Carol Johnson, Southern Indiana Business Report
SHOALS – For 15 years, designing and screen printing T-shirts was a nice side hustle for Michael McNabb. He worked full-time at his job in Daviess County and worked on shirt orders at night from a workshop in his home.
As the side hustle grew, ME Screenprinting and Embroidery grew from side hustle to a full-time job. With a growing family, McNabb could no longer do what had become two full-time jobs. He was at a turning point of needing to find a work life balance. He could stay in his regular job and give up screen printing, or become a business owner and take ME Screenprinting and Embroidery to the next level.
This past May, he took the leap to become a full-time small business owner.
It wasn’t an easy decision, but, without a doubt, it was the right decision for him and his family.
“There was never going to be a scenario where I didn’t work 16-hour days doing both,” he said.
Was it scary to walk away from a steady paycheck with paid vacation and health insurance? Of course it was, he said, but already, the risk is paying off.
Tucked away in a rural area southeast of Shoals, ME Screenprinting and Embroidery is now McNabb’s sole focus, outside of family. Over the course of about eight months, McNabb enlarged the building that houses the business, hired two employees and invested in more equipment.
ME Screenprinting and Embroidery provides an array of services. In addition to shirts and hats, the shop does laser engraving, which includes stainless steel tumblers, signs, leather patches and about any gift you can imagine. McNabb also offers logo services, website design and can make large signs and vinyl banners. The shop also has multiple 3D printers.
The upgrade to his 10-station automated screen printer that can screen print multiple colors and produce 500 shirts an hour has enabled McNabb to grow the business beyond his primary local markets that cover areas around Shoals, French Lick and Washington.
He had already maxed out the capacity of his old printing system. The investment has allowed him to pursue wholesale customers. Those items are sold by online retailers and in storefronts.
“The wholesale accounts have allowed me to justify the upgrade in equipment,” he said. “Those wholesale customers will push the business to new levels.”
The range of services gives him a competitive advantage because everything can be done in house.
How it began
McNabb learned the basics of screen printing while in college where he worked part time at a T-shirt shop. In 2007, McNabb was looking for something to do while his wife – a teacher – worked on her master’s degree. He decided to dust off those old skills and he set up a small screen printing area in an extra area of the couple’s home.
“Honestly, I just wanted to make an extra mortgage payment or two,” he said. “Then we got big enough to really start thinking about the future.”
Last year ME Screenprinting produced 45,000 pieces. This year, he projects the business will produce much more.
Shirts are the bulk of the business, followed by hats. Banners and signs are rapidly growing.
The biggest upside is leaving work at the end of the day and going home to just be a dad and husband.
“For so many years, I worked full time, came home and then worked until 9, 10 or 11 o’clock,” he said. “Now at closing time, I get to go home and focus on my family.”
The change also allows him to spend more time on the design side, which he has always enjoyed.
“I love the design side, especially going out to the local school gyms and I can look and say, ‘I made that shirt,’” he said.
Because he is used to putting in long hours and was motivated to grow the business, the challenge has been slowing down, he said.
McNabb plans to add a merchandise trailer offering on the spot design services that he will take to festivals and events. He also is looking to invest in more equipment soon.
Small business ownership isn’t for everyone, but for those willing to work hard and take risks, McNabb has this advice:
“Don’t be afraid to do it as a hybrid for a while. Because of that, I didn’t jump into this with a ton of debt or overhead. We made what we could work until we could do better. Obviously, there’s things I left on the table that I gave up. There are sacrifices, but now when I put in a big day, it’s for my family and not someone else.”