“Slinga” – the nickname of this Leipzig illustrator – talks about her projects, motivation and goals.

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Heute und gestern hab ich im @cafetrago die Wände bemalt! Es war übelst warm und hat übelst Spaß gemacht und war übelst anstrengend habt einen schönen Abend! Xoxo Slinga #wallpaint #wallpainting #wall #cafe #leipzig #illu #illustration #illustrationart #illustrationartist #sweat #cat #birne #plants #selfie # Werbung quasi

A post shared by Slinga (@slingaillustration) on Jul 24, 2019 at 11:17am PDT

We hear you’re writing a book about panic. Are you dreading its release?

(laughs) I often find myself fighting fear and panic. At first, I thought it was just me and these feelings were super strange. And that scared me even more! But Instagram showed me how normal it is for people to deal with panic. This awareness of not being alone in this helped me a lot.

Then I thought it would be cool to collect, curate and illustrate tips from people affected. With my tips and cartoons I illustrate anxiety-inducing situations and demystify them. Humour is a good tool here, because laughter always makes things easier. To sum it up, the book will be a collection of self-help advice and personal anecdotes.

You studied illustration. How did you develop your style?

I graduated here in Leipzig last year. I never consciously developed my style, but I draw every day. My personal taste changes over time, and so does my drawing style or the colours and materials I use. I don’t consider myself a finished product, so I never draw the same thing twice :-D. That would be boring. I hope to stay hungry and keep improving my work.

Pussy! A cat, a vulva or an insult?

(laughs) A bit of everything? We’re all conditioned! I try to counteract insults by digesting them with my pictures.

Who are your customers? Do you get positive feedback about your Spreadshop?

I think I have a very mixed audience. But apparently everyone is united by a love of bright colours, jokes and honest human feelings. The feedback is mostly positive.

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Amazing! #amazing # #cute #af #illustration #vitamine

A post shared by Slinga (@slingaillustration) on Jan 30, 2019 at 10:57am PST

And how did you come across Spreadshop?

In fact, somebody who works at Spreadshirt saw my booth at a flea market and recommended I open my own Spreadshop.  I tried it out and liked it

Where do you exhibit your artwork?

It’s funny how having exhibitions and making ends meet are connected. Because I don’t think they necessarily go hand in hand. I see myself more as an illustrator and less as an artist. I enjoy drawing and designing small things, utensils, postcards and books. Or working on commissioned illustrations for customers.

What is the nicest thing you’ve experienced with customers or fans?

I’ve met a lot of great friends through my work. People who are simply interested in the same things.

Of course, there are always people who see themselves in my illustrations, which makes them feel empowered. That makes me happy and sometimes gives me the incentive to continue when I feel discouraged, which happens a lot to freelancers like myself.

One of your illustrations is called “cooler on the internet”. Is that you in the picture? What do you mean by that saying?

(laughs) I think I am every person I draw anyway. At least a little bit. With the “Cooler on the Internet”, I expressed that no matter how authentic and versatile you present yourself on the Internet, only facets of yourself are ever shown. How people see you depends on what you show.

Many people think that I am a super self-confident person without ‘problems’. They think I don’t care about what others think and that I always feel 100% comfortable in my skin. In fact, I draw my pictures for myself in order to encourage myself. Social media often makes us think that other people’s lives are perfect and you’re the only one whose life is a mess. But it’s also okay to feel like crap.

You have already been featured in Missy magazine. And ze.tt has also reported about you. How do you do it?

So far all this has always happened by chance, which makes me really happy! I wouldn’t really know how to do it myself

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Du gehst Girl #go #gogirl #ohyeah #hehe #illustration #momjeans

A post shared by Slinga (@slingaillustration) on Nov 10, 2018 at 7:12am PST

Any tips that you would like to leave to other Shop owners?

Hmmmm… never give up? Okay, without question mark! Never give up!

Thanks for the interview Hendrick! We are looking forward to the next designs and wish you a lot of success with them. Exciting updates from Slinga can be found in her Spreadshop and on Instagram.

The post Shop of the Month: Slinga illustration appeared first on The Spreadshirt UK blog.

Working in a hospital comes with a lot of responsibility and stress. Hendrick’s designs target the hard-working, life-saving folks working in emergency rooms, intensive care units, and nursing. He does this with respect and a healthy dose of humor.

Hello Hendrick! Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to talk to us. Why don’t you tell us a bit more about your line of work?

I am an anesthesiologist and intensive care specialist. Most of the time, I care for seriously ill patients in a large intensive care unit. I also work as an emergency doctor in air rescue and on the ground.

And you still find time to run an online T-shirt shop? Amazing! How did you decide to start a Spreadshop for medical professionals?

The idea came to me during one very strenuous night shift in the intensive care unit. There were several patients who were in a critical condition and the whole team had reached their limit. At some point, one nurse burst out with frustration and exhaustion: “Fuck my life.” Another nurse shot back with “to save yours.” It made me laugh and I told them that would be a cool saying for a T-shirt.

The seed was planted, but it still took almost two years until the first T-shirt was actually designed.

Who are your Shop’s customers?

Anyone who works in the medical field or has a connection to it could be a fan of Cormack & Lehane. Originally, I started with the idea to develop a shop for my own specialty, covering anesthesia, intensive care and emergency medicine.

In the meantime, it has sort of evolved on its own. Through this project, for example, I have established contact with some very active bloggers from the nursing sector. The nursing crisis in Germany is much more serious than portrayed in the media. Although we live in a prosperous country, many German hospitals are criminally understaffed. Due to the poor working conditions, this important profession is increasingly losing its attractiveness. Fewer and fewer young people are striving for a career in nursing. This is creating a vicious circle.

I have some designs in my shop which aim to strengthen nurses’ self-confidence and could even improve the career’s image. Of course, this doesn’t remotely solve the problems our health system is facing. But I get a lot of feedback from nurses who tell me that they feel a little better after a hard shift when they put on one of my shirts.

Do your colleagues also wear Cormack & Lehane shirts?

Yes, that happens. My brother especially loves wearing the shirts!

For me personally, the biggest reward would be to one day walk through a city center somewhere in Germany and see a stranger wearing one of my shirts. I think that would put a smile on my face for days.

How much do you love your job?

I love my job most of all when I’m actually doing it: when I’m in intensive care at a patient’s bedside or when I’m called to take care of a seriously ill person in a strange apartment at three o’clock in the morning. In these situations, I fully commit myself to doing my job with passion.

The dark sides of the healthcare system – such as the high workload, the severe restrictions it puts on one’s own private and family life, and the increasing budget cuts – unfortunately tarnish this feeling now and then. Cormack & Lehane is a nice, positive way for me to balance out those negative aspects.

Your “One Family” design shows a heart-shaped planet Earth as a heart, a heart on the African continent and a wave in an IV fluid bag. What does that design mean?

Modern medicine is an extremely complex structure. The design is supposed to express that teamwork is incredibly important for the big picture. It’s not about which discipline you belong to or whether you’re a doctor, nurse or cleaner. If everyone sticks together, this improves the working conditions for everyone and the quality of care for the patients.

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Happy Mother’s Day! Our shop offers some cute apparel for kids. The perfect gift when your co-workers get a new baby. Visit us on www.cormackandlehane.com. #cormackandlehane #anesthesia #anesthesialife #anesthesiology #anesthesiologist #anästhesie #anästhesiepflege #crna #srna #criticalcare #intensivecare #emergencymedicine #ems #paramedic #rettungsdienst #notfallmedizin #lebenretten #lifesaver #medschool #nurse #doctor #krankenschwester #arzt #krankenhaus #hospital #medicine #ilovemyjob #fashion #lifestyle #mothersday

A post shared by Cormack & Lehane (@cormackandlehane) on May 13, 2018 at 8:01am PDT

“Surfing the waves of chaos” also features in your designs. How did you come up with the connection between surfing and anesthesia?

The design refers to working in the emergency room. You never know how many patients will come in on a particular day or what kind of emergency you will be confronted with.

There are days when suddenly a lot of patients arrive at once. It feels like a wave rolling over you. Dealing with this chaos, assessing patients according to the urgency of their problem and working through them in turn has something of the art of riding a big wave.

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Wir schaffen etwas Platz im Shop. Da kommt in den nächsten Wochen nämlich ganz viel Neues. Diese Designs gehen daher in den verdienten Ruhestand. Falls doch noch jemand Interesse an diesen Goodies haben sollte, dann meldet euch gerne per DM. #frühjahrsputz #goodbye

A post shared by Cormack & Lehane (@cormackandlehane) on May 23, 2019 at 10:42pm PDT

Who actually creates your designs?

The ideas for the designs come from me. I also create the majority of the designs myself. Sometimes I use graphic elements from stock suppliers and process them further.

At a certain point, however, my ideas can be too big for my skills to tackle. For some designs, I’ve worked with professional graphic designers.

Sometimes, colleagues and friends also look at my ideas and designs and give me feedback or contribute their own ideas.

Since the start of the shop, a small interactive community has developed, especially on Instagram. There are some designs that have actually been developed by the community itself.

And how did you learn to design?

I never learned formally. I was able to work a little with Photoshop before Cormack & Lehane. Everything else, I just taught myself over the past months. There are a lot of tutorials on Youtube that can answer almost any question.

If a professional designer were to look over my shoulder while I’m “designing”, it would probably be difficult for him to bear. My means to the end are often unusual, but in the end I get the desired result.

In fact, I’ve decided to take a week off this year and attend a graphic design course.

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Wie funktioniert unser Shop eigentlich? Alle Produkte in unserem Shop werden im Print-on-Demand-Verfahren hergestellt. Hierfür arbeiten wir mit Spreadshirt zusammen, dem derzeit größten Dienstleister für POD in Deutschland. Sobald eure Bestellung eingegangen ist, wird euer neues Lieblingsteil in Handarbeit bei Spreadshirt bedruckt und verschickt. Die Produktion findet dabei in Deutschland und Polen statt. So können wir unnötige Überproduktionen und weite Transportwege vermeiden. Dies spart Kosten und ist nebenbei auch noch ein kleiner Beitrag zum Umweltschutz. Dieses Konzept ermöglicht es, dass auch kleine Fische wie wir, auf dem riesigen Textilmarkt ein wenig mitspielen können. Sollte euch mal etwas nicht gefallen oder die Größe nicht perfekt sein, dann habt ihr ein 30-tägiges Rückgaberecht. Entweder bekommt ihr ein Ersatzprodukt, eine Gutschrift für weitere Bestellungen oder euer Geld zurück. Nähere Infos hierzu findet ihr auch in unserem Shop auf www.cormackandlehane.de oder auf spreadshirt.de. Wenn ihr Fragen zu unserem Shop-Konzept habt, dann meldet euch gerne per DM. #spreadshirt #buildingabrand #fashion #medlife #beyourownboss #justdoit

A post shared by Cormack & Lehane (@cormackandlehane) on Feb 2, 2019 at 11:53am PST

Here’s your pizza. What medical advice would you give us?

Sufficient exercise and a sensible diet make a lot of difference. Otherwise, it’s all about balance: integrate resting phases for body and soul into your life. It’s perfectly alright to let yourself go for a few days, if you then even things out with a few “healthy” days. That way, you actually live quite healthily— and the rest is the luck of the draw.

If you learn anything in my profession, it’s that there is no guarantee for a long life. We are all just visitors in this world and should be grateful for every day.

Hanaoka Seishu was the first known anesthesiologist. He lived in the 18th century and came from Japan! Did you know about this guy before or did you come across him during your research for your Shop?

I heard about Hanaoka Seishu while I was studying medicine. When I had the idea to make a T-shirt about him, I read up on him again again.

I’m also planning a design that will immerse me even deeper in the history of anesthesia. There are other important milestones in the history of our discipline that could find their way into Cormack & Lehane.

NLSRYD stands for “Never Let Surgeons Ruin Your Day”. Are there frequent problems between surgeons and anesthetists?

Anesthetists and surgeons work very closely together in the Operating Room. Traditionally, these are two disciplines that like to tease each other. In the end, however, it must be said that we would be relatively useless without each other. Teamwork and good communication are incredibly important.

 You opened the store in 2018 and closed it for a short time about 6 months ago. You also gave the logo an update. Can you tell us something about your logo development process?

When I opened Cormack & Lehane, I wanted to see how the whole shirt business worked. The positive response was totally overwhelming. My ideas were already quite good at the time, but the implementation was inadequate in many areas. I also made a few mistakes with the copyright in the beginning.

That’s why I took the project off the market again, returned to my desk and put every single design to the test again. That took almost half a year, but now I have a product that I can stand behind 100 percent!

I had cobbled the original logo together with a simple logo maker on my tablet. That looked quite nice, but it had nothing to do with the brand or the target group. That’s why it was clear to me that a new logo was needed for the relaunch.

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Kennt ihr das auch? Ihr sitzt vorm TV und schaut einen Film oder eine Serie. Es kommt eine medizinische Szene. Aus irgendeiner dramatischen Komplikation heraus ereignet sich ein Herzstillstand. Jetzt ist Eile geboten. Der Monitor zeigt eine Asystolie. Der Held/die Heldin greift sofort zum Defibrillator. Ein Blitz und das Herz schlägt wieder. Aber an dieser Stelle habe ich meist schon mit Kopfschmerzen umgeschaltet. #fürmehrrealitätinarztserien #ichwürdeeuchjaauchberaten #krankenhaus #anästhesie #Intensivmedizin #wiederbelebung #asystolie #defibrillator #cormackandlehane

A post shared by Cormack & Lehane (@cormackandlehane) on Jun 3, 2019 at 11:55am PDT

So? Why do doctors on TV use a defibrillator all the time?

That’s a good question! Probably because this is a measure that seems very exciting to the general population. Unfortunately, the application of the defibrillator when the patient is in a state of asystole (cardiac arrest) is totally misrepresented in about 95% of all hospital series. This also applies to many other medical measures. For a professional this can sometimes be difficult to bear. I always ask myself why it wasn’t possible to hire a sensible medical advisor with the million-dollar budget for the film or series in question. I would definitely offer to help out!

Thank you for the interview Hendrick! We are looking forward to seeing your future designs and wish you a lot of success with them.

You can find the Cormack & Lehane shop here. Exciting updates are also available on Instagram and Facebook.

The post Shop of the Month – Cormack & Lehane appeared first on The Spreadshirt UK blog.

Chrissy (or Mrs. Newell as her students call her) is not your average maths teacher. This California mom has been making waves with her #MathGals movement. She runs her Spreadshop with the help of her 9-year-old daughter Cora. Their T-shirts feature the names of female mathematicians— and not just the famous ones. Her project is interactive: “Math Gals” of any age can be featured to get their name listed on a T-shirt along with other brainy babes! Uplifting, empowering, and feminist: June’s Shop of the Month.

Here is the original #MathGals cheat sheet for the shirt you've been getting allllll those questions about from https://t.co/xVgTj2Xuyu… a thread

— Chrissy Newell (@MrsNewell22) May 17, 2019

We asked Chrissy to share more about why it’s so important to encourage more girl power in the world of mathematics.

You must really love maths. What do you love about it? When did your maths T-shirts love story start?

I absolutely do love maths! I love both teaching it and learning it. What I love about maths is how flexible and creative it is and how it helps us make sense of our world. I have always liked maths and had a positive relationship with it, but I think I started truly loving it about 5 years ago when I became an elementary maths specialist. I get to witness a-ha moments from not just students, but teachers as well. I also get to work with an amazing team of powerful women who share my love for maths.

So, tell us about #MathGals… what is your maths T-shirts about?

The first goal of the #MathGals project, and the reason we started it in the first place, is to get the names of amazing female mathematicians out into the world. It’s about building awareness and piquing interest. We hoped the shirts would start conversations, and that’s exactly what they have done!

The second goal is to help girls and women see themselves as mathematicians. There is a stereotype that boys are naturally better at maths than girls, that boys somehow have a “maths brain” and girls do not. Although we know that this is not true, that stereotype is still reinforced by messages girls receive in their environments, at home and at school. Those messages lead girls to feel like they don’t belong in mathematics. The truth is, we need girls to love maths and to know that they belong so they are not limited in their future interests and careers.

What inspired you to start #MathGals?

#MathGals started in the summer of 2018 when my daughter, Cora, and I were reading the book Power in Numbers: The Rebel Women of Mathematics by Dr. Talithia Williams. The book shares the stories of women who have made an impact in the field of mathematics. As Cora was learning about these women, she decided that more people needed to know their stories. Even as a professional in the mathematics field, I hadn’t heard most of the stories either!

We decided that a shirt with the names of some of these women on it would help us start to share the stories, and #MathGals was born. We initially designed the shirts just for us, but the response was incredible – people immediately wanted to know how they could get on.

Why do you think it’s important to shine a spotlight on women in mathematics?

Women have been doing maths just as long as men—but have historically been under-recognized for their accomplishments. One of the reasons we put first names on the shirts was because we wanted to acknowledge that many women had to study and publish mathematical learnings under the guise of a man’s name. The spotlight is long overdue.

We have female mathematicians to thank for things like the launch of the field of computer science (Thank you, Ada Lovelace!), the success of the first manned spaceflight (Thank you, Katherine Johnson!), and the technology behind GPS (Thank you, Gladys West!).

We need to say their names, tell their stories, and identify ourselves as mathematicians, too. We also need to recognize that although women are entering STEM majors at higher rates than ever before, we still have work to do in ensuring that they are treated like they belong once they are there.

 Where do you hope this project will lead? What are your goals for #MathGals?

We really hope the project will continue to lead people to learn and teach more about the #MathGals! Less than a year since we designed our first t-shirt, people all over the world are sharing the stories of these women, holding events to honor them, and changing girls’ perceptions to see themselves as mathematicians. In the near future we hope to launch a website where we can share resources about the #MathGals and also have a place where students and teachers can share the work they’re doing with the project.

Hey, #MathGuys, you can rock a #MathGals shirt, too! https://t.co/8nVwhkRBRf

— Chrissy Newell (@MrsNewell22) May 25, 2019

What message are you hoping to spread through your T-shirt designs?

We are ALL mathematicians! Women belong in maths. Girls deserve to know that someone that looks like them has made a difference in maths, and they can, too!

Which of the #MathGals do you find extra inspiring and why?

Chrissy: So many of the #MathGals’ stories are inspirational, but I have to give a shout-out to Dr. Katie Bouman, who recently made headlines as the computer scientist behind the algorithm that led to the first image of a black hole! The picture she posted of her reaction to the first glimpses of the image are a perfect example of how joyful and exciting maths can be!

Cora: I think Sophie Germain’s story is really inspiring because she loved maths so much that she did it even when she wasn’t supposed to. Well, I guess a lot of them did, but I really like Sophie’s story.

How has #MathGals connected you within the world of female mathematicians?

People from all over the U.S., Canada & Australia, (and not just women) are wearing these shirts proudly! We have received tons of feedback and thanks for designing them, which is so overwhelming and humbling. The word “mathematician” is often reserved for people who are experts in the field, but the reality is that to be a mathematician, you just have to 1) be a person, and 2) do maths! Students, teachers, moms and dads, professors, and professional mathematicians are just some of the people who have embraced #MathGals.

Why did you choose to open a Spreadshop and what are your goals for your shop?

After looking into a few options for starting a t-shirt shop, Spreadshirt stood out as the best choice because it was intuitive to build, easy to run, and had high quality products. Our initial goals were not to make money, but as interest grew, so did our profit. We have been working to give back by sending shirts to teachers and students who are enthusiastically spreading the #MathGals message. Our goals are to eventually expand our merchandise selection and to make it easier to run a “buy one, give one” model.

For the girls I have taught, and the girls I will teach, for the girls I'm inspired by, and for the girl I used to be. #mathgals #MTBoS #iteachmath pic.twitter.com/dhcJzcslQl

— Janaki Nagarajan (@janaki_aleena) May 18, 2019

How do you promote your Shop? What has been your biggest challenge so far in running your Shop? Your greatest success?

We mostly promote our shop on Twitter, where there is an amazing community of maths educators who learn from each other daily. Social media has been so important in helping us grow. Additionally, I (Chrissy) attend and speak at several maths conferences every year where I wear my #MathGals shirt and try to spread the word!

Honestly, running a Spreadshop has been easy! They do all the hard work, from designing the platform to processing and sending orders. I am proud of the product and always confident that my customers can contact Spreadshirt if they have questions or issues. Our greatest success has been surpassing 500 sales. We never dreamed it would grow like this, but we’re so excited for what’s next.

What advice do you have for other Spreadshop owners?

Just go for it! Put yourself and your ideas out there. Use social media to share your products and wear them every day! (Kidding… kind of!) Reach out to Spreadshirt about support you need with your shop – they have an amazing team whose mission is help make your Shop successful.

What about advice for people who hate maths?

Most people say they hate maths because they had negative experiences learning it in school. If this is the case, my advice is to forget everything you were led to believe maths is. Maths is more than procedures and formulas, more than tests and numbers and working in isolation – it is creative, flexible and joyful! It turns out that there is no such thing as a maths person, and everyone can be good at maths. If you need some playful maths problems to ponder, jump on Twitter and follow the #MTBoS hashtag (Maths Twitter Blog-o-Sphere) for a huge community of maths teachers who can help you love maths as much as they do!

Have a peek at the #MathGals shop and check out Mrs. Newell’s maths-tastic Twitter to join the movement!

The post Shop of the Month June 2019 – MathGals appeared first on The Spreadshirt UK blog.

A frequent speaker at conventions, Colt quickly realized that SWAG (Stuff We All Get) was a great way to build brand awareness. That idea evolved into him handing out t-shirts, and that idea led to him joining Spreadshirt. The marketing guru recently sat down with the MerchCast Podcast team to discuss personal branding, his Spreadshirt, Spreadshop, and Premium Design Service experience, and what tips he’d give to those looking to establish their own brand. If you’re looking for some help with your Shop marketing, this is one interview you won’t want to miss…

Today we’ll be talking about marketing madness. We have with us an expert, maybe the best word-of-mouth marketer in the world, Saul Colt.

I don’t know if “best” is really descriptive enough. It needs to be something bigger, but I’ll take “best” for now.

Tell us a little bit about what you do and what you’re currently up to.

I’ve got my own little word of mouth marketing agency called ‘The Idea Integration Company.’ For the past 10 years or so, I’ve worked with companies big and small trying to get them “attention” (as I call it). Really, it’s about getting them sales, getting them customers, getting them revenue through marketing stunts… I’m essentially building brands.

You’ve been with Spreadshirt for quite some time. What’s your experience been like?

I probably discovered Spreadshirt without even realizing that I was using Spreadshirt. I bought a couple things, and I quickly realized that I could be producing my own shirts. A few years ago, Spreadshirt got a crazy amount of PR attention, and a lightbulb went off for me.

The idea of being able to create on-demand shirts for an event or a stunt, it just always stuck in my head. I see real value in it. People like t-shirts. You think of the whole promotional world, there’s a million different items you can hand out to people… literally anything you can imagine. But there’s something very substantial about a t-shirt as opposed to, say, a keychain.

I’m just a huge fan of t-shirts. I know when I open my closet, I kind of go through the pile and decide everyday what I’m going to wear. I’ll see the brands that have given me shirts, and I remember them. So, I truly believe that t-shirts have staying power and lasting brand impact, because you see them over and over again.

There are a lot of choices out there, so what inspired you to open a Spreadshop?

I’ve never been disappointed with you guys…you’ve always delivered. The quality of the products is really amazing. I pay for it out of my own pocket, so this isn’t like a paid endorsement.

I’ve been disappointed by a ton of providers, so to be able to say honestly that I’ve never been disappointed by Spreadshirt is a huge thing for me. It’s hard to keep customers happy, no matter what your company is. The fact that I’ve always had good experiences keeps me super loyal.

Then, on top of that, I know if I need something soon, you guys can make that happen. I know exactly what the quality is going to be, and I know the website is easy to use. I’ve stuck around because I know your company works, and that’s all I ask for.

You’ve taken advantage of our Premium Design Service. What was your experience like using that tool?

Again, this is not a paid endorsement.

Anything I’ve done over the past few years, I’ve had three illustrators and designers who I sort of go to over and over. Any time you’re working with a designer, you want to build a sense of trust. You want to have someone who kind of knows what you’re looking for.

I’ve got so much stuff going on, I’ve got so many balls in the air, and I’m not every good at time management. In the grand scheme of everything, my silly t-shirts are probably the lowest thing on the priority list. But knowing that I can go to a designer and have them kind of get it right in the first try… that’s huge.

That was the experience I had working with the Premium Design Service. You guys are good at what you do, and you know your t-shirts. You guys know how to create something that’s really great. I had a really good experience and I’d definitely use it again.

Do you have any tips for someone who may have just opened a Spreadshop or is starting a brand?

I put my face on everything. I’ve got t-shirts, I’ve got shoes, I’ve got pins, I’ve got so many different versions of my face. When you’re building a personal brand, the number one thing you want to accomplish is just being memorable. I’m really good at what I do, but there’s also like 20 other people who do the same thing. I want to be the only one who people remember, and that takes persistence and frequency.

If you look at my social media, I don’t share many personal things. I do share the shiny stuff that everyone’s going to remember. People remember stuff in “Polaroid pictures,” so I give them the “Polaroid pictures” that they’re going to remember. That way, when someone is like “we need somebody to do a crazy marketing stunt,” I want to be the guy who they think of.

There’s that old expression: “your brand isn’t what you think it is, it’s what Google says it is.” That’s kind of true. It’s all about constantly sharing your stuff…no one else is going to do it for you.

Before we end, we need to ask: do the glasses make the man, or does the man make the glasses?

I think I make the glasses. I’m most known for wearing cool sneakers and wearing big, giant red glasses. I came up with this style choice because my weight can fluctuate by like 40 pounds. I try to stay in good shape, but stuff happens. I kept insisting that I was the glasses/sneakers guy so no one would look at my belly. That’s the thought behind it.

We appreciate you taking the time to talk with us. This time, let’s say you’re the supreme, unequaled, unparalleled, paramount, foremost, a-one, premo marketing madness guru. Is that good enough, Saul?

Yea, that will do. This was awesome guys, thanks for having me.

You can listen to the entire podcast here. For more from Saul, check out his website, Instagram and podcast.

The post Shop of the Month: Saul Colt appeared first on The Spreadshirt UK blog.

Can you tell us a bit more about your background?

For a long time, I was working full-time and studying graphic design in my spare time. I was really bored at my job and dropped out of school after two years because working and studying at the same time was too much for me. Even after that, I was still unhappy at my job so I made the pretty spontaneous decision to quit and start my own business.

I figured out that I wanted to be able to write my own schedule and work from home. I no longer wanted to spend 1.5 hours a day on public transportation. That’s when I came across the t-shirt business and thought to myself, ‘Hey, that could be fun because I am still interested in graphic design’. 

How did you end up with Spreadshirt?

I always knew about Spreadshirt. I actually live across the street from their offices in Leipzig. But I didn’t know that I would be able to make a living from it. I’d just never thought about it. I knew you could print your own t-shirts there, because I’d done so a couple of years earlier. One of those typical bachelorette parties t-shirts. It just didn’t occur to me that you could earn money with it.

But then I had the idea with the mugs. At the time, I worked as a virtual assistant and used to sit in the office thinking: ‘This can’t be happening. I hate people. I hate all of this.’

I told my friends someone should make office mugs that express this sentiment, to use in situations like that. But they should also be pretty. That’s when I had the idea with the flowers. And the contrast of the provocative slogan, framed by pretty flowers. So that at first glance, you don’t even notice what it says.

How did you get started with social media like Facebook and Instagram?

I started out with the ‘Butt Butt Penis’ mug. At first, I just wanted to see if anybody would be interested. So I opened a shop and created a Facebook page. 

View this post on Instagram

Wir sind so aufgeregt! Uns gibt es jetzt auch auf @instagram #new #fraeulein_heiligenscheiss #heiligenscheiss #tasse #büro #arscharschpimmel #tassen #büroalltag #spaß #neubeiinstagram

A post shared by Fräulein Heiligenscheiss (@fraeulein_heiligenscheiss) on May 11, 2018 at 5:58am PDT

So the Facebook page came after the Spreadshop?

Yup. Otherwise I wouldn’t have known how to make people aware of my shop. Then I thought of good ideas for the designs and posted it on Facebook: funny slogans, jokes, and in the beginning links to other sites or blogs. That’s how I tried to build up an audience. Then I started using ads. My target group is 97% women. Women who work in an office and love irony, sarcasm, and dark humor. I addressed them specifically and within about 4 weeks I had 2 or 3 thousand followers on Facebook. It was crazy.

So you used ads right from the start?

Of course, I first invited my friends to like my page. But I started placing ads for my designs pretty early on. That worked really well. I created the Facebook page in January 2018. Within less than a year, I’ve gained over 25,000 followers. That’s really good.

How did your followers grow? Was it a steady growth? Or were there certain posts that went viral and caused a sudden surge?

It comes in waves. The numbers don’t go down, but up in waves. The first big wave came when I listed the ‘Go fuck yourself’ mug. That got me 2,000-3,000 new followers within a week – and of course I also noticed this in my sales. The biggest wave came in September: I got a picture from a customer who had ordered five of my mugs. She had stacked them on top of each other and took a photo. I asked her if I could use the photo and it went viral. That post got 500,000 views. That really reflected on my sales. I looked at my statistics the next day and couldn’t believe what I was seeing.

Where do you find inspiration for your slogans?

When I talk to friends, when I go out for a beer in the evening and people start complaining about something. I often take out my phone and write down what is being said.

Initially, I only had the mugs and thought people would create other products themselves with the personalization option. But people are lazy, and nobody actually did that. When I started offering other products, people started buying them. But some of them just won’t sell. So I review them and adjust my shop accordingly.

That means you curate your shop so that it always stays up to date?

Yes, I look at the sales statistics every month and every month I take down some products and make sure that new ones are added. Especially at the beginning, some designs really weren’t great – I threw them out later. I take great care that my shop as a whole forms a nice picture. 

Do you also work seasonally? It’s Fall now – did you change your designs and use more fall flowers?

No, but I will have special Halloween and Christmas designs, I am really looking forward to those. They are going to be really cool. I’ve already prepared them so that in November they will be immediately available.

What does your design process look like: from idea to website upload?

I work digitally and exclusively in Adobe Illustrator. By now, I have a good feeling of how a flower motif has to be designed for it to work well. 

Back when you started your shop, did you order products yourself to see what your products looked like in real life?

At the very beginning, I started on two platforms and I ordered something from both. On the other platform, the quality was so terrible that I took all the products down again. I just thought to myself, ‘As a customer, I’d be so mad if I would receive something like that’. I have to say that the delivery times and the quality at Spreadshirt have always been awesome.

How much time do you spend on your shop weekly?

I’m not telling you that (laughs).

By now it’s your full-time job?

Yes. Since September I have a virtual assistant who supports me with the activities on Facebook. But social media doesn’t have breaks, you have to be online 24/7 and react to the feedback. That’s why I hired someone to focus on that, so I can focus on my designs. 

How often do you or your virtual assistant post on social media?

Once a day. On Facebook, lunchtime works best. People are taking their break and have some time to kill. That’s where most of the action happens. Or in the morning, around 8 o’clock, when they are traveling to work. Instagram works best in the evenings, when people are at home. I’ve found all this out through the Facebook and Instagram statistics.

Does that mean you work a lot with the stats that are provided to you or is it more of a gut feeling?

Both. The stats are obviously super helpful when you’re talking about online times. Or if you want to find out more about a certain target group. But my target group hasn’t really changed. It’s still mostly women between 24 and 35.

You advertise your products on Facebook and Instagram. Do you have a marketing strategy?

I use the Facebook Manager to advertise on Facebook and Instagram, so I reach an audience on both platforms. On Facebook, I already have a large reach with about 25,000 followers. Based on this, I can have Facebook create a “Custom Audience” for me and from this a “Lookalike Audience“. In addition to my follower numbers, Facebook tells me who likes similar things, so I can advertise specifically to them.

How do you deal with shop promotions – how long do you plan them in advance and where do you advertise them?

The promotions overview can be found in the partner area, so I always know what the promotions will be till the end of the year. Based on this, I plan my promotions and the corresponding posts. I also place a little more advertisements. Because people do tend to buy more during promotions. And I can specifically reach people who have previously put something in their shopping cart, but didn’t buy it in the end. They are easy to convince with free shipping.

Do the promotions also reflect themselves in your sales? Do they work well?

Free shipping is okay. But the promo codes are even better: With the 20% discount, I sold four times as much over two days.

What is your vision for Fräulein Heiligenscheiss and what will happen with the brand in the future? 

In any case, we want to continue to grow. The community should become bigger. That is the goal. And I am constantly improving and refining the product range and motifs. There will definitely be more of Fräulein Heiligenscheiss. I want to do this for as long as possible, until people tell me: ‘We don’t want to look at your things anymore’.

The post Shop of the month: Fräulein Heiligenscheiss (Miss Holyshit) appeared first on The Spreadshirt UK blog.

Due to her compelling background, we chose Chef Shirts as our Shop of the Month. Take a look at our interview below for some valuable lessons, tips, and insight into the Shop owner experience…

You’ve got a clear passion for culinary arts. Where did this passion come from, and what ultimately inspired you to open your own merch store?

I’ve been really interested in food since I was 16 or 17. After that, I became a quintessential foodie. Since that time, I’ve collected around 600 cookbooks… so yea, I’m really into food. I just started to learn how to cook myself, and I’ve started checking out restaurants and becoming interested in chefs.

I resisted going to culinary school because I wasn’t sure how else to use that training other than to become a restaurant chef, and the hours and the physicality were daunting. When I first graduated high school, I went to art school, and that’s kind of translated here into Chef Shirts.

Now I’m a high school culinary teacher. That’s really been another way for me to embrace my passion for food, and I’m actually going to school part-time to finish a culinary red seal to be a certified chef.

Is that like a black belt in Karate?

Not quite as cool. It’s basically the government certifying me as a trained chef. I’m kind of doing all of that at the same time, and that’s where my passion for food has taken me.

In terms of opening a merch shop with you guys, the designs came from me designing handouts for my students in my culinary class. I was looking for these visual images to use as a teaching aid, but I couldn’t find access to them. So, I started relying on that art school experience (I told my parents I’d use it one day).

I kind of used these designs to showcase things that I wanted to teach, and I guess they turned out cooler than expected. People started saying ‘that would be so cool on a t-shirt.’ I was like ‘oh, okay, I guess I could do that.’

When I first decided that I was going to be producing and selling these shirts, I just posted something on a whim on my Instagram account. Then I started getting this international buzz; people were messaging me from Italy, South Africa, Portugal, Mexico. They were just like “hey, I want these, how do I get them?” That’s when I started seeing that international interest, and I figured out that I was going to have to think outside the box. I didn’t want to keep a bunch of t-shirts in my garage and only sell them to friends, and I didn’t want to sit on that inventory and stock. I figured if I wanted to have that international reach, I needed a way to get the product to those customers. Spreadshirt was the solution for me because it was like a low-startup platform for me to start selling and focusing on the designing.

Food, designing, teaching… they’re all pretty different. How did you end up finding the perfect way to combine these interests?

I’ve always been a perfectionist, and that lends itself well to food. My art background has also played a role in my love for food. It’s about color, it’s about design, but then it’s so much more. It’s about taste, balance, harmony, textures…just playing with all those and making sure this idea that you’ve built up in your head translates to the plate. It’s the same thing when it comes to my shirts. It’s playing around with the design on paper and seeing that final product that you can share with people. It’s really cool.

Your designs have a hand-drawn look to them. Can you elaborate on the process that sees your designs going from paper to digital?

I’m pretty old school. Even while I was at art school, I really resisted going digital. I would always find those sneaky shortcuts so I could do everything by hand. That’s just how I worked best.

These designs started as sharpie doodles on paper, like a piece of printer paper or something I ripped out of a sketchbook. I had never even opened Photoshop. Eventually I realized that I needed to learn how to use the software. I kind of taught myself how to use it and asked some people around me for tips and tricks. I was just trying to make sure they were crisp and sharp and had that graphic quality that I was looking for while still maintaining that kind of hand-drawn aspect.

You’re active on social media. What platform have you found the most success on?

It’s definitely Instagram. Being such a visual person, that’s how I communicate best with others. Instagram is pure visual content. It’s in your face, you see it in your feed, you’re scrolling through before bed…I think that’s helped people get exposure to my brand. Another nice thing about Instagram is the opportunity for collaboration, which is something I’m very interested in pursuing.  I want to reach out to other accounts, have them repost my images, and then I can get exposure from a different cliental. That will let me reach different audiences and different people in different time zones.

How often do you post to Instagram?

I don’t automatically set a posting schedule. I didn’t find that it was as authentic. At the minimum, I’ll post once a day. At the maximum, I’ll post three times a day, but that’s a rare case. Then, depending on what I’m posting, I’ll be pretty selective about the timing. If I think it’s something that’s going to be popular, I’ll save it for those peak times.

You’ve used your social media channels for promotions. Have you found that any particular strategy works best?

I put a lot of effort into that, because it’s another way for me to showcase my love for food, not just my shirts. I think the thing that’s been most successful with promotions (especially through Instagram) has been the fact that the people who follow me are my exact target audience. Lately, I’ve been into really naturally-colored foods, so I’ve been making rainbow dumplings and rainbow sushi. People follow me for that because it’s eye-catching, and that provides me with an opportunity to expose them to my shirts. It’s really about understanding my target market, connecting with them and keeping the engaging content coming.

What is your experience in terms of shop promotion and what do you have planned?

I want to dive deeper into Instagram, particularly with stories. I predominantly do my advertising out of my personal CulinaryCalgary page because I have more followers there, and then I’ll link it to Chef Shirts.

It’s about having that branding. It’s funny because we’re talking about all of these terms, and besides being a high school culinary teacher, I also teach business classes. I teach management and marketing. This knowledge helps me a lot, and it’s cool because this little pet project of mine is starting to grow and expand. I can basically use it as a case study to show students some of the real-world experiences of actually using those techniques. Outside of social media, I’d like to have physical business cards and post cards. I’ve also been producing stickers with some of the imagery from my shirts, and that’s been going well.

Where do you envision your brand going in the future? Is there a plan or strategy?

My first strategy was having a passion for what I’m doing, and then combining all of those interests. I kind of have that foundation by using the things that drive and inspire me.

I have a contest idea that I want to pursue on Instagram where I’d ask followers for design suggestions. If their idea is selected, they’ll get a custom printed shirt.

Finally, do you have any helpful hints for those who may be starting with Spreadshirt?

I think it’s important to have a strong foundation of designs before launching a Shop. Make sure that your images are crisp, clear and honed in. Five designs is a good place to start. On top of that, I’d make sure that everything’s cohesive. I’m talking about making sure that the branding is solid…making sure that there’s a cohesive package that will make sense to the customer. Aside from that, and this might sound corny, is being able to see that your heart is in it; just that you care about what you’re doing and you’re passionate about it. The internet is what it is, and once you put your designs out there, you can’t take them back. You want to make sure you’re putting forth a quality product, whether that be your shirts, yourself, or your business.

Thank you for participating in the interview, Erin. For more of her designs, you can visit her Instagram. Also, make sure you tune into the Spreadshop Merch Cast for more insightful interviews with Shop owners.

The post Shop of the Month – Chef Shirts appeared first on The Spreadshirt UK blog.

What made you want to monetize your passion for outer space? How have you been enjoying your new business venture?

I really like space… it’s been with me all my life. Even when I was three years old, I bugged my folks about wanting books on space. Years later, I hadn’t lost that interest. Last year, I got made redundant from the graphic design job I had been doing, and I kind of thought, ‘wouldn’t it be great if I could combine my love for space and my skills as a graphic designer?’

https://t.co/iXqczwtnNQ
Last chance to get 15% off everything in my shop. Just use code SUMMERSUN at the checkout#space #spacecraft #spacerace #spaceplanes pic.twitter.com/4Q6D2Bktxa

— The High Frontier (@thehighfrontier) August 6, 2018

I’d been to some of the shops at NASA Center, and I didn’t really like any of the t-shirts they had. I just thought, ‘let’s give this a go.’ I had been doing a space blog for three or four years, so I already had a bit of a following on social media. I thought I’d give Spreadshirt a go, and I’d see if I could not only do something that I liked better than the other shirts I was seeing, but something that other people liked, as well.

It’s a nice thing to do, to be able to work with something you really, really enjoy. I mean, being a graphic designer, sometimes you have to work with stuff you really don’t enjoy.

How did you end up landing on Spreadshop? What has it been about the platform that you’ve particularly liked?

I had done about eight months with Redbubble, and it was going okay. They did a big reorganization of the site at the end of last year. If people went to look at a shirt I’d done, it would put up 40 related shirts at the bottom of the page. A lot of those designs had been chopped up from the internet. I got sick of that, so I started looking around [for an alternative]. The thing that attracted me to Spreadshirt was I could have a Shop, and I could have a link on my blog where people would be guided right to my designs.

I find in the Spreadshop, someone will be surprised by the variety of options. Everything’s there, you’re one click away from seeing the whole range, and it’s easy to navigate. The feedback I’ve been getting on print quality has also been excellent. The product that comes back is exactly how you’d want it to look. That’s really reassuring to know that I’m putting my name on this these products. Ultimately, Spreadshop takes all the problems out of trying to sell merchandise. It’s a very quick process and it’s fairly painless.

How much time do you spend maintaining your Shop?

Generally, I try to get at least one design up a month. If I have more time, I may get a couple of designs up. I tend to go and check in on the Shop and see how things are going. I spend at least an hour a day doing marketing, or I may spend time making custom materials. I’ll change the tags on some of the t-shirts if I think something’s trending. There’s a little bit of effort that goes in every single day.

It’s nice that once you’ve got the designs uploaded, you can kind of concentrate on the marketing side. The rest of it is all set because it’s taken care of by [Spreadshop].

Do you have any specific brainstorming practices that will help generate design ideas?

You really only need to put two or three words on a shirt. If it resonates with people, you can do very well. I’ve always got various notebooks kicking around on my desk. Pencils everywhere. Whenever I think of something, I’ll quickly sketch it. You don’t have to do any perfect rendering of anything; just a few lines so you can look at it again and think ‘yea, maybe.’

You have a solid social following. Do you have advice for someone looking to monetize their passion? How would you suggest they continue building their brand?

The golden rule is to try and find gathering spots for people with similar interests. When I first started my blog, I went on Twitter and followed a lot of people. Some of them followed me back and would retweet my work, and [my brand] slowly grew. There are also groups on Facebook, and I think that’s common for most self-interests.

I try to ask customers (especially if I meet people out at events), “what would you like to see that I’m not currently doing.” Sometimes there are suggestions I can use. I seem to get the ideas somehow. Some don’t work, but most of them kind of do.

How do you go about promoting your designs and products? Do you mostly use organic marketing, or have you dabbled with paid advertising?

Twitter. I can promote on there at any time, and it’s easy to post several images. Facebook comes after that. [It’s a place where you can] build up this group of people who you can bounce ideas off of. [You can] show them a work in progress and go “what do you think.” You’ll be surprised… people have some great ideas.

[When it comes to creating designs], if there’s a particular event or anniversary, I’ll try to create something. I’ll pick a couple of shirts that I think are appropriate. I also keep an eye on analytics to see if it’s actually making a difference. That’s the cool thing with Spreadshop… it’s all linked up with Google Analytics. This means I can see where all my customers are coming from.

[When it comes to paid advertising], I’m off to a big space event in Arizona. I’ve purchased advertising for my Spreadshop in the event’s program. I know pretty much everybody who reads it likes space and probably has a few t-shirts. So, for me, that’s really good targeted advertising. I can justify that spend.

If you’re looking for even more insight from Petty, make sure you check out the MerchCast Podcast (that’s right… Spreadshop has its own podcast). If you have any more questions for the guest, we’ll pass them along!

The post Shop of the Month: The High Frontier appeared first on The Spreadshirt UK blog.

Just the Facts

Age: 25

Current Location: Southern Germany

Current job/source of income: Completed literature studies, currently looking for doctoral positions

When did you join Spreadshirt? January 2018

We’re constantly seeing videos of cute cats and dogs. However, videos of guinea pigs are few and far between. Where does your love for rodents come from? How did you come up with the idea to post videos of your furry friends?

As a child, I was always enthusiastic about guinea pigs. What fascinated me most was the fact that they each have their own unique personality, and they show it off very openly. For instance, if I’m not fast enough distributing food, they’ll be rough or try to tear the bowl out of my hand!

Initially, I only wanted to share videos with my mother. YouTube started suggesting other animal video channels, and that’s when I discovered that there is a real guinea pig community. I started making my own info videos hoping that others would see how tame, friendly, and open-minded the animals can be (especially in larger groups). I don’t only enjoy filming my animals; I also enjoy all of the other required tasks (cutting the video, generating ideas, etc.). Therefore, I always focused on scheduled upload days and enjoying the hobby.

You are very active on YouTube and Instagram, as you regularly share photos and videos of your guinea pigs. How did you guide rodent fans to your profiles?

I never really advertised my videos, and I never expected the channel to have so many followers. Over time, I realized that many other people were liking these videos. Some appreciate the explanatory videos because they want to learn more about guinea pigs, while others just enjoy watching the animals live their lives.

How do you increase your subscriber count?

I have always stuck to a strict upload schedule, even when I had less than 10 subscribers. This helps me develop a routine, and it also allows my followers to anticipate when a new video is coming.

I also try to respond to my followers’ requests in the comments section. When I see that someone’s interested in a specific topic, I’ll write down the idea and try to implement it later. I also engage my followers by asking about any topics or content they want to see.

Thank you guys so much for 100,000 subs on YouTube ??

A post shared by @ little.adventures4 on May 14, 2018 at 9:04am PDT

In your “Little Adventures” Shop, you offer designs of each of your guinea pigs. Do the four really have their own individual fanbase?

Yes. Every guinea pig is different, so people have their favorites. Some prefer ‘Little One,’ who always holds his face to the camera and is very active. Others appreciate ‘Sylvester,’ who is calm, relaxed, and eats hay in every shot. Overall, my guinea pigs are not afraid of the camera and like showing their personality.

Do you create the designs yourself? Or did you hire someone?

I commissioned a graphic artist to draw the guinea pigs as cartoon characters. Unfortunately, I have absolutely zero drawing talent.

How much time do you spend running your Spreadshirt Shop?

I spend about two hours a week. If I want to upload a design with new lettering/typography, then it will take a bit longer.

Do you think the guinea pig designs are a market niche? Do you ever get special design requests from your fans, and do you fulfill those wishes?

I hope people like my designs and are happy when they wear them. Generally, the designs showcase my guinea pigs and are based on my channel. Occasionally, fans will want designs with the cartoon version of the guinea pigs, and these don’t directly connect to my channel. Those designs have been created, and the hope is that they’ll appeal to all guinea pig lovers. Ultimately, that’s a direction I want to pursue… guinea pig designs with funny sayings, independent of my YouTube channel.

Vlog will be up later tonight as the piggies were busy filming ?‍?

A post shared by @ little.adventures4 on Dec 18, 2017 at 9:28am PST

How intensive is the communication and interaction with your fans? Do you ever respond to “technical questions?”

I try to respond to as many comments as possible. Usually, I try to be online right after I upload a video so I can answer any immediate questions. Most of the comments or questions tend to concern the specific video or the everyday life of the guinea pigs. If I’m able to answer the technical questions, I will. However, when it comes to topics like diseases, I stay away since I have no veterinary training.

What three tips do you have for those looking to open a Shop with Spreadshirt?

Inspire yourself with the project and work on it regularly. Most importantly, stick with it, even during those dry spells.

What are Frieda, Sylvester, Little One, Minnie, and yourself planning for the near future?

First and foremost, I hope that the pigs will be healthy and lively for a long time. Otherwise, we’re looking forward to new designs. In December, I produce a themed videos around the Christmas guinea pig festival “Pigmas.” I would like to create more designs that are centered around this occasion.

Thanks for the interview, Julia!

Follow Little Adventures on YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook.

The post Shop of the Month: Little Adventures appeared first on The Spreadshirt UK blog.

Hello Roman! And thank you for taking the time. We’re intrigued – how did you come up with the idea for Dad’s Life, and who’s behind it?

We’re three fathers, and our 5 kids are between 0 and 12 years old. We go back a long time, way before any of us had any kids. Since we’ve always wanted to kick off a project together, the idea came to life after all of us had become fathers. You’re best at doing things that you engage in yourself – and there‘s nothing we’re more concerned with than our kids and our role as a dad. And Dad’s Life only started about a year ago, initially as a Facebook page.

You’ve obviously found your niche on the subject of family and becoming a father. Were you looking for this kind of offer before you started Dad’s Life?

We’ve not really done any market survey before we got started. And we really didn’t feel like providing the umpteenth self-help page for fathers. We rather wanted to facilitate a forum for likeminded dads to exchange opinions – experiences, worries and every-day banalities. The community has grown immensely fast, we’ve reached a lot of fathers and received a bunch of feedback. We put this into practice as we went along. One of those ideas was a T-shirt shop for dads. We picked up on the idea of setting up a T-shirt shop for fathers a couple of weeks later, and after that we started creating baby bodysuits.

The domain dadslife.at doesn’t only offer a Spreadshirt Shop, but also lots of submissions on the life of kids, product tests, a father forum and a lot more. How do you coordinate tasks when faced with this huge amount of content?

Thankfully, Dad’s Life is not a one-man show. Like I said, we were 5 people from the start, and now there are so many helpers in our community that I’ve lost count. We also managed to get new dads on board with every new idea. Some fathers come across funny baby-related stuff online and send it to us, others write texts and send us lists with heaps of father products, and then there are those who design our T-shirts and baby bodysuits. Our inbox is brimming with contributions every day. Sometimes a couple of beers and a good chat lead to the best ideas. We’re trying to coordinate everything as well as we can.

Danke #dadSTEPHAN: Wenn man mal eine Sekunde nicht aufpasst und die Tochter die Schminkutensilien der Frau findet, entdeckt die ihre kreative Phase. #dadslife #kids #kinder #spaß

A post shared by Dad's Life (@dadslife.official) on Jun 25, 2017 at 5:20am PDT

Do you pursue a marketing strategy for your Dad’s Life community on Facebook and Instagram? Do you do promo campaigns or paid marketing?

Dad’s Life has turned into somewhat of a campfire, and fathers keep gathering around it. The more people catch wind of us, the bigger the appeal seems to become. And we communicate Spreadshirt’s campaigns with newsletters on Facebook to target fathers directly. Whenever we think that we want to reach out to the whole community, we spend money on an advert campaign on Facebook. That’s absolutely necessary.

Does Dad’s Life and being a father consume all of your time, or do you still have a day job?

Dad’s Life is a project with a public benefit. The money we make gets reinvested in new ideas for the community. The effort we put into it in terms of work and time is spread on many shoulders, so we can all do our day jobs without a problem.

Which designs do particularly well? And when do you sell the most?

Slogans printed in typography designs work best. We’ve only run the Shop for a few months, so it’s hard to tell when the best time for selling our designs is. But as far as I can tell so far, Christmas seems to be a a top event towards the end of the year.

How did you get aware of Spreadshirt? And what do you like about it?

I’ve actually known Spreadshirt for quite a while already. About 10 years ago, I was playing in a band and we had T-shirts printed through Spreadshirt. And when I got in touch with fellow Austrian Shop Partner Kerstin from Gscheade Leibal last year, I was absolutely wowed by her Shop. This made the decision for Spreadshirt an easy one to make.
We attach great importance to quality since you don’t buy a dad’s T-shirt every day, and that you don’t want to dress your kids in rags. The quality of Spreadshirt’s products and prints had us convinced.

Vielen Dank für die Zusendung #dadTOM ? #dadsSHOP #dadsLIFE #vaterundsöhne #vaterundtochter #väter #vatersohn #vatertochter #papa #elternsprüche #elternsein #elternzeit #babys #babybody #babystuff #sweetbaby #kinder #kinderwunsch #grosseltern #opa #dadsFUNcollection #dadsVIEW #dadsLOVE #dadsFUN #familienleben #familie #dadsFASHION #familienzeit

A post shared by Dad's Life (@dadslife.official) on Aug 5, 2017 at 12:36am PDT

 3 tips for Spreadshirt newbies – what advice would you give?

1. Keep uploading new designs to your Shop – new designs always work better than old ones.
2. Don’t try to come up with crowd pleasers! Create designs for your special target group.
3. Start building a community on social media channels, and keep fostering the community. Collect email addresses and write newsletters. And don’t forget to feed your website with valuable content.

What have you learnt from being a father?

Fathers know that good humour gets you through the day.

The post Shop of the Month: Dad’s Life appeared first on The Spreadshirt UK blog.

The name of your Spreadshirt Shop is Waldogs. What’s the idea behind the name?

The name is a tribute to my own dachshund, Waldo – who is essentially the reason that Waldogs came to be, and he is also the mascot in Waldogs’ logo. As he should be.

How did you come up with the idea to start such a Shop?

I started my own business in 2015, creating art featuring dogs, drawings, paintings, ceramics, portraits and such. Almost instantly, I got a ton of feedback wishing for my art to be available on T-shirts, bags, and other merchandise. This is how Waldogs was born.

Any idea why you’re one of Spreadshirt’s top-selling Shop Owners?

The answer lies in two things: a lot of work, and a unique concept. I put my heart and soul into Waldogs every single day, and I rarely take days off since Waldogs is quite the never-ending project for me. I believe that every dog owner should be able to find products that are perfect for them, regardless of the breed or the colour of the dog or of their hobbies and personalities. That’s why I offer some 19,000+ designs on Waldogs, and I am not even close to being done. I spend most of my days creating new designs, uploading them, interacting with people on social media, and asking for their input and wishes. I create ads and posts, and I share them.

Do you know what kind of people buy your products? And how do you reach out to them?

Amazing people! Dog owners are very different (just like their dogs) but what they all have in common is that they absolutely love their dogs – and so do I. I interact with people on social media a lot, meaning Waldogs’ Facebook page. Keeping in touch with people constantly and reacting to their wishes is vital.

Do you have a marketing plan or deploy any kind of marketing measures?

I don’t do plans, I just do my thing. Waldogs’ brand identity is all about humour and positivity, and I try to reflect that in everything I do. I guess I just have a clear vision of Waldogs, what it is, what the brand is, who the people are that I am reaching out to – and I mirror that in every post that I write and every design or ad I create.

Why do you use Spreadshirt? And do you see any advantages when you compare us with other providers?

Before I started Waldogs, I had used Spreadshirt to create some stuff just for myself, so it was just a no-brainer for me. I went straight to Spreadshirt, created the shops, and went to work. What I’ve come to really appreciate about Spreadshirt is the stellar customer service that is always friendly and positive, and that Spreadshirt actually added customer service in Finnish. I don’t know if that was due to Waldogs, but that was very much appreciated.  And, of course, I have to give huge thanks to my superwoman contact person at Spreadshirt, Liza, who is a huge help to me, and a real problem solver.

How much time do you spend creating designs and managing your Waldogs Shop?

To date I have created well over 19,000 designs for Waldogs, within 2 years. That’s a LOT of uploading and click-click-clicking. I’d say I spend 7-10 hours every day making new designs, editing old designs, uploading them, creating products, categorizing, and making ads. And while doing that I keep checking on social media, creating new posts, sharing, and engaging with people. This is my fulltime job, which I love, so it doesn’t feel like a chore, though the mindless clicking for hours on end when uploading designs does get to me. But no job is perfect!

You seem to have a lot of work to cope with. Have you considered employing somebody to help you with all that mundane clicking?

Absolutely! I regularly wish that I had someone to help out with all the uploading, and social media posts etc., so it is a very strong possibility that some day in the future I’ll have to find myself an efficient and dog-crazy assistant!

You said you react to design wishes. Do those tend to be of a very general nature, or are you also asked to do custom-model designs?
I usually get requests for breeds that aren’t in the selection yet, or different text options. I create new texts to go along with the designs all the time – some breeds might lack newer texts, so people wish for those as well. These wishes are quite easy to fulfill very quickly. I do also get custom design requests, and I do make kennel logos, too. But those are commission works.

Mikähän kotimainen karvapallo tästä tulee…? 😉 www.waldogs.com

A post shared by Waldogs (@waldogsfinland) on Sep 26, 2017 at 1:35am PDT

Have you already got an action plan for the immediate future?

My main plan is to just constantly do better and improve. I did just open a shop for Waldogs on the US platform, which I am working on in any spare time that I have off from the Finnish Waldogs shop. Other than that, I’m just getting ready for the upcoming Christmas season by trying to churn out as many new breeds and designs as I can, all based on the wishes I get on social media.

Do you follow any special kind of procedure or use particular techniques when creating designs?

I only have 2 different techniques I use to create designs. Either I use my laptop with my mouse, or I use with pencil & paper. 2.5 years ago, I had no idea how to draw on a computer, so I had to learn everything on my own – which I am quite proud of.

I create something new every single day, 10-350 new designs, depending on what it is that I do on that day. Some days I draw a breed that hasn’t yet occurred in Waldogs selection, other days I edit an old one, and then there are days when I give myself a ‘pass’ to create anything that comes to mind. This usually means I end up creating something very random – like a roller-skating dachshund or a blow-drying Chinese crested dog.
Waldogs is all about being whimsical, fun, and positive – and those who know Waldogs know my style.

And one final question: why are dogs better than cats?

Dogs just melt my heart. Totally.

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