How are others in the industry coping with the impact the coronavirus pandemic is having on their business? Luke Hodson of Awesome Merchandise shares how his business is faring along with some advice on what businesses can do right now
Director Luke Hodson says Awesome Merchandise is still decorating garments at its factory in Leeds, having put a restricted new shift system into place while back office staff are working from home. Its US site in Austin, Texas is currently closed as the city has closed all non-essential businesses.
He says: “We are doing okay – like many we have been heavily impacted and [are] doing our best to get through this.”
Luke has some advice for other decorators:
- Speak to your landlord about a rent-free period
- Speak to all of your fixed overhead suppliers (eg finance, equipment, etc) and tell them you need three-month payment holiday
- Make sure you are up to date on what you can claim from the government [The Images website has continuously updated advice on what you can claim]
- Re-budget based on new expected revenue for the year
- Keep staff and customers informed with transparent communication
He adds: “Everyone is in a similar boat and it’s unlikely T-shirt printing is going away in the long term, so we are using this period to work on new ideas and streamlining our cost base as much as we can.”
