The document discusses CustomInk, an online apparel company that allows customers to design custom clothing and accessories. CustomInk's CEO Marc Katz shares the key ingredients to the company's success. Katz explains that CustomInk focuses on building a sense of community among customers rather than just selling products. The company prioritizes customer experience, takes care of its employees (called "Inkers"), and aligns its internal values of treating others well, taking ownership, and innovating with its mission of helping people connect. Katz recommends that entrepreneurs find their passion and focus on building authentic connections between their business and what they care about.

1. 6 TRUSTED SUMMER 2016
THE
SECRET SAUCEBY NONA PHINN
ENTREPRENEUR

2. BBBTRUSTED.ORG 7
The alarm sounds. Samantha jumps out of
bed and races to the bathroom. She hangs
her head over the sink. She has a pit in her
stomach, which feels like a million tiny ants
have built an amusement park in the depth
of her belly and are having the time of their
lives. Samantha tells herself that today is
like any other day. No different than the day
before, just an average Monday.
Yet, it’s not. This Monday was different
than any other Monday. Today was the
first day of the rest of her life. She would
never have another day like this one.
What if no one comes? What if they hate
me? What if I fail? A hundred and one
questions like this swarmed through
Samantha’s mind as she prepared to face
the day.
Finally, Samantha arrived. There was
no turning back. She slowly approached
her dream in the making, Samantha’s
Homemade Tastery. The premise? There’s
nothing like baked goods the way grandma
use to make them — at least that’s what
Samantha believed when she decided to
take her love for baking and share it with
the world.
“Here we go,” she said to herself. Samantha
unlocked the doors, exhaled and turned her
shop sign to open for the first time.
THE TRICK OF SUCCESS
An estimated 400,000 new businesses
open their doors every year in the United
States, according to Gallup. Yet, 50%
of these companies will fail within the
first five years. The reasons for stopping
one’s dream short of success are myriad.
According to CNBC these reasons include
overconfidence, lack of funds or poor
pricing strategy. Still, there are a great
number of new businesses that succeed
every day, launching from humble
beginnings to evolve into great forces in
the marketplace.
Many companies fall into this rags-to-
riches category. Subway, The Container
Store, Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream and The
Body Shop are all companies in which their
current state exceeds the expectations their
founders had when the companies’ open
signs were first lit. CustomInk, an Internet
apparel company that allows customers
to design and order custom-made apparel
and accessories, is another success story
that falls in this category. This past BBB
International Torch Award winner, started
in 2000 with only 10 employees (known
as Inkers), today is a mid-sized company
that employs more than 1,500 inkers and is
consistently ranked as a top place to work.
CUSTOMINK
Is there a secret sauce to the recipe of
small business success? There may not be
one particular recipe, but there certainly
are ingredients that can help pave the
way to success. CustomInk, for instance,
defines itself as, “A Company with Heart.”
In an interview with CustomInk’s Co-
Founder and CEO Marc Katz, he reminded
us that a T-shirt is more than just a shirt.
“When we started, it was really about
taking the custom T-shirt printing business
and trying to make it better; more fun,
faster and efficient online. In the process
of doing literally tens of millions of custom
T-shirts for all sorts of groups, occasions
and causes, we realized that the business
wasn’t about shirts at all. People were
coming to us not because they wanted to
be clothed but because they wanted to feel
a stronger sense of community.”
The idea of being a part of something
greater than just selling a product
was a key element that drew Katz to
entrepreneurship and CustomInk in
particular. He wanted to be a part of
something that was meaningful. For more
than 15 years CustomInk has been helping
to connect people and create lasting
memories through its products. Its T-shirts
represent stories and memories that
people want to hang on to.
Once the company uncovered the
real intent as to why people bought
CustomInk’s shirts, it began to provide
innovative solutions to meet its customers’
needs. The company now offers services,
such as a fundraising platform for those
seeking to raise funds for a particular cause
and a sponsorship platform, which helps
groups find brand sponsors interested in
securing real estate on their shirts. “All of
it, however, is for that larger purpose of
building a stronger group and activating a
stronger community,” explained Katz.
To Katz, being a business with heart
includes a focus on customers, Inkers and
company character. “Back in the early
days, when customers called us, the phone
rang on every desk and who ever got to it,
got to it,” he recalled. “So everyone was
very engaged with customers and got how
meaningful the experience was to them.”
Katz himself spent a great deal of time on
the phones as a sales rep. It was more than
exposure for him, as he enjoyed connecting
with customers and learning firsthand what
people cared about and what would make
Each year many start-ups launch, but not all of
them survive. CustomInk’s Marc Katz shares
with us the key ingredients that are part of his
company’s recipe for success.
Recipe
for
Success

3. 8 TRUSTED SUMMER 2016
ENTREPRENEUR - THE SECRET SAUCE
the difference for them. Over time, Katz and
the CustomInk team took what they heard
and learned from their customers and
applied it to streamlining, rethinking and
better understanding the experience their
customers required from them.
“Something that I think is really cool
about our business is the vast majority of
our revenue is from repeat and referral
customers. That took some time to build, but
it stems from this deep commitment to the
customer experience and satisfaction. We
take care of our customers out of genuine,
sincere caring,” Katz proudly proclaimed.
Being a constant on the best places to
work list is not an easy triumph. Katz said
he believes CustomInk continues to do so
because Inkers are not only empowered,
they are dedicated to the positive impact
they create for their customers and the
other people that their work touches across
the business. CustomInk also provides an
environment where Inkers are responsible
for being themselves and living up to
their own values. “You know, all those
things that make people who they are but
also make for a strong sense of team and
camaraderie,” explained Katz.
It took just a few years after being in
business for CustomInk to identify its
core values: the Golden Rule, treating
others how you want to be treated;
Ownership, making it personal and taking
responsibility; and Innovation, always
looking for better ways of doing things.
The company understands that this is
aspirational and in their imperfection they
“with heart,” strive to do their best to live
up to these values. Katz shared his “aha”
moment. “It’s funny, the more we became
aware of the underlying purpose of our
business being about community and
helping people to build them, the more our
own internal values made sense.”
“As much as possible, try to bring into
alignment what you really care about
and who you are with what your business
model is about,” Katz recommended to
other businesses. Katz believes that The
Golden Rule coupled with Ownership
and Innovation are the values of a healthy
community and that the consistency
between what CustomInk is about
internally and what the company is trying
to do out in the world makes for a truly
great marriage. They align beautifully.
Referencing Jim Collin’s book, Good
to Great, Katz also encouraged anyone
seeking to step out and start a business to
find your sweet spot, that thing you are
most passionate about, good at and will
make you money. Find that overlap and
focus on that spot. There may not be a
secret recipe but a suggested formula from
Katz goes something like this: passion x
talent x luck = success. Lastly, Katz advised
that any potential entrepreneur should
be able to distinguish between true risk
and mere uncertainty. Uncertainty or fear
of the unknown paralyzes and trips up
individuals from taking those first steps.
Don’t let it. However, don’t dive into
huge risks that are not called for. “As an
entrepreneur you really have to grasp both
and intuitively understand the difference.
Be a risk manager but have a tolerance for
uncertainty,” he said.
At the end of the day, doing business
with heart is part of the secret sauce for
CustomInk’s success. Katz concluded,
“Caring about each other, about the work
and the outcome is doing things with heart,
living with heart. Not just because it’s good
business, but because it’s the way you want
to live.” g
CustomInk CEO, Marc Katz
“Caring about each other,
about the work and the
outcome is doing things
with heart, living with heart.
Not just because it’s good
business, but because it’s
the way you want to live.”
Nona Phinn is currently the Director of
Marketing at Council of Better Business
Bureaus (CBBB) where she focuses
on growth of the brand and consumer
engagement. She has a diverse
background in marketing providing
her the skills necessary to develop and
drive integrated marketing programs
and strategy.