Business Tips • Tulsa Area
Branded apparel isn’t about shirts.
It’s about protecting the two most valuable things in your business. Here’s the math.
Watch the 2-minute video
I know, that’s a funny thing to hear from a guy who prints and embroiders shirts for a living. But after years of outfitting crews, churches, schools and businesses around Tulsa, I’ve learned that the shirt is just the vehicle. What you’re really buying is protection for the two most valuable things in your business: your customers’ trust and your people.
01
Asset one
Your customers’ trust
When your crew shows up in clean, well-stitched, well-branded gear, it says something before anybody says a word: this company has its act together.
Your customer may not consciously notice it. But they feel it. A crisp, matching logo tells them the people walking up to their front door are part of something organized, the kind of company that does what it says it’s going to do.
Looking good doesn’t do the work. Your people do.
All the polish in the world won’t save a business that doesn’t deliver. But the reverse is true too: you can have the most skilled crew in Oklahoma, and if they show up sloppy, wrinkled, or in faded shirts with no logo at all, you’ve planted a seed of doubt before the job even starts.
So let’s run the numbers. Say your average job is $500, or maybe $1,000.
Spend
$50
→
To protect
$1,000
I’d make that trade every single day.
02
Asset two
Your people
The second one is bigger. Think about everything it takes to hire somebody new:
- Writing the job description and posting it
- Sorting through resumes
- Interviewing, whether that’s you, your team, or a recruiter
- Onboarding and paperwork
- 401(k), health benefits, and all the time behind it
Then, even if they show up skilled, you spend weeks, sometimes months, training them on how you do things. During that stretch, you’re paying them more than they’re bringing in. That’s just how it works.
The part most owners miss
That exact same window is when your new hire is the most uncertain. Is this a good company? Do I like the people I’m working with? Do they really want me to succeed?
That’s the moment to hand them a welcome kit. A jacket in their size. A polo that actually fits. A mug, a notebook, whatever fits your culture. Nothing fancy, but it tells them: we were expecting you, and we’re glad you’re here. Sometimes the timing is just as important as what’s in the kit.
Even if you go big and spend $500 on a welcome kit, think about what that hire actually cost you. Recruiting, interviewing, onboarding and the first few months of ramp-up add up to $10,000 or $20,000 or more, depending on the role.
Spend
$500
→
To protect
$20,000
I’d make that trade every stinking time.
Why it matters
People still matter
I use AI every day, and I don’t plan on stopping. It’s a great tool. But people are still the lifeblood of your business, and they always will be.
At Press Room, that’s what we’re really here to do: protect your customers’ trust and your team’s buy-in with gear that looks great, fits right, and holds up wash after wash.
Know someone who’s hiring?
Outfit your crew. Welcome your next hire right.
If you know a business owner bringing on new people, please share this with them. And if you’re ready for crew gear or a new-hire welcome kit, let’s talk.
Your clients deserve good work. Your employees deserve a great place to work.
And you deserve good press.
Owner, Press Room