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On today's Success Stories podcast, the guest is none other than Nashville's own Adam Tanaka. Adam is a thought leader, consultant, and merch specialist and he's also an entrepreneur with several businesses to his name.  On today's show, we'll chat with Adam about his origins, building companies, and you're gonna want to know this to future of merch.  This is one you don't want to miss!

You're in for a real treat on today's Success Stories podcast! Cole Lundstrom with LA-based ShirtAgency -- is on the show! Cole has been the driving force behind the success of this business since its inception in 2012.  Want to know how great a shop Cole has?  Well, brands like Bella + Canvas and NextLevel film their marketing videos in his shop;  so you could say the team at ShirtAgency does things the right way and you'd be correct.  This episode will talk to Cole about his origins, evolving his sales efforts, podcasting, and how he is looking to make a better future by upselling. So grab a cup of coffee, kick back, and get ready to take some furious notes!

Let's talk sales. And if you want to truly talk sales, let's chat with one of the best in the industry, Tim Gibson, Tim has held major sales roles and some of the top apparel companies in the industry.  So what makes a great salesperson? Where do leads come from? How do you keep customers coming back for more? We'll get into all that and more with Tim's unique journey through the industry on today's podcast.  So get ready to take some killer notes!

What is it like to design and print for the big boys?  On today's Success Stories podcast, we'll speak with Kim Cartano, who has worked with Team Edition apparel, also known as Footlocker for over two decades.  Kim will share her story, some process ideas, and what she's excited about in the future of apparel decorating. This is going to be a good one so get ready!

One art term used for decades in the decorated apparel industry is simulated process. This technique separates an image into spot colors to build the correct colors and simulate the usual four-color separation process.  On today's Success Stories podcast, we'll speak with Dave Gardner, who invented and perfected that technique. We'll go to art school today and chat about other ideas too!

On today's Success Stories podcast, I'm delighted to have the one and only Scott Fresener on the show! Scott was instrumental in bringing DTG technology to the industry. He wrote the book "How to Print T-shirts for Fun and Profit!" And is an expert in separating art for printing.  So buckle up campers, we'll have a fun episode today!

On today's Success Stories podcast, we'll talk to Matt Reese with  Blk Ankr Originals about his career in Maryland: the self-proclaimed sailing capital of the world, and now he has established a foothold in the Annapolis area.  Matt does things his way and has a unique spin on keeping local businesses loyal to him. And we're going to learn all about that and more.  So stay tuned!

Are you a fan of sports apparel? Want to know the secrets behind building something for a brand? Well, you are in luck! As today on the Success Stories podcast, we'll be speaking to Mariellen Auer with Custom Apparel Stores about just that. Whether you're starting a brand growing a brand or working with sublimated apparel, Mariellen can help you.  Let's find out how she got started her philosophy of working and more on this episode. So let's get ready to have fun, kick back and hear how this expert rocks the industry for her clients daily.

If you are in the print-on-demand game, today's guest will be someone you need to hear. Jed Siefert with stakes manufacturing in Eastlake, Ohio, joins us today to chat all about high-volume digital print-on-demand services. They have one of the largest print-on-demand shops in the United States so you are in for a real treat.  But that's not all! They also are quite proud of their diversity and inclusion program with a large number of their employees having intellectual or developmental disabilities, including some of their top performers.  We'll learn about those points and more on today's show. So buckle up and get ready for an amazing episode.

If you are a fan of great-looking t-shirts, especially those with a race car, then today’s episode of Success Stories will be built just for you.  Today on the show, we welcome Bruce Kittle, an industry vet since 1983.  He’s been designing for national sports teams, the music industry, labor unions, national parks, and the auto racing industry. Bruce is currently the owner and director of ScreenArt Studios, a graphic design studio that caters to the screen print and apparel industry by providing design, remote art department options, and remote production consulting. So, get out your sketchpad and get ready to take some notes, or maybe a doodle or two as we welcome Bruce Kittle to the Success Stories podcast.

We have a real treat for you on today's Success Stories podcast.  How do you go from working as a new hire in the screen room to working all the way up to running a massive production facility printing millions of shirts…to starting your own small print shop and beginning your own entrepreneurial journey? Today we’re talking with Nate Leber with Leber Design and Print about that subject, as he’s the one that did that.  Nate took a career’s worth of skill and understanding to build his own boutique shop in Grove City, Ohio.  We’ll chat with Nate about the lessons he’s learned along the way and where he’s going now.  So get ready for an incredible discussion.

On today's Success Stories podcast, we'll talk to Ben Spurlock with SE Impressions in Lebanon, Tennessee just outside of Nashville. He's a second-generation t-shirt printer and has taken over the business from his parents.  How has he taken his business to another level with increased sales, new processes, standards, and organization? We'll learn all about that and more. So buckle up and get ready for a fantastic episode.