One of the things I think is pretty interesting here that I haven't never talked with you about is you started Underground Printing when you were an undergrad. At that certain point. I was lucky, lucky to have gotten it right. 
This article about a fashion brand, house, corporation or company is a stub. And when we were eight, we moved to Okemos, right outside East Lansing, which you know, all too well. That's a much difficult proposition. Just live in a college town, man. ft. Ann Arbor, MI (South University location). And I thought that was chemical engineering. And something is standing in their way. Because a lot of the people that we talk with, it's like you can't hedge. Even with this minimalist production facility, A-1 Screen printing really took off. "Underground Printing follows Steve & Barry's - but not too closely", "Underground Printing: The story behind Ann Arbor's custom T-shirt company", "Underground Printing partners with Steelers", "Underground Printing launches Ann Arbor Hospitality Fundraiser to support local businesses", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Underground_Printing&oldid=1082029032, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Online Custom Apparel and Accessories, eCommerce, This page was last edited on 11 April 2022, at 00:34.
And that's true. It was a lot harder than I thought it was gonna be. But yes, we're up there. And for you, I'm asking you to put your investor hat on, and I'd like to come back to this in just a minute why you've decided to become an investor. And your business, your nonprofit, your community, your school, whatever it is, it's going to be more successful. Yeah, exactly. But this business is great. in November we added four new digital machines in our main facility. And I was watching went to a product. Yeah. So we'll coach him up. How are you doing? I'm good with that. And then there was just an internal pressure, you know, to, quote-unquote, succeed and do that myself. And you probably didn't have that, you know, podcast run-in where suddenly you're talking with Tim Ferriss on the subway, right. So when someone asked what I did, I had to basically say, you know, this is what I do, I print t-shirts. Underground Printing designs and creates custom made shirts in all quantities. They moved from India to Indiana, where all I mean, for obvious reasons. Yes. And so, no, I've actually pulled back from investing a little bit because as I've invested in startups, or whatever that actually have grown, the reality is, is that as a very, like, the seed round investor is like, I lost, I lose that connection to the founder pretty quickly, unless I have like a personal connection to them. View contacts for Underground Printing to access new leads and connect with decision-makers. Because you lose those skills, you lose the ability to like, put it all out there, it goes away. How do you overcome that? Like, yeah, it may not be worth your time. I love it. My dad was a professor of chemical engineering both at Purdue and then at Michigan State and so I was a prototypical academic/academics kid, you know, definitely overachiever type, you know, wanted to take APs and do really well and be considered one of the smartest kids in school, I thought I was going to be a professor like my dad. Because, it's so hard to do that. ft. production facility. He's got some work to do. And so they've all really kind of worked together in some manner, they've been able to benefit and aid each other. And to this day, you know, I like to start like, if people ask me what I do I my preferred answer is that I print t-shirts. So at the time, when you when we started that business, you know, they're like, you know, it wasn't you weren't raising money, by and large, you know, unless you had, like, amazingly, had developed some amazing technology or something like that at a young age, but you weren't creating apps, there wasn't the tech infrastructure, and you weren't really raising money. And a couple years later, that turned disastrous for me. I actually think that part of it was rooted in the dichotomy between, say, chemical engineering, and printing t-shirts.
I was fortunate enough to learn what I wanted to do while I was in school, by opening myself up to opportunities. They were pretty sure they couldn't sneak it all into their dorm room. UGP continues to expand its production capacity with two more 8-head embroidery machines,ten heat presses, two new large scale dryers, newten color automatic screen printing press, new automatic folding machine, and state of the art eco-rinse screen machine and automatic scoop coaters for screen prep. And, and so for me, investing really is it's B school, for me, it has been, like I've always owned up to this is like, I don't really expect to get an ROI on a lot of my investments. And we all know that retail has been hit really bad recently. So you're a busy man. That's communication. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. And I was like, What am I what am I doing? And so I think that those managers, those leaders, those that can tell the story, well, you know, communicate well, and look, and that's something that's learned and it's learned with each new, triumphant and each new tribulation, you know, like, I don't think it's something like once you've learned to communicate, that's it. We learned hard lessons about cash flow, and collections and payables and all that stuff. I think hard work is a subset to a lot of, you know, a lot of us, you know, like we believe and we are hard workers, I think it's actually, the more you open yourself up to opportunities and potential chances of failure, the luckier you get. And I'm going to be good at that. And I was so much of my own self worth and ego kind of in this idea that I was an engineer, you know, a chemical engineer, not even an Elon, I was the difficult major. It's not a it's not a negative word anymore. So it's not like, hey, how do I squeeze an extra dollar out? Ryan and Rishi purchased a very basic screen printing setup, but still had one issue: Where would they produce their shirts? So I feel like I've always, I've always really admired great orators, and, and great stories. But, you decide to get a master's degree. But after some gentle persuading and reassuring, they convinced the now-infamous tow truck driver to let them set up shop in his garage, next to a broken-down Chevy and two golden retrievers who lovingly shared their hair with anything they touched. And I've learned things that from one that have applied to other even with the podcast, you know, it's like: "alright, learn this over here, this ties in over here sponsors this, that marketing," it, you know, it all, it's on me, I don't feel guilty about it, because it's on me, and I think I hold myself accountable to that, to derive the knowledge there to apply in other places, and vice versa. But, uh, we're surviving. Is that about right?
I know, this is one of the reasons I like I've wanted to start a podcast on my end was because I just love like, that's a that's really, really noble. San Francisco Bay Area, Silicon Valley), Operating Status of Organization e.g. Founded as A-1 Screen printing in Rishi's University of Michigan Dorm Room. You said, "hey, like, being able to get over your, your ego and get over the opportunity of failure and the fact that, frankly, you will fail?" I mean, there's a lot of examples out there of those companies. You know, look I'm, that's still an area I'm learning like all areas, I would say I learned a very interesting lesson, when it comes to investments pretty early on, where there was a company that we were pretty enamored with, and I'll leave all the names out of it. If you're a good communicator, your relationships are going to be a lot healthier. It's fluctuating these days. And that's not necessarily always true. So it's always one of the phrases I really like his work on the business, not in the business. Seed, Series A, Private Equity), Alternate or previous names for the organization, Whether an Organization is for profit or non-profit, General contact email for the organization. ft. to 55,000 sq. I won't name names to make anyone blush out there, but you know, it, we have mutual friends that are like that, and I feel good about those. The company would become known as Underground Printing in 2004 upon the acquisition of a company with that name. And honestly, it was like: "well, you know, how big is it going to be and like how successful am I going to be at it and I essentially like talked myself out of it was like well, but if I don't have a lot of listens and you know, what are people gonna think about it?" Yeah. It was a "what I thought I should be/what my definition of success was/what I thought my path was supposed to be". It doesn't always work out that way. They decided on the name of A-1 Screen printing - so they could be the first in the phone book (Click here to find out what a phone book is). So I know those are two things that are really, really important to you. My busted up Ford Probe GT Turbo, and a couple run-ins with breaking down and, and this is jack-of-all-trades type tow truck driver who used to print t-shirts in town. The India-na really pulled my parents in. I worked at my dad's lab in high school, and I really loved it. And it reveals a lot of your thinking, because you've grown a really successful business with Underground Printing, you're busy, you mentioned it's hard to run a business, I can attest to that, right? But so yeah, hanging in there as my go to answer hope everyone is hanging in there out there. We'll talk about all things in "end of 2019".
Bitten by the entrepreneurial bug, they kept searching for a longer-term business venture. Underground Printing was founded by Rishi Narayan in 2001. And so, lately, I've just been breaking down all problems down to communication or all successes down to great communication, you know, or poignant communication, whatever it might be. And then I went to school in Ann Arbor. Oh, you know, wow, you're in a business which, you know, in college is really like, guys like you know, having a good time and slinging shirts and running all over campus. And maybe that's, you know, again, goes back to your your upbringing and who you are, and what defines you. Sure. Click here to find out what a phone book is, UGP teams up with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Toledo, OH near campus at the University of Toledo, Bo, a retail store featuring Official Bo Schembechler Brand apparel, Inc. Magazine's Fastest Growing Companies. I could take classes and do okay, and you know, graduate and get the degree. Right. And maybe it's not luck, it's just that like some of them hit. He's all right. Really inspiring. My podcast is called South U Stories. And it was going really well, the founder we weren't lukewarm on. But you know what, we're humans. You know, I agree. Your audiences change, you know, generations. So yeah, how did you get over it that very first time? Because I think it's one of those things that you just don't know right away. It wasn't just going to be school, I like I'm doing this thing as well. Sure, you learn some things along the way. Those are really impressive people. I think that I'm a believer in hedging. I was just you know, checking out the site as of recently because of your email blast you just sent out a couple days ago. Total amount raised across all funding rounds, Total number of Crunchbase contacts associated with this organization, Total number of employee profiles an organization has on Crunchbase, Total number of investment firms and individual investors, Descriptive keyword for an Organization (e.g. I was very guilty of that. I'm preaching and talking and teaching kids about taking a chance. Oh, that's clearly important running a business and investor. It's, you have to do it again. For sure. Because the right person, you know, is going to figure it out, you know, and we have, we have friends of ours who are great operators who have like gone through iterations of companies and come come through on the other side, you know. In March, UGP purchases historic Moe Sport Shops in Ann Arbor, MI.
It isn't, how did you get over it and never had to get over again, I have to get over it every single time. And I had a brief stint living in Berkeley, California. Throw you know, maybe any savings aside, you know, these are these are difficult things and I, you know, I remember like when we started the company and started, that at a very early age, sophomore in college, just got to get, and get a lot of kudos for being so young. SaaS, Android, Cloud Computing, Medical Device), Where the organization is headquartered (e.g. Communication is oftentimes about how you read emails these days as opposed to write letters or whatever, right. I don't know that he's really cut out for modeling. Underground Printing, first known as A-1 Screenprinting, was founded in 2001 by childhood friends Rishi Narayan and Ryan Gregg while they were undergraduates at the University of Michigan. I think that's, that's fascinating, right? So I I truly do think it's not a thing that you get over the hurdle. And it was supposed to be rooted in academics, and it was supposed to potentially be "this" success level. Changes name to Underground Printing (UGP). So like, nowadays, like that's not how business gets started, but then it was like it was a side gig a side hustle, we sold, we didn't sell hundreds of jobs that first year, we sold like 10 jobs first, you know, 15 jobs whatever, right? And I've also found and I'd be interested in your take on this. Like what makes for a good risk versus return ratio, where you're you're not taking that risk, so to speak, but you're actually making a smart investment. It's what makes us tick. And all part and parcel, right? Or how would you word the email? But we loved the company and thought he had basically stumbled into something that was good was gold. It was technically called A1 Screen Printing at the time because it was first in the phonebook. And now, you know, I started to develop this kind of strategy at that time of the fast B which is basically like, you know, you don't need a get to the fast B because in real life nobody cares if you got A they just care if you got there, you know, and how and did you get there in time such for sure. Oh, that's my friend Brad. So how did you learn that? I certainly believe the harder you work, the luckier you get. And it was a hard lesson for me but a good one about you know, of course, it's cliche, of course you bet on the person and but no, but when it's really attractive when the horse is really, really gonna win, like you really have a feeling about that horse and the jockey you don't know about, like, it's really tempting, every single time, it's tempting. So you're growing this t-shirt business and at that point, you kind of know this is what you want to do. He's got a lot of work to do.
Their ability to cater to their core college customer and willingness to meet their customers anywhere and at anytime was the driving force behind growth. Wait until you see if you've gotten to the point, why not hit that level? ft. facility to a state of the art 33,000 sq. Well, thank you so much, Rishi, really appreciate it. And that's one of my favorite things about where we are in this climate is that people have come around to valuing profitability. Yeah. You worked for it through your sophomore year, your junior and your senior year. And again, and startups the same way, just start a business every three to five years. Not as bad as airlines and hotels? But there was a company we're pretty enamored with, was really doing really well in a space I knew really well. Thank you so much for joining us. And what was it that was standing in your way? You can do the side hustle, if you have another job. So I think that I really needed to learn that lesson. So we talked a lot about tone. Subscribe to get special offers, free giveaways, and awesome content. But because they were so far apart. Never, you know. Yeah. And you know, it's like, those people that can talk to any audience at any time, at any age. And I really learned well that way. In 2006, they opened their first retail store in Ann Arbor, and since then they have expanded to open locations throughout the country. But, I do think that the way that I did it, the first time around was by just saying like, I can juggle a lot of things. How would you sign off on that?"
The same characteristics that set us apart then are the reason we are one of the nation's premier custom apparel providers now: an emphasis on customer service, quality, and convenience. UGP provided event T-shirts for Colts linebacker Darius Leonard's event. That's because that's what makes us go. Underground Printing offers an online platform that enables its customer to choose designs and products, obtain quotes, and order. It's always good to feel young. And it just came in a small dose and then it went from there. So I'll tell you about the first time and I'll tell you about the last time. So what's the one characteristic that you found to be most valuable? Rishi talks to Brad about the hardships of a college startup and dives into his advice for the aspiring entrepreneur. Underground Printing offers embroidery, digital printing, and screen printing services for a wide range of apparel and promotional products, including polo t-shirts, pens, hats, magnets, jerseys, sweats, and more. I graduated from grad school, I couldn't say I was a student anymore. But it came from this idea that like, I stopped defining success as getting an A, or being at the top of my class, even though that's how I was raised to be and in hindsight/retrospect, I think a lot of that was my own internal pressure I put on came from cultural, came from my peers, came from whatever it might be, but it wasn't, but the majority of it was internal pressure I put on myself. You know, earlier in my career, and maybe still, maybe till till this day, I still maybe pushed too too fast. So now, you know, Underground Printing, custom t-shirt manufacturer and retail stores in a whole bunch of college stores. Rishi, welcome to The Herd Has Spoken. And now I do it for me. Find More Contacts for Underground Printing, Edit Lists Featuring This Company Section, Underground Printing moves headquarters to Ypsilanti area amid expansion, Underground Printing Announces Headquarters Move to Accommodate Growth, Apparel maker Underground Printing moves from Ann Arbor to Ypsi Township, plans to add local jobs. It is potentially pending a name change but you know we'll keep the redirect on. UGP moves production from a 3,000 sqf shop to a 12,000 sqf production facility. But before I let you go, I'm curious to understand as someone who's been running a business for while and obviously there's great benefit for people; they get a chance to work in a startup or a high growth, you know, business, what have you seen as the number one characteristic that you now seek out when you're hiring new people. Even now, UGP prides itself on its investment into manufacturing and technology. So things like that. For sure. Where can the good folks in the MuskOx Herd follow you and listen to your podcast? I think in some ways, it's actually harder once we achieve some success, because oh, yeah, you have this expectation of the results. But I went to start a podcast a year ago, and I've been talking about it for three years. It's like if I just walk through it as and look at it just like an investment piece, then that I think is maybe, quote unquote, selfish, but if I look at it, like, "alright, what am I going to learn?" A great lesson. I mean, I love your story so much, because it talks about hard work and dumb luck, and being willing to just take a chance and combining it all together. In 2021, UGP celebrated their 20th anniversary. Please note, comments must be approved before they are published. And so I went to, you know, went through high school and then wanted to go to U of M, and study Chemical Engineering at University of Michigan. It was a good distance away, but still close enough to home and went to U of M to be an engineer. Thanks, Coach Powers! But he does have the right compensation ask. Twonew UGP office locations are opened up: , in August and Boulder, CO, in September. And I did feel a little bit of guilt. Yeah. I think all problems stem from communication, all success stems from great communication, it all ends up on communication, when things fail is lack of communication, or broken communication. And a couple years after that, company tanked. That's where you'll find Underground Printing. My dad was an entrepreneur, he licensed technologies back to himself and created businesses. Free shipping at $100 & $10 is donated to wildlife. So I want to dig into two words that you mentioned.
They're really, really an aspirational thing. So I'm a college town, kid. Right. So how the hell can you get better at that? Yeah, it's hard to convince someone that you can like hedge three things when you've taken a million dollars or something like that. Yeah. And I didn't have the golden goose guests that was gonna, like, drive me to, you know, you know, 100 million listeners or anything like that, for sure. So I've literally only ever lived in college towns. UGP opens our first Retail Store in January near campus at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, MI. Free to drop me a line you can reach me at Rishi [dot] undergroundshirts.com. And we thought, we thought, okay, it's alright, because he can take our criticism, and we can guide him and like this business is great. Sign up for texts.
And I've never known why Arkansas has said Arkansas as opposed to Kansas or Kansas or in front of it. But when you're when you're playing with house money, so to speak, or you know, a little friends and family or whatever, then yeah, why not? It's not going to win. Okay. But I'm like, I feel very confident in it, it's all about communication. And so that was the first time but here's the thing is like, I can preach about that all day long. And I was like, what an idiot? And then going all in. [2], In 2019, the company was named to the Inc. 5000 list, a list noting the 5000 fastest-growing private companies in the U.S., for a ninth consecutive year. Hundreds of pickup basketball games and several broken eyeglasses later, they became best friends, paving the way for the creation of the Underground Printing we know now. And I slowly began to realize that what I loved was entrepreneurship.
No, no, I mean, WeWork, Uber, Lyft, Fiverr. So you start this business after starting another business building lofts inside of dorms? It was. And here I am being like, "I'm not gonna do this, because I'm worried about success and right, is it worth my time?" And I'm curious, you know, how do you how do you overcome? it's great to have you on today. Went to Purdue for his post-doc, and then eventually stayed there to be a professor. Most people that were starting businesses, we're selling something, or, or providing a service, but essentially, it was all sales of some sort, advertising websites, whatever it might.