Why Most Decorators Never Execute (And Stay Broke)

Added: 2026-05-31

[00:00:05][music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] >> Woo!

[00:02:00]it worked.

[00:02:01]Stop. Stop everything. Listen.

[00:02:05]You can quote every single guru, but did you send a quote this week?

[00:02:13]Listen. Stop consuming. Start producing.

[00:02:15]Turn your knowledge into revenue, and that is what we're going to talk about on today's edition of the Makers and Movers podcast.

[00:02:23]Boys and girls, we have a busy day for you. This is first time here, long time here. I need to know who you are, where you're from, what's in your cup, and what the weather is like in your area.

[00:02:34]Along with five things. What are five things that you are going to accomplish today?

[00:02:39]We got a busy day. We've already been to the school twice. We've got graduation, fifth grade recognition graduation, whatever, at noonish.

[00:02:47]So, we've got to go back up there, finish decorating.

[00:02:51]We've got that. Along with that, we still got orders to pull. We've still got that DTF to get printed. We've still got orders that need local orders that need to be delivered.

[00:02:58]And the big thing, we've got Bling Night Live, baby. Tonight, 7:00 Bling Night Live.

[00:03:05]We're doing some giveaways. We're doing some ball drops. We've got some specials. We've got some deals. We got some new products. We got all kinds of stuff. So, make sure to set your reminders and all of that to join us tonight. You get sneak peeks all day. In fact, um we are doing everything at the shop. So, we're setting up new cameras, new things like that. So, we'll probably go live here later this afternoon just to test everything out and see how it is. So, you know, we'll we'll get through it.

[00:03:33]We'll we'll see. All things doers network, right? That's what we got.

[00:03:37]Now, let's check in. Oh, and like here, it is gorgeous out. I don't even it it's been I've been going since way early this morning. So, let's see what the weather is officially out here for us today because I think it's going to be like mid 80s to low 90s, I think is what I saw. Beautiful 70° out right now and we're going to get up to 85, right? 90 90 today.

[00:04:01]Summer break this week.

[00:04:03]Only a few more days left to school. All right.

[00:04:06]Let's check in. So, the crafts Kendall, good morning.

[00:04:10]Hi from Kendall to Pilar Crystal and Terry to McCrew. Hello Crystal, good morning to you. Daniel, good morning to you.

[00:04:16]Jean Grant, good morning to you and oh yeah, morning show. That's all right.

[00:04:22]They might join us. They might join us.

[00:04:23]Jerry, good morning. How are you feeling, Jerry? It has been a minute.

[00:04:27]Hopefully you're feeling better. 71, air quality warning and sunny in Chicago.

[00:04:32]Water in bottle and tea in the mug.

[00:04:33]Hello, Jerry. Hello, Jerry from Linda and morning Linda from Renee. Rainy and 64 there for Look at that, we're warmer here. We're warmer here than you.

[00:04:43]Hi Renee and Linda. Hi Renee. Hotter in Chicago That's what I just said. Hotter in Chicago than Texas. Uh where you been, Jerry? She's been sick. I wonder she's been sick. Raining cats and dogs there in Ohio. Well, nice.

[00:04:55]It's tough, you know. Uh we Our youngest Our youngest uh this is the last week of elementary school. In fact, today's like the last real day uh because it's a early out day. We have fifth grade graduation recognition, whatever they want to call it. Tomorrow is field trip their their fifth grade field trip. So, that's an entire day thing and then Friday is the last day for like the 2 hours.

[00:05:19]It's weird. It's weird. Eight kids.

[00:05:22]Last time.

[00:05:23]And then, you know, we had a good PTO run. We had a you know, a great uh outing. We did a um a We did a Finally, I finally got them to approve on baskets and and stuff and we did that.

[00:05:36]Raised a good amount of money and hopefully we can continue that tradition. I'm like, you're not getting rid of us. Like, we'll still be here to help out, but now we won't feel obligated cuz we have a kid there. So, we're always like, yep, we're we'll be here to help out. They've already asked, "Hey, can you still help with this, this, and this?" Yes, we'll still be there. So, it is a little it'll be it'll be weird not just being able to take the golf cart to school, you know? It'll it'll be weird. It'll definitely be weird. Linda, five things.

[00:05:59]Edit photos, 3D print, press shirts, sponsor and coach Plex, start summer employee this morning.

[00:06:04]Oh, congratulations, Linda. Uh Barb, good morning from St. Cloud, Minnesota, 64. Water in the cup, five things.

[00:06:10]Design layouts, 3D printing, Wilcom Corel training.

[00:06:14]Set up a brother done. Layout for outdoor pillows. Very, very nice. She had the flu, bronchitis forever. That's what you did. And I'm glad you're coming out of that.

[00:06:23]Um hey Barb, hey Barb, hey Cherry, Renee, and Linda.

[00:06:27]Uh peace What's up?

[00:06:31]Morning. I'm looking at this thing. I'm here showing something weird on there.

[00:06:34]Uh what's up, Chuck? Good morning to you and uh everybody connect to Chuck. Okay.

[00:06:40]Let's get into this, right? Because if if you've been in this industry for any amount of time, a day, a week, a month, a year, you know, you've probably heard a ton of advice. Watch this video, take that course, download this guide, join that group, right? And and don't get me wrong, learning matters, right? If you're not learning, you're not earning.

[00:07:03]You know, it it's how you get better.

[00:07:05]It's how you avoid mistakes.

[00:07:07]And it's how you grow your skill set.

[00:07:09]But, there is a point where all that learning starts to turn into something else entirely.

[00:07:15]And what I'm seeing more and more and more are, you know, decorators who just kind of just stuck in what I like to call that that shelf help mode, right?

[00:07:27]They've got great ideas.

[00:07:28]You know, they've got them saved.

[00:07:30]They've got notes written down. They've got screenshots taken.

[00:07:34]And they've got plans half built.

[00:07:36]They know what they should be doing, but they just aren't doing it.

[00:07:41]And you know, truth is knowledge without action does not move your business forward even an inch.

[00:07:50]So, today, you know, we're going to talk about how we can hopefully break some people out of that cycle.

[00:07:56]Not by learning more, but by executing more.

[00:08:00]So, got five, I think very real, very practical ways to start turning everything that you already know into actual orders, into real customers, and growth in your apparel business. All right?

[00:08:16]Number one is let's replace those perfect plans with fast starts.

[00:08:22]I feel like one of the the biggest traps that decorators fall into is just waiting until everything is is perfect.

[00:08:28]It's got to be ready, you know, before they start.

[00:08:31]You know, they want, you know, the the perfect design. They want the the perfect pricing sheet. They want the perfect website. They want the perfect pitch. They want the perfect email sequence. They want the perfect social media campaign.

[00:08:45]But really, perfection is just a moving target. And while you're chasing it, nothing is actually happening in your business.

[00:08:55]And messy actions beat perfect planning every single time.

[00:09:02]You know, when you move fast, you learn fast.

[00:09:04]You You You find out what customers, you know, actually respond to.

[00:09:09]What designs actually sell.

[00:09:12]And what problems actually come up in production.

[00:09:16]And none of the that comes from thinking about it longer.

[00:09:21]It comes from doing the work.

[00:09:23]Even if it's not flawless.

[00:09:25]And most of the time, customers don't need perfect. They just need done.

[00:09:33]And, you know, in our business, in our apparel world, it matters because trends move quickly and opportunities most of the time just don't wait around.

[00:09:43]Spirit wear seasons come and go.

[00:09:46]School events pop up fast.

[00:09:48]Small businesses need shirts now, not 3 weeks from now when you finally perfected your process.

[00:09:55]You know, if you hesitate too long, that's what's going to happen.

[00:09:58]Someone else is going to step right in and take the order.

[00:10:03]And then there's also, you know, a confidence piece here.

[00:10:06]The more you act, the more comfortable you get at making decisions on the fly.

[00:10:11]You stop second-guessing everything and you start trusting your instincts.

[00:10:15]You know, that confidence, that's what's going to allow you to grow from, you know, those small inconsistent orders into steady, reliable business.

[00:10:25]So, some examples of this. You know, a home-based decorator spends 3 weeks at tweaking spirit wear designs for a local elementary school.

[00:10:33]They keep adjusting fonts and layers and colors trying to make it just right.

[00:10:39]Meanwhile, another decorator reaches out with just a simple clean design, gets approval within 2 days and opens up the store.

[00:10:46]Okay? That second decorator is already collecting and processing orders before you even turned anything in.

[00:10:53]All right.

[00:10:54]Um is it fuzzy?

[00:10:57]It looks like it might be fuzzy. I'm seeing things in there.

[00:11:01]Let's try it. And we're only on this, so yeah, we might things up for for tonight. I'm making sure everything is good here and there's no extra stuff going on.

[00:11:12]Why don't we let's reload. Let's reload and see if that happens. And we might be switching things up to a whole new system tonight because of this.

[00:11:21]Let's reload.

[00:11:35]>> Okay, let's see if that makes it any better. Just let it pop up on the other monitor. So, we'll see how that monitor We'll see how that monitor pops up and and go from there, right? That's all we can do.

[00:11:46]So, um so, that was example one, right?

[00:11:50]Example two, right? Example two of that is No, it's still fuzzy. Still fuzzy. Yeah. We're going to switch We're going to We're going to try a completely new system tonight because there is nothing tied to this. There is nothing processing. There is only one camera working. Here is this. So, StreamYard, you have let me down for the last time.

[00:12:15]Cuz I'm not I'm not playing this game tonight, kids. We're not.

[00:12:20]So, we're going to just see if the fuzzy clears up and we just need the audio, right? Example two. Someone wants to launch a fundraising shirt for local sports teams, but keeps delaying because they don't have a polished order form or website set up.

[00:12:34]Another decorator just uses basic social media posts and direct messages and they start taking orders immediately.

[00:12:40]That second decorator well, they make sales that same week while that first one is still getting ready.

[00:12:47]So, the action step is we just need to pick one idea that you've been sitting on and launch it within the next 2 days, right? Not next week, when it's perfect, this week. Next 2 days, right? Keep it simple. Keep it clear. And just put it in front of people.

[00:13:02]Whether that's a design, an offer, or a promotion, the goal is to keep it is to move from thinking to doing.

[00:13:12]Right?

[00:13:13]Once it's out there, you know, you can improve it. You can improve it based on real feedback instead of guesses. Right?

[00:13:22]So, number two is you know, I feel like another way that people uh it is to focus on one revenue stream at a time.

[00:13:29]You know, I I feel like uh you know, people get stuck in learning mode because they're they're trying to do everything at once, right? They want to offer spirit wear, they want to offer team uniforms, they want to do small business apparel, they want to do online stores, they want to do fundraising campaigns, and then they still want to do the the custom one-offs all at the same time.

[00:13:52]And it sounds ambitious, but in reality, it spreads your time and energy like so thin that nothing gets done. And nothing gets the attention that it needs to succeed.

[00:14:06]Right? When you narrow that focus, right? Everything becomes a lot more clear.

[00:14:11]Right? Your your messaging improves because you know exactly who you're talking to. Your designs get better because you solve specific problems for a specific audience. And your process gets faster because you're repeating the same types of jobs instead of constantly reinventing the wheel.

[00:14:32]Now, why is this important?

[00:14:34]Well, for a a lot of you, still working at home, right? And your time and capacity is limited.

[00:14:44]You know, you don't have the luxury of chasing every opportunity that you can.

[00:14:49]You know, the the decorator who grows the fastest are the ones who lock in on one lane, build momentum there, and then expand once that lane is stable and profitable.

[00:15:01]And then when you do this, there's there's a lot less mental clutter.

[00:15:06]Right? When you focus on one thing, that's it.

[00:15:08]You're not constantly switching gears or trying to figure out what to prioritize.

[00:15:13]You wake up knowing exactly what your business is about and who you are trying to serve.

[00:15:19]And then that clarity, well, that turns into decisions and faster progress.

[00:15:25]So, some examples of this. You know, a decorator tries to run a spiritwear store, take custom Etsy orders, and pitch local businesses all at the same time.

[00:15:34]They end up overwhelmed, missing deadlines, and producing inconsistent work.

[00:15:41]Eventually, they scale back and just focus only on school spiritwear. Within a few months, they have repeat orders and steady income.

[00:15:49]All right?

[00:15:50]Number two, you know, someone just keeps jumping between niches, right? One week it's church apparel, the next week it's a gym brands, then hey, guess what? We're going to try some youth sports.

[00:16:00]But, because they never stick to one long enough, they don't build relationships or recognitions in those areas for people to recommend them for.

[00:16:09]You know, another decorator just focus only on booster clubs, and it becomes the go-to person in the area. So, for this action step is let's just choose one primary revenue stream for the next month.

[00:16:23]All right?

[00:16:24]We're here at the end of the month. What is it going to be for June? And then fully commit to it.

[00:16:28]That means your marketing, your outreach, your designs, and your conversations, you know, those are all centered around that one focus.

[00:16:40]Then, at the end of June, evaluate what worked and what didn't.

[00:16:45]But, do not switch mid-month. All right?

[00:16:48]Give it a real chance to gain traction.

[00:16:53]Now, number three is let's turn conversations into opportunities.

[00:17:00]Uh you know, I I I feel like a lot of decorators are just sitting back and waiting for customers to come to them.

[00:17:09]You know, they they post a few designs, maybe share something on social media, and then they just sit back and hope that the orders start rolling in.

[00:17:18]But, the reality is most business comes from conversations, not just passive posts.

[00:17:26]If you are not actively engaging with people, you are really leaving opportunities on the table.

[00:17:34]You know, every interaction that you have is a chance to create business.

[00:17:38]Right? Whether it's a parent at a game, you know, a local business owner, or just somebody comment on your post.

[00:17:46]Those are openings.

[00:17:48]You don't need a hard sales pitch.

[00:17:51]You just need to be curious and helpful, and a willing to guide the conversations towards a solution that you can provide.

[00:18:01]You know, business relationships, you know, drive business relation- Yeah, business relationships, they they drive repeat business in our industry. I see two businesses in there, so it threw me off for a second. You know, a single conversation, well, that can that can turn into a multiple orders over time.

[00:18:21]Schools reorder every year.

[00:18:23]You know, teams need new gear each season.

[00:18:27]And small businesses come back when they trust you.

[00:18:30]But, none of that happens if you're just waiting silently for people to find you.

[00:18:35]And then there's that confidence shift when you start initiating the conversations.

[00:18:40]You stop feeling like you're bothering people and you start realizing that you are offering something valuable.

[00:18:46]You know, apparel solves real needs.

[00:18:49]Unity, branding, fundraising.

[00:18:53]And when you approach it that way, it changes how you show up.

[00:18:58]So, some examples of this. You know, a decorator attends a local football game and casually talks with a booster club parent about the current spirit wear options. They mention that they could create some fresh new designs and help the organize the orders.

[00:19:13]That conversation leads to a meeting, which leads to a full season of apparel sales.

[00:19:18]Another example is someone notices a local landscape company with mismatched shirts and no clear branding branding.

[00:19:25]Instead of just thinking about it, they reach out, suggest a simple uniform package. That small conversation turns into a week a recurring client who orders multiple times throughout the year.

[00:19:35]So, for this action step, we're asking a lot from you.

[00:19:40]Start five new conversations in the next week related to your business.

[00:19:44]This could be in person. This could be through social media, or you email or phone.

[00:19:51]Don't overthink it. Just keep it natural and focused on helping.

[00:19:56]Your goal is not to close every conversation immediately, but just to open doors that can lead to future orders. All right? So, now before we get into the four and five, let's check back in and see what we have here for it. Let's see. Uh let's see. Renee's five things. Uh UV print, UV print 100 bookmarks, print setup for engagement party favors, mini signage, website work baking for LO's birthday weekend, and follow up with clients. Renee's got a busy day there. Alan says, "Ideas without execution is still failure." Absolutely.

[00:20:34]All right.

[00:20:35]Uh let's see. Yep, we think we got it.

[00:20:36]Kind of fades in and out for the fuzz.

[00:20:38]It's getting better. Yeah, it's just going. It it's doing its thing. It it's it's doing its thing. It's really upsetting me right there. Focus has always been an issue. Yes, it has for you, Jerry. Yes, it has. [laughter] Barb says, "Focusing on one thing is not my jam." And for a lot of people, it's not. You know, it's like here, I've got this, but you don't go too far out of your lane, Barb. You're not like, "Hey, guess what? I'm going to be, you know, a sign painter tomorrow, and I'm going to go out and start doing this." Stay relative in the in the same ballpark for it, right?

[00:21:08]All right. Number four is let's build system systems, simple systems that support action. There's a lot of S words in there. You know, I think a hidden reason that people kind of stay stuck in learning mode is because their process feels chaotic.

[00:21:25]You know, every order feels different.

[00:21:27]Every quote takes too long. And every design just starts from scratch.

[00:21:33]And when things feel messy, it's just easier to go back to to learning instead of doing because doing feels overwhelming.

[00:21:42]You know, simple systems really can change everything.

[00:21:46]You know, when you have a a basic way of handling orders, handling pricing, handling communication, and handling production, you do remove a lot of friction from your workflow.

[00:21:57]You know, you don't have to think as much, which means what? Well, you can act faster.

[00:22:03]And speed is a huge advantage in this business.

[00:22:08]You know, these systems don't have to be complicated. And in fact, you know, the the simpler they are, the better they're going to be for you.

[00:22:16]You know, a standard pricing structure, a repeatable design process, you know, and a a clear way to collect orders, that can really take you a long way. And then remember, the goal is not perfection.

[00:22:30]It's just cons- it's consistency and efficiency.

[00:22:35]You know, when your systems are solid, you know, you free up that mental space to focus on growth instead of constantly putting out fires or reinventing your process.

[00:22:46]You know, you you can spend more time finding customers and fulfilling orders.

[00:22:51]And that is where the real progress happens.

[00:22:56]So, examples of this. Decorator manually calculates pricing for every order and rewrites the same email over and over and over.

[00:23:05]That slows them down and causes delays in responses. Once they create a simple pricing sheet and a few email templates, they start responding faster and closing more orders.

[00:23:16]Number two.

[00:23:18]You know, someone takes orders through scattered messages and handwritten notes, right? DMs, text messages, smoke signals, you name it, you take it, right?

[00:23:28]And that leads to mistakes and missed details. You know, after switching to just a basic order form and organized tracking system, their production becomes smoother and their stress level drops significantly.

[00:23:40]So, for this action step, just identify one part of your process that slows you down the most and simplify it this week.

[00:23:47]You know, create a template, a checklist, or a standard way of handling it.

[00:23:51]Don't try to fix everything at once.

[00:23:53]Just improve that one area. That small change will make it easier for you to take action consistently.

[00:24:00]And then, number five.

[00:24:03]Measure progress by output, not input.

[00:24:10]Man, there's a lot of decorators who feel productive because they're spending time on their business.

[00:24:16]They're watching videos, they're taking classes, they're researching trends, they're organizing files, they're listening to every guru's message out there. They're planning ideas, but at the end of the week, they don't have jack to show for it, right? No new designs were launched, no new customers reached, no new orders created.

[00:24:37]You know, real progress comes from output. You know, how many designs did you actually put out this week? How many people did you actually talk to this week? How many offers did you actually make this week?

[00:24:50]You know, those are all metrics that move your business forward.

[00:24:54]You know, input feels productive, but output creates results.

[00:25:01]You know, that simple shift in thinking is powerful because it forces you to be honest, you know, about how you're spending your time.

[00:25:09]Cuz it's easy to hide in preparation because it feels safe, right? Taking action is risky, but it also that's where growth happens.

[00:25:20]You know, when you start tracking output, you naturally just start doing more of the things that matter.

[00:25:27]And for all of us, this matters because it is especially important your work is visible, right? And tangible. Every design, every shirt, every order is something that you can point to, right? The more you produce, the more opportunities that you create for people to see your work and to buy it.

[00:25:48]So, some examples. Decorator spends hours watching design tutorials, but rarely posts new work. Their skills improve slightly, but their business doesn't grow. You know, once they commit to posting three designs per week, they start getting inquiries and building momentum.

[00:26:05]Number two. Someone constantly researches pricing strategies, but avoids actually sending quotes.

[00:26:12]They feel busy, but no deals are closing.

[00:26:15]You know, when they shift to spending to sending out five quotes per week, they start landing consistent orders and gaining real-world experience.

[00:26:26]So, for this action step, we just need to set a weekly output goal for yourself. That could be a number of designs posted, conversations started, or quotes sent.

[00:26:37]Track it and hold yourself accountable.

[00:26:39]And then, at the end of the week, evaluate your output, not just your effort.

[00:26:44]That shift, well, that shift alone can dramatically change your results.

[00:26:50]So, to recap all this, you know, what we talked about today really comes down to one core idea.

[00:26:58]Action beats intention every single time.

[00:27:03]All right? You do not need to consume more information.

[00:27:08]You just need to do more execution.

[00:27:12]You know, when you replace your perfect plans with fast starts, you begin learning from real experience instead of theory. You know, when you focus on one revenue stream, you give yourself the chance to build momentum instead of constantly resetting.

[00:27:25]You know, we talked about the the power of conversations and how they can lead to real opportunities in this business.

[00:27:32]And then, you know, simple systems that make your workflow easier, you know, now you remove a lot of that friction that keeps you stuck.

[00:27:41]And then, when you start measuring your progress by what you produce instead of what you consume, everything starts to shift.

[00:27:49]So, how are we going to do that? Well, we're going to replace perfect plans with fast starts.

[00:27:55]Waiting for everything to be perfect is keeping you stuck.

[00:27:59]Fast action creates faster learning.

[00:28:02]Focus on one revenue stream at a time.

[00:28:06]Trying to do everything at once just kills momentum.

[00:28:09]Lock into one lane just long enough to build the traction, okay?

[00:28:15]Three, we're going to turn conversations into opportunities.

[00:28:19]You know, most orders start with conversations, not content.

[00:28:23]So, stop waiting and start engaging with people.

[00:28:28]And then five, wait, four. Yeah, four.

[00:28:30]Yeah, four. Build simple systems that support action. So, templates, pricing sheets, any type of those workflows, those remove friction and make it easier to execute execute consistently. And then five, measure progress by output, not input input.

[00:28:50]Watching the latest guru has to say might feel productive, but posted designs, sent quotes, and started conversations, those are what actually is going to grow your business.

[00:29:02]So, if you take anything from today, right? Let it be this.

[00:29:06]You already know enough to move forward.

[00:29:09]The next step isn't about watching another video or or another idea, it's action. Action.

[00:29:16]Action.

[00:29:17]Start small, stay consistent, and you're just going to build from there.

[00:29:22]Your business grows when you do the work, right? Not when you think about it. Right? Keep showing up, keep producing, and you're going to keep moving forward. Now, that's what we have for you today on this episode of Makers and Movers podcast. We'll be back tonight, 7:00 p.m. Central. 7:00 p.m.

[00:29:40]Central. We're going to be doing We're going to be doing a lot. Cameo giveaway, mhm. Ball drops, mhm. New product releases, mhm. We got new HTV in the lineup. We've got new premium stone colors in the lineup. Um DTF soft launch, you know, that should be there.

[00:29:56]So, we'll talk We'll talk more about that tonight. So, make sure to tune in there. Uh as far as mentorship call, you guys' call starts in about 30 minutes.

[00:30:04]So, we'll go and get that set up for you.

[00:30:07]Uh anything else? Questions, comments, concerns before we get out of here for you guys to it.

[00:30:13]Um Tim's got a lot Good morning, lot to do today. Lot to do every day, right, Tim? Hey, Tim. Good info. Thanks, Jerry.

[00:30:20]I like the idea of branding package to send to new business. I love that. I love that. Same here, Barb. Hey, Tim. Me too, Barb. My ears perked up with that one. Love it, love it, love it. Hey, Cindy. Hi, Cindy. Have a great day, everyone. Have to get a shirt order done. There we go. I love it, love it.

[00:30:35]Um Hey, Cindy. Uh cameo giveaway. Cameo giveaway tonight, 7:00 p.m. Cameo giveaway. Template making temps help, too. Yeah, absolutely, they will.

[00:30:44]>> Absolutely. All right. We're going to get you guys out of here. Like I said, tonight 7:00 p.m. show back up. We're giving stuff away. We've got new stones to show off. We've got uh new products to talk about. We've got the bingo ball drops. We've got mystery boxes. We've got it all. We're trying to end June with a bang. And if it goes well, we just might start doing it once a month.

[00:31:06]So, you guys help out with that. Sharing is caring. Go ahead and do that. All right. Until next time, you guys have an amazing day. Peace, love, press on. We will see >> [music] [music]