We were lucky to catch up with Ray Schwedhelm recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Ray, thanks for joining us today. Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?

To be honest I never thought about owning a screen print company. All I ever wanted to do with my life was draw but because all of my friends were in bands I was kind of pushed into drawing up fliers, album covers and t-shirt designs for all of them. That kind of just launched it all from there. I discovered Juxtapoz Magazine. Fell into a rabbit hole of artists like Mike Giant, Jeremy Fish, Evan Hecox, and Frank Kozik.
I was about 15 at this time and started making shirts in my bedroom. I really had no idea what I was doing but I made it work. I would make shirts all night and sell them at school the next day. They were pretty crude but I realized I could make money doing art. I never really stopped from there. The fact was my art may never be hanging in galleries next to Monet or Warhol but it could be plastered across peoples chest.
Fast forward a decade and I am working at a screen shop making really bland tees. Like school sports and landscaping shirts. Really mundane designs just hammering them out though. But this shop was the least organized place I ever seen. The mistakes being made the rush everyone was in from poor planning. I was like damn dude if these folks can do it and make money why cant I. So I did.
This all went really fast from there. My homie John was talking about starting a screen print shop and I got on board. He found the location I found the equipment. He found a sick spot in Asbury Park, NJ. My dad had a friend who owned a screen shop in Hackensack who was looking to retire so I bought everything from him that we needed. With the help of my boy Steve Sabie we moved that whole shop down the parkway to Asbury Park.
Within 6 months we were cranking. We had the shop laid out the equipment installed and we were ready to run. But we needed actual clients. So I hit the streets, I went to every coffee shop (Shout out Goldrush), bar, restaurant, and retail store in town. Handed out tees and cards and slowly built up a client base. We didn’t advertise we just ran on word of mouth. It worked for us because two years later we are still cranking.
I truly didn’t put to much thought into any of it just acted and planned as we went. It worked out for me even though I wouldn’t recommend doing it that way. This is my first brick and mortar business and I really didn’t know what I was doing so everything was a pretty solid learning experience.

Ray, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I just fell into this industry. I was designing and making shirts since I was 15. I started with local bands and moved up into working for brands and business’. I just kept drawing and designing constantly honing my craft.

At my shop we offer screen print, embroidery, and design. We can make print your designs or we can design you something in house.

We can walk any client through the whole process from start to finish. We have a showroom stocked with samples from AS Colour, Lane 7, Los Angeles Apparel, Shakawear, Atonal Headwear, Weld MFG, and a ton more.

We want clients to be able to pick out any garment they want and be involved in the process as much as they would like to be. Some clients like that they can just throw in an order and walk away and know they will have tees in two weeks and others like to see the process from beginning to end. But whatever your preference we are here for you.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

Not everyone is in a rush. I worked at a shop where every job was a rush and quality always suffered. Running my shop now I learned to slow down and give clients realistic timelines. Quality over everything.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

Word of mouth. I do the best work I possibly can and the people talk. Clients like Goldrush Espresso, Rebel Supply, Mood Esthetic Studio have truly built my business. Printing and designing for them not only got my through my first year financially it also built the road to the success I have now. They told everyone they knew and sent them over and their recommendations turned into quality long lasting clients as well.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.offtherailsscreenprinting.com/?srsltid=AfmBOopTWJ7RmVJP06ju5IkEz_u-u48_Ew17WK50GezyXwh0SS2vf2Uv
• Instagram: @offtherailsap

Image Credits

Adam Koontz (Born Rival)