We were lucky to catch up with Megan Griffith recently and have shared our conversation below.
Megan, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Any thoughts around creating more inclusive workplaces?
When employers think of inclusivity, they immediately associate it with hiring women, people of Color, people who identify as LGBTQIA, or differently abled. And that’s great, that is definitely an important and critical way to make your workspace more inclusive. But beyond the hiring, there’s so much work that can be done to make your staff feel appreciated and valued as human beings. At P&M Apparel, we start with something as simple as non-gendered bathrooms and menstrual products freely available in those bathrooms. We strive to be flexible with working from home or even bringing your child into the office so parents don’t have to feel like they’re stuck between being a parent or an employee. We make sure our team’s pronouns are respected by all team members- I’ve gone so far as to call a shipping company when their truck driver used the wrong pronouns on an employee to make sure it didn’t happen again. We turn away any clients that are looking for sexist, racist, or otherwise inappropriate products. We make sure to have generous pay structures that are openly communicated- I don’t want anyone to even feel like they need to ask me for a raise (because I’ve already given it to them before they ask) and I don’t want them to feel like talking about their income is taboo. We spend a lot of time trying to accommodate how neurodivergent people process information and train them the way they learn best, then utilize those people’s neurodivergence as a strength, not a hindrance. Overall, I want my team to feel like I care about them as human beings, not worker drones. I always want to put my people over profit. I always want my people to feel like they can talk to me about any issues and they feel seen and heard.
The results, more than not, are staff that care so much about their jobs and producing an excellent product or service. They’re passionate about growing the business and they enjoy coming to their job. I feel like I can’t measure success any better than that.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
P&M Apparel began in 1987 with my grandparents (Phyllis and Melvin, hence the P&M). They started in their basement with a little embroidery machine, hoping to make a supplemental income. It grew into a brick and mortar business, then my mother joined in 1998 and grew the business to include screenprinting and promotional products. I joined in 2012 and my brother, Ryan, joined in 2015. We have continued to grow into a multimillion dollar business with a staff of 15+ and an 8000 square foot building. Just last year, Ryan and I took over the family business as the third generation of owners. We provide branding and just about anything you can put your brand on, from simple shirts and promo products, to giant inflatable turkeys (yes, we’ve done that). We’ve always been proudly woman-owned and family-owned, and we run our business with values that reflect it.
Our niche client is one that is looking for a more personal experience than you would get with a cheap shirt builder online. They’re looking for quality custom artwork, experts in garments, and decorators who are constantly striving to improve their trade and find new ways to decorate goods. They are looking for customer service that is best described as solutions engineers: we are here to solve any problem you may have with a vast knowledge of the industry and creative ideas to promote your story.
Where do you think you get most of your clients from?
The best source of new clients for us has always been referrals from other clients. I would say about 80% of our business is referrals and repeat clients. Beyond that, moving to our new location in 2021 increased a lot of traffic just because of the location.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
I think I’ve really had to unlearn managing a team. You get out into the workforce and are taught that bosses are the bad guys, that corporations are going to look out for themselves and you’re easily replaceable. I think thanks to new generations coming up into management positions, and the pandemic really shifting priorities and how work can get done, we’re going to see a big change in the workforce. It’s not that people don’t want to work, it’s that people don’t want to work for dictator bosses who don’t pay them what they’re worth or treat them like humans. The new workforce looks like a lot more freedom for employees and accountability for bosses who get rich off the backs of their staff instead of sharing the wealth.
I’ve really had to unlearn what I learned a manager looks like in favor of being the manager I wish I had when I entered the workforce. I’m always going to make myself open and available for my team, and make them feel seen and heard. I always want to hear ways to improve and value the unique input each team member brings to the table. I’m always going to share the success of my business with the people who helped us get there.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.pmapparel.com
- Instagram: @P_MApparel
- Facebook: PMApparel
- Linkedin: linkedin.com/p-&-m-apparel
- Twitter: @P_MApparel
Image Credits
Justin Salem Meyer