Show Notes
The inner workings of a successful, family owned business featuring Personalized Touch
Behind the curtain of a true successful family owned business featuring Personalized Touch
Successful dynamics of a family owned business
Personalized Touch - Hellene Barillas
About them:
We are the proud owners of Personalized Touch. We are a local home based screen printing and promotional product company. Our main focus is to help people with their orders no matter the size.
We are so happy to help the moms who need a single birthday shirt to business who need products by the thousands!
We like to give back to the community and host a McKinney Little Free Food Pantry. We have one in front of our home business and anyone can walk up and grab free food. No questions asked.
We have three daughters ranging from 5-15 and our two oldest daughters are very involved in the business. They are the reason why we are still a home business, since we want them to be our main focus without jeopardizing the quality of our our work. As a mother, I have not missed any of their middle of the day concerts or special events at their school.
We started our business as a hobby and didn't do much with it in 2008 and moved to Texas in 2015. That is when our business really took off and we became full time in the fall 2016 and look forward.
What do you think about this episode? We’d love to hear from you! Share us your suggestions, comments or questions. And we’d love to include that on our next show.
Connect with us:
Hope y'all enjoyed this episode! We'll see you guys next week for another episode of The Marketing Natives!
Transcript
Christian [00:00:14] Hello and welcome to another episode.
Christian [00:00:15] Today is a special episode because here with us in the studio, we have a studio in the studio.
Christian [00:00:23] Does it make sense to you? We have Hellene and Kenneth, Barilles. Yes, they are a local homebase screen printing and promotional products company based out of McKinney called Personalized Touch. They also host the McKinney little free entry from their home.
Christian [00:00:42] And they have daughters, three daughters that help with the business. That's awesome. So glad you guys are here with us today. Thank you for having us. Awesome. All right. So first question, we usually start with this. Just tell us why it's something personal, personalized, such personalized touch.
Hellene [00:01:00] It's a very from the heart. Company. We'd like to help out everybody. We make T-shirts and promotional products for big companies and, you know, just your local company. And then we also help the moms who need just a one of a kind t shirt like your birthday T-shirt or last minute gift that has to you know, they have to have that T-shirt. Otherwise the birthday won't be perfect or saving the lives minute.
Aaron [00:01:33] Yeah, yeah, definitely.
Aaron [00:01:36] So if you can turn it around just to kind of expand on what you're talking about, if you can. Can you turn around T-shirts and stuff pretty quickly? Is that right? OK.
Kenneth [00:01:44] That's what we're going for. Sometimes it's just small enough order.
Aaron [00:01:48] Really? OK, well, we may have some shirt orders for you guys. You polos and stuff, too. Yes, we do. OK.
Kenneth [00:01:56] We have pretty good embroidery.
Hellene [00:01:57] Also nine on the animation sublimation. OK, so as you guys know where Homebase Company and we've had people who are our customers for years now, we had one of them responding to your time, to your question about how fast we can turn things around. You know, she'd messaged me and she said, hey, Helen, can you get this t shirt and this color and this size? And I said, let me check the way. And I said, yes, I have it ready. When do you want it? She said, Whenever you have a chance. It's like I'm parked right in front of your house.
Kenneth [00:02:29] Oh, my gosh. We are, you know, pretty good. She was very excited.
Hellene [00:02:34] She could sell half an hour later. She left our house a T-shirt. So, yes, we can get things pretty quickly. Amazing.
Kenneth [00:02:42] The good thing is that we have all the machinery we have. Yes. And we have this freezer. So we don't have to outsource, outsource.
Aaron [00:02:52] Once they get it there on the spot on those machines, like really, really big. Yes.
Christian [00:02:57] Have a really, really big garage.
Kenneth [00:02:59] Right. I'm guessing part of it's inside overflowed in the house because it was like our sublimation machine. And so it's control.
Hellene [00:03:06] So that works an hour later.
Kenneth [00:03:07] That was in the lower 48.
Hellene [00:03:10] Our dining room is my office. Yes. Well, our packaging center, dining room, a nice big area. OK, yeah.
Aaron [00:03:19] With that. Do you guys plan to? Because obviously overhead is very low because you just pay a mortgage for that. Do you guys plan to get into a location or that would just take away from complete, complete business model to be able to operate?
Hellene [00:03:31] There's a couple of different things. So one of them is, yes, we would like to have our full job and I would like to employ people who need a second chance, not just people who are able to work outside. Our dream is to, you know, get women who have been abused or men who are trying to rehab. And, you know, that they need a job that will be an amazing opportunity for them, that they need more of a skill where they need their hands on so much like, you know, a professional degree. Right. So that will be an amazing opportunity for us. We do want to buy our own building. We believe in buying our own building. That's all. We are not in any location yet. So we are trying to save our pennies, put everything together, and then eventually do move out to a bigger location. Very cool.
Christian [00:04:20] Mm hmm. How. Why did you guys from the get go decide that you wanted to do everything in-house, purchase equipment and go that route instead of sending them? There's other shops around that they tell you. Yeah, we do everything here. Then they just outsource in-house. 90 percent of the things that they offer.
Hellene [00:04:39] Yeah. So when I first came to make any one of the networking events, I asked somebody and she said, oh, yeah, I would do this, I would do this, I would do this and that. And in my head, I looked at her and said, how do you fit all that equipment? Don't you work out of your home? Which is that? Oh, gosh, no. I have no equipment. So how do you do it? So I guess for me, it's never been an option up outsourcing it.
Hellene [00:05:04] The company pretty much started with outsourcing per say. He had a skating company.
Hellene [00:05:11] What they manufacture. Four wheels for gates and we went to an event, a trade show, and we just we decided, well, what do we just bring tee shirts? So one of his riders who is from Mexico said, I have a screen printing company, I can do the T-shirts for you and then ship them out. Well, it was really expensive, but we wanted to help them out, too. So we please order. The shirts came from Mexico. And at that event, one of the guys says the guy said he's like, what do you get a T-shirt from? And he said, well, you know, one of our writers in Mexico send it over. So we're good. You know, we get it from him. And he said, I want to tell you what machine to get, how to get it, how to get started, TV. You can do it.
Kenneth [00:05:54] And we're like, what, you think it's like all.
Hellene [00:05:57] So he said, I can tell you how to do it, but you just have to listen. So if you're willing to listen, I'm willing to show. So share. So he when he bought the equipment and that was back in 2008 and we started doing just single's single shirts for his shows. And, you know, here and there I was a dental assistant for 20 years. So I started when I was like two. So obviously. Right. So how does analysis effort? Like I said, in 20 years. And that was my passion. That's that's all I was doing. And then when we decided to move to McKinney, we had all this equipment where we're not making money with it. So he said, well, we're going to leave it. He said, well, you know, we just leave the machines. And I said, no, said, let's take them on. I'm gonna make it into a business. So we came over to Texas and and it started with I was still and already a working in Plano for an amazing doctor. And it started with just a little water bottle. And they said, where did you get that from? And I said, oh, come on. I said, I made it. And they said, You made it. And I said, Yeah. And they're like, OK, make me one. So the next day I turn it around and they're like, oh, she made me. Wow. Everything you do have all the equipment in the city. So then it was a T-shirt. And then I started just bringing things in. And then it got so overwhelming that everybody wanted some of our stuff that we're producing. And that when I left, I think I worked there a year and three months. And then I couldn't keep up with personalized touch and being a dental assistant. So we went to business full time. Wow. So we went to shows. And on those shows, we learn more and more about different machines. So I see some girls want jewelry and high heels. I want machines.
Hellene [00:07:42] Sounds like I. That's my life. That's my next one.
Hellene [00:07:45] So I started gathering more and more use. And that's a good.
Aaron [00:07:48] Yeah, I know. You can no use out of the dresses to heal. Right thing.
Aaron [00:07:54] They're a little bit more expensive, though, I'm guessing.
Kenneth [00:07:57] Machines or so.
Kenneth [00:07:58] Every creature we go to, we go to different classes. There is about three shows a year, so we always take a different class. Every single one better scream for better process, faster processes.
Hellene [00:08:11] And we attend about oh I said about twenty five days of pure classes a year on this.
Christian [00:08:19] Yes. I think it's been you know that we've started with two since the beginning of our company was education and educating ourselves on what's coming out, what's new, especially in our industry where things are changing very quickly.
Aaron [00:08:32] So have you guys. So we kind of I I guess when I look at this, you guys kind of fell into this business. Right. So two questions from this kid. Were you ever a skateboarder?
Kenneth [00:08:43] No. So I was a landscaper. Really? I was in Guatemala. I'm the only Central American next games winner. But in 98.
Christian [00:08:54] Wow, that is really cool. That is awesome. And then it was so expensive to get wheels down in Central America and Guatemala.
Kenneth [00:09:02] And when we came back to the states and we brainstormed going along with Ellen, and then she said, you know what? Okay, let's do it. We had it for eight years. We had wheels all over the World War and right. 19 countries. We had right across China. We had very central and South America. United States. OK.
Aaron [00:09:22] So my question from that was gonna be like, have you guys always wanted to, like, run your own business? Like, so. OK. So you have and then you were happy with where you were at, but then kind of got roped into something you really like and you like, okay, I'm going to pursue this.
Hellene [00:09:35] Yeah. So the nice thing about my background, right. It's like. Or so I work with cosmetic dentistry, you know? And then we did braces. So everything has to be pitch perfect. Right? We always look at it. Attention to detail. We can't be a millimeter off. So that that has really been amazing in this grim printing world because people appreciate that.
Hellene [00:09:54] People like that. I'm like, that's all. He's like, no, it's not off on my sadness. You say you stand on this. You're right. Let me fix this. It's like lining up jobs.
Hellene [00:10:05] You know, when we scream, brain is one color until they're on top of the other. And he has to be perfect.
Hellene [00:10:10] Otherwise it's the same way process. And sometimes you feel like I'm trying trying to line up this job and I show up. And in two seconds, such a machine, I'm like, there you go. You just there a little bit of tape, a little bit of talk is like, I don't know what you're talking about, but it works. So keep it up. The she focuses on me.
Kenneth [00:10:24] I still feel down to it. I was like, what? And she makes it like that sometimes.
Hellene [00:10:31] Yeah. So we've always wanted to own our own business and we always wanted to do different things to leave something behind for our girls. And this one seems to be amazing. They love it.
Christian [00:10:43] They enjoy it doesn't I mean, I actually really enjoy getting they're getting paid.
Hellene [00:10:49] So beginning at the beginning, you know, when it was time to get gifts for their teachers or their friends, they were like mom. But we made it like they didn't see the value because we made it. And they started seeing all these reactions that people were like, wow, that is a one of a kind. I cannot get it anywhere else. Did you think about that? How did you come up with that? Where did you get it? So they love giving gifts that they make. So whenever they there is there is a birthday party and they come up with a design, they come up with the concept design and they execute it completely. So that's something they can give to their friends that they actually made themselves. So how old are they? I have a 13 year old and a 15 year old. And then the five year old. But she doesn't make her own gift yet.
Kenneth [00:11:38] She always asked for a shirt. I get one of those.
Aaron [00:11:40] Yes. It's probably very good at asking. Yes. Yes. Can you have them do it?
Aaron [00:11:45] Sounds so cool. So who's this one of them? Take more interest in it like the oldest daughter takes more interest. Like whenever you're thinking about who would pass down to maybe they'll listen to the podcast later and you're like, oh, I always thought that it was gonna be this daughter that took it over. Or do you see them running it together or how exactly did Cyrus completely different?
Hellene [00:12:06] Yeah. We have one that is, you know, I will go to her and then you know how I have all this attention to detail. OK. She's more.
Hellene [00:12:15] Yes, she's lovely. Yeah. And year old. So her name is Elisa and well.
Hellene [00:12:23] And I should say, mom, you did not check on me before making that. That is like shifted to the right. Mike, you know. And then we have Maya, who Maya is more like I want to make money. I want to make money now. Like, how can I help you, you know? Like, what else can I do? Mom, I got your business. I got my game. They said it like she is more I see her more as the person who's gonna be like the outgoing. If anything, she'll be the networker, should be the person who's out and about representing. And now the one is the brains of the company.
Kenneth [00:12:54] I have you, I have a friend that I always deliver shares to. He owns a landscaping shop and we're always delivering to him. And she's like, well, you need mugs, you need water bottles.
Kenneth [00:13:05] So I.
Hellene [00:13:08] I think that both of the girls will be amazing at owning it together and will complement each other very well because our personalities are so different.
Aaron [00:13:17] You know, it's also kind of like where we're at. So she's all the front end and I'm all on the back end.
Christian [00:13:22] Yeah. Yeah. So what do you guys think you enjoy most about your business?
Hellene [00:13:30] I think we make dreams a reality. Yeah, that's what we do. So if you think about this mom who needs a birthday T-shirt and in her mind only she has this purple T-shirt with gold writing and, you know, yellow glitter or something, you know, is not going to be perfect. That's that makes her dreams come. Right. So we make that happen for her. You have this small business owners who would like to get started and they need just they would love to have one mousepad, one coaster, one mug with their brand in it, but who are really willing to take that order? One like, you know, unless you have the equipment, you have the patients, you have the passion for it, not anybody is going to know that. They will see that as a waste of time. So we make that vision come true. We make the big businesses be represented. You know, whenever you're walking outside and you're advertising with your own T-shirt, you are we're making them be more known. Right. So that's what we do. We make dreams come true in school.
Aaron [00:14:35] So you're talking about. Sorry. But you talked about social or social. Talked about networking. And I know that you guys do a decent amount of networking and if you still do a ton of it. But that's how you guys were introduced to us. You guys do much on social media. Or how? How exactly do you take advantage of that, I guess, showing off your T-shirts and stuff?
Hellene [00:14:55] So we tried to network every single opportunity, the networking opportunity on a handshake. That's and that's what we I do sometimes not as much go out and to do network networking meetings. I tried my best to go to everything when I can. We tried networking that way. We tried networking and social media. There's also if we go to a birthday party for some reason where we're introduced, as, you know, hey, you know, Hellene right with person, I said. Sure. we tried to do this a lot. And then most importantly, I think it's not so much networking, but where community involved. And we really like to help the people who need it. So every time we do that, we do it in the name of our company. But we do it with our full hearts. That's the legacy we're trying to live our girls, you know. Does it matter if you have time, if you have money, if you have whatever you have you? There's always time to help other people. You don't need to have money to help somebody. But as long as you give them time, like today with distributed diapers, we gave food out. We gave them new pads out. We were working for like two and a half hours and the girls were hustling and we're doing that. And there's absolutely nothing more heart fulfilling than that. So that's our networking. You know, people get to know us. They get to know. And even if they don't have the money to refer to as they know somebody who needs our services.
Aaron [00:16:26] So can you guys just clarify? You guys will print one t shirt? Yes.
Kenneth / Aaron [00:16:31] Most likely vinyl or sublimation, which goes and you explain all the differences. The vinyl would be precut and then you can feel the texture of the vinyl sublimation.
Kenneth [00:16:42] It's from a solid to a gas on to your shirt. OK. It's gonna be permanent on your shirt.
Hellene [00:16:49] The ink dyes, the fabrics of the T-shirt itself.
Kenneth [00:16:53] So it goes it doesn't stay on top like this. It goes in between the threads. So like something like Christian shirt that's pre-printed. Oh, this is pre-printed also that we have.
Hellene [00:17:03] So this will be sublimated onto the relation, right? It goes into the things that we do that with the same whether those words. Special shirts. Right. Right now. Yes. Socks. So right now, Christmas season is approaching. So we do single pair of socks. So you can see my socks on. I want. Yeah. I'm down for some cool socks. So we do it with faces on on would do ties with faces on them. And we do.
Aaron [00:17:28] Just one person's been wanting to get a tie with my face on there.
Christian [00:17:32] Yes. I would love that. OK.
Hellene [00:17:34] So is your dream. Personalized? That's it. We use in the podcast right there. We'll just go and get the order.
Aaron [00:17:45] What you guys opinion? I'm just curious now, since I don't know a ton about printing, at least I've heard those terms, but whenever it comes. Like what's the best way to get a T-shirt printed? It's going to last like the longest amount of time. You know, when we wash it and sometimes likes things start to peel off after like washing at 20 times and maybe that's just me.
Christian [00:18:04] But you need a demo.
Aaron [00:18:07] Yeah. So if it's a closed demo, we can talk later.
Aaron [00:18:11] But if it's not like what's going to stay on the longest?
Hellene [00:18:13] I guess so it all depends on what you're going to use it for. Screen print. It is longer lasting. That's pretty much everything that you're going to see on your stores. You know your name, big brand name stores are going to see script printed T-shirts if you cannot fill it. That's sublimation on a store. Big retail stores are going to find sublimation or screen printing. Those are always going to last you the longest. Vinyl is only meant to be 40 washes maximum and then the heat's off on the back with the heat from the dry cellar store. He is that sure. Once a year. Last year, 40 years.
Aaron [00:18:53] I've got a.
Aaron [00:18:54] Spring break and I was like, man, this is a great spring break. Spring break, 20 in like 15 or 17 or whatever. I remember watching it and it turned out to be spring break.
Aaron [00:19:03] Twenty like, what's wrong with this shirt?
Aaron [00:19:07] Now it makes more sense. Okay.
Hellene [00:19:09] And then there's there's different time. There's different types. There's a printers. Right? Well, you have the moms who are crafters and they use crafting material. What verse is we use all the material that it is commercially used. So even though we're still both using vinyl, then wonder what was gonna last longer because we go to the commercial side, the commercial side versus what you get on the store.
Kenneth [00:19:39] So let the store you're buying one told by 12 feet full of piece of vinyl versus the way we purchased mine on.
Kenneth [00:19:47] It's more industrial to buy roll rolls. It's a couple hundred yards or more and it's a whole.
Christian [00:19:55] Usually I feel like vinyl as I keep going back to like jerseys. When have the numbers in the back. Yeah, that is, you know, like that's where it is.
Kenneth [00:20:03] Oh, OK. So like when you look like you'll see them in and we see drafting and when they're drafting though he'd press them in the back.
Kenneth [00:20:11] The name of the new writer and then they'll have him out. That's all they have. And they're picking each player one at a time. Yeah. You don't know exactly what team they're gonna be on. And so they get picked. Then they press those shirts in the back and he comes out with this stroke.
Aaron [00:20:25] It's one of those things that just goes by. And I'm like, well, I guess they know they're gonna pick this person, this person and this person. So they're just gonna get the shirts and go up, throw these two away. It's on the spot and focus on the spot. OK. Just to give you an idea, I know you guys have a quick turnaround and. We can get into some quick question and some others kind of shift here and to some some fun questions. But you say you have a quick turnaround for things like we wanted 20 shirts. Is it just based off, like how busy you guys are or do you guys say, like, OK, within 48, 72 hours, like this is our normal turnaround that you tell people.
Hellene [00:20:59] So we tell people five business days whenever there is a screen printing order. OK. And that sometimes has to do if the warehouse, you know, we get a shipment the next day. Now, let's say that you have a family reunion tomorrow or it's been occasions where, you know, they're really sad occasions. One of them happened on my birthday when they come over and they said, you know, my son just died and I need t shirts and and it's my birthday. I wasn't planning to work, you know. And they said, you know. But today is the services and we want to get 36 shirts by tonight. Could you do that? Wow. So, one, I don't have the T-shirts, but I have the heart. Right. So then I will go I will get those T-shirts for them, come back and print it. And then a night, though, how this 36 years. So I was well and it hard. So if you think about it, what company is really going to do that?
Hellene [00:21:56] You know, it would work from the heart.
Hellene [00:21:58] Right. So, yeah. So that's our turnaround time.
Kenneth [00:22:03] We like five days, five business days, felt for a week and saw orders coming in. Well, they broke shirts so she'd be able to order the amount of shirts and then have them come in within two to three days.
Kenneth [00:22:18] Well, sometimes we have people that say, hey, I need 100 shirts and it doesn't matter what colors, just give me a hundred shirts with this logo on it.
Kenneth [00:22:26] We have stock in the next day. We have a buy the next day.
Aaron [00:22:29] OK. You guys have to send us a picture for the video that Jack's going to edit.
Aaron / Hellene [00:22:32] I just want to see like I feel like you have a wall of shirts or you reach that just came out this last weekend.
Hellene [00:22:41] So we had a shirt. We had all the shirts all around our shop. So there were and I told him, I said I said, I really need all these gone. So we just cleared all this up. But we went into shirts. We had double racks with T-shirts. And then now I neatly folded them and they are on file cabinets.
Hellene [00:23:03] So we had all file cabinets.
Kenneth [00:23:05] You open the drawer, it's all the same size. You see other colors. That's always a drawer ends.
Christian [00:23:10] Whose idea was that?
Kenneth / Aaron [00:23:13] Yeah, cause I found those cabinets. Do you like those cabinets? I brought some bed. You can have some love over here.
Kenneth / Aaron [00:23:22] He is the CEO of the company. I carry envelopes and orders out the door. Yes. Anything ever bad happens. They complain to you. He is a carrier of everything. Plus the orders. So, he is the CEO.
Aaron / Hellene [00:23:37] He's the muscle. So. OK. We're like three quarters of the way. We've got a couple of weeks. We're recording this middle September. What is the rest of 20, 19 and 20, 20 looks like for you? Personalized touch.
Hellene [00:23:50] So 20, 20, we're gearing up right now. Two wars, Christmas. We are working on. I know you want one.
Hellene [00:23:58] You probably be the first one to get this order, as you pointed out, Christian.
Hellene [00:24:02] Because its your face on it, you know, we're getting ready for a busy season.
Hellene [00:24:09] And that's one of the things we did last year. We took I didn't know what to do and I decided to spend one hundred dollars on buying stocks. So they're special shock socks for sublimation. So I said, well, you know what? Let's run a little promo for every pair of socks that we sell. We'll give a pair to the homeless. Have the girls hand out a pair of socks. Homeless.
Hellene [00:24:32] So we ended up sending over 700 socks. So.
Kenneth [00:24:35] Wow. Three weeks we had to shut it down because we couldn't. All warehouses were out. We were having socks come in over night, over night.
Hellene [00:24:45] And it's just so we're getting ready to make socks as we're getting ready to make ties. We're getting ready to make this tournament's Christmas ornaments with everything. Like I said, everything. One of a kind. Right. Personalized. That's people's faces on and pats, logos, issues and animals. And then our latest, which is what we want to launch. Right. Maybe by October. But, to begin on, October is earrings with people's faces on them.
Christian [00:25:14] So I've seen those actually with not with his face off.
Christian [00:25:17] No. No, I would not personally like that, but. Yeah, that'll be really cool.
Hellene [00:25:22] Yeah. So we're running some tests. We did some with our logo and then. Yeah.
Kenneth [00:25:27] So they come on pretty thick, figured out a quarter.
Hellene [00:25:30] So we get it. We're having more things getting busy for Christmas.
Aaron [00:25:34] OK. So that's 20 19. What's next year. What's the big what's you to be haggis. No, no. OK. So be hag is a big, hairy, audacious goal. Do you guys have a really big goal you're going after in 2020, if not as a challenge to think about one tiny town you want to get to?
Hellene [00:25:50] I want to get to it. We have. Bye bye. Bye.
Hellene [00:25:55] So we're I get your hair machines and those does to these women are going to put us even more above everybody else that doesn't have the equipment. So I'll be great. And then we want to build in the back of our house. We want to build a 500 square foot building so we can put more women in there.
Kenneth [00:26:20] Keep the cost overhead as low as possible. So right to be able to keep on providing the same quality and faster service.
Hellene [00:26:28] And then hopefully in five years, you will own our building.
Aaron / Hellene [00:26:34] We can do this and do it twice over. Yeah. And for it for us to be home based as big as we are because we're not little. I wish you could say we're little, but we're not, you know, as big as we are for us to stay home. Our girls are really involved in choir and we. I have to attend every single performance and I do all the stuff. And be in a home based business has actually allowed me to be with my dad on his last breath. You know, like and be there and be there for my nephew. When he was little. And so we take that family, you know, asked our priority. And then whenever I'm out, then he will take care of the business. So we're.
Kenneth [00:27:18] It's not that easy.
Kenneth [00:27:21] It was all on the Friday right. Wow.
Christian [00:27:24] I'm glad I'm in the back seat. Yeah, it's definitely challenging. I guess the next question we have here and I think I know the answer just from what you guys have been saying.
Christian [00:27:39] What do you attribute your success so far, helping others?
Hellene [00:27:47] We've been. My mom my dad never had a nonprofit per say, but they always helped everybody, you know. My parents had people lining up saying, my son just can't walk and he needs a wheelchair. Could you help me? And the little guy on crutches or buying a wheelchair to buy the medicine that will fulfill prescriptions. And they always had that given heart.
Hellene [00:28:11] So that's something that, you know, I learned I grew up like that. And we volunteer for Habitat for Humanity for ten years almost. We've done so much helping our community. And I feel like we treat people as they are as people, you know, not so much as a client. You're not a number. And you are.
Kenneth [00:28:32] Yeah, we're fully along with all our customers. So making sure everybody's happy and everybody's taken cared of.
Hellene [00:28:39] So people keep coming back because they know who you know that they are valued.
Christian [00:28:44] And I think the fact that you guys give so much and volunteer time and that's something very easy that just people can get behind. You know, it's like you have a purpose, a goal or a sense of community. Like you guys. That just attracts people, you know? Right.
Aaron [00:29:00] You and I was gonna say, if I know that if I buy a pair of socks from you and you're going to give those to somebody else, like I feel better about their emotions over this year, we're hoping to get a thousand socks out to the homeless, 1000 socks like pairs of socks going to single socks on.
Hellene [00:29:18] So well it depends if there goes, you know, and you got better deal.
Hellene [00:29:23] We're getting toddler size. It's like 52 a bag. Yeah.
Hellene [00:29:29] And a lot of the things we do, we do not post on social media because like I tell the girls, you know, this is something that you not everybody has to know. You do that. You help you help them because you want to help them. You don't want just to attract people.
Aaron / Hellene [00:29:44] Right. You need the gratification. You know? Sometimes I don't, you know. Very cool. All right. So now are getting some questions that you said that you had no problem with Hellene. So I want to get your face one more time of the shock here. Now, this is I. All right. So this question, if you are the first to answer this without skipping a beat, you will win some kind of award in the office, maybe a cool. I don't know what there is, but let's just say that we just we've stumped quite a few people with this question. OK. Oh, my. So you're prepared? Yes. It's like yes or no?
Hellene [00:30:21] He's the one who set me up for this. I didn't respond to anything.
Aaron [00:30:27] So what's a purchase of one hundred dollars or less? That is positively impacted your life in the last six months or recent memory?
Hellene [00:30:36] Well, like I said, the socks, yeah. That's also been our best purchase because we those hundred dollars turn into I I didn't know what to do with. And I wonder something you I didn't know what it was. So I said let's try this socks and let's see what happens. Those hundred dollars turn on until I mean seven hundred socks that very profitable and helping seven hundred homeless.
Kenneth [00:31:04] So I think that that's the tough thing.
Aaron [00:31:09] And this quick. Yes. I was gonna give you. Well I wasn't really planning to give you anything. I didn't. But now I'm as I'm looking at the offense, I try to find there's a few things that are more Christians and they are mine about gifts.
Kenneth [00:31:25] I think that that investment we made there pretty much is is actually not only last year, but it's something that we're trying to make bigger and better every year, every year. Try to give us a higher goal and a higher goal to be all to give back out instead of just taking it. That's cool. That's very cool. All right. Well, that was it. That was good.
Christian [00:31:46] Good. Next question we have here in the last five years, what new beliefs, behavior or habit has most improved your life the past five years?
Hellene [00:31:59] Well, five years ago, I was not into this grim new world. I mean, I was by not fully volume. So. Mean that we start our own business. It has helped us so much. I mean, spending time with our daughter and bonding, learning, teaching. Being able to teach them about work ethics and schedule. And it has put me on the line. So it's and we became more faith based. In regards to now that I have the time to help out, we will help more. We sell it in our Etsy store. We sell inspirational T-shirts like Faith I'm Blessed and Love. And and we've gotten some feedback from other people that, you know, oh, I bought this shirt from you. And he means this for me. Or if I attach just the shirt. You know, we've done memories, shirts. We've done celebrations. Really done everything. And it is Humberto sounds so much like, you know, to have customers come back and say, hey, Holland, remember, you know, that the T-shirt you made that it was like because I was gonna go to my first chemo treatment, I finished chemo, I'm cancer free or these things are just do the walk because I survived and it did in the past five years. I learned so much and I've humbled myself so much. It's been amazing.
Aaron / Kenneth [00:33:26] Our faith has grown so much leeway into OK. Would you wish that you didn't know than what you know now that I did know? What do you know now that you wish you didn't know then? When we started and when you when you first started out.
Kenneth [00:33:43] Yeah, I've been clean with the screens on keys, so I think.
Aaron [00:33:49] What do you mean like that?
Kenneth [00:33:50] Whenever you're burning like that, your cleaning process. I had ink everywhere now in our shop now.
Aaron / Kenneth [00:33:56] It's been a couple of years now actually, but we have no ink anywhere except each one of our buckets.
Kenneth [00:34:02] Before there was ink everywhere, you would touch something. Oh, no, I got it. The wipe down, wipe down. Now it's spotless. Something I'd say. Give me a while to learn, though.
Hellene [00:34:14] It's definitely a very messy profession. We had no idea.
Kenneth [00:34:19] I mean, you know, the bucket you drop the one of the scrapers.
Kenneth [00:34:23] There it goes. It's like where did this land? Now we're a lot more organized and we've learned the process of not keeping everything nice and tight, nice and clean. And that's all we can do. It saved us a lot of money now because before we would mess up on shirts and like, I can't get that off. But we've learned in the industry there's different ways to fix those problems and stop them from happening.
Hellene [00:34:47] One of the things that he did learn a lot because in the skating world is very different.
Hellene [00:34:53] There's a lot of competition there. I mean, they're competing against each other, want to be better. So they're not going to be willing to share your tricks. Right. Because they want to. They want to win. So they're competing against each other in our industry. And that's something that was very, very lucky, was a surprise that in our industry you can call anybody and be like, hey, I'm having this problem. Like, what do you do? And people are so much willing to help you. Not everybody, but most people are willing to help. So we've had a lot of people come on like, you know, call and say, hey, do you have this color? Can I pick this up from you? And I'd be like, yeah. You can come over and they're like. And then when they come out, why are you willing to help? I'm like, because if I was in your situation, I want somebody to help me. It's nice.
Aaron [00:35:40] It's good to hear. It's not always just a dog kind of dog kind of thing. You know, there's plenty there's plenty enough people who are businesses you can print for people you guys can't print for, you know, the whole world or even all of Collin County.
Hellene [00:35:51] So printers. Like most printers are really nice and willing to help each other, which is very rare. It's nice.
Christian [00:36:01] Nothing. I mean, we are now actually sort of putting down our efforts and to really figuring out our processes.
Christian [00:36:12] You know, you kind of talked about having ink everywhere. That's kind of how it feels on every new business. You know, you have stuff everywhere. You kind of get organized. So I think that's something that we would recommend anyone to read from the get go. Right. Your process, you know, and how it is structured and you make a manual, right? Yeah. I mean, you know, if you're thinking about, you know, the longevity and, you know, hiring people and how you're going to call this. So the ability for us to put all that we know on a piece of paper, even that process is insanely hard. Yeah. So it's taken time and effort into sitting down and figuring out, you know, the president to the point where we are now.
Kenneth [00:36:56] It's been it's been some time. But like I said, for just a week in the process of keeping it clean, she you know, she asked me, can you write all this stuff? What's the process from step 1 to your last one when the screen is already to be washed so that. Where the next employee comes and can actually read this and understand why each step is done that way so we don't have a mess everywhere. It makes sense.
Hellene [00:37:18] And we say to each other like you or if you're an employee, will you tolerate what you're doing? No, no, I wouldn't. You know, I would have me on my phone. OK. Then that's something we'd have to change if I was an employee, you know?
Aaron / Kenneth [00:37:31] Because there's no phones in the garage, things like that.
Hellene [00:37:36] So we try to implement all the changes. I usually go and then I'll be like, OK, this I'm trying to implement it. Does it work? And then he would like now change it. Do I know all this stuff on that? All right. So keep on going to each other. Treating each other as an employee, because eventually we are going to grow to the point that we are at that point where it's kind of like, yeah, trust me, we had prayed over and like, hey, can you come help me out?
Hellene [00:38:03] And then I have all this friends come over and then we're sorting and packaging.
Aaron / Kenneth [00:38:07] We've been we've been blessed or it's this or you know, there is no one day that we don't go without dropping off at the.
Aaron [00:38:15] Very cool. Would you guys would something do you guys think that you've failed at time management? Yeah. I think that anybody wants a business for sure. So I think I have all this free time, right?
Hellene [00:38:30] No. So it's it's heartbreaking to hear my daughter say, mom, can you please stay with me? And I'm like, I'm in the middle of printing. I could cancel right now. Maybe, but I'll be back, you know, like gimme a minute. And then I haven't calling my other daughter. So please play with her and all of this stuff. So time management, it's big because because I'm home does mean I'm there.
Hellene [00:38:52] You know, I've got enough hours to or sometimes it's never enough. Right.
Hellene [00:38:59] So but. And then that's when it comes to the five days. You know, if somebody is willing to wait the five days and know, you know, appreciate those five days, but if not, we turn around things pretty easily. And then I try to do as much as I can with when the girls are in school. So now we're going to bed. We're because we're implementing more systems than we're able to cut time. I know a lot of things. I'm getting better. Equipment allows us to work faster. So we are getting better at time management.
Aaron [00:39:33] Yeah, it's a constant improvement. Like there's there's not a hey, you've done it and you're you've hit it. It's more of a. Always great.
Kenneth [00:39:40] Because like right now we're still manually printing. So, you know, when eventually we move to the building we're gonna build. We need to buy an automatic machine.
Kenneth [00:39:50] So then that will be able just to load and offload the shirts and the machine, those printing outlets. We will be able to write about 34 to about 30, 30 from 35 to 40. Dozen shirts for hour. That's the speed that machine can go versus me, right?
Kenneth [00:40:10] So that's life.
Kenneth [00:40:11] That's the next one. The next level.
Christian [00:40:17] I think our last question here, Yeah last real one.
Christian [00:40:23] What the sex scene, plus not the real one have a lot going on.
Christian [00:40:29] You have three daughters. Everything you do with the community, your business. Do you even have time to watch Netflix? So we have time management and no wasting time on this.
Aaron / Kenneth [00:40:43] We used to have Friday night every night. Really? Every day. Religiously spread at night.
Hellene [00:40:48] Every movie night we get we eat chips until we get home. Yeah. So let's be chips and popcorn and maybe pizza. Maybe not. And then all of us would just sleep together. And I'm just so. However, that has kind of gone away recently. So we're trying to implement it.
Hellene [00:41:10] But Netflix. Oh, I watch Netflix all day. Every day. She has it on the bottom of the screen while she's working. There is like a little movie playing. There's another screen over here. And I'm working on this. And I have I it it's almost like a podcast.
Hellene [00:41:31] I can type without looking.
Hellene [00:41:34] There is like, oh, my. Oh, my God. That's pretty cool. So I watch. Oh, come on. It's like you're working or you're watching. She's everywhere. Both.
Hellene [00:41:43] So then I watch TV here and then I have a little mirror here that kinda reflects to the mirror and then inside. And anyhow, I can watch everything forever.
Hellene [00:41:53] She can watch me for her desk. I can see you a little bit. She can watch. Oh, my gosh.
Christian [00:41:59] Is there something is there any Netflix show that you are super into right now?
Hellene [00:42:06] There is one, right. I'm watching. I don't know the name of it because obviously I don't have time to read. Right. I just click, click. But it's something about, you know, what happens during the nine months. You know how babies are formed and what happens at X week and determines how successful you're gonna be in life. I'm looking at my fingers. I'm like you. Oh.
Aaron / Hellene [00:42:30] That's what to figure out. those name another I'll send it over? Interesting. Well, I like mystery. Mystery.
Hellene / Aaron [00:42:37] True stories that since you have a lot of those on there for sure. Yeah. All right, Miles. Yeah. Well, you're going to let us know what that that show is now because I'm curious yet. Is it good? It's good, though, right?
Christian [00:42:54] Oh, it's good. It's very informative. Yeah. What has she remembers?
Hellene [00:43:00] I did that I think last week. It was all like faith movies until I run out and I'm like, OK, I can listen to it anymore. Then I moved to the next topic. And that's so cool that I do listen to a lot of things that are gonna make the business thrive and succeed. A lot of business tips.
Christian [00:43:18] So I'm always listening to that Tip For Tip obviously to protect, you know, Facebook. Can you train? That's funny. That's. It seems like for me, I guess, when it comes to you can't really watch Netflix while working cause even. Even for me listening to something else. I just can't.
Christian [00:43:39] I can't. I only have I can't swear that. I can't. Yeah. You think it's fun? Yeah. Yeah. I can't do that.
Kenneth [00:43:45] I just distractions that Chinese stuff. Oh, I got to keep on working. I think. Oh, 20 minutes later. What? Sure. It's on fire.
Aaron [00:44:00] All right. So how can our audience how can the listeners, not only on Facebook and Instagram where the video shared, but also where the podcast is shared, what's the best way and how can people find out more about personalized touch?
Hellene [00:44:11] So we have we have a lot of people who shop at Etsy so they can go to Etsy and personalize touch eleven. It's our link. So Etsy dot.com personal touch eleven. And then we have our Facebook, which is also personalized touch eleven and we are an Instagram and Pinterest and we have our Facebook a lot personalized touch one one dot com.
Aaron [00:44:34] Awesome. Right. And we were going to link up all of those in there and we'll make sure to get make sure that we have all the correct links for those. Everybody who can see the podcast notes. And then also as we post this, we'll be able to see all the links so that whatever we're tagging, they can go and check out your guy's Web site. All right. Absolutely. Thank you, guys for having us on or having us on board. Thank you, guys, for coming here. And thank you guys for coming on the podcast. I know it's a lot because people are watching. They can really see you, but there are lights and there are a lot of different things. So you guys were amazing. Appreciate it so much. Thank you. All right.
Aaron [00:45:14] So if this is your first time listening, this is a very special episode. We did it once a month where we interview local business owners who are doing really? In their area and we will be back next week with a tip in a specific industry like every other week except in special episode. So it is your first time. Make sure to check out next week's episode and also make sure to subscribe so you don't miss out on any of the episodes. Everything we talk about is up to date, meaning that if there's something that's new that coming out on social media, you don't want to miss that so that you can stay ahead of your competition. And if you've been listening for a while, say you've listened to three or four episodes, you're like, damn. This is an awesome podcast. Please go over it. itunes and leave an honest rating and review. This helps us reach more people and also lets us know what we need to do to continue to be a better at podcasting.
Aaron [00:46:02] All right. I think that's it. Thank you, guys. Thank you. Bye.
