Meet Shawn LaFave of North Georgia Promotions

Today we’d like to introduce you to Shawn LaFave.

Shawn, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
We saw a need for screen printed shirts and embroidered caps being involved with our son in Boy Scouts. There were not any Local places that catered to the Scouting program so my wife Laura and I decided to start our own business. We started with a 1 head embroidery machine and some screen printing connections.

As the business grew and the word got out about our design and product quality, we moved out of our home basement, into a 1500 sq ft retail location. This allowed us a chance to bring in more equipment to meet the demands of our clients. About 1 year after that, we started looking for another location that would allow us the opportunity to bring in even more equipment and grow into that space.

In 2014, we moved into our current location which is a 5,000 sq ft building that houses our larger than normal showroom so our clients can come in to see and try on the most current fashions and choose the perfect promotional giveaway to market their business as well as allowing us to Embroider and Screen Print our order in-house. We also have Large Format printing capabilities for yard signs, decals and banners.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
We have been lucky enough to start our business in an area of the country that has seen continued growth over the last 8 years. There has been struggles finding qualified employees to fill available positions, but that seems to be an issue across most small businesses.

Please tell us about North Georgia Promotions.
We pride ourselves on staying on top of the most current trends and methods of apparel embellishment. We utilize consultants in the areas of embroidery, screen printing and small business development to keep a fresh view and understanding of all aspects of our business.

To me, Education is the most important part of being able to do any business better. In order for NGA Promotions to continue to grow, we need to know better ways of screen printing a shirt. There are so many factors that affect the quality of the print. In Screen Printing: What squeegee durometer to use for different kinds of inks so the design prints clear and does not overfill with ink. What mesh to use for certain designs that require more detail.

In Embroidery:
Knowing how small text can go and still embroidery legibly or if you should use a smaller sized needle and thread to achieve a better looking embroidered design. Because there are so many variables in each process we do, we are extremely process driven and document everything we do so it makes it easier to duplicate a result when a product is re-ordered.

If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
We would have started in a larger retail location on the first move. It cost a lot to move a business and you need to consider that in your business planning.

Contact Info:

• Address: 4040 Nine McFarland Drive, Suite 1200 Alpharetta, GA 30004
• Website: www.NGApromotions.com
• Phone: 770-710-0467
• Email: Shawn@NGApromotions.com
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/NorthGeorgiaPromotions

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