'm planning my son's second birthday and my other son's baptism, so they 149 00:05:59,129 --> 00:06:01,619 are within eight days of each other. 150 00:06:02,159 --> 00:06:05,946 So it's a lot of, and I'm just gonna throw this out there, cuz Brian, you got kids. 151 00:06:05,979 --> 00:06:07,369 did you baptize your daughters? 152 00:06:07,369 --> 00:06:08,025 Bryant Gillespie: yes. 153 00:06:08,715 --> 00:06:09,135 Okay. 154 00:06:09,315 --> 00:06:11,205 We're not Catholic or anything like that. 155 00:06:11,205 --> 00:06:11,415 The, 156 00:06:12,705 --> 00:06:13,065 Peter Kourounis: Sorry. 157 00:06:13,305 --> 00:06:13,815 That's all right. 158 00:06:13,862 --> 00:06:20,544 the first one, my first son, it was a full out party, like a full out extravaganza. 159 00:06:20,544 --> 00:06:23,358 I had dozens and dozens of people at my house. 160 00:06:23,424 --> 00:06:26,364 I rented everything, including like the camel. 161 00:06:26,934 --> 00:06:32,439 At my house, . This one, it's let's just do it at a restaurant. 162 00:06:35,649 --> 00:06:37,539 I swear to you, I feel awful. 163 00:06:37,539 --> 00:06:40,869 I feel awful about it, but I'm just like, there's a birthday with the 164 00:06:40,874 --> 00:06:45,489 first kid and then there's a, like a christening or baptism the second time, 165 00:06:45,519 --> 00:06:47,049 like for the first, for the second kid. 166 00:06:47,559 --> 00:06:49,929 And I'm like, this is too much money happening at the same 167 00:06:49,929 --> 00:06:52,089 time, so I'm just gonna listen. 168 00:06:52,094 --> 00:06:54,639 It's a baptism, it's a birthday. 169 00:06:55,539 --> 00:06:58,329 We're just gonna do the birthday at home and we're gonna do 170 00:06:58,334 --> 00:07:00,189 the baptism at a restaurant. 171 00:07:00,238 --> 00:07:05,563 and my wife and I are feeling so guilty about it because when mys, when 172 00:07:05,563 --> 00:07:10,123 my second son gets older, he's, I'm afraid he's gonna ask like, Why didn't 173 00:07:10,123 --> 00:07:15,835 you throw, I feel like I'm damaging his being by this, I'm not, it was 174 00:07:15,840 --> 00:07:18,105 not as exciting as the first one. 175 00:07:18,435 --> 00:07:20,145 And here I am just. 176 00:07:20,700 --> 00:07:24,130 Feeling bad that my second son happens to be just born Second. 177 00:07:24,195 --> 00:07:25,455 Bryant Gillespie: we're on the third kid. 178 00:07:25,485 --> 00:07:25,935 Okay. 179 00:07:26,355 --> 00:07:30,086 Like I, I know you're just now on the second kid that's like the second kid. 180 00:07:30,086 --> 00:07:33,309 You're, you just you're like, eh, but when you get to the third kid, 181 00:07:33,314 --> 00:07:35,253 you're like, like whatever, fuck it. 182 00:07:35,272 --> 00:07:36,427 Yeah, the first kid. 183 00:07:36,427 --> 00:07:40,613 Like we did all the baby proofing, all the stuff, all the little things 184 00:07:40,618 --> 00:07:42,454 in the outlets and all that stuff. 185 00:07:42,514 --> 00:07:46,891 And now it's just you'd knock yourself out, Oh, you wanna run around outside, 186 00:07:47,071 --> 00:07:50,551 You wanna ride your bike without knee pads and stuff like that. 187 00:07:50,556 --> 00:07:51,087 Like fine. 188 00:07:51,087 --> 00:07:51,759 get after it. 189 00:07:51,849 --> 00:07:52,239 Yeah. 190 00:07:52,749 --> 00:07:53,379 Oh my God. 191 00:07:54,129 --> 00:07:55,059 Don't feel bad, man. 192 00:07:55,179 --> 00:07:55,869 Don't feel guilty 193 00:07:55,869 --> 00:07:56,169 Michael Riley: about. 194 00:07:57,039 --> 00:07:58,629 I've heard that's the way it goes with kids. 195 00:07:58,629 --> 00:08:02,725 Like with every subsequent one you have, like you your helicopter parenting 196 00:08:02,725 --> 00:08:06,103 just goes down a notch or two until you're just like, eh, they'll survive. 197 00:08:06,223 --> 00:08:06,733 Like whatever. 198 00:08:07,813 --> 00:08:08,083 Yeah. 199 00:08:08,143 --> 00:08:09,163 This is a hundred percent true. 200 00:08:09,703 --> 00:08:10,063 Yeah. 201 00:08:10,123 --> 00:08:10,333 Yeah. 202 00:08:10,333 --> 00:08:11,813 See, I'm skipping all that young stuff too. 203 00:08:11,813 --> 00:08:14,505 I'm inheriting a 15 year old stepdaughter, which is awesome. 204 00:08:14,585 --> 00:08:18,005 she's cool, but she's already grown up and so I don't have to worry too 205 00:08:18,005 --> 00:08:20,015 much about all the, about her just 206 00:08:20,015 --> 00:08:23,328 Bryant Gillespie: dying on a daily basis for self-inflicted death. 207 00:08:23,328 --> 00:08:25,650 Michael Riley: no, actually, I still worry about that for other reasons though. 208 00:08:26,160 --> 00:08:30,240 She she's not always the best at the logical decision making still, 209 00:08:30,240 --> 00:08:33,719 but, less so I probably expect than you guys with your young ones. 210 00:08:34,619 --> 00:08:34,859 Yeah. 211 00:08:35,459 --> 00:08:35,999 Hundred percent. 212 00:08:36,569 --> 00:08:36,869 Bryant Gillespie: Yeah. 213 00:08:36,899 --> 00:08:38,633 So what's the topic today, guys? 214 00:08:41,483 --> 00:08:45,697 Michael Riley: Today we are talking about customer experience and. 215 00:08:45,703 --> 00:08:47,443 what you can do improve your customer experience. 216 00:08:47,460 --> 00:08:49,939 what makes customers keep coming back and buying from you? 217 00:08:50,000 --> 00:08:54,358 I think in the first place, and, we're gonna bring on a guest today. 218 00:08:54,427 --> 00:08:56,647 a lot of people probably know the guy TJ Bak. 219 00:08:56,647 --> 00:08:59,557 He owns GCI Digital Imaging down in Cincinnati, Ohio. 220 00:09:00,067 --> 00:09:04,717 You're, if you spend any time on any of the Facebook forums, like those damn 221 00:09:04,717 --> 00:09:08,485 sign guys or sign Shop Talk or anything like that, you'll inevitably, seen 222 00:09:08,725 --> 00:09:10,458 TJ's name, thrown about quite a bit. 223 00:09:10,458 --> 00:09:14,171 He seems to be pretty much the go-to guy for anybody who needs, some big wide 224 00:09:14,171 --> 00:09:17,891 format digital printing or fleet of wraps printed, or you're just like totally in a. 225 00:09:17,992 --> 00:09:19,702 in a rut and need somebody to save your ass. 226 00:09:19,707 --> 00:09:23,455 It seems like TJ is like the, the Superman and apparently he's doing something right. 227 00:09:23,455 --> 00:09:25,795 I don't know the guy personally, but I reached out to him to bring 228 00:09:25,795 --> 00:09:28,855 him on the show because he's just, everybody raves about him and his 229 00:09:28,855 --> 00:09:31,800 service and everybody just says he just, he will bend over backwards 230 00:09:31,800 --> 00:09:34,290 for you every single time and get it done and knock it outta the ballpark. 231 00:09:34,290 --> 00:09:36,929 and on a rare occasion, he doesn't, he'll be Johnny in the 232 00:09:36,929 --> 00:09:38,129 spot to make it right for you. 233 00:09:38,129 --> 00:09:41,989 So, he's definitely delivering some sort of exceptional customer experience 234 00:09:41,989 --> 00:09:45,485 and I wanna know what and why and how, so I'm excited to talk to the guy. 235 00:09:45,485 --> 00:09:46,522 Bryant Gillespie: do we just bring him on now? 236 00:09:47,842 --> 00:09:48,058 He's 237 00:09:48,088 --> 00:09:49,168 Michael Riley: he's in the lobby. 238 00:09:49,678 --> 00:09:50,098 Yeah. 239 00:09:50,098 --> 00:09:50,338 Yeah. 240 00:09:50,608 --> 00:09:51,610 Let's go ahead and, let's bring him on. 241 00:09:51,610 --> 00:09:52,720 He just sent me messages waiting. 242 00:09:52,930 --> 00:09:53,290 Okay. 243 00:09:53,460 --> 00:09:53,820 All. 244 00:09:54,415 --> 00:09:56,818 All right, so welcome, TJ Bak. 245 00:09:57,028 --> 00:09:58,258 Tj, did I say your last name right? 246 00:09:58,258 --> 00:09:59,068 Bak abs. 247 00:09:59,368 --> 00:09:59,608 Yep. 248 00:09:59,908 --> 00:10:00,298 Awesome. 249 00:10:00,298 --> 00:10:00,538 All right. 250 00:10:00,538 --> 00:10:01,918 I didn't want to butcher your name there. 251 00:10:01,918 --> 00:10:04,588 Welcome to TJ Bak from GCI Digital Imaging. 252 00:10:05,098 --> 00:10:05,878 How you doing tj? 253 00:10:06,448 --> 00:10:07,168 Doing wonderful. 254 00:10:07,408 --> 00:10:07,798 Awesome. 255 00:10:07,798 --> 00:10:08,548 Glad to have you. 256 00:10:09,268 --> 00:10:09,538 Thank you. 257 00:10:10,318 --> 00:10:12,178 Yeah, thanks for joining us, especially on such short notice. 258 00:10:12,229 --> 00:10:14,796 we just reached out to you this week on it, so thank you for dropping 259 00:10:14,796 --> 00:10:16,906 everything to, to accommodate us here. 260 00:10:16,946 --> 00:10:20,247 so to start, just, just give us the quick rundown, like the, the 261 00:10:20,247 --> 00:10:24,196 nickel experience of your company and how you got into the industry. 262 00:10:24,196 --> 00:10:26,342 What led you to where you're at and, we'll go from there. 263 00:10:27,002 --> 00:10:28,202 Bryant Gillespie: The nickel experience. 264 00:10:28,202 --> 00:10:29,012 I've never heard that. 265 00:10:29,282 --> 00:10:30,302 The Tencent tour. 266 00:10:30,542 --> 00:10:31,262 The Tencent tour. 267 00:10:31,267 --> 00:10:31,672 The Tencent 268 00:10:31,672 --> 00:10:32,522 TJ Bedacht: tour . There you go. 269 00:10:32,522 --> 00:10:32,762 Okay. 270 00:10:32,854 --> 00:10:34,134 I might give you the 25. 271 00:10:34,344 --> 00:10:35,004 All right, That works. 272 00:10:35,032 --> 00:10:39,165 so once again, TJ bak, GCI Digital, we're based outta Cincinnati, 273 00:10:39,165 --> 00:10:40,712 Ohio, family owned business. 274 00:10:42,077 --> 00:10:45,559 My dad and I, took it from a three man operation out of 275 00:10:45,697 --> 00:10:46,897 the basement of his house. 276 00:10:47,035 --> 00:10:55,495 we were retail for a number of years, and when I was finishing high school in 2001, 277 00:10:55,975 --> 00:11:01,187 I don't know where that put you guys, but 2001 was a very interesting year. 278 00:11:01,296 --> 00:11:04,389 started calling wholesale, vehicle rep companies. 279 00:11:04,389 --> 00:11:09,147 fast signs locally, saw very interesting niche. 280 00:11:09,567 --> 00:11:15,453 And, we had equipment that nobody else wanted, didn't have the space for my dad. 281 00:11:15,453 --> 00:11:18,543 My grandpa kind of bred into me. 282 00:11:18,843 --> 00:11:19,983 I'm fourth generation. 283 00:11:20,733 --> 00:11:24,963 My grandpa always said, Buy something that nobody else can, and, you'll. 284 00:11:25,958 --> 00:11:28,938 A great success in it, build it, they will come type of theory. 285 00:11:29,838 --> 00:11:32,610 And, so we were buying 10 foot machines when everybody else 286 00:11:32,610 --> 00:11:34,279 had, five foot, four foot. 287 00:11:34,416 --> 00:11:35,826 so we started printing banners. 288 00:11:36,696 --> 00:11:37,336 Lots of them. 289 00:11:37,336 --> 00:11:42,623 we're printing right now we're 40,000, 50,000 square foot per day in banner work. 290 00:11:43,133 --> 00:11:43,403 Wow. 291 00:11:43,853 --> 00:11:47,110 We're running, a thousand sheets through the flatbed department. 292 00:11:48,460 --> 00:11:50,480 72,000 grommets in a week. 293 00:11:50,487 --> 00:11:56,062 it's, it, the task of what we've built is, is quite interesting. 294 00:11:56,095 --> 00:12:01,375 to feed the beast is you call me on a Saturday night at 10 o'clock 295 00:12:01,375 --> 00:12:03,955 and say, tj, we have an emergency. 296 00:12:04,915 --> 00:12:07,465 There's not too many people that are going a answer the phone, but 297 00:12:07,825 --> 00:12:11,975 to go in, get the estimate done except the order on a Saturday night. 298 00:12:11,979 --> 00:12:12,969 that's just what I do. 299 00:12:13,329 --> 00:12:14,589 It gets me up every morning. 300 00:12:15,139 --> 00:12:15,429 I. 301 00:12:16,239 --> 00:12:17,199 Michael Riley: Well, that's why, just shout 302 00:12:17,199 --> 00:12:18,909 Bryant Gillespie: out Sign guys left and right, huh? 303 00:12:19,239 --> 00:12:19,509 Michael Riley: Yep. 304 00:12:19,689 --> 00:12:19,989 Yep. 305 00:12:20,949 --> 00:12:24,668 That's why I wanted to have you on the podcast, tj, because I, if you 306 00:12:24,668 --> 00:12:28,232 spent any time on any of the Facebook, sign industry groups, your name is 307 00:12:28,237 --> 00:12:32,102 inevitably gonna come up as the guy who's gonna swoop in and save the day 308 00:12:32,102 --> 00:12:35,432 when somebody's printer, shit the bad, or they've got an impossible deadline 309 00:12:35,432 --> 00:12:36,962 that they just flat out cannot meet. 310 00:12:37,442 --> 00:12:39,552 I don't personally know how you do it. 311 00:12:39,556 --> 00:12:40,486 it's mind boggling to me. 312 00:12:40,529 --> 00:12:43,112 I know you've got a big staff and a, some serious firepower at your 313 00:12:43,112 --> 00:12:45,722 shop to fulfill those orders, but still, like there's a human element 314 00:12:45,727 --> 00:12:47,228 to it that's just, it's impressive. 315 00:12:47,233 --> 00:12:50,175 And, like I said, what we wanted to talk about the day was, cultivating and 316 00:12:50,175 --> 00:12:51,855 creating a great customer experience. 317 00:12:52,305 --> 00:12:55,185 And you're clearly doing something right in that regard because these 318 00:12:55,190 --> 00:12:59,202 guys, almost they stop short of worshiping the ground you walk on. 319 00:12:59,202 --> 00:13:00,882 I would say it's pretty impressive. 320 00:13:00,882 --> 00:13:02,994 So how did you, how did you get to that point? 321 00:13:02,994 --> 00:13:08,706 What, how do you approach that customer experience and, Teamwork makes dream 322 00:13:08,706 --> 00:13:09,096 TJ Bedacht: work. 323 00:13:09,606 --> 00:13:11,100 Teamwork makes dreams work. 324 00:13:11,100 --> 00:13:13,483 every single one of my customers has my cell phone. 325 00:13:13,550 --> 00:13:20,332 it's of one of those things to where my wife and the kids get it. 326 00:13:20,421 --> 00:13:25,543 we've slept in the truck, delivering a job on a Friday night in North Carolina. 327 00:13:25,571 --> 00:13:30,576 my staff has worked all night to give me the proper product to, to 328 00:13:30,576 --> 00:13:35,163 make that drive the kids, helping pounding the last couple grommets. 329 00:13:35,168 --> 00:13:37,803 The wife's helping me hold the banners up. 330 00:13:37,904 --> 00:13:40,521 it was, it's been fun, very passionate about it. 331 00:13:41,301 --> 00:13:43,994 We have, we have one of the best teams in the industry for sure. 332 00:13:45,734 --> 00:13:46,104 Yeah. 333 00:13:46,106 --> 00:13:48,476 Michael Riley: how do you maintain that, that passion for the industry? 334 00:13:48,476 --> 00:13:52,657 Cuz you and I were in, I was a, I have no idea . I have no idea. 335 00:13:53,117 --> 00:13:55,829 You, you and I were in a similar market, I was 50 miles north of 336 00:13:55,829 --> 00:13:58,889 you and we had some crossover customers, like we were talking about. 337 00:13:58,889 --> 00:14:00,479 Some of 'em are crazier than others. 338 00:14:00,559 --> 00:14:01,369 it's a hard industry. 339 00:14:01,369 --> 00:14:03,612 It's a, it's an industry that will definitely, grind you down. 340 00:14:03,612 --> 00:14:06,672 Especially when on the end of the industry that you were in and that I was in, 341 00:14:06,672 --> 00:14:09,166 where you're, everything's a rush job. 342 00:14:09,166 --> 00:14:10,486 Everything's gotta have it right now. 343 00:14:10,536 --> 00:14:14,581 and printers don't always work the way you want 'em to. 344 00:14:14,586 --> 00:14:17,051 You get head strikes, you get, things just go sideways on you 345 00:14:17,051 --> 00:14:18,221 and it can be super stressful. 346 00:14:18,222 --> 00:14:19,524 how do you maintain, touch a positive outlook? 347 00:14:19,524 --> 00:14:20,664 Is that something else that I notice? 348 00:14:20,664 --> 00:14:22,654 Is that, you'll see you complaining and bitching and 349 00:14:22,654 --> 00:14:23,914 moaning a lot on those forums. 350 00:14:23,914 --> 00:14:25,787 You maintain a pretty level head and a, a pretty positive 351 00:14:25,787 --> 00:14:28,667 outlook, which is unusual in this 352 00:14:28,667 --> 00:14:29,177 TJ Bedacht: industry. 353 00:14:29,294 --> 00:14:33,084 one of my big things with all of my customers, I say, how soon do you need it? 354 00:14:34,014 --> 00:14:37,201 And, the, like for example, it's, 1230 on a Thursday right now. 355 00:14:37,204 --> 00:14:41,074 my event's Friday I gotta install for my customer. 356 00:14:41,164 --> 00:14:43,474 I'm like, Okay, but you haven't ordered it yet. 357 00:14:43,486 --> 00:14:44,969 what time does the event start? 358 00:14:45,509 --> 00:14:48,989 So then I back into it, Okay, when do I have to have it out the door? 359 00:14:49,109 --> 00:14:52,469 Is it, are we gonna chance it with UPS or FedEx? 360 00:14:52,529 --> 00:14:55,079 Are we going to drive it straight there? 361 00:14:55,619 --> 00:14:57,059 And they're like, Drive it. 362 00:14:57,599 --> 00:14:58,529 It's 10 hours. 363 00:14:58,559 --> 00:14:59,789 I'm like, do you want it or not? 364 00:14:59,813 --> 00:15:01,098 that, that whole thing. 365 00:15:01,124 --> 00:15:05,924 we've dealt the dashed projects before up to New York and stuff like that. 366 00:15:06,061 --> 00:15:07,231 there's not an option. 367 00:15:07,231 --> 00:15:08,881 You have to get these jobs done. 368 00:15:09,241 --> 00:15:12,419 And my dad, my grandpa, it's your reputation. 369 00:15:12,479 --> 00:15:13,829 It's the company name. 370 00:15:14,789 --> 00:15:17,519 You have to make it happen no matter what. 371 00:15:18,149 --> 00:15:20,669 I have to print faster than fast signs. 372 00:15:21,089 --> 00:15:25,507 I have to deliver for all these agencies and brokers and sign shots because at the 373 00:15:25,507 --> 00:15:29,433 end of the day, if they lose that account, it could be they lost their largest 374 00:15:29,433 --> 00:15:32,493 customer because of TJ in Cincinnati. 375 00:15:33,213 --> 00:15:34,123 He didn't deliver it. 376 00:15:34,123 --> 00:15:36,384 I don't accept a loss ever. 377 00:15:36,455 --> 00:15:42,005 even if UPS loses a package, my trucks have full tank of gas in it right now. 378 00:15:42,010 --> 00:15:44,495 I'm, I'll be there in a few hours. 379 00:15:44,975 --> 00:15:45,555 Bear with me. 380 00:15:45,579 --> 00:15:47,949 and that's just the motto that we've always had. 381 00:15:48,072 --> 00:15:51,818 my dad's hopped on an airplane, it was like a $2,200 airline 382 00:15:51,818 --> 00:15:55,778 ticket for a powerboat race down in Fort Myers, Florida. 383 00:15:56,228 --> 00:15:59,184 And, I put him on an airplane because UPS lost it. 384 00:15:59,364 --> 00:16:02,104 He went and delivered that banner the afternoon. 385 00:16:02,133 --> 00:16:03,213 it was like a Friday afternoon. 386 00:16:03,573 --> 00:16:07,948 He was very mad that I sent him to Florida, but, um, the customer 387 00:16:07,948 --> 00:16:11,939 got it and it was only $150 banner, but I had to get it there 388 00:16:11,939 --> 00:16:14,976 because the guy, he was so pissed. 389 00:16:15,216 --> 00:16:19,353 And it was just one of those things where you have to talk 390 00:16:19,358 --> 00:16:20,733 people off the ledge sometimes. 391 00:16:20,733 --> 00:16:24,603 And I'd rather just make it right than put a bad taste in somebody's mouth. 392 00:16:24,603 --> 00:16:27,527 So the customer experience, is very important here at the shop. 393 00:16:27,576 --> 00:16:32,328 Miss Patricia is, if you guys call the shop, she's, basically 394 00:16:32,568 --> 00:16:34,758 she helps me keep my sanity. 395 00:16:34,878 --> 00:16:36,276 She's my, my right hand. 396 00:16:36,876 --> 00:16:39,036 She handles all of my orders. 397 00:16:39,115 --> 00:16:41,275 I still enter all of our orders right now. 398 00:16:41,275 --> 00:16:44,464 I know that you guys, have, some things that I wanna talk to you guys about 399 00:16:44,464 --> 00:16:46,234 after the podcast and everything. 400 00:16:47,059 --> 00:16:48,679 To help simplify my life. 401 00:16:48,726 --> 00:16:54,402 we've got some online, ordering systems in place to where people will be able 402 00:16:54,402 --> 00:17:00,792 to upload automatic proof, and now it's gonna go straight to the printer, so it's 403 00:17:00,792 --> 00:17:03,022 gonna bypass our pre-press department. 404 00:17:03,091 --> 00:17:12,641 where we are trying to get to is to where it will auto tag it on the back side. 405 00:17:13,091 --> 00:17:17,399 It gets cut and then, goes through the whole shop without any hiccups. 406 00:17:17,939 --> 00:17:19,919 But yeah, we'll see what happens there. 407 00:17:20,909 --> 00:17:24,468 Bryant Gillespie: Let me ask you, you put your dad on a plane, you said it was 408 00:17:24,473 --> 00:17:27,811 like $2,200 plane ticket for $150 banner. 409 00:17:28,231 --> 00:17:28,351 Yeah. 410 00:17:28,351 --> 00:17:32,341 Is that, does that happen like often or? 411 00:17:32,341 --> 00:17:32,401 TJ Bedacht: No? 412 00:17:32,406 --> 00:17:37,644 We, my guys don't miss man, my guys, if I have to do that, once a quarter. 413 00:17:37,670 --> 00:17:38,407 that's a lot. 414 00:17:38,531 --> 00:17:39,141 we, Okay. 415 00:17:39,164 --> 00:17:40,994 my dad's not on an airplane every week. 416 00:17:41,084 --> 00:17:44,565 It's, if we really screw up, we make it right. 417 00:17:44,634 --> 00:17:48,714 even if it's in store credit, crediting it back to customer. 418 00:17:48,781 --> 00:17:51,901 you wouldn't believe some of the situations we get put under. 419 00:17:51,972 --> 00:17:54,424 people, approve the proof, right? 420 00:17:55,294 --> 00:17:58,874 The whole, I'm gonna prove this thing, but I'm not gonna pay for it. 421 00:17:58,890 --> 00:18:00,726 theory, when they get it, they complain. 422 00:18:01,896 --> 00:18:07,236 We have a checks and balances system will take a photo of almost every single 423 00:18:07,241 --> 00:18:11,847 job through here to make sure that, the i's are dotted and cre t's are crossed. 424 00:18:11,949 --> 00:18:15,229 but there's that one banner that just wasn't approved until late. 425 00:18:15,279 --> 00:18:17,859 55 banners already went through to production. 426 00:18:17,919 --> 00:18:19,329 Are boxed ready to go. 427 00:18:20,649 --> 00:18:22,419 That 56 banner got lost. 428 00:18:22,539 --> 00:18:22,869 Right. 429 00:18:23,109 --> 00:18:23,739 And, Gotcha. 430 00:18:24,339 --> 00:18:26,979 So we have to make it right and get it to the guy. 431 00:18:26,979 --> 00:18:31,209 It happened to be the entrance banner or the podium backdrop 432 00:18:31,214 --> 00:18:32,409 for the power bit race. 433 00:18:33,169 --> 00:18:34,369 Right, Right. 434 00:18:34,456 --> 00:18:34,726 . Bryant Gillespie: Yeah. 435 00:18:34,726 --> 00:18:39,724 No, I was I was just thinking if you're customer experience is obviously 436 00:18:39,784 --> 00:18:43,414 hugely important, but if you're like bending over backwards for every 437 00:18:43,414 --> 00:18:45,544 single customer, like it's every day. 438 00:18:45,544 --> 00:18:46,798 Wait, how do you turn a profit? 439 00:18:46,868 --> 00:18:48,794 TJ Bedacht: especially on, we don't make any money. 440 00:18:48,974 --> 00:18:50,414 We just like the print banners. 441 00:18:55,604 --> 00:18:58,754 Bryant Gillespie: Are you, are you comfortable sharing some numbers or? 442 00:19:01,334 --> 00:19:03,986 TJ Bedacht: I feel like the number situation would, would size me up. 443 00:19:03,986 --> 00:19:11,400 in, 2001, when I graduated high school, we were, we couldn't break a million. 444 00:19:12,570 --> 00:19:12,870 Okay. 445 00:19:12,900 --> 00:19:20,580 My dad was in business for, I think he started in 19, 19 91, 92, and 446 00:19:20,664 --> 00:19:22,284 they couldn't hit that threshold. 447 00:19:23,034 --> 00:19:24,093 And, it took me, And that was 448 00:19:24,963 --> 00:19:25,773 Bryant Gillespie: retail work 449 00:19:25,773 --> 00:19:27,474 TJ Bedacht: though, at that was retail. 450 00:19:27,503 --> 00:19:30,150 posters, you're gonna sell poster for eight bucks. 451 00:19:30,155 --> 00:19:33,397 we were doing a lot of posters, a lot of encapsulation of things. 452 00:19:34,267 --> 00:19:37,087 And then we got into the vehicle wrap market. 453 00:19:38,137 --> 00:19:42,335 And, we still have a few retail customers that, I still service. 454 00:19:42,335 --> 00:19:43,750 They're legacy accounts. 455 00:19:43,780 --> 00:19:46,313 I don't, it's, we don't go retail door to door. 456 00:19:47,723 --> 00:19:49,403 It's just not, we're not built for. 457 00:19:49,469 --> 00:19:52,930 if somebody calls in I'll recommend them to a local Fast signs or, one 458 00:19:52,930 --> 00:19:55,600 of my buddies that sends me a decent amount of work, I'll just pass it off 459 00:19:55,600 --> 00:19:56,860 to them cuz I don't want the headache. 460 00:19:57,820 --> 00:19:58,060 Sure. 461 00:19:58,065 --> 00:19:58,828 And, sorry 462 00:19:58,828 --> 00:20:01,977 Michael Riley: Peter, I think it's an Ohio thing to just refer people to fast signs. 463 00:20:01,977 --> 00:20:02,607 I'm not sure. 464 00:20:02,847 --> 00:20:03,897 I used to do the same thing. 465 00:20:03,902 --> 00:20:05,497 TJ fast. 466 00:20:05,521 --> 00:20:10,046 TJ Bedacht: yeah, these guys, they, most of the fast signs guys here and some of 467 00:20:10,046 --> 00:20:13,976 the other sign shops have the code to get into our side door so they can go pick 468 00:20:13,976 --> 00:20:16,475 up their, their jobs on the pickup shelf. 469 00:20:17,285 --> 00:20:20,019 But, back to the number deal, it took us a number of years 470 00:20:20,019 --> 00:20:21,459 to pass that 1 million mark. 471 00:20:23,439 --> 00:20:34,179 Two was really easy, three was difficult, four and five were covid. 472 00:20:35,769 --> 00:20:41,599 So we're up there past that right now, and it's nine months in. 473 00:20:42,649 --> 00:20:47,931 So I'm very pleased to say that the hard work of the whole staff, the 474 00:20:47,931 --> 00:20:54,051 customer service, the designers, the everyth, everything, the freight 475 00:20:54,051 --> 00:20:58,401 train's in motion, and, I couldn't do without the awesome customers we have. 476 00:20:58,410 --> 00:21:03,972 the worst thing is when, they're used to using Science 365 or IND 477 00:21:04,102 --> 00:21:06,592 or some of these other wholesalers. 478 00:21:06,772 --> 00:21:07,132 Okay. 479 00:21:07,132 --> 00:21:07,372 Yeah. 480 00:21:07,702 --> 00:21:07,882 And 481 00:21:08,512 --> 00:21:10,762 Bryant Gillespie: some of my next questions were like, who 482 00:21:10,767 --> 00:21:11,902 are you guys competing with? 483 00:21:12,622 --> 00:21:14,542 Like directly head to head with Science 484 00:21:14,542 --> 00:21:15,532 TJ Bedacht: 365. 485 00:21:15,553 --> 00:21:17,875 I'm, I'm putting in some equipment. 486 00:21:17,989 --> 00:21:21,505 this is newly released, As of yesterday, we're putting in a couple, 487 00:21:21,505 --> 00:21:24,771 H five Tex and a couple, 16 footers. 488 00:21:25,071 --> 00:21:30,891 So I'm swinging for the fences and I'm going to, with this new online ordering 489 00:21:31,011 --> 00:21:35,061 and with the stuff that we've been implementing this year, I feel very 490 00:21:35,151 --> 00:21:37,851 confident to step up to the plate 2 65. 491 00:21:39,651 --> 00:21:42,831 I don't drive a silver dually, so please don't blow me up. 492 00:21:42,831 --> 00:21:47,915 365, . So, there's plenty of work out there for all of us, but with 493 00:21:47,975 --> 00:21:53,575 the request that we have been getting, it's faster, higher quality. 494 00:21:55,085 --> 00:21:59,522 What are, what limitations do you have to, and I don't wanna have many, cutting 495 00:21:59,522 --> 00:22:02,252 out the acrylic portion of things. 496 00:22:02,252 --> 00:22:04,922 I wanna focus on rigid. 497 00:22:05,222 --> 00:22:08,232 I wanna focus on banner and mesh and vehicle wraps. 498 00:22:08,262 --> 00:22:12,342 other guys can kinda take on the acrylics and the higher end stuff. 499 00:22:12,582 --> 00:22:15,499 I just want to the lower margin, higher volume runs. 500 00:22:20,089 --> 00:22:23,439 Michael Riley: So how do you keep your staff motivated to, cuz you're to deliver 501 00:22:23,439 --> 00:22:27,343 the customer experience that you guys are, it's not, it's obviously not just 502 00:22:27,343 --> 00:22:30,752 you like as you said, I it takes an entire team behind you to pull that off. 503 00:22:30,752 --> 00:22:33,310 You can't be out there, promising the world that your customer 504 00:22:33,310 --> 00:22:35,630 is, and then your staff isn't gonna, tow the line behind you. 505 00:22:35,960 --> 00:22:38,875 How do you keep them motivated and moving forward and focused on 506 00:22:38,875 --> 00:22:40,765 the same goal that, that you are? 507 00:22:40,765 --> 00:22:44,335 Cause I think a lot of the, a lot of the challenges that every business 508 00:22:44,335 --> 00:22:48,160 owner faces, especially right now is just, is staffing in general. 509 00:22:48,160 --> 00:22:48,490 Right. 510 00:22:48,560 --> 00:22:51,470 and just finding decent employees who are willing to roll up their 511 00:22:51,470 --> 00:22:52,640 sleeves and work hard for you. 512 00:22:53,300 --> 00:22:57,413 And who care about that ultimate goal of, making the company money and putting out. 513 00:22:57,938 --> 00:22:59,078 Good service and a good product. 514 00:22:59,288 --> 00:23:01,422 How do you, you're running a high pressure. 515 00:23:01,752 --> 00:23:02,962 Everything's a rush. 516 00:23:02,983 --> 00:23:05,053 we gotta bend over backwards and tire ourselves and knots 517 00:23:05,053 --> 00:23:06,103 for every one of our customers. 518 00:23:06,193 --> 00:23:10,468 How do you keep the staff passionate about that alongside you? 519 00:23:10,472 --> 00:23:12,316 how do you keep them motivated and checked in? 520 00:23:12,316 --> 00:23:13,515 TJ Bedacht: not afraid to get my hands dirty. 521 00:23:13,515 --> 00:23:18,975 I've got a kind of a famous line that I came up with and that was here, at 522 00:23:18,975 --> 00:23:21,825 this building, maybe at the old shop. 523 00:23:21,859 --> 00:23:23,659 if I have to do your job, I don't need you. 524 00:23:23,687 --> 00:23:29,807 is one of those lines that I will use if I, if we get behind and work. 525 00:23:29,835 --> 00:23:38,783 we've got some really strong team players that will step up, make things happen. 526 00:23:39,878 --> 00:23:42,128 They understand that the yellow ticket that's flying 527 00:23:42,128 --> 00:23:44,208 through the shop is, it's hot. 528 00:23:44,277 --> 00:23:45,457 it's to grab your attention. 529 00:23:45,487 --> 00:23:48,582 we've got some, the yellow ticket is the golden ticket, right? 530 00:23:48,582 --> 00:23:53,393 I don't make a lot of money on that one banner that you might send in and 531 00:23:53,393 --> 00:23:55,223 give me seven to 10 day turn time. 532 00:23:55,433 --> 00:23:57,833 We don't have things that sit here for seven to 10 days. 533 00:23:58,433 --> 00:24:00,143 It might only be a three to five day turn. 534 00:24:01,463 --> 00:24:03,063 And we use that for fill in work. 535 00:24:03,153 --> 00:24:04,743 The yellow tickets, the rush tickets. 536 00:24:04,743 --> 00:24:07,863 I make a little bit extra rush fees on. 537 00:24:08,283 --> 00:24:08,493 Okay. 538 00:24:08,493 --> 00:24:14,961 But as far as keeping the employees focused and, getting the jobs 539 00:24:14,961 --> 00:24:16,511 out the door, perfect example. 540 00:24:16,516 --> 00:24:18,761 We've got a job in here right now for. 541 00:24:19,691 --> 00:24:21,251 Company in Lexington, Kentucky. 542 00:24:21,581 --> 00:24:25,241 All the UK banners, all the field banners for all UK football 543 00:24:25,241 --> 00:24:26,231 are going through the shop. 544 00:24:27,431 --> 00:24:29,091 Hey guys, they're gonna be here tomorrow morning. 545 00:24:29,091 --> 00:24:31,684 I'll go back there and buy each guy a drink or a candy 546 00:24:31,684 --> 00:24:32,794 bar outta the vending machine. 547 00:24:32,908 --> 00:24:36,248 and if you work through lunch, bust out a little bit early today. 548 00:24:36,255 --> 00:24:40,695 you guys were working your butts off pick up tomorrow, last Friday. 549 00:24:40,695 --> 00:24:43,125 We all left a little bit early because it was a holiday. 550 00:24:45,435 --> 00:24:53,325 We get that 30 to 50,000 square feet out a day in just an eight or 10 hour day. 551 00:24:53,355 --> 00:24:56,535 We're not running two, three shifts like some of these other guys are, 552 00:24:56,895 --> 00:24:58,215 and we're still making it happen. 553 00:24:58,330 --> 00:25:02,133 treating the employees, with respect has been one of my things. 554 00:25:02,133 --> 00:25:09,003 Also, I can't have a guy pounding a grommet, making a lot of. 555 00:25:10,443 --> 00:25:11,553 I've been there, I've done it. 556 00:25:11,553 --> 00:25:15,153 I've had to pound thousands of groms five days a week. 557 00:25:15,220 --> 00:25:16,612 I've been there, done it. 558 00:25:16,750 --> 00:25:20,520 just having respect and, earning their respect, I think is one of 559 00:25:20,520 --> 00:25:24,960 the key to help be successful in it. 560 00:25:28,450 --> 00:25:33,360 Bryant Gillespie: I just can't imagine like every job being for like another sign 561 00:25:33,365 --> 00:25:39,183 guy and having that not be like a pressure cooker situation or I guess you'll 562 00:25:39,533 --> 00:25:42,965 probably deal with some like marketing agencies and folks like that as well. 563 00:25:42,965 --> 00:25:49,205 But I just know the way that I was back in the day when I ran the shop and I know 564 00:25:49,205 --> 00:25:54,365 how discerning Mike is, and I know Mike has been on the other side where he was, 565 00:25:54,379 --> 00:25:56,110 is sling some wholesale prints as well. 566 00:25:56,110 --> 00:25:59,240 But, parti like we're a crusty bunch just by. 567 00:25:59,281 --> 00:26:01,641 TJ Bedacht: my, my guys, I mean they sent a banner out. 568 00:26:01,671 --> 00:26:05,361 It was, I believe it was like 20, 2200 inches long. 569 00:26:06,291 --> 00:26:10,871 And it was like 180 feet by, what was it? 570 00:26:11,790 --> 00:26:13,560 Nine and a half, 10 foot tall. 571 00:26:14,640 --> 00:26:15,600 They forgot the grommet. 572 00:26:15,600 --> 00:26:18,380 The one whole bottom side, like 2200 inches. 573 00:26:18,385 --> 00:26:21,480 So they forgot to do it. 574 00:26:22,050 --> 00:26:23,970 So customer called. 575 00:26:23,970 --> 00:26:26,550 He was pretty fired up because they're installing. 576 00:26:26,550 --> 00:26:28,020 I'm like, What do you want me to do? 577 00:26:28,020 --> 00:26:29,730 I can drive down there and pick it up. 578 00:26:29,970 --> 00:26:30,510 What do you wanna do? 579 00:26:31,230 --> 00:26:34,320 I just gave him a in-store credit on the other job that he has in 580 00:26:34,320 --> 00:26:35,400 here, and he was fine with it. 581 00:26:35,730 --> 00:26:43,830 But man, some of the stuff I've seen , like we shift, we shipped out a pallet 582 00:26:43,830 --> 00:26:47,274 and didn't even strap it down, shrink wrapped it, one of the guys just. 583 00:26:48,054 --> 00:26:49,134 Put forth the extra effort. 584 00:26:49,464 --> 00:26:50,364 He's not here anymore. 585 00:26:52,404 --> 00:26:53,007 Miss Patricia. 586 00:26:53,007 --> 00:26:53,679 let him fly. 587 00:26:56,669 --> 00:26:59,478 Michael Riley: Do you, it sounds like a lot of your jobs are last 588 00:26:59,478 --> 00:27:03,468 minute high pressure rush jobs, which is typical in the area of 589 00:27:03,468 --> 00:27:04,880 the industry that you operated in. 590 00:27:05,330 --> 00:27:09,641 Is it are, do you have a lot of redos and mistakes that you have 591 00:27:09,881 --> 00:27:14,460 to fix and catch on the fly be just because of the rush nature of the job? 592 00:27:14,460 --> 00:27:15,926 Or is that pretty rare for you guys? 593 00:27:16,376 --> 00:27:18,656 TJ Bedacht: We make more mistakes when we're slow. 594 00:27:22,146 --> 00:27:22,306 Interesting. 595 00:27:22,330 --> 00:27:23,813 Peter Kourounis: that's a very interesting statement. 596 00:27:24,483 --> 00:27:28,713 TJ Bedacht: It's when we're slow, we have to think about it when we're, 597 00:27:28,763 --> 00:27:33,017 when we are hammered, the jobs just go through and they flow well, I compare 598 00:27:33,022 --> 00:27:38,126 ourselves to a fast food restaurant, not a high end, sit down, meal. 599 00:27:38,636 --> 00:27:43,466 We will have, I think UPS typically picks up somewhere 600 00:27:43,466 --> 00:27:45,626 around 150 or 200 boxes a day. 601 00:27:46,136 --> 00:27:48,496 That one box could have 50 banners in it. 602 00:27:48,776 --> 00:27:55,042 So you know, these guys, if they mess up one order a day, 603 00:27:56,962 --> 00:27:58,612 first off, it's not acceptable. 604 00:27:58,702 --> 00:28:04,308 But we anticipate with the package count, the amount of work that we're putting out. 605 00:28:04,333 --> 00:28:09,943 we might double print one banner to where there might have been an A and a B art, 606 00:28:10,037 --> 00:28:11,717 that would make it through the shop. 607 00:28:12,647 --> 00:28:16,567 But, the art room prints out an A and a B proof sheet. 608 00:28:17,827 --> 00:28:22,087 But maybe the customer only approved a, so whose fault is it? 609 00:28:22,091 --> 00:28:26,391 it's, We don't make all the mistakes. 610 00:28:26,751 --> 00:28:28,461 Some of the customers will own up to it. 611 00:28:28,461 --> 00:28:32,101 Some of the customers just blame it all on us, and that's when they don't come back. 612 00:28:32,101 --> 00:28:37,979 I'm that crusty wholesale printer that will tell a customer, Hey, you were wrong. 613 00:28:37,979 --> 00:28:42,221 And some of these guys don't accept, Hey, I was slightly wrong in this. 614 00:28:42,371 --> 00:28:43,601 No, it is Gcis fault. 615 00:28:43,610 --> 00:28:45,362 it is the customer's not always right. 616 00:28:45,842 --> 00:28:46,322 Correct. 617 00:28:49,352 --> 00:28:49,922 I always like it 618 00:28:49,922 --> 00:28:50,822 Bryant Gillespie: when somebody says that out 619 00:28:50,822 --> 00:28:56,248 TJ Bedacht: loud, and I, and not to throw rocks at, where I've had 620 00:28:56,248 --> 00:28:57,718 the most trouble out of people. 621 00:28:58,858 --> 00:29:02,668 But the northeastern corner of the United States, those people tend 622 00:29:02,668 --> 00:29:06,658 to be the most, see, they on the sheet, the roughest to work with. 623 00:29:06,758 --> 00:29:07,928 not to point fingers. 624 00:29:14,558 --> 00:29:17,658 Bryant Gillespie: see Peter success letter from the whole, these now , right? 625 00:29:18,548 --> 00:29:18,938 TJ Bedacht: right. 626 00:29:19,478 --> 00:29:21,369 No, I've got some really good buddies up there. 627 00:29:21,369 --> 00:29:22,359 Christo. 628 00:29:22,959 --> 00:29:26,947 Tamir, there's a lot of guys up there that, I've done work with and, 629 00:29:26,964 --> 00:29:29,950 versus called me, I've been mowing my grass, shoot the shit with them. 630 00:29:30,013 --> 00:29:31,139 that's the whole thing. 631 00:29:31,200 --> 00:29:36,314 I'm wholesale to the trade, but it's funny the amount of wholesalers that I deal 632 00:29:36,314 --> 00:29:42,032 with and the relationship that I have with these guys, I help a lot of people out. 633 00:29:42,422 --> 00:29:45,423 And a lot of people help me out when it all comes down to it. 634 00:29:45,483 --> 00:29:50,285 Like I've called Chris up asking for advice, it's wild. 635 00:29:50,285 --> 00:29:57,970 I got, involved in the Cincinnati Red's All star game tug, or with 636 00:29:57,970 --> 00:30:00,637 blue media, it's a wild experience. 637 00:30:00,642 --> 00:30:02,107 I needed help on an install. 638 00:30:02,437 --> 00:30:04,064 He's Hey tj, just do it this way. 639 00:30:04,244 --> 00:30:07,064 And actually my installers are done. 640 00:30:07,604 --> 00:30:08,378 They're gonna help you out. 641 00:30:08,378 --> 00:30:09,709 this dude's my competitor. 642 00:30:09,859 --> 00:30:14,149 This dude's a monster in the industry and he just is helping me 643 00:30:14,154 --> 00:30:16,379 do something I've never done before. 644 00:30:16,406 --> 00:30:18,566 okay, I appreciate the help. 645 00:30:18,566 --> 00:30:21,814 And I helped them out yesterday at the Great America, or down at 646 00:30:21,964 --> 00:30:23,984 Paul Brown Stadium, the old one. 647 00:30:24,053 --> 00:30:26,561 I helped them on an install yesterday, so it's the good old 648 00:30:26,561 --> 00:30:28,121 boys club and the wholesale world. 649 00:30:28,751 --> 00:30:33,422 The guys that aren't in this, the big inner circle, my arm, I'll talk to any of 650 00:30:33,427 --> 00:30:34,631 them, know, I'll give 'em all pointers. 651 00:30:36,011 --> 00:30:40,224 We're to a stage now to where if we don't all help each other get through it, 652 00:30:40,242 --> 00:30:42,772 it's, we're just gonna, we're gonna fail. 653 00:30:42,842 --> 00:30:43,112 Sure. 654 00:30:44,342 --> 00:30:47,882 Bryant Gillespie: So you guys said that you're, you have launched or are just 655 00:30:47,882 --> 00:30:50,342 launching online ordering for clients. 656 00:30:50,480 --> 00:30:53,487 TJ Bedacht: so we've got new system that's getting ready to be released 657 00:30:53,487 --> 00:30:58,117 here, to where it's very similar to the other guys, where it's the online 658 00:30:58,117 --> 00:31:02,467 proofing and it goes straight to the rip. 659 00:31:03,607 --> 00:31:07,353 We wanted to bypass some things, how some people have ordered from 660 00:31:07,353 --> 00:31:11,223 B2 or Science 365 to where, Oh man, that experience is so cool. 661 00:31:12,093 --> 00:31:12,543 Okay. 662 00:31:12,543 --> 00:31:16,367 I've, over the last five years have probably changed, two 663 00:31:16,367 --> 00:31:17,807 to three software companies. 664 00:31:18,737 --> 00:31:20,507 I've gone to two or three different ones. 665 00:31:20,572 --> 00:31:25,072 I actually removed myself from this, that whole side of things, 666 00:31:25,072 --> 00:31:26,992 and that's one of my dad's projects. 667 00:31:27,064 --> 00:31:29,734 I put him on like day to day operation. 668 00:31:29,974 --> 00:31:31,654 He's still here every single day. 669 00:31:31,786 --> 00:31:36,646 I wanna focus on the sales and the production and the like, acquiring 670 00:31:36,651 --> 00:31:38,026 of equipment, stuff like that. 671 00:31:38,926 --> 00:31:43,666 And I've put him pretty much on the, he is not it savvy at all. 672 00:31:43,666 --> 00:31:49,216 He can barely turn on his cell phone, but I've got him working with 673 00:31:49,636 --> 00:31:51,136 a couple of our internal people. 674 00:31:52,696 --> 00:31:57,805 And with some, outside help to get this thing moving, it's very close. 675 00:31:58,255 --> 00:32:04,795 You'll be able to order any size banner, any quantity of the size automatically 676 00:32:04,795 --> 00:32:09,794 picks up if it's low res and it'll shoot a, this isn't gonna work, type of email. 677 00:32:10,394 --> 00:32:13,632 And we're trying to make it so simple that my dad can do it. 678 00:32:13,700 --> 00:32:14,030 Bryant Gillespie: Nice. 679 00:32:14,990 --> 00:32:19,641 So prior to this were you guys using like online ordering as well or like how 680 00:32:19,641 --> 00:32:24,051 do, how were most of the orders coming in or how do most of the orders come in, 681 00:32:24,081 --> 00:32:24,511 TJ Bedacht: I guess? 682 00:32:24,538 --> 00:32:28,978 so we, we used to operate off of job tickets and that just got out of hand. 683 00:32:29,116 --> 00:32:34,230 now we're using Corbridge, currently and pretty decent software. 684 00:32:34,740 --> 00:32:35,670 Pete's got corbridge, 685 00:32:35,670 --> 00:32:36,000 Bryant Gillespie: I think. 686 00:32:37,095 --> 00:32:37,695 TJ Bedacht: Pretty decent 687 00:32:37,695 --> 00:32:38,325 Peter Kourounis: Corbridge too. 688 00:32:38,625 --> 00:32:39,285 Guess what? 689 00:32:39,405 --> 00:32:40,845 Fast Signs uses Corbridge 690 00:32:40,981 --> 00:32:41,741 TJ Bedacht: it's pretty good. 691 00:32:41,810 --> 00:32:45,902 one thing that I, have been begging Corbridge to do, and I actually 692 00:32:45,902 --> 00:32:50,362 saw him down at the Atlanta Show, prior to the gentleman passing the 693 00:32:50,362 --> 00:32:57,694 owner, I asked them to, when you build an estimate in Corbridge, 694 00:32:57,724 --> 00:32:59,284 it doesn't automatically send out. 695 00:32:59,674 --> 00:33:04,834 So the opportunities of all of the estimates that we do daily, 696 00:33:05,134 --> 00:33:09,274 if we don't pick up the phone call each opportunity, it's lost. 697 00:33:09,964 --> 00:33:11,284 It's stuck in the software. 698 00:33:11,284 --> 00:33:12,844 It doesn't automatically send it out. 699 00:33:13,174 --> 00:33:16,770 And that's a huge, flag for me with Corbridge. 700 00:33:16,859 --> 00:33:20,677 I can't, I can't call every single customer that we've. 701 00:33:22,042 --> 00:33:25,224 Send an estimate one banner might be, we have a $50 minimum. 702 00:33:25,229 --> 00:33:29,579 I might have a $50 estimate, I might have a $50,000 estimate. 703 00:33:29,939 --> 00:33:35,239 Which 1:00 AM I gonna call the 50,000 and I lose track of the $50 jobs. 704 00:33:36,199 --> 00:33:39,079 So I'm trying to get those to where it's the easy online order. 705 00:33:40,489 --> 00:33:40,819 Sure. 706 00:33:40,999 --> 00:33:44,429 Bryant Gillespie: But what percentage are like through email now? 707 00:33:44,429 --> 00:33:46,469 And what percentage are online? 708 00:33:46,619 --> 00:33:48,779 Is it all through like email? 709 00:33:48,779 --> 00:33:52,403 I would say the call, I'm assuming they're just, even if you talk to them 710 00:33:52,408 --> 00:33:56,093 on the phone, they're sending you an email with the files and the details 711 00:33:56,093 --> 00:33:56,633 TJ Bedacht: of the job. 712 00:33:56,633 --> 00:33:56,813 Right. 713 00:33:56,873 --> 00:34:00,471 Most of it's 60, It's probably 60%, 70%. 714 00:34:00,542 --> 00:34:04,176 so you do the estimate, you convert it with the Corbridge thing, it walks its 715 00:34:04,176 --> 00:34:07,176 way through the system if they know how to use it and they use it properly. 716 00:34:07,254 --> 00:34:12,294 we still get, I'm gonna say 70% old fashioned way where they send over 717 00:34:12,294 --> 00:34:14,484 to email, send over the artwork. 718 00:34:14,484 --> 00:34:17,724 We have to send an estimate, process, the order, and they 719 00:34:17,724 --> 00:34:19,464 don't wanna really mess with it. 720 00:34:19,464 --> 00:34:26,874 So we're still trying to train our customers how we need to accept 721 00:34:26,874 --> 00:34:28,264 the orders to help them out. 722 00:34:28,264 --> 00:34:32,219 because staffing, we had 12 people in the front office pre Covid, I 723 00:34:32,219 --> 00:34:36,180 had, four people that did nothing but make phone calls, telemarketing 724 00:34:36,240 --> 00:34:38,280 to all the sign shops nationwide. 725 00:34:40,110 --> 00:34:43,630 I can't get, I can't get four people to come into work. 726 00:34:43,644 --> 00:34:47,274 it's me, Patricia, and two other two o three other people 727 00:34:47,274 --> 00:34:48,324 in the front office right now. 728 00:34:49,764 --> 00:34:54,543 So, majority of our sales is still of the old fashioned way. 729 00:34:59,193 --> 00:34:59,553 And is 730 00:34:59,553 --> 00:35:02,483 Bryant Gillespie: that, causing stress for you guys? 731 00:35:02,488 --> 00:35:05,015 Or like what was the point where you were like, Hey, I 732 00:35:05,015 --> 00:35:07,785 want this other system in place. 733 00:35:07,850 --> 00:35:08,960 what was the tipping point? 734 00:35:08,960 --> 00:35:09,950 Like where were you at? 735 00:35:09,977 --> 00:35:11,180 what was the time period? 736 00:35:11,960 --> 00:35:12,980 How long ago was it? 737 00:35:14,030 --> 00:35:19,010 TJ Bedacht: So I said five years ago, it might, it's my, let's see. 738 00:35:20,030 --> 00:35:22,700 We might have been working on this project for the last eight years. 739 00:35:22,760 --> 00:35:26,060 it's not that I don't wanna spend time on a 50 or a hundred dollars order, 740 00:35:26,450 --> 00:35:27,770 but I think it's wasting my time. 741 00:35:27,854 --> 00:35:29,714 I don't wanna say it's wasting my time. 742 00:35:30,614 --> 00:35:34,454 That guy that's placed that 50 or that a hundred dollars order is a regular 743 00:35:34,914 --> 00:35:37,454 customer knows how to send it over. 744 00:35:37,484 --> 00:35:40,724 He should be able to place the order online without calling 745 00:35:40,729 --> 00:35:42,314 and asking for that estimate. 746 00:35:43,319 --> 00:35:46,412 Every single day, You know what my cost is, we're gonna get 747 00:35:46,412 --> 00:35:47,732 it done, just send it over. 748 00:35:47,801 --> 00:35:52,391 I've actually passed some of the smaller things off to Mark who's in the front 749 00:35:52,396 --> 00:35:58,566 office, so that way I can focus on the larger, more profitable, projects. 750 00:36:01,266 --> 00:36:05,693 But I would say, we've been battling this for six, seven years. 751 00:36:07,373 --> 00:36:07,793 Gotcha. 752 00:36:09,413 --> 00:36:09,653 Yeah. 753 00:36:09,653 --> 00:36:10,223 In my 754 00:36:10,223 --> 00:36:13,283 Bryant Gillespie: experience, given the opportunity, customers will self serve. 755 00:36:13,327 --> 00:36:16,606 if you've got, Hey, this is how I've always worked with TJ and the 756 00:36:16,606 --> 00:36:19,020 crew, and they're fine with that. 757 00:36:19,020 --> 00:36:23,203 That's, that could be a headache trying to onboard them to this new system. 758 00:36:23,203 --> 00:36:25,477 TJ Bedacht: and that's something that, some of these other guys they 759 00:36:25,477 --> 00:36:27,727 don't offer, can't pick up the. 760 00:36:28,717 --> 00:36:32,107 And call and ask for tj, Mark, Patricia. 761 00:36:32,171 --> 00:36:37,342 our whole experience is we want to be the good old boys, I'll talk to 762 00:36:37,342 --> 00:36:41,225 anybody on the phone and I'm not gonna hurry up and let 'em off, I'd like 763 00:36:41,915 --> 00:36:48,399 when my people call and ask for a sign shop, the point of contact there, Oh, 764 00:36:48,399 --> 00:36:52,889 he's, they're out, whatever, we try to find out, Hey, what's their birthday? 765 00:36:52,960 --> 00:36:53,950 did they just have a kid? 766 00:36:54,880 --> 00:36:57,130 And we try to build off of that relationship. 767 00:36:57,135 --> 00:37:00,232 We'll send them a pacifier, we'll send them a newborn outfit. 768 00:37:00,292 --> 00:37:00,412 You. 769 00:37:01,992 --> 00:37:05,057 If they're a Pittsburgh fan, we'll send 'em a Cincinnati Bengals t-shirt, and 770 00:37:05,057 --> 00:37:09,804 actually with the boys over at Fire Sprint, James and those guys, I took the 771 00:37:09,804 --> 00:37:11,622 bus, I don't know if you guys saw that. 772 00:37:11,622 --> 00:37:12,685 and that Rusty bus, 773 00:37:12,740 --> 00:37:13,550 Bryant Gillespie: The Rusty bus. 774 00:37:13,550 --> 00:37:13,790 Yeah. 775 00:37:13,824 --> 00:37:17,814 we, did we share the picture or I saw the picture, Yeah. 776 00:37:18,084 --> 00:37:20,831 We'll make sure we add it to the, the show notes as well. 777 00:37:20,831 --> 00:37:22,675 TJ Bedacht: you watch a movie, Cousin Eddie. 778 00:37:23,815 --> 00:37:25,405 I'm so cousin Eddie. 779 00:37:25,735 --> 00:37:27,415 Cousin Eddie isn't even Cousin Eddie. 780 00:37:27,526 --> 00:37:31,440 we roll in anywhere and it's just a magnet for people. 781 00:37:31,590 --> 00:37:35,352 But, James and those boys over at Fire Sprint, we were friendly betting 782 00:37:35,352 --> 00:37:39,995 because they're so close to Kansas City and, I actually made a bet with them. 783 00:37:39,995 --> 00:37:42,305 And that reminds me I need to get. 784 00:37:42,680 --> 00:37:47,330 Them all, some GCI hats, cuz I never sent them all GCI hats to 785 00:37:47,330 --> 00:37:48,860 put on and take a picture of. 786 00:37:49,460 --> 00:37:52,910 They were in the middle of their move and I think it's time. 787 00:37:53,060 --> 00:37:54,440 I think they've had plenty of time. 788 00:37:54,470 --> 00:37:55,920 I'm gonna be sending them some hats. 789 00:37:55,990 --> 00:37:56,080 . But 790 00:37:57,160 --> 00:37:57,868 Michael Riley: yeah, I like that. 791 00:37:57,868 --> 00:38:01,952 I'm always preaching that you should, your competitors aren't your enemies. 792 00:38:01,952 --> 00:38:02,243 Right. 793 00:38:02,243 --> 00:38:04,678 they never know when you're, they're gonna need help from you or 794 00:38:04,678 --> 00:38:05,698 you're gonna need help from them. 795 00:38:05,698 --> 00:38:08,644 And, I got bailed out more than a few times by some of my competitors. 796 00:38:08,649 --> 00:38:10,704 And I'm thankful every day for them because they help 797 00:38:10,704 --> 00:38:11,874 contribute to my success. 798 00:38:11,874 --> 00:38:13,987 And I think a lot of shops lose sight of that. 799 00:38:13,987 --> 00:38:18,004 And they see the competition is the enemy and, you're at war with them. 800 00:38:18,009 --> 00:38:20,044 And I don't real, it was too small of an industry for that. 801 00:38:20,544 --> 00:38:21,014 Yeah. 802 00:38:21,014 --> 00:38:22,574 know, you never know when you're gonna need somebody's help. 803 00:38:23,114 --> 00:38:23,594 TJ Bedacht: Correct. 804 00:38:23,684 --> 00:38:28,109 And How many times have we ran out of ink because we're running all weekend and I've 805 00:38:28,109 --> 00:38:31,252 called, hey, Sport Graphics up in Indy. 806 00:38:31,432 --> 00:38:33,802 Hey, you guys have a couple cys. 807 00:38:33,862 --> 00:38:34,732 Yeah, no problem. 808 00:38:34,732 --> 00:38:35,635 Come up and get 'em. 809 00:38:35,635 --> 00:38:39,165 and they know a lot of these people in the industry know if they need 810 00:38:39,165 --> 00:38:43,459 a part, if they need my machine time, something, just gimme a call. 811 00:38:43,459 --> 00:38:44,929 I'm more than willing to help out. 812 00:38:45,066 --> 00:38:46,446 that's what makes the world go around. 813 00:38:48,186 --> 00:38:48,421 Okay. 814 00:38:48,421 --> 00:38:51,894 Bryant Gillespie: do you guys do like your clients, do they also purchase 815 00:38:51,894 --> 00:38:56,913 from like Science 365 and some of these others that are like hands off? 816 00:38:57,693 --> 00:39:01,473 Yeah, I don't think I've ever talked to anybody at Science 365, but I, 817 00:39:01,476 --> 00:39:02,799 I used to order from them a lot. 818 00:39:02,800 --> 00:39:05,236 TJ Bedacht: I could be the, new Science 365 rep. 819 00:39:05,596 --> 00:39:09,286 Their phone number is (513) 521-7446. 820 00:39:09,286 --> 00:39:10,076 Give me a call, 821 00:39:10,166 --> 00:39:13,030 Bryant Gillespie: but do you, do the customers that you deal with, do they 822 00:39:13,030 --> 00:39:17,380 prefer your good old boy approach and that's why they're coming to you guys? 823 00:39:17,380 --> 00:39:17,530 Or 824 00:39:17,530 --> 00:39:20,400 TJ Bedacht: is it, I th I think it's like the pricing game. 825 00:39:20,429 --> 00:39:27,119 they might send a project to 365 because that $10 flat rate shipping, 826 00:39:27,479 --> 00:39:31,769 or they might be cheaper on one item, but then I might get their mesh work, 827 00:39:31,829 --> 00:39:33,179 or I might get their banner work. 828 00:39:33,569 --> 00:39:38,735 So, like I said in the beginning, I've got a niche banner, mesh, 829 00:39:38,825 --> 00:39:41,285 coro, some flatbed stuff, right? 830 00:39:42,965 --> 00:39:44,255 They have their own niche. 831 00:39:44,255 --> 00:39:45,515 I have my own niche. 832 00:39:45,593 --> 00:39:48,203 I, I don't know how they're doing the $10 flat rate and making 833 00:39:48,203 --> 00:39:51,683 any money, but it is what it is. 834 00:39:51,711 --> 00:39:54,704 I know that they're build, they've gotta be building it into their 835 00:39:55,514 --> 00:39:57,104 front end price of their banner. 836 00:39:57,734 --> 00:39:58,454 We're. 837 00:40:00,119 --> 00:40:03,179 We're very aggressive on our banner and mesh pricing. 838 00:40:04,559 --> 00:40:07,199 They're a little bit higher if you do the math. 839 00:40:07,589 --> 00:40:11,519 Ours is still less money than what they're doing, but people like 840 00:40:11,524 --> 00:40:15,569 to see that $10 thing, whatever. 841 00:40:16,679 --> 00:40:20,879 They can't call and talk to a live body there like they can here. 842 00:40:21,059 --> 00:40:24,959 So I think the good old boy club, it does help. 843 00:40:26,519 --> 00:40:27,629 It does help significantly. 844 00:40:31,259 --> 00:40:31,739 Who is your 845 00:40:31,739 --> 00:40:33,869 Michael Riley: ideal client or customer? 846 00:40:33,966 --> 00:40:38,760 TJ Bedacht: My ideal customer would be, a print broker or a signed guy 847 00:40:38,970 --> 00:40:43,664 that, that, may be struggling to find. 848 00:40:45,189 --> 00:40:47,169 Employees to help in their shop. 849 00:40:47,227 --> 00:40:50,611 might have to upgrade equipment soon. 850 00:40:50,745 --> 00:40:56,015 struggling to, to get the jobs out the door, they call, they 851 00:40:56,015 --> 00:40:57,755 just know it's gonna get done. 852 00:40:57,777 --> 00:40:59,034 that's my ideal customer. 853 00:40:59,104 --> 00:41:03,898 the people that have the machines that try to do the stuff and then it's Oh, we 854 00:41:03,903 --> 00:41:06,508 can't get it all done in this timeframe. 855 00:41:06,513 --> 00:41:09,383 Let's just send it to GCI and we'll get, we'll pay a rush 856 00:41:09,383 --> 00:41:10,743 fee and have it done tomorrow. 857 00:41:10,743 --> 00:41:15,808 I'm not gonna say it, that's not my optimal customer, 858 00:41:15,813 --> 00:41:18,048 but I make money off of 'em. 859 00:41:18,048 --> 00:41:19,909 But they turn that, they turn the wheelbarrow. 860 00:41:19,980 --> 00:41:23,160 we're trying to streamline things and then that one rush job we 861 00:41:23,160 --> 00:41:26,070 might have to swap out materials just to get that one job out. 862 00:41:26,940 --> 00:41:30,300 It's not the optimal customer that I want, but we take 'em. 863 00:41:31,620 --> 00:41:31,890 Sure. 864 00:41:36,510 --> 00:41:37,050 Do you give 865 00:41:37,050 --> 00:41:40,860 Peter Kourounis: your current wholesale customers any type 866 00:41:40,860 --> 00:41:44,460 of access to your wholesale 867 00:41:44,460 --> 00:41:44,910 TJ Bedacht: print list? 868 00:41:48,360 --> 00:41:54,219 So with print gci.com basically actually you're a fast signs customer 869 00:41:54,669 --> 00:41:56,199 or you're a fast I used you before. 870 00:41:56,199 --> 00:41:56,499 Yeah. 871 00:41:57,279 --> 00:41:57,609 Okay. 872 00:41:58,389 --> 00:42:03,335 So the Fast Lane ordering system, driven specifically for fast signs, organization, 873 00:42:03,340 --> 00:42:07,985 the Fast Lane, you can go on there and we have, I think it's five, five items 874 00:42:07,985 --> 00:42:10,235 that are our sweet spot that we felt. 875 00:42:11,090 --> 00:42:14,870 Any fast signs could go on there, order at a wholesale price to 876 00:42:14,870 --> 00:42:16,650 list the pricing's in there. 877 00:42:16,650 --> 00:42:18,070 you put your size and it's there. 878 00:42:18,070 --> 00:42:21,015 We don't have a menu for square foot pricing. 879 00:42:21,015 --> 00:42:22,952 if that's what your question was. 880 00:42:22,982 --> 00:42:23,719 it's just, it's a bit, 881 00:42:23,719 --> 00:42:26,220 Peter Kourounis: it's been a, it's been a question that I've talked about here in 882 00:42:26,220 --> 00:42:31,770 this group, on this podcast before about how few of our stein shop owners out there 883 00:42:32,250 --> 00:42:36,163 actually have the, first the guts to ask. 884 00:42:36,165 --> 00:42:36,744 that's one. 885 00:42:36,749 --> 00:42:41,994 Two, the time to actually take a wholesale pricing and then build out, 886 00:42:41,999 --> 00:42:45,654 You have corporate, so building C bridge products with a wholesaler in mind. 887 00:42:48,324 --> 00:42:48,714 TJ Bedacht: Yeah. 888 00:42:48,801 --> 00:42:54,501 so the pricing structure's changed like almost weekly anymore. 889 00:42:55,071 --> 00:42:57,460 So we're doing it over under. 890 00:42:58,210 --> 00:43:01,690 Right now, I might lose a little bit on one job to where another 891 00:43:01,690 --> 00:43:02,830 job, I'll make it back up. 892 00:43:03,490 --> 00:43:07,256 The core bridge is very, to go in there and change a pricing structure. 893 00:43:07,256 --> 00:43:10,466 You have so many line items and so many sales to fill in. 894 00:43:10,466 --> 00:43:12,686 It's not the easiest thing. 895 00:43:12,686 --> 00:43:16,918 And that's where, the old fashioned way I've got in the back of my head where we 896 00:43:16,918 --> 00:43:20,081 can do it for and still get away with. 897 00:43:20,081 --> 00:43:23,269 that over under part, a buck 25 for mesh or banner. 898 00:43:23,330 --> 00:43:28,336 it's, I'm losing a little bit because the pricing, of the scrim, 899 00:43:28,426 --> 00:43:33,436 the mesh might have cost us a little bit more, but we are now back to 900 00:43:33,441 --> 00:43:35,946 ordering it from overseas, containers. 901 00:43:36,726 --> 00:43:40,086 So right now we've got five, five containers of mesh 902 00:43:40,086 --> 00:43:41,166 and banner on the water. 903 00:43:43,536 --> 00:43:43,746 Michael Riley: Okay. 904 00:43:47,061 --> 00:43:51,719 Is, are the current supply chain issues raking havoc on your business in general, 905 00:43:51,719 --> 00:43:53,429 or are you guys pretty insulated from it? 906 00:43:53,429 --> 00:43:56,675 Just what the volume would do and the quantity of material you order at a time. 907 00:43:56,679 --> 00:44:02,559 TJ Bedacht: I go through a pallet of 3M every couple days and they're 908 00:44:03,309 --> 00:44:06,369 the 300 foot rolls of CB three. 909 00:44:06,699 --> 00:44:11,769 And there was a couple times where we were almost out, and when I say almost, 910 00:44:11,949 --> 00:44:15,489 we're down to our last pallet and then the truck backs up to the door. 911 00:44:15,909 --> 00:44:21,036 But I was sweating it a little bit, because in our business we have to have 912 00:44:21,696 --> 00:44:28,626 vehicles printed ahead of time for the installers because if the installer gets 913 00:44:28,626 --> 00:44:31,186 the vehicle there, that whole chain of. 914 00:44:31,606 --> 00:44:36,736 Organization up to that graphic kit coming for the installation of that rep. 915 00:44:37,456 --> 00:44:40,960 It might have taken, the installer, five tries to get this guy to 916 00:44:40,965 --> 00:44:45,250 bring a semi truck to their location to get it installed. 917 00:44:45,250 --> 00:44:51,730 So if we missed that window of opportunity, it's not good . Sure. 918 00:44:52,390 --> 00:44:56,014 But the supply chain issues, I know we had, ran into a 919 00:44:56,019 --> 00:44:57,494 couple issues with Grim Co. 920 00:44:57,544 --> 00:45:02,421 they ran out of some material, at one point be Craft had it. 921 00:45:02,571 --> 00:45:05,016 So, you can't have all of your eggs in one basket. 922 00:45:05,766 --> 00:45:09,762 And I feel that's the same way a lot of these guys feel with the wholesale side of 923 00:45:09,767 --> 00:45:13,962 things, is they don't wanna put all their eggs in one basket and I don't blame 'em. 924 00:45:14,033 --> 00:45:15,413 but they do need to order more from. 925 00:45:16,613 --> 00:45:21,053 That the other guy, just feeds the, it feeds the family. 926 00:45:23,453 --> 00:45:23,573 Is 927 00:45:23,573 --> 00:45:26,993 Peter Kourounis: there something specific about gci? 928 00:45:26,993 --> 00:45:30,083 Maybe it's about you, maybe it's about your team, but is there something 929 00:45:30,083 --> 00:45:34,466 specific that you do, in regards to the customer experience that they just 930 00:45:34,466 --> 00:45:38,860 can't get anywhere do you pay a lot of attention to the, what the customer's 931 00:45:38,865 --> 00:45:42,850 experience is, knowing that most of your customers are sign shop owners? 932 00:45:43,810 --> 00:45:48,070 What is it specifically that comes to mind that really paints a 933 00:45:48,070 --> 00:45:49,780 picture of, Why should I use you? 934 00:45:49,810 --> 00:45:52,800 What is it that's different than anything else? 935 00:45:52,936 --> 00:46:02,356 TJ Bedacht: I feel that the, there's no excuse for failure type of approach. 936 00:46:02,415 --> 00:46:03,525 when a sign shop. 937 00:46:05,280 --> 00:46:06,840 Places an order with us. 938 00:46:07,170 --> 00:46:11,886 I feel that, the customer experience, they know that it's gonna get done. 939 00:46:12,126 --> 00:46:16,176 They can go home that night after they place the order, they can go 940 00:46:16,176 --> 00:46:19,782 home and they can say, sit down with their family not working throughout 941 00:46:19,782 --> 00:46:22,302 the night, and the job will get there. 942 00:46:22,302 --> 00:46:24,702 If it was a rush job, it'll get there by 10 30. 943 00:46:24,702 --> 00:46:27,492 The next morning ups stress free. 944 00:46:27,628 --> 00:46:30,502 that's the approach that we've had. 945 00:46:30,502 --> 00:46:36,158 My, the process that my team has put in place is to make it so much easier 946 00:46:37,478 --> 00:46:43,552 for the customers to just want to rely on us, bigger, small gci does 947 00:46:43,552 --> 00:46:46,880 it all that motto, We'll get it done. 948 00:46:46,954 --> 00:46:48,274 just emailed over. 949 00:46:48,934 --> 00:46:49,694 Get it to me. 950 00:46:49,694 --> 00:46:51,755 Lincoln from Fast, He's brick, Lincoln O'. 951 00:46:51,755 --> 00:46:55,200 he calls and he's tj, I got, I've got this mess job. 952 00:46:55,200 --> 00:46:55,830 I need it done. 953 00:46:56,520 --> 00:46:57,645 Okay, just send it over. 954 00:46:57,669 --> 00:47:00,330 that's the whole conversation, just wanting to that reinsurance. 955 00:47:00,391 --> 00:47:00,591 it's 956 00:47:00,591 --> 00:47:02,825 Peter Kourounis: the, so it's the, like the guy in your pocket of feel? 957 00:47:02,825 --> 00:47:03,665 Is that what you're feeling? 958 00:47:03,754 --> 00:47:05,044 it's the, I'm the sign shop owner. 959 00:47:05,044 --> 00:47:05,944 You're a sign shop owner. 960 00:47:05,944 --> 00:47:08,464 The job is, the focus is to get the job done. 961 00:47:08,464 --> 00:47:13,984 And the e the easiness of getting in touch with your team is what Yeah. 962 00:47:13,989 --> 00:47:17,284 Keeps me actively giving you orders cuz of how simple it's 963 00:47:17,614 --> 00:47:18,094 TJ Bedacht: correct. 964 00:47:18,094 --> 00:47:19,114 Saying Correct. 965 00:47:19,234 --> 00:47:23,346 And, the personalization that we give to the sign shop owners, for 966 00:47:23,346 --> 00:47:27,996 example, you place a mesh banner order with us for a baseball field. 967 00:47:28,476 --> 00:47:29,406 Okay. 968 00:47:31,581 --> 00:47:37,616 The line that I tell my whole staff is if they're asking for a 969 00:47:37,616 --> 00:47:42,326 six foot tall mesh banner, please ask 'em what size the fence is. 970 00:47:43,676 --> 00:47:44,456 Number one. 971 00:47:44,461 --> 00:47:49,706 If it's a six foot tall fence, you don't want the mesh banner 972 00:47:49,706 --> 00:47:50,786 to go from top to bottom. 973 00:47:50,786 --> 00:47:54,296 You want that little bit of a gap for stretching the zip ties. 974 00:47:54,776 --> 00:47:57,596 I can give you a better deal at five foot. 975 00:47:58,886 --> 00:47:59,276 Okay. 976 00:48:00,506 --> 00:48:02,846 You go online and you type it at six foot. 977 00:48:04,076 --> 00:48:06,006 Nobody's gonna ever ask that question. 978 00:48:06,031 --> 00:48:10,459 we're, we'll give the industry insight, over the phone and 979 00:48:10,459 --> 00:48:12,949 that helps everybody in the end. 980 00:48:13,129 --> 00:48:18,529 Cuz I can run two up at five foot on a 10 foot roll versus a six foot one up. 981 00:48:18,559 --> 00:48:18,799 Yeah. 982 00:48:19,129 --> 00:48:19,669 On the roll. 983 00:48:19,939 --> 00:48:21,829 Saves everybody money at the end of the day. 984 00:48:24,229 --> 00:48:24,649 Very true. 985 00:48:24,649 --> 00:48:24,919 Very. 986 00:48:24,986 --> 00:48:27,645 Peter Kourounis: I had just one follow up question here for you. 987 00:48:27,723 --> 00:48:31,890 and this is, I guess it's maybe not a question, but it speaks to your sentiment 988 00:48:31,890 --> 00:48:35,327 about what we were discussing earlier, and that's, I gave you, I guess it was 989 00:48:35,717 --> 00:48:39,257 sometime last year, you had 10, You had done a very large order for my fast 990 00:48:39,257 --> 00:48:42,890 signs, job, but it was a little different than what I was normally used to. 991 00:48:42,890 --> 00:48:47,710 The experience was very different from, from the, previous vendor I was using. 992 00:48:48,070 --> 00:48:54,070 So I had this customer, this school that wanted 1200 lawn signs, graduation signs. 993 00:48:54,082 --> 00:48:57,861 you, you know what that was that, what that was like, like during c, every kid's 994 00:48:57,861 --> 00:49:02,481 got their photo and their name and every parent was buying one for their kid. 995 00:49:02,481 --> 00:49:02,751 Right. 996 00:49:02,751 --> 00:49:05,811 So we had a lot of those orders and I had this one order from 997 00:49:05,811 --> 00:49:07,191 this one school said, I need this. 998 00:49:07,191 --> 00:49:11,145 And the next week, we hadn't ordered these yet, so my manager 999 00:49:11,145 --> 00:49:14,625 reached out to you and said, Hey, is this something that you can do? 1000 00:49:15,375 --> 00:49:20,044 And you said, Hey, Not only can I do it, just give me the template and 1001 00:49:20,044 --> 00:49:22,054 gimme the photos and gimme their names. 1002 00:49:22,444 --> 00:49:24,664 And I'm gonna set out, I'm gonna set up this file for you. 1003 00:49:24,664 --> 00:49:25,894 I'm gonna get it out here tomorrow. 1004 00:49:26,584 --> 00:49:29,690 Now, once that was approved, of course, by, by the manager here. 1005 00:49:29,695 --> 00:49:34,244 But the fact that you took that extra step, that's what, that 1006 00:49:34,244 --> 00:49:35,564 to me is your secret sauce. 1007 00:49:35,624 --> 00:49:39,134 Is that, I see, I sense that you're doing that a lot with your customers. 1008 00:49:39,554 --> 00:49:41,629 Is, would you, would I be correct in making 1009 00:49:41,629 --> 00:49:42,299 TJ Bedacht: that assumption? 1010 00:49:42,370 --> 00:49:44,320 delivering every job is very important. 1011 00:49:44,426 --> 00:49:46,508 I've, I'm gonna be very bold by saying this. 1012 00:49:46,508 --> 00:49:49,778 I've never over promise and underdelivered. 1013 00:49:49,901 --> 00:49:57,513 I believe your manager went, I can't remember if it's that job or if it 1014 00:49:57,513 --> 00:50:00,328 was a, Job for Frankie out of Chicago. 1015 00:50:00,398 --> 00:50:06,338 there's two orders that kind of cross paths mentally. 1016 00:50:07,298 --> 00:50:10,388 I believe that's the one that I said that I would throw in my enclosed 1017 00:50:10,388 --> 00:50:15,248 trailer and deliver, if I remember correctly, but I could be wrong. 1018 00:50:15,383 --> 00:50:18,083 the 1200 lawn signs, I'm pretty sure I don't know. 1019 00:50:18,088 --> 00:50:21,713 We've printed so many damn signs like that last year. 1020 00:50:21,713 --> 00:50:21,738 Yeah, I, 1021 00:50:21,738 --> 00:50:24,939 Peter Kourounis: I bet that one order bleeds into the next, But for me, in 1022 00:50:24,939 --> 00:50:29,498 my perspective, I've used your shop a couple of times after that because 1023 00:50:29,498 --> 00:50:32,138 of how wonderful that experience was. 1024 00:50:32,143 --> 00:50:35,378 But when we're talking about the customer experience from a sign 1025 00:50:35,378 --> 00:50:39,998 shop's owner's perspective, which is your majority of your clientele, 1026 00:50:39,998 --> 00:50:41,078 TJ Bedacht: that's my customers, right? 1027 00:50:41,078 --> 00:50:41,198 Yep. 1028 00:50:41,828 --> 00:50:42,158 Right. 1029 00:50:42,278 --> 00:50:44,858 Peter Kourounis: When we're talking about that, the biggest. 1030 00:50:45,458 --> 00:50:49,088 The biggest thing for me, and this is I guess gonna speak true to what you were 1031 00:50:49,088 --> 00:50:51,308 saying, is that you went that extra step. 1032 00:50:51,368 --> 00:50:53,528 It wa you heard about the timeline? 1033 00:50:53,558 --> 00:50:57,960 I said I need it by next week, and then you reverse engineered if I have to wait 1034 00:50:57,960 --> 00:51:03,490 for you to send me 1200 art files, Right, because that's what you would need to do. 1035 00:51:03,490 --> 00:51:05,568 this, I can't promise you anything. 1036 00:51:05,592 --> 00:51:09,074 I can't promise you anything other than a price today on how to get 1037 00:51:09,074 --> 00:51:10,604 that done for you in your timeline. 1038 00:51:11,264 --> 00:51:11,354 Yeah. 1039 00:51:11,384 --> 00:51:14,142 You'd made I'm not, I can't remember the name of the woman who I was, 1040 00:51:14,232 --> 00:51:15,402 who my manager was dealing with. 1041 00:51:15,402 --> 00:51:17,112 It was a woman on your staff? 1042 00:51:17,712 --> 00:51:17,922 Probably. 1043 00:51:17,922 --> 00:51:18,732 TJ Bedacht: Miss Patricia. 1044 00:51:19,452 --> 00:51:20,322 Miss Patricia. 1045 00:51:20,742 --> 00:51:21,312 Peter Kourounis: Okay. 1046 00:51:21,942 --> 00:51:22,272 Patricia. 1047 00:51:22,692 --> 00:51:27,132 Hats off to Miss Patricia for making that like an incredible experience. 1048 00:51:27,462 --> 00:51:27,792 So I. 1049 00:51:28,977 --> 00:51:33,417 The logic there was that you backwards engineered it, you heard the timeline, 1050 00:51:33,417 --> 00:51:35,547 you said, This is what I need in order to get this done for you. 1051 00:51:35,547 --> 00:51:39,717 This is what I'm willing to do for you in order to meet that deadline. 1052 00:51:40,047 --> 00:51:41,693 And it doesn't just mean delivery. 1053 00:51:41,698 --> 00:51:43,943 It was, I'm gonna set up these art files for you. 1054 00:51:43,948 --> 00:51:46,992 Give me that CSV file, give me that Excel spreadsheet, gimme 1055 00:51:47,092 --> 00:51:50,542 that Google Drive with 1200 photos in it and we'll take care of it. 1056 00:51:50,542 --> 00:51:54,888 . And then a, a day or two later, you sent it over to us and we were, we 1057 00:51:54,888 --> 00:51:57,138 were, we had a satisfied client. 1058 00:51:57,468 --> 00:52:00,835 And that to me is the relationship that I love about 1059 00:52:01,645 --> 00:52:03,235 wholesalers and sign shop owners. 1060 00:52:03,505 --> 00:52:08,395 We're all sign shop owners, but the ones that really do, the ones 1061 00:52:08,395 --> 00:52:11,795 that do a bang up job are the ones that only care about the end user. 1062 00:52:11,795 --> 00:52:14,411 . And that seems to be what your philosophy is that you don't 1063 00:52:14,411 --> 00:52:15,851 over promise and underdeliver. 1064 00:52:16,256 --> 00:52:18,779 But kudos to you for Thank you. 1065 00:52:18,849 --> 00:52:22,989 really focusing on the school's needs, not the sign shop owner's 1066 00:52:22,989 --> 00:52:24,791 needs, or the end user's needs. 1067 00:52:24,791 --> 00:52:28,438 Because I think that's what's going to, if there was, one way in one sentence 1068 00:52:28,438 --> 00:52:32,848 I can make that really separates you from any other wide format wholesale 1069 00:52:32,848 --> 00:52:36,857 printer out there, is that's what you care about Most care about the end user 1070 00:52:36,857 --> 00:52:41,837 getting what they need more than the cus more so than the vendor meaning 1071 00:52:41,897 --> 00:52:46,847 us or the sign shop owner making a profit or getting their customer happy. 1072 00:52:46,847 --> 00:52:49,397 You just want that customer to get what they want. 1073 00:52:49,397 --> 00:52:52,888 And that to me is really what GCI is all about. 1074 00:52:53,368 --> 00:52:53,488 Yep. 1075 00:52:53,488 --> 00:52:57,271 That if you can put, if you can, if you could put it into one sentence, is 1076 00:52:57,276 --> 00:52:59,891 that we don't care about the sign shop owner, we care about your customer. 1077 00:52:59,921 --> 00:53:01,181 that, that would be the way I would. 1078 00:53:02,411 --> 00:53:05,243 But maybe not in such a New York way of saying 1079 00:53:07,273 --> 00:53:07,623 . Bryant Gillespie: No. 1080 00:53:08,093 --> 00:53:11,976 Peter also does copywriting for websites on the weekends if you need a guy. 1081 00:53:13,286 --> 00:53:15,786 TJ Bedacht: No, I really appreciate that creation. 1082 00:53:16,626 --> 00:53:20,771 My, my team will be, very pumped of when this podcast comes out. 1083 00:53:20,771 --> 00:53:22,361 They will love to hear that story. 1084 00:53:23,021 --> 00:53:23,771 It means a lot. 1085 00:53:24,941 --> 00:53:27,815 Bryant Gillespie: Let me ask, that brings up, Peter's story kind of 1086 00:53:27,815 --> 00:53:31,010 brings up something that I was thinking of, but like, how are you 1087 00:53:31,010 --> 00:53:32,390 gonna replicate that with your online 1088 00:53:32,395 --> 00:53:32,810 TJ Bedacht: ordering? 1089 00:53:34,870 --> 00:53:40,435 So with that, with the online ordering, I'm going to staff a couple 1090 00:53:40,440 --> 00:53:42,835 people to review every single order. 1091 00:53:43,405 --> 00:53:45,896 And if there's something that's out of the ordinary, they will be 1092 00:53:45,896 --> 00:53:47,981 call, they will be called, yes. 1093 00:53:47,981 --> 00:53:50,570 It's supposed to be hams free, paperless type. 1094 00:53:52,610 --> 00:53:57,678 But when I feel like when that process gets there, it's gonna be more headaches. 1095 00:53:58,008 --> 00:54:01,498 So I want personalization still on those orders. 1096 00:54:01,568 --> 00:54:04,958 if there's a typo or something like that, it needs to be caught. 1097 00:54:05,168 --> 00:54:12,668 A sign shop's not gonna be able to eat 1200 signs that they only put one PDF 1098 00:54:13,568 --> 00:54:15,648 and it was supposed to be 1500 PDFs. 1099 00:54:15,718 --> 00:54:18,538 that online system isn't smart enough for that. 1100 00:54:19,168 --> 00:54:23,714 So I want my team to, okay, there's 1500 signs. 1101 00:54:23,924 --> 00:54:27,224 There's supposed to be 1500 individual artworks. 1102 00:54:28,424 --> 00:54:29,144 Where's the art? 1103 00:54:29,174 --> 00:54:30,434 We only have one pdf. 1104 00:54:30,944 --> 00:54:33,174 Oh man, I, something must have happened. 1105 00:54:33,245 --> 00:54:40,265 there's that I can afford to lose $50, but I can't afford to lose 1500. 1106 00:54:41,000 --> 00:54:43,022 On a bunch of orders, you know what I'm saying? 1107 00:54:43,075 --> 00:54:51,385 I want to make sure that every single job is as perfect as they can be, but 1108 00:54:52,705 --> 00:54:55,785 that 50 or that hundred might, it's just gonna go through the system. 1109 00:54:56,355 --> 00:55:03,505 I want them to just double check some and just make sure you know who your customers 1110 00:55:03,505 --> 00:55:05,985 are that will send over the good stuff. 1111 00:55:06,255 --> 00:55:06,615 Right? 1112 00:55:07,305 --> 00:55:11,205 It's the ones that send over the kind of questionable jobs from time to time 1113 00:55:11,625 --> 00:55:13,065 that you have to double check their work. 1114 00:55:15,465 --> 00:55:15,715 Yeah. 1115 00:55:15,715 --> 00:55:16,051 hey. 1116 00:55:16,051 --> 00:55:18,737 Peter Kourounis: who, who, did you build this system for yourself or did 1117 00:55:18,737 --> 00:55:20,027 you have somebody build it for you? 1118 00:55:20,103 --> 00:55:25,400 TJ Bedacht: we have had five people totally. 1119 00:55:25,580 --> 00:55:28,190 That have done some software stuff. 1120 00:55:28,254 --> 00:55:30,204 I don't have all of that knowledge. 1121 00:55:30,264 --> 00:55:34,166 Like I said, my dad has Tackled that I'm not, I, we've gone 1122 00:55:34,171 --> 00:55:36,416 through so many different software. 1123 00:55:36,506 --> 00:55:39,476 I don't know where we're at and who we're using currently. 1124 00:55:39,821 --> 00:55:40,166 , what's, 1125 00:55:40,255 --> 00:55:42,295 Bryant Gillespie: why have you gone through so many different ones? 1126 00:55:42,384 --> 00:55:45,648 TJ Bedacht: because of, some didn't integrate with Corbridge, some 1127 00:55:45,648 --> 00:55:47,598 didn't integrate with QuickBooks. 1128 00:55:47,598 --> 00:55:50,348 Some of 'em didn't ha this was the best one. 1129 00:55:50,348 --> 00:55:52,178 So we spent like a year and a half. 1130 00:55:52,219 --> 00:55:59,170 and we found out that when we started out with, Pace, ero, and they 1131 00:55:59,170 --> 00:56:00,890 had a limitation on banner sizes. 1132 00:56:00,912 --> 00:56:04,233 so the customer couldn't order over a five by 10 banner. 1133 00:56:04,238 --> 00:56:05,673 I'm like, That's not gonna fly, dude. 1134 00:56:06,633 --> 00:56:08,360 He's we can't, expand it any. 1135 00:56:09,290 --> 00:56:13,955 So Corbridge adapted with us, and we've had them the longest, but some 1136 00:56:13,955 --> 00:56:18,284 of the other, ones that we used, they just, they were more of a paper 1137 00:56:18,284 --> 00:56:24,764 printer to where it was built by sheets and with it being built by rolls. 1138 00:56:25,364 --> 00:56:31,724 So where we're using master rolls of 750 feet in length in a sign 1139 00:56:31,724 --> 00:56:36,744 shop or a printer might have, 150 foot roll, it doesn't work for us. 1140 00:56:36,776 --> 00:56:41,568 and then the, they're used to building it at 60 inch, where 1141 00:56:41,568 --> 00:56:45,898 ours are 126 or 1 96 here soon. 1142 00:56:45,969 --> 00:56:51,698 that's where a lot however, signs 365 did it, and however 1143 00:56:51,698 --> 00:56:54,518 B2 did it, that's off to them. 1144 00:56:54,788 --> 00:56:56,018 They were the first in the market. 1145 00:56:56,843 --> 00:57:01,222 I don't, I eight, 10 years worth of trying to, I'm not gonna say copy 1146 00:57:01,542 --> 00:57:05,002 'em because we are trying to make ours better and we've stuck with the 1147 00:57:05,007 --> 00:57:08,362 same model over the last 10 years. 1148 00:57:10,192 --> 00:57:11,152 We just want simple. 1149 00:57:11,482 --> 00:57:15,082 We want a guy to be able to go size, quantity. 1150 00:57:15,352 --> 00:57:17,872 Here's the artwork order, boom. 1151 00:57:17,898 --> 00:57:19,548 drop shipping is a must. 1152 00:57:20,178 --> 00:57:20,878 And Yep. 1153 00:57:20,889 --> 00:57:21,979 estimating the freight. 1154 00:57:21,998 --> 00:57:27,120 we got all the way through this last software package, I think, I spent 1155 00:57:27,120 --> 00:57:33,070 almost 275,000 on the software package and the guy told us, we can't, we can't 1156 00:57:33,075 --> 00:57:36,261 estimate weight and sizes of the package. 1157 00:57:36,801 --> 00:57:39,091 I'm like, What do you mean? 1158 00:57:39,091 --> 00:57:41,289 you're just gonna have to do a standardized shipping. 1159 00:57:41,289 --> 00:57:42,787 And I'm like, that's what the other guy does. 1160 00:57:43,087 --> 00:57:44,362 $10 a box. 1161 00:57:45,277 --> 00:57:49,327 But I'm not gonna lose $20 every box, $30 every box. 1162 00:57:49,327 --> 00:57:50,507 I want it to be accurate. 1163 00:57:51,157 --> 00:57:54,007 So that way there's a percentage on markup, on shipping. 1164 00:57:55,057 --> 00:57:57,044 And man, that was the last go around. 1165 00:57:57,044 --> 00:58:01,172 And then there was another, we tried the fiery EFI software. 1166 00:58:01,217 --> 00:58:02,657 we're moving down the road from that one. 1167 00:58:04,127 --> 00:58:04,807 But, it's, 1168 00:58:04,807 --> 00:58:07,644 Bryant Gillespie: it sounds like a headache to me, is what it sounds like, 1169 00:58:07,644 --> 00:58:09,056 TJ Bedacht: That's why I stepped away from it. 1170 00:58:09,056 --> 00:58:13,236 I wanted to focus on what I do best and that's, getting the orders in, getting 1171 00:58:13,236 --> 00:58:15,096 them delivered, making the customer happy. 1172 00:58:15,666 --> 00:58:20,346 Dad, your job I'd need this website up quickly. 1173 00:58:21,636 --> 00:58:23,376 . Okay, Dad, there you go. 1174 00:58:23,556 --> 00:58:24,778 And that's his project Jack. 1175 00:58:25,558 --> 00:58:27,358 That's his project, and he still doesn't have it up. 1176 00:58:27,598 --> 00:58:29,158 Still doesn't have it up 10 years. 1177 00:58:29,998 --> 00:58:30,178 All right. 1178 00:58:30,178 --> 00:58:31,108 So for our listeners 1179 00:58:31,108 --> 00:58:35,807 Peter Kourounis: out there who, follow, TJ on all these sign shop talks and 1180 00:58:35,867 --> 00:58:39,269 other Facebook groups and things like that, me being one of them, I have 1181 00:58:39,269 --> 00:58:42,539 to ask, I'm gonna ask for the users that are out there that are afraid to 1182 00:58:42,539 --> 00:58:45,119 ask, What is up with the Rusty Bus? 1183 00:58:46,619 --> 00:58:48,462 Where did that idea come from? 1184 00:58:48,476 --> 00:58:51,116 what is that all about? 1185 00:58:52,196 --> 00:58:52,586 Tell me. 1186 00:58:52,796 --> 00:58:53,156 I need to 1187 00:58:53,161 --> 00:58:53,426 TJ Bedacht: know. 1188 00:58:53,786 --> 00:58:54,176 All right. 1189 00:58:54,176 --> 00:58:57,602 So that Rusty bus, is a joke. 1190 00:58:57,678 --> 00:58:59,677 Craig Snowden, he's out of Indiana. 1191 00:59:00,037 --> 00:59:06,577 We were on the sign Shop talk and he said something about, Hey, here's cousin Eddie. 1192 00:59:06,847 --> 00:59:09,307 I'm gonna be at Fort Wilderness over Christmas. 1193 00:59:09,307 --> 00:59:11,096 And I'm like, No, shit. 1194 00:59:11,096 --> 00:59:12,055 I'm gonna be there too. 1195 00:59:12,445 --> 00:59:15,212 And he was like, let's have, let. 1196 00:59:16,022 --> 00:59:18,992 Let's see who has the better looking campsite. 1197 00:59:19,022 --> 00:59:22,022 I'm like, Huh, okay. 1198 00:59:22,772 --> 00:59:25,721 And, . So we called each other on the phone. 1199 00:59:25,721 --> 00:59:26,651 I said, What are you gonna do? 1200 00:59:26,651 --> 00:59:29,125 And he's I wanna put some decals on my truck and I'm gonna make a 1201 00:59:29,215 --> 00:59:32,335 big cousin, Eddie Fricking sweet. 1202 00:59:32,635 --> 00:59:36,475 I'm like, All right, I've got the perfect plan. 1203 00:59:37,075 --> 00:59:41,385 So, Jeff Roland, is one of my designers, and, he and I sat down 1204 00:59:41,385 --> 00:59:42,975 and he goes, What do you wanna do? 1205 00:59:42,975 --> 00:59:44,745 I said, Here's a picture. 1206 00:59:45,495 --> 00:59:46,365 Make it happen. 1207 00:59:46,815 --> 00:59:47,865 I leave on Thursday. 1208 00:59:49,785 --> 00:59:52,695 That was Friday afternoon, . That was Friday afternoon. 1209 00:59:52,695 --> 00:59:58,550 So, I had the, RV here at the shop, and, so Jeff started 1210 00:59:58,555 --> 01:00:00,230 dropping files Monday morning. 1211 01:00:00,840 --> 01:00:02,570 By Thursday, the bus was done. 1212 01:00:03,680 --> 01:00:08,161 And, I'm like, Jeff, I need some woodgreen for, to decide the expedition. 1213 01:00:08,491 --> 01:00:10,411 And he goes, You're doing that too. 1214 01:00:11,881 --> 01:00:12,421 Friday. 1215 01:00:12,811 --> 01:00:16,915 I hurried up before we left, wrapped the expedition with some 1216 01:00:16,915 --> 01:00:21,058 woodgreen, make it look like, Clark Griswolds, the family Truckster. 1217 01:00:21,478 --> 01:00:24,298 It's one of my favorite movies of all times. 1218 01:00:25,528 --> 01:00:34,828 And so I sent a teaser pitcher to Craig and he was like, 1219 01:00:35,158 --> 01:00:36,298 You've got to be kidding me. 1220 01:00:36,988 --> 01:00:42,445 So he told a couple people what was coming and then, I sent a video to 1221 01:00:42,445 --> 01:00:46,345 my buddy Matt Meyrick, that owns busted knuckle films on YouTube. 1222 01:00:47,155 --> 01:00:52,405 He posted it up with, before I hit the Florida Georgia line, 1223 01:00:52,435 --> 01:00:55,165 there was almost 5 million views. 1224 01:00:55,218 --> 01:01:02,159 on TikTok and on YouTube, and it was just, I looked at Heather and Jeff called 1225 01:01:02,159 --> 01:01:09,389 me and we're like, We made something really wild and crazy and the amount 1226 01:01:09,389 --> 01:01:13,079 of people that are checking this thing out, it's making everybody smile. 1227 01:01:13,949 --> 01:01:16,349 So that was our approach. 1228 01:01:16,349 --> 01:01:18,329 We did it to make people smile. 1229 01:01:18,539 --> 01:01:19,359 It was a joke. 1230 01:01:19,389 --> 01:01:26,199 We wanted to have the best looking campsite at Fort Wilderness and with all 1231 01:01:26,199 --> 01:01:28,959 of the tools that I have here, we did it. 1232 01:01:28,959 --> 01:01:33,249 And I think we're gonna hold that title until I remove the wrap off. 1233 01:01:33,249 --> 01:01:37,999 There's not another wrap that's as crazy. 1234 01:01:37,999 --> 01:01:44,829 it's a 2014 Fleetwood discovery that my wife makes really good money 1235 01:01:44,834 --> 01:01:46,239 and she's the one that bought it. 1236 01:01:46,929 --> 01:01:48,849 But I'm just a dumb sign guy. 1237 01:01:48,878 --> 01:01:52,420 she, It's created an identity and the kids even love it. 1238 01:01:53,110 --> 01:01:56,360 And, so when we go down to Fort Wilderness, there's some videos 1239 01:01:56,360 --> 01:02:00,029 that I sent to you guys and it shows when Craig was of doing the drone 1240 01:02:00,034 --> 01:02:02,909 shots and the just checking it out. 1241 01:02:03,269 --> 01:02:07,687 He, he looked at me, he goes, This thing is getting so much attention. 1242 01:02:07,692 --> 01:02:09,367 I said, I'm doing it for the industry, dude. 1243 01:02:09,472 --> 01:02:13,004 I don't, I have a little small QR code on the back, corner of the bus. 1244 01:02:13,004 --> 01:02:15,044 It says GCI printed by gci. 1245 01:02:15,494 --> 01:02:19,888 And I've got our Instagram for that rusty bus and the, the Facebook thing. 1246 01:02:19,948 --> 01:02:20,708 I didn't do it. 1247 01:02:20,708 --> 01:02:24,385 I didn't want to be like a huge marketing campaign for gci. 1248 01:02:24,835 --> 01:02:26,935 I wanted it to be holy shit. 1249 01:02:26,935 --> 01:02:29,935 We can make beautiful RVs look like shit. 1250 01:02:30,385 --> 01:02:38,858 Or shitty RVs look beautiful . And I hope that the rap world is capitalizing. 1251 01:02:40,143 --> 01:02:40,743 On this. 1252 01:02:40,765 --> 01:02:44,996 I think there's, Chad out of Fast Lane out in Illinois, he's 1253 01:02:44,996 --> 01:02:46,256 doing some really cool work. 1254 01:02:46,256 --> 01:02:48,623 Jamie, the rap artist killer work. 1255 01:02:48,654 --> 01:02:55,164 the, there's so many, like vehicle rap people. 1256 01:02:55,164 --> 01:03:00,945 It's an art that the big thing with that Rusty bus right now is p all these 1257 01:03:01,345 --> 01:03:08,925 RVs that have the 1.5 million coaches, I'm gonna call 'em Karens, because they 1258 01:03:08,930 --> 01:03:15,325 don't want that in their RV resorts because it looks like shit in their mind. 1259 01:03:15,325 --> 01:03:15,803 it's art. 1260 01:03:17,423 --> 01:03:18,653 It fits the year. 1261 01:03:18,863 --> 01:03:19,583 It's art. 1262 01:03:19,943 --> 01:03:24,542 You can't kick me out because it's physically, it hits all the requirements. 1263 01:03:24,632 --> 01:03:24,992 Yes. 1264 01:03:24,992 --> 01:03:27,302 It's sort of patinaed 1265 01:03:31,007 --> 01:03:31,819 Yeah, it's fun. 1266 01:03:31,819 --> 01:03:36,319 We, I, it's definitely holding the title for the most photographed 1267 01:03:36,699 --> 01:03:37,759 RV on the planet right now. 1268 01:03:40,459 --> 01:03:44,459 . So, Fleetwood Discovery or Fleetwood, rv, are you going, are you 1269 01:03:44,459 --> 01:03:48,059 Bryant Gillespie: gonna try to top yourself eventually or are you just gonna 1270 01:03:48,059 --> 01:03:51,401 wait until somebody else comes along and knocks you off the throne to reclaim? 1271 01:03:51,851 --> 01:03:55,271 TJ Bedacht: So version two isn't gonna be on the same bus. 1272 01:03:56,171 --> 01:03:59,794 I'm thinking about the next one, what version two is gonna be. 1273 01:04:00,364 --> 01:04:05,794 But with it being getting close to the age requirement for some of the RV parks, 1274 01:04:06,244 --> 01:04:08,419 we have to, upgrade the next year or two. 1275 01:04:09,109 --> 01:04:10,249 Cause it's 10 years or older. 1276 01:04:10,699 --> 01:04:11,959 So we're at the eight year mark. 1277 01:04:11,959 --> 01:04:12,019 Yeah. 1278 01:04:12,919 --> 01:04:13,219 But, 1279 01:04:13,316 --> 01:04:15,716 Bryant Gillespie: yeah, I know nothing about the RV world, so 1280 01:04:15,786 --> 01:04:18,006 TJ Bedacht: when you come to Cincinnati, I'll just take you a ride in. 1281 01:04:19,326 --> 01:04:23,641 You'll have to put the robe on and go pump some gas . But, , no, it's, 1282 01:04:23,710 --> 01:04:24,760 you guys have to check it out. 1283 01:04:24,765 --> 01:04:26,530 It's that rusty bus on Facebook. 1284 01:04:26,830 --> 01:04:31,980 And, the family, we really appreciate all of the, we're all 1285 01:04:31,980 --> 01:04:33,610 of the smiles going down a road. 1286 01:04:33,610 --> 01:04:34,626 it's unbelievable. 1287 01:04:37,496 --> 01:04:38,426 So That's awesome. 1288 01:04:40,736 --> 01:04:42,169 But, has anybody ever 1289 01:04:42,409 --> 01:04:43,969 Peter Kourounis: touched it and thought it was real? 1290 01:04:43,974 --> 01:04:44,599 Dude, 1291 01:04:45,499 --> 01:04:50,839 TJ Bedacht: Dude, it's, If you don't walk by it and not touch it, I think 1292 01:04:50,839 --> 01:04:51,859 there's something wrong with you. 1293 01:04:52,339 --> 01:04:57,464 Like it, everybody walks by because it did just win. 1294 01:04:57,513 --> 01:04:58,097 Where's that at? 1295 01:04:58,457 --> 01:04:59,837 I had a, an extra copy. 1296 01:04:59,892 --> 01:05:04,235 I don't know what they did with it, but it just won like best, rap in 1297 01:05:04,240 --> 01:05:08,321 the signs of the Times Magazine and it's on the, their website and stuff. 1298 01:05:09,371 --> 01:05:17,471 What Jeff did was he took and make, made everything look so real in 40 plus 1299 01:05:17,471 --> 01:05:19,709 hours in design time was spent on it. 1300 01:05:20,249 --> 01:05:22,019 So Remarkable. 1301 01:05:22,019 --> 01:05:22,299 Yep. 1302 01:05:22,649 --> 01:05:23,409 Remarkable. 1303 01:05:23,409 --> 01:05:23,609 Yep. 1304 01:05:24,329 --> 01:05:24,569 Yeah. 1305 01:05:24,569 --> 01:05:25,139 I love it, man. 1306 01:05:25,139 --> 01:05:25,619 It's great. 1307 01:05:27,569 --> 01:05:30,359 So we're talking, Heather and I are actually talking about traveling with 1308 01:05:30,359 --> 01:05:34,799 the kids and I will actually want to, we're, we've got a map planned out. 1309 01:05:34,799 --> 01:05:40,181 We wanna see some of the customers and we headed up the sign show up at Indy. 1310 01:05:40,181 --> 01:05:43,350 couple of my employees and I, we jumped in it, took it up there and 1311 01:05:43,350 --> 01:05:44,640 parked it out in front of the hotel. 1312 01:05:45,390 --> 01:05:48,460 But we're gonna do a sign shop visit tour. 1313 01:05:49,195 --> 01:05:53,417 And, I feel that the, that would be pretty sweet to roll out in front 1314 01:05:53,417 --> 01:05:58,151 of a sign shop and, just see that wild ass thing sitting out in front. 1315 01:05:58,179 --> 01:06:00,669 some of these guys probably won't know what to expect. 1316 01:06:01,869 --> 01:06:02,229 Make sure 1317 01:06:02,234 --> 01:06:03,699 Peter Kourounis: you come to the northeast. 1318 01:06:03,699 --> 01:06:04,089 TJ Bedacht: Okay. 1319 01:06:04,389 --> 01:06:06,699 Make sure you, we actually plan part of your trip. 1320 01:06:07,599 --> 01:06:08,649 . We plan on it. 1321 01:06:08,681 --> 01:06:09,684 it's just, we have to, He's 1322 01:06:10,014 --> 01:06:11,244 Bryant Gillespie: gonna pull it up in front of your shop. 1323 01:06:11,244 --> 01:06:11,484 Pete, 1324 01:06:12,864 --> 01:06:13,674 Peter Kourounis: I'm pull it up. 1325 01:06:13,674 --> 01:06:14,784 I could use the publicity. 1326 01:06:14,812 --> 01:06:15,377 Bryant Gillespie: gonna block 1327 01:06:15,377 --> 01:06:15,977 TJ Bedacht: the street. 1328 01:06:16,397 --> 01:06:17,927 Do you have a sewer drain out front? 1329 01:06:18,827 --> 01:06:20,067 ? Yeah, course I do. 1330 01:06:21,117 --> 01:06:21,787 Shitter. 1331 01:06:21,817 --> 01:06:22,467 I really do. 1332 01:06:22,517 --> 01:06:22,637 Yeah. 1333 01:06:22,637 --> 01:06:22,817 What? 1334 01:06:22,817 --> 01:06:23,297 Not before. 1335 01:06:23,807 --> 01:06:26,198 I'm gonna drop the tank right in front of your shop. 1336 01:06:29,158 --> 01:06:33,038 ? No, in this bathroom with the, in my bath with the hat. 1337 01:06:33,188 --> 01:06:34,718 Drinking a beer bush light. 1338 01:06:35,048 --> 01:06:35,798 And a cigar. 1339 01:06:36,308 --> 01:06:36,968 And a cigar. 1340 01:06:37,958 --> 01:06:43,372 No, but No, we do plan on coming up there and, checking that northeastern area out. 1341 01:06:43,402 --> 01:06:48,232 Hopefully you guys will accept us up there, so. 1342 01:06:49,582 --> 01:06:49,912 Nice. 1343 01:06:50,152 --> 01:06:50,662 That's awesome. 1344 01:06:50,722 --> 01:06:51,802 No, we appreciate it. 1345 01:06:51,952 --> 01:06:55,744 It's it's been fun and the whole princess, I think that's my escape, 1346 01:06:56,854 --> 01:07:02,884 but we just put the star link on and now I have to work everywhere I go. 1347 01:07:02,884 --> 01:07:03,874 There's no excuse. 1348 01:07:03,934 --> 01:07:04,294 Yeah. 1349 01:07:04,814 --> 01:07:05,304 Yeah. 1350 01:07:05,584 --> 01:07:06,844 , there's no excuse to get away. 1351 01:07:07,864 --> 01:07:08,464 That's not fun. 1352 01:07:08,814 --> 01:07:09,293 Yeah. 1353 01:07:09,305 --> 01:07:09,505 Bryant Gillespie: cool. 1354 01:07:09,523 --> 01:07:12,166 I, yeah, I really enjoyed this interview, tj. 1355 01:07:12,166 --> 01:07:13,756 I appreciate you coming on, man. 1356 01:07:13,867 --> 01:07:22,088 for everybody out there that, doesn't know you or GCI yet, how can they find you? 1357 01:07:22,568 --> 01:07:22,808 How can 1358 01:07:22,813 --> 01:07:23,378 TJ Bedacht: they contact you? 1359 01:07:23,408 --> 01:07:27,402 they can, reach out tj@gcidigital.com. 1360 01:07:28,452 --> 01:07:31,884 They can go to print gci.com. 1361 01:07:31,884 --> 01:07:37,422 they can search us on the internet, gci badass banner, dude. 1362 01:07:37,423 --> 01:07:40,463 look at, if you're on any of the sign shop forms, just ask 1363 01:07:40,544 --> 01:07:41,974 who they need to print with. 1364 01:07:41,974 --> 01:07:42,184 And 1365 01:07:43,024 --> 01:07:44,914 Bryant Gillespie: if I type in badass banner, dude, does 1366 01:07:44,914 --> 01:07:45,934 that come up with you guys? 1367 01:07:46,174 --> 01:07:46,864 TJ Bedacht: My, no. 1368 01:07:47,824 --> 01:07:48,374 , Oh, actually, 1369 01:07:48,379 --> 01:07:50,624 Bryant Gillespie: Jeff, I should say I would be putting that on my business card. 1370 01:07:51,434 --> 01:07:53,714 , Just Google Badass banner. 1371 01:07:53,714 --> 01:07:54,014 Dude. 1372 01:07:54,494 --> 01:07:57,284 TJ Bedacht: Jeff's, email address was, Miss Patricia, What was that? 1373 01:07:57,352 --> 01:07:58,222 badass. 1374 01:08:00,382 --> 01:08:02,835 It was like badass, designer or something like that. 1375 01:08:02,835 --> 01:08:08,009 He made it up and, was like, badass designer doc or@gci-digital.com 1376 01:08:08,014 --> 01:08:08,849 or something like that. 1377 01:08:08,979 --> 01:08:09,329 He. 1378 01:08:10,754 --> 01:08:13,856 It was one of those bets with a buddy of his and he's Yeah, dude, 1379 01:08:13,856 --> 01:08:15,896 you got a cat walking on your desk? 1380 01:08:16,166 --> 01:08:16,616 I do. 1381 01:08:16,916 --> 01:08:17,726 Is that a tiger? 1382 01:08:18,356 --> 01:08:19,076 Michael Riley: She looks like it. 1383 01:08:19,076 --> 01:08:19,256 Come here. 1384 01:08:21,086 --> 01:08:21,386 Yeah. 1385 01:08:21,386 --> 01:08:23,460 That's, one, one of my three at least at least she 1386 01:08:23,460 --> 01:08:24,390 Bryant Gillespie: didn't shit on the desk. 1387 01:08:24,395 --> 01:08:24,660 This test. 1388 01:08:25,740 --> 01:08:26,040 . Michael Riley: Yeah. 1389 01:08:26,280 --> 01:08:27,300 No, that, that's legit. 1390 01:08:27,330 --> 01:08:30,810 She has like irritable bowel syndrome and I, she's had some 1391 01:08:30,810 --> 01:08:32,640 accidents like on my keyboard. 1392 01:08:32,760 --> 01:08:35,580 I've had to replace a keyboard before . You just can't clean that out. 1393 01:08:35,585 --> 01:08:36,450 Shit happens. 1394 01:08:36,840 --> 01:08:37,320 TJ Bedacht: Shit happens. 1395 01:08:38,130 --> 01:08:38,790 She's something else. 1396 01:08:38,829 --> 01:08:43,397 , if anybody's wanting to come visit, I, I strongly, suggest it, that 1397 01:08:43,397 --> 01:08:46,858 25 cent tour that, we were all joking about at the beginning. 1398 01:08:46,918 --> 01:08:47,638 The Nickel tour. 1399 01:08:48,118 --> 01:08:49,048 The nickel tour. 1400 01:08:49,086 --> 01:08:54,259 so when we went down to the Atlanta Sign Show, I made a comment to 1401 01:08:54,519 --> 01:08:58,159 my dad and my son actually was the one that brought it up. 1402 01:08:58,159 --> 01:08:59,299 He goes, Papa Tom. 1403 01:09:00,814 --> 01:09:02,644 We have more equipment than the sign show does. 1404 01:09:03,124 --> 01:09:06,232 And, , I looked over at my kid, he's 12 years old, and I'm 1405 01:09:06,232 --> 01:09:08,902 like, Dude, you're not joking. 1406 01:09:09,037 --> 01:09:14,477 it's impressive to see, five latex machines running two big Tex. 1407 01:09:14,477 --> 01:09:17,228 And then we got the new 10 foot, 10 by 10 colberg. 1408 01:09:17,708 --> 01:09:23,258 So watching those things run still to this day, like when 1409 01:09:23,258 --> 01:09:24,791 I walk out there, I'm amazed. 1410 01:09:24,911 --> 01:09:30,513 So if anybody's in the Cincinnati area, I highly suggest, coming in, taking 1411 01:09:30,513 --> 01:09:34,893 your kids to Cincinnati Zoo Museum or whatever here in Cincinnati and coming 1412 01:09:34,983 --> 01:09:36,813 up for 10 minutes just to check it out. 1413 01:09:36,822 --> 01:09:38,874 I'll buy you some lunch or something. 1414 01:09:39,444 --> 01:09:39,834 Next time 1415 01:09:40,104 --> 01:09:41,694 Michael Riley: I'm in Dayton visiting family, man, I'll 1416 01:09:41,699 --> 01:09:45,504 definitely haul down there and check on the shop and visit for sure. 1417 01:09:45,509 --> 01:09:46,284 I definitely wanna do that. 1418 01:09:47,274 --> 01:09:50,214 TJ Bedacht: Will you do some collections up in Dayton for me about the. 1419 01:09:50,814 --> 01:09:51,894 What we talked about before, 1420 01:09:55,284 --> 01:09:55,774 use this. 1421 01:09:55,803 --> 01:09:59,153 Michael Riley: I left Ohio because I'm sick of doing collections in Dayton. 1422 01:10:00,413 --> 01:10:00,683 . Right. 1423 01:10:00,688 --> 01:10:02,243 I don't think there's enough money on this planet 1424 01:10:04,493 --> 01:10:04,763 . TJ Bedacht: No. 1425 01:10:04,768 --> 01:10:06,227 But, yeah, we'd love that. 1426 01:10:07,067 --> 01:10:10,007 I want everybody to print with us, man, at least one time. 1427 01:10:10,077 --> 01:10:14,930 if we're not doing what I've, strived for and put into effect, 1428 01:10:15,015 --> 01:10:17,175 by all means, try somebody else. 1429 01:10:18,135 --> 01:10:18,964 Once you're in. 1430 01:10:18,964 --> 01:10:20,850 I think it's one of those deals. 1431 01:10:20,855 --> 01:10:21,215 I treat 1432 01:10:21,215 --> 01:10:21,635 Bryant Gillespie: everybody like, 1433 01:10:22,505 --> 01:10:23,085 TJ Bedacht: Oh, go. 1434 01:10:23,085 --> 01:10:23,405 Yeah. 1435 01:10:23,705 --> 01:10:25,025 We treat everybody like family. 1436 01:10:25,595 --> 01:10:26,555 You're not an employee. 1437 01:10:26,555 --> 01:10:28,961 You're a family member team member. 1438 01:10:29,711 --> 01:10:32,091 I don't like to use the word customer. 1439 01:10:32,091 --> 01:10:33,384 it's, we're all a team. 1440 01:10:34,764 --> 01:10:35,014 Cool. 1441 01:10:35,045 --> 01:10:36,693 Bryant Gillespie: your reputation definitely precedes you and, uh, 1442 01:10:36,763 --> 01:10:37,933 Thanks again for joining us, tj. 1443 01:10:38,443 --> 01:10:38,653 TJ Bedacht: Yep. 1444 01:10:38,653 --> 01:10:39,073 Appreciate it. 1445 01:10:39,078 --> 01:10:39,763 Thank you, gentlemen. 1446 01:10:40,093 --> 01:10:40,303 Thank you. 1447 01:10:40,303 --> 01:10:40,903 I appreciate it. 1448 01:10:41,563 --> 01:10:42,073 Thank you. 1449 01:10:42,673 --> 01:10:43,033 Sounds good. 1450 01:10:43,033 --> 01:10:44,653 All right, see you guys. 1451 01:10:44,893 --> 01:10:45,253 So 1452 01:10:45,258 --> 01:10:47,053 Bryant Gillespie: let's bring this one to a close. 1453 01:10:48,643 --> 01:10:53,741 Rapid fire takeaways, Peter, He's here this week. 1454 01:10:53,811 --> 01:11:00,131 Peter Kourounis: listen, if I want to talk a little bit about 1455 01:11:00,131 --> 01:11:04,634 the customer experience that man does a lot of really great things. 1456 01:11:04,634 --> 01:11:07,844 That man does a lot, that business does a lot of really great things 1457 01:11:07,844 --> 01:11:09,404 as far as customer experience goes. 1458 01:11:09,404 --> 01:11:13,124 So I think my biggest takeaway here from today is just another 1459 01:11:13,124 --> 01:11:16,844 perspective of what somebody else thinks of customer experience. 1460 01:11:16,844 --> 01:11:19,514 It doesn't necessarily have to be systems or SOPs. 1461 01:11:19,754 --> 01:11:22,854 It could be just getting the job done. 1462 01:11:22,868 --> 01:11:26,883 focusing on the end user and what they need and getting it done. 1463 01:11:27,483 --> 01:11:28,233 They're. 1464 01:11:29,568 --> 01:11:34,336 I, it was refreshing to hear just how simple black and white, a very 1465 01:11:34,336 --> 01:11:39,187 big shop, a very big operation, looks at customer experience. 1466 01:11:39,187 --> 01:11:43,139 we all, we often think about, we often think about customer experience being 1467 01:11:43,139 --> 01:11:47,039 like, All right, did they get that email? 1468 01:11:47,039 --> 01:11:49,439 Did we respond quickly? 1469 01:11:49,499 --> 01:11:51,599 Did we shoot them a reminder text? 1470 01:11:51,599 --> 01:11:54,719 Are we being competitive with pricing? 1471 01:11:54,719 --> 01:11:56,984 Is it just doesn't even have to be that complicated. 1472 01:11:56,984 --> 01:11:59,564 He simplified it in this little interview. 1473 01:11:59,569 --> 01:12:00,224 I love that. 1474 01:12:00,224 --> 01:12:01,964 It's just Hey, let's just get the job done. 1475 01:12:03,894 --> 01:12:05,654 By all means necessary. 1476 01:12:08,114 --> 01:12:08,624 Bryant Gillespie: Simple and 1477 01:12:08,624 --> 01:12:09,494 Michael Riley: honest, Mike. 1478 01:12:10,754 --> 01:12:11,464 Yeah, I agree. 1479 01:12:11,472 --> 01:12:14,560 I love his, like his good old boy club that he is building there. 1480 01:12:14,560 --> 01:12:17,188 it's like Peter said, everybody's trying to automate everything and then 1481 01:12:17,188 --> 01:12:18,448 not that there's not a place for that. 1482 01:12:18,453 --> 01:12:21,798 I think the automation is key to efficiency and profit 1483 01:12:21,798 --> 01:12:22,758 and making it in this job. 1484 01:12:22,780 --> 01:12:26,420 it's critical, but I like that he's not putting all his eggs in that basket and 1485 01:12:26,420 --> 01:12:32,040 he's not turning his back on, on having a personal relationship with his clients. 1486 01:12:32,040 --> 01:12:35,879 and, if you watch him interact with everybody on the social media channels, 1487 01:12:35,885 --> 01:12:39,635 it is a good old boys' club and he is buddies with everybody, everyone with 1488 01:12:39,635 --> 01:12:40,685 his clients that he's buddies with. 1489 01:12:41,045 --> 01:12:45,400 And I think there's, I don't think any amount of systems or processes 1490 01:12:45,405 --> 01:12:48,640 or automation or fancy websites or anything else can replace. 1491 01:12:49,870 --> 01:12:54,015 That one on one personal relationship that you have with a crusty sign guy who has 1492 01:12:54,015 --> 01:12:58,785 walked a few miles in your shoes and knows exactly what it's like to be in your boat. 1493 01:12:59,145 --> 01:13:01,575 And I don't think you can get that experience from just placing 1494 01:13:01,575 --> 01:13:04,037 an order on a website, faceless website without a person. 1495 01:13:04,517 --> 01:13:11,399 So I love that he's trying to combine technology and modern efficiency with 1496 01:13:11,404 --> 01:13:15,459 old school business tactics and just going out there and shaking hands and 1497 01:13:15,799 --> 01:13:18,511 interacting with people and being buddies with people and building friendships. 1498 01:13:18,581 --> 01:13:21,936 and at the end of the day, I don't really think there's any more way to, to have a 1499 01:13:22,176 --> 01:13:27,634 solid killer business than, being close with your customers, I think's great. 1500 01:13:27,934 --> 01:13:28,684 Bryant Gillespie: 110%. 1501 01:13:28,744 --> 01:13:28,984 Yeah. 1502 01:13:29,065 --> 01:13:32,575 especially the market they're in, it's all based on relationships. 1503 01:13:32,619 --> 01:13:35,253 the sign world is a small one. 1504 01:13:35,282 --> 01:13:37,952 it's a large industry, but everybody knows each other. 1505 01:13:38,387 --> 01:13:42,407 We're all connected through the seven degrees of tj, I 1506 01:13:42,407 --> 01:13:48,287 guess , but yeah, he's the Kevin 1507 01:13:48,287 --> 01:13:49,917 Michael Riley: Bacon Industry. 1508 01:13:49,975 --> 01:13:50,635 that's awesome. 1509 01:13:50,845 --> 01:13:51,055 There 1510 01:13:51,055 --> 01:13:51,145 ep-9: you 1511 01:13:51,145 --> 01:13:52,015 Bryant Gillespie: go, dude. 1512 01:13:52,015 --> 01:13:53,635 You're just spit out nicknames left and right. 1513 01:13:53,635 --> 01:13:53,725 Yeah. 1514 01:13:53,730 --> 01:13:54,355 We struggle for 1515 01:13:54,355 --> 01:13:54,895 Michael Riley: you, my man. 1516 01:13:55,315 --> 01:13:55,495 Yeah. 1517 01:13:55,495 --> 01:13:56,365 Why can't we get one for me? 1518 01:13:56,365 --> 01:14:02,264 But dude, he so Seven Degrees a tj , , but yeah, I wish he 1519 01:14:02,269 --> 01:14:03,362 was still on the call for that. 1520 01:14:03,362 --> 01:14:03,932 That's awesome. 1521 01:14:05,252 --> 01:14:09,753 Bryant Gillespie: But anyway, I think systems and processes have their place, 1522 01:14:09,753 --> 01:14:15,753 but like you guys have said, there's no substitute for having that consultative 1523 01:14:15,753 --> 01:14:19,895 approach with customers, even though he didn't explicitly say that Hey, we're act 1524 01:14:19,895 --> 01:14:23,645 as consultants for our clients, but that's essentially what he's doing or what he 1525 01:14:23,645 --> 01:14:28,783 described in, for that ballpark job where it's like, Hey, how tall is the fence? 1526 01:14:28,783 --> 01:14:30,493 Is it five a five foot fence? 1527 01:14:30,493 --> 01:14:32,173 Why are we printing a five foot banner? 1528 01:14:32,178 --> 01:14:32,413 Yeah. 1529 01:14:33,388 --> 01:14:34,438 Peter Kourounis: Yeah, he did mention that. 1530 01:14:34,438 --> 01:14:35,158 He did mention that. 1531 01:14:35,177 --> 01:14:37,923 And you wanna know, maybe, I was just reading behind the scenes here a 1532 01:14:37,923 --> 01:14:42,303 little bit like in between the lines when it comes to what he was saying 1533 01:14:42,303 --> 01:14:43,593 and what he was trying to imply. 1534 01:14:43,593 --> 01:14:47,433 But he's got all this equipment and I don't, and I've seen the 1535 01:14:47,433 --> 01:14:50,313 videos, I've seen pictures of like his new equipment arriving. 1536 01:14:50,343 --> 01:14:53,973 But I don't think the motivation for purchasing new equipment comes 1537 01:14:53,973 --> 01:14:56,613 from like having that shiny new toy. 1538 01:14:57,213 --> 01:15:00,873 I think he literally looks at it like, now I can print. 1539 01:15:01,113 --> 01:15:03,873 Now my customers, my son shop owner customers can now 1540 01:15:03,873 --> 01:15:05,943 print 10 foot wide banners. 1541 01:15:07,203 --> 01:15:07,563 Right? 1542 01:15:07,610 --> 01:15:10,358 and he's gonna be the vehicle for how that's getting done. 1543 01:15:10,598 --> 01:15:13,958 When he posts the new piece of equipment, I feel like he gets, he's putting it out 1544 01:15:13,958 --> 01:15:18,737 there for all of his potential buddies or clients to say I'm still your guy, 1545 01:15:18,737 --> 01:15:22,037 but, And now not only am I your guy, I'm able to do this for you as well. 1546 01:15:23,027 --> 01:15:26,747 And maybe there's something in the, maybe there's something in the back 1547 01:15:26,747 --> 01:15:29,387 of everyone's head when they're buying that kind of piece of equipment. 1548 01:15:29,822 --> 01:15:33,524 But a lot of us are buying that for the affair of what could be. 1549 01:15:33,764 --> 01:15:35,154 He's doing it to solve a problem. 1550 01:15:35,163 --> 01:15:38,033 I get the opinion that he's doing it to solve a problem 1551 01:15:38,033 --> 01:15:39,395 with his, sign shot customer. 1552 01:15:39,423 --> 01:15:40,143 he said it himself. 1553 01:15:40,143 --> 01:15:45,303 He wants to be better than signs 365 wants to be better than b2, and these are the 1554 01:15:45,303 --> 01:15:47,433 ways that he's thinking that he's going 1555 01:15:47,433 --> 01:15:48,933 Michael Riley: to be better. 1556 01:15:51,603 --> 01:15:52,023 Yeah. 1557 01:15:52,503 --> 01:15:55,423 And you know what, like he may never build quite as big a business 1558 01:15:55,428 --> 01:15:58,107 as B2 or, sign 365, based on that. 1559 01:15:58,107 --> 01:16:00,718 Cause I, I think there's probably like a natural ceiling to how much 1560 01:16:00,718 --> 01:16:03,688 you can scale if you want to have that close personal relationship with 1561 01:16:03,688 --> 01:16:04,858 every single one of your customers. 1562 01:16:05,368 --> 01:16:05,540 Right? 1563 01:16:05,540 --> 01:16:07,925 you just can't do it if you're planning for every single sign shop on the planet. 1564 01:16:08,465 --> 01:16:11,149 But I think he's probably gonna generate probably more profit 1565 01:16:11,149 --> 01:16:14,959 in the long run because he's, he is like family to these people. 1566 01:16:14,959 --> 01:16:15,914 And that's a huge thing. 1567 01:16:16,814 --> 01:16:17,534 And he is not hurting. 1568 01:16:17,658 --> 01:16:19,748 his business is doing pretty well regardless, but. 1569 01:16:19,748 --> 01:16:20,523 I I love his approach. 1570 01:16:20,551 --> 01:16:24,164 I'm excited to see people that still, take the approach that he 1571 01:16:24,164 --> 01:16:28,433 does and recognize that the personal relationships are never gonna go away. 1572 01:16:28,433 --> 01:16:30,534 And that's ultimately, the most important thing in this 1573 01:16:30,539 --> 01:16:32,514 industry, especially wholesale. 1574 01:16:33,584 --> 01:16:34,434 Bryant Gillespie: Absolutely. 1575 01:16:34,704 --> 01:16:35,004 Yeah. 1576 01:16:35,064 --> 01:16:38,454 I'm curious to check in on 'em in six months from now and see 1577 01:16:38,514 --> 01:16:41,844 how the online ordering piece is gone and if they've been able to 1578 01:16:42,264 --> 01:16:46,048 replicate some of that personalized feel that they provide, with that 1579 01:16:46,348 --> 01:16:46,768 Michael Riley: system. 1580 01:16:47,638 --> 01:16:49,918 Yeah, I'm really anxious to see how they're goes for 'em as well. 1581 01:16:49,978 --> 01:16:52,826 I hope it works and I hope they figure out how to not lose that 1582 01:16:53,276 --> 01:16:54,778 personal touch, in it as well. 1583 01:16:56,848 --> 01:16:58,168 All right, guys, Great episode. 1584 01:17:02,128 --> 01:17:02,888 Go us. 1585 01:17:02,888 --> 01:17:05,421 Bryant Gillespie: if you're interested in being a guest on the podcast, 1586 01:17:05,421 --> 01:17:09,651 make sure you shoot us an email at, hey, better sign shop.com. 1587 01:17:10,401 --> 01:17:13,101 Frank Fellers, we're putting the call out for you, dude. 1588 01:17:13,101 --> 01:17:14,991 We'd love to have you on the podcast. 1589 01:17:15,098 --> 01:17:19,118 if you guys know Frank, if you're listening, tell him, Tell 'em we 1590 01:17:19,118 --> 01:17:21,368 want Frank Fellers on the podcast. 1591 01:17:21,818 --> 01:17:22,988 What's the website we set up? 1592 01:17:23,588 --> 01:17:25,028 Talk to me frank.com. 1593 01:17:25,568 --> 01:17:27,068 Michael Riley: Talk to me frank.com. 1594 01:17:28,448 --> 01:17:29,348 , TJ Bedacht: that's a real site. 1595 01:17:30,668 --> 01:17:31,028 Michael Riley: Oh, yeah. 1596 01:17:31,028 --> 01:17:31,778 It's amazing. 1597 01:17:31,868 --> 01:17:32,667 You need to look at it. 1598 01:17:32,727 --> 01:17:33,177 it's worth your 1599 01:17:33,177 --> 01:17:33,567 Peter Kourounis: time. 1600 01:17:33,867 --> 01:17:36,657 I thought you were just spurting out the ideas last night when you're 1601 01:17:36,657 --> 01:17:37,857 like, That's it, we're going on. 1602 01:17:39,222 --> 01:17:40,182 Oh my God. 1603 01:17:40,182 --> 01:17:41,592 Okay, talk to me, Frank. 1604 01:17:41,802 --> 01:17:42,552 Talk to me. 1605 01:17:42,702 --> 01:17:44,082 Talk to me baby. 1606 01:17:45,372 --> 01:17:46,782 TJ Bedacht: If you liked this episode, 1607 01:17:46,812 --> 01:17:47,712 Michael Riley: make sure you hit 1608 01:17:47,712 --> 01:17:50,532 TJ Bedacht: subscribe to get all the latest episodes and check out 1609 01:17:50,532 --> 01:17:53,532 our website, Better sign shop.com. 1610 01:17:54,192 --> 01:17:55,392 Michael Riley: Get free resources 1611 01:17:55,397 --> 01:17:57,552 TJ Bedacht: and helpful tools on growing your shop. 1612 01:17:57,762 --> 01:17:58,872 Thanks for listening.