Impressions - August/September 2012 - (Page 42)

Shop spotlight Wright Creations DTG The ‘Wright’ Way No screen printing? No problem. This two-person shop has found a niche using direct-to-garment printing as its primary process, as well as aggressive networking on social media campaigns. By Jennifer A. Morrell, Contributing Writer Mark Wright and his wife, Lisa, started their decorated apparel shop, Wright Creations, in their home in 2009. By 2011, they had leased a 1,000-square-foot space in a small shopping center. calls in the surrounding area, passing out business cards.” Mark Wright also relied on relationships he had developed with previous customers who turned out to be loyal fans of his work. Business began to grow, and the company leased a 1,000-square-foot space in a small shopping center — which was adjacent to a busy gas station — in July 2011. Wright Creations At A Glance Company Name: Wright Creations Address: 4251 Winder Hwy., Suite I Flowery Branch, GA 30542 Founded: 2009 No. of Employees: 2 Decorating Methods Offered: Direct-toGarment Printing, Embroidery, Heat Transfers Company Website: wrightcreations.com; markwrightart.com DIGITAL OUTREACH While Wright Creations serves mostly local accounts, the occasional out-ofstate customer comes calling, thanks to Wright’s aggressive use of local networking and social media. He joined the Gainesville, Ga., chapter of Business Networking International (BNI), attending weekly breakfast networking meetings. Members often “keep it in the family,” referring others to businesses owned by other members. This helped Mark Wright build his client base. A Facebook page and Twitter account added extra layers of branding and exposure, while Mark Wright’s sister, a professional Internet designer, produced an eye-catching company website. “Social media has helped a lot,” Mark Wright says, “and my sister knew all the tricks to getting our business at the top of the results pages of search engines like Google and Google Maps, etc. She has helped with the SEO (search engine optimization) process.” s ome people work to live and, consequently, live to work. Thus, the perception is they work because they have to work. Mark Wright, however, is an entrepreneur. He subscribes to the notion that if you do what you love, then you love what you do. Wright, co-owner of Wright Creations, Flowery Branch, Ga., always has had artistic ability and an eye for detail — even when crafting award-winning artwork as a child. So in 1991, he answered a classified ad from a sign company, hoping for a creative outlet and a job. Painting white boards all day wasn’t appealing, nor was working in the hot Georgia sun. His boss worked inside, in the air conditioning, at a computer. Wright aspired to have the same; put simply, he wanted a way to use his talent in a pleasant environment. So began his journey to becoming a business owner. 42 Impressions >> August/September 2012 For nearly 20 years, Wright worked for sign companies — handling production and learning his way around the business and creative aspects, as well as gaining basic business experience. Eventually, he landed at a company that also offered embroidery and digital printing; there, he began to hone his skills in those areas. In 2009, he and his wife, Lisa, opened Wright Creations. The duo draws upon their different professional backgrounds to run the venture. Lisa Wright uses her experience in embroidery and handles back-office tasks, such as bookkeeping and taxes. Mark Wright does design, embroidery and printing. “We started the business in two sections of our house: a spare bedroom and a bonus room,” Mark Wright says. “We worked hard to promote the website and get listed on all of the social networking sites and search engines so people would be able to find us. I would take at least two days a week to drive around making cold KEEPING QUALITY AMID CHANGES While he readily admits he’ll sell to just about anyone, there’s one thing Mark impressionsmag.com http://www.wrightcreations.com http://www.wrightcreations.com http://www.markwrightart.com http://www.impressionsmag.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Impressions - August/September 2012

Impressions - August/September 2012
Table of Contents
First Impressions
From the Show Director
FYI
Product Gallery
ISS Conference
Warming Trends
Redefining Fleece
Jackets of All Trades
How to Handle the Unhappy Customer
Shop Spotlight
Embroidery Technique
Embroidery Production
Screen Printing Production
Screen Printing Graphics & Design
Online Directory
Digital Decorating
Business to Business
Classifieds
Ad Index

Impressions - August/September 2012