Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Steve Taylor. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Steve thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. To kick things off, we’d love to hear about things you or your brand do that diverge from the industry standard.

I have a custom apparel business and the industry standard is still screen printing. That method has its strengths but in many ways it also has limitations too. My go-to method is DTG (Direct To Garment) and DTF (Direct To Film) Printing. Customers can get affordable custom clothing without color restrictions or minimum quantity requirements. On the production side, there’s less pre-print setup and no need to worry about the long term condition of the silk screens. Literally thousands of high resolution designs can be saved on an USB Drive, 100% print ready!

Without the need for minimum quantities, customers can get a full-color single item printed and not be overcharged. Another benefit is higher profit margins for customers with businesses or brands. Instead of guessing the amount of each size they’ll need to fulfill a minimum quantity; our customers can pre-sale items (and only get what’s needed) or break up quantities (to efficiently fulfill inventory needs) without varying costs to print. Selling more units in every order allows for a smoother cash flow without tying up cash on unsold merchandise. I believe DTG/DTF Printing are the most innovative production methods and the future of the industry!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Steve Taylor, I own a custom apparel business called The CLUTCH Shop. By trade I am a Graphic Designer, I also worked in retail as an Assistant Manager for over a decade. While in high school I also attended Central Montco Technical High School (formally Center for Technical Studies) and attended college at The Art Institute of Philadelphia.

At a very early age, I excelled as an artist and to took it seriously right away. By the time I was in 3rd grade I was enrolled in Saturday Painting Classes at Montgomery County Community College. Although I was by far the youngest in that class, I was one the best students. In 8th grade, my class went on a tour of the local Technical School and I then knew I’d embark on that journey next. While at Central Monto Technical High School (then Center for Technical Studies) I was President of the C-Wing, Won Student of the Quarter, my Senior Class Won 1st Place at an All-School Competition, and I was 1 of 6 Seniors in my program to score high enough on The NOCTI Test to get additional certification equivalent to an Associate’s Degree in Graphic Design. The most memorable event in college for me was the final for my speech class. With all of the different art majors in attendance my speech stood out the most and set a new standard for the class. My speech classmates also voted me most likely to be a successful entrepreneur.

For most of my professional career I was an Assistant Manager in retail. I also spent a couple years being Marketing Specialist after repeated freelance work for a medical office. Throughout the years I’ve amassed millions of dollars in sales for companies such as New Balance, Cole Haan, Tommy Hilfiger, and Swarovski. I’ve created systems to train and develop high performing teams that saw increases in several key performances indicators. As tough as it is to pick a single achievement, I’m most proud my 1st Place finish for a Graphic Design Contest while working at Tommy Hilfiger. I had a full page feature in the Tommy Times company magazine (Fall 2018 Edition, Page 2). Overall, my retail career was successful. However, I did not fell like I was fully living out my purpose, so I made a change.

In 2019, I created my company CLUTCH, LLC which spells out our trademarked acronym Can’t Lose Using Toughness Chemistry and Hustle. My passion for sports is similar to my love for art, so how could I combine the two? When the game’s on the line the team goes to their star player for a “clutch” score to win. Well in similar fashion, customers can depend on me to come through with their custom apparel needs. The goal was to have a name that conveys core values while having branding appeal. Additionally, CLUTCH Clothing is a streetwear brand that combines comfort and positive messaging wrapped in a sporty look. Our go-to methods are DTG (Direct To Garment) and DTF (Direct To Film) Printing. These methods make full-color printing affordable without minimum quantities requirements. Printed Artwork and Graphic Design Services are also available along with my wife’s Premium Gift Baskets. In 2021 and 2022 we had brick-and-mortar store but later decided to work from home and launch our website. Since then we have expanded our arsenal adding Canvas Prints, Custom Reusable Bags, Jerseys, and Hats to name a few things. We’re excited to see what the future holds as we continue to grow the business and brand.

Okay – so how did you figure out the manufacturing part? Did you have prior experience?

Yes, I manufacture products for myself as well as other businesses. Before I had my own equipment (or officially launched my business), another print company helped get me started. My design background made preproduction run very smoothly and it gave me a sense of how to address customer needs once I stated producing. There were some unique prints and placements I wanted to try; manufacturing myself was probably going to be the only way to pull it off. Plus, if there were things I wanted to do but couldn’t, there was a good chance that was the case for others. In 2020, I started DTG Printing myself an within 3 months I became the go-to manufacturer for multiple business. Between the people in my network and the companies with multi-color logos or designs, our printing solutions were right on time! Prior to printing myself, I researched multiple vendors, blank label brands, and material blends that were readily available and cost effective. The economy has changed over the past few years but those same vendors are keeping costs down with reasonable pricing. To anyone in need of manufacturing, we offer consistent price tiers for Basic and Premium Casual Attire which includes printing without color restrictions.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

In 2021, I had a brick-and-mortar store and had been printing for a year with no issues. Then the notorious DTG White Ink clog error popped up just before the holidays. Since our DTG is also a smart printer, all maintenance updates or errors would pop up on the touch screen. All errors have a code which is referenced in the training manual and identifies the issue. I slowed down production that week and got on a call with tech support so the issue wouldn’t linger. It was now the week of Christmas and I had some orders partially done but I needed to finish the rest for my customers. Initially everything went smoothly and I was back on track, right on schedule.

Then, literally a day after getting back to printing a random issue occurred. Somehow certain colors weren’t recognized even though the inks were full and the lines were clear. With a unexplainable problem, I had to turn down some last minute orders and didn’t know how long before I’d be 100% back to normal. I again got in contact with tech support; since I was under warranty a replacement for a $2,500 part was sent. Tech support also scheduled a video chat to walk me through the installation process. This was also a success only to have an unprecedented issue, this time without an error code. The issue continued for another week so now it was time to send the printer back to the manufacturer for special maintenance.

Once I knew I’d be without my shirt printer which was my main source of income, what now? Should I quit the business altogether? Or maybe adjust business hours and just get a part-time job until I get the printer back. I decided to keep the doors open like normal and get some help from friends that DTG Print in my network. I knew I’d have to extend the turnaround time since my help was coming from New York, Chicago, and eventually Atlanta. To get things done even quicker a friend say “you know our printers can do DTF too, right?” Buy printing this way I wouldn’t have to send them the shirts first, they print, and ship it back anymore. This was a time saver and I just learned a new process! My faith and dedicated was rewarded in a big way too. One of my retail friends was store manger and recommend my business for a company project. Without having my printer I was able to do the Black Employee Network and Friends shirts for Colombia Sportswear. It was all possible because I kept going despite obstacles!

The biggest takeaway I hope people get from this example is always believe in yourself and make it happen. By any means necessary, keep going and do what seems impossible. I love to listen to music and a Jay-Z quote came to mind throughout this time “Difficult takes a day, impossible takes a week.” I was doing what most people would think is impossible if they knew the circumstances. Eventually I got my printer back, 100% functioning again. The original turnaround time was 4-6 weeks but it took a couple more weeks than that. Also, somehow the delivery company didn’t know my package was freight so the delivery date got pushed back (since freight has specific times and less workers in that department). Strangely enough, without the issue I may not have learned a production technique that helped expand my business. I now print more material, print jerseys, hats, and on canvas, all things I learned while my printer was down. In the end, it all works out if you believe and figure out solutions instead of focusing on the problems!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.muchintheclutch.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/much_in_the_clutch
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MuchInTheClutchLLC
• Other: 215-510-4472 (Business Line – Call, Text, FaceTime)

Image Credits
The 3rd picture is the Winner of the Tommy Times contest (Tommy Hilfiger Magazine, Fall 2018, Page 2).