E43: Why Small Business Screen Printing Beats the Big Chains

Ever wondered if that perfect custom apparel partner for your business might be right in your own backyard? Laura Decatur of Black Forest Print Lab shatters common misconceptions about local print shops versus national chains in this eye-opening conversation.

Laura reveals how her family-owned Fort Collins business (recently rebranded from Kosmos Green Printing) delivers premium screen printing and embroidery services with a personal touch that big companies simply can't match. Her husband Joel, the creative force behind their operation, has built a reputation for exceptional quality that attracts both local businesses and major national brands like Anheuser-Busch and Carl's Jr.

What truly sets Black Forest Print Lab apart is their deep community commitment. They offer special nonprofit discounts and built strong local partnerships through organizations like Realities for Children. When COVID threatened small businesses everywhere, they didn't retreat - Joel taught himself to sew and pivoted to mask production, donating many to restaurants in need.

This episode goes beyond business, touching on personal challenges like parenting a son with autism (who now works in their family business at 21) and finding balance between entrepreneurship and family life. Laura's authentic insights reveal how small local businesses often provide better quality, competitive pricing, and extraordinary flexibility compared to industry giants.

Ready to support a business that genuinely cares about your success and our community? Black Forest Print Lab is offering podcast listeners 10% off their next order - just mention you heard Laura on the Good Neighbor Podcast when you visit blackforestprintlab.com. Discover the difference a truly good neighbor business can make for your custom apparel needs.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place
where local businesses andneighbors come together.
Here's your host, Nick George.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast.
Are you in need of a customscreen printing and embroidery
company known for its precisionand creativity in every print?
One might be closer than youthink.
Today I have the pleasure ofintroducing your good neighbor,
laura Decatur, with Black ForestPrints Lab.
Laura, how's it going?

Speaker 3 (00:31):
Great, how's it going for you?

Speaker 2 (00:33):
Excellent.
We're excited to learn allabout you and your business.
Tell us about your company.

Speaker 3 (00:38):
So we are here in Fort Collins, northern Colorado.
We actually just went through arebrand, so we were formerly
Cosmos Green Printing and justrebranded this year to Black
Forest Print Lab.
My husband runs the day-to-day,joel, and he's an exceptional
screen printer and embroidererand we just we love serving our
community and would love to workwith you.

(01:01):
How did you get into?

Speaker 2 (01:02):
this business and would love to work with you.
How did you get?

Speaker 3 (01:04):
into this business.
You know he's a creative and Ifeel like this kind of hits a
lot of different things for him.
He wanted to be an entrepreneur, small business owner, but he
is very much a creative.
So this way he gets to checkmultiple boxes, own his own
business, but also has somecreative freedom, helps people,
does a lot of design work.

Speaker 2 (01:28):
So it was sort of a passion for him and I'm just
along for the ride.
Sounds like you're a lot morethan that in the business and
his life, but what are somemyths and misconceptions in your
industry?

Speaker 3 (01:38):
Gosh myths and misconceptions I think I'll
focus on, like local smallbusinesses.
I think a lot of people thinkthat they're going to get the
best deal or it's going to beeasier to deal with some of
these really large nationalcompanies, and I just encourage
people to focus on their localsmall business screen printers
because we're going to offer youthe same exceptional quality,

(02:00):
oftentimes better, much betterpricing, and we're here in the
community doing the worksupporting our nonprofits and
supporting your small businesses.
So I think there is amisconception that you're going
to get a better deal going witha large national company and
it's just not true and we'llwork with you, which is really
nice too, I think, a localbusiness you have that

(02:21):
flexibility to work with someonewith their budgets.
When we started our business,we've said flexibility to work
with someone with their budgets.
When we started our business,we said we would work with
nonprofits, provide a greatdiscount, and we've maintained
that and worked with so manynonprofits in Northern Colorado,
and so it's just somethingreally important, I think, to
focus on community and givingback in the ways that you can.

Speaker 2 (02:43):
Who are your target customers right now and how are
you attracting them?

Speaker 3 (02:47):
Our target customers?
Anybody that needs apparel.
We do love working with thelarger businesses.
We do a lot of orders for like5,000 t-shirts.
We've worked with companieslike Anheuser-Busch, hardee's or
Carl's Jr depends on where youare in the country.
So our target customer they'rereally local businesses, but we

(03:08):
also have a lot of nationalcompanies that we work with and
a lot of what we do is word ofmouth.
We're also members of Realitiesfor Children, which is a local
not-for-profit.
I'm not sure if you've heard ofthem, but it's a great
networking opportunity for usand we're able to meet a lot of
different businesses, connectwith them and then work with
them, providing them with thegreat customer service, the

(03:30):
great apparel, but also whilesupporting our community.
So a lot of it for us is word ofmouth.

Speaker 2 (03:38):
I think that nonprofit was the one who turned
us on to you.

Speaker 3 (03:42):
Oh really, they're exceptional.
We're business partners orbusiness members and and just
love the work they do have youthought about doing your own
podcast um?
I would love to yes, all of ushave actually in our own
different ways.
We have a son with autism.
He also works in the business.
We're a family-run business.

(04:03):
He's 21, so he's not a child,you know, but but he's
passionate and wonderful, so heis starting his own podcast.
I've thought about startingmine, so it's kind of, yeah,
something we've given a lot ofthought as a family.

Speaker 2 (04:16):
Outside of work.
What do you do for fun?

Speaker 3 (04:20):
Well, my son just turned 21 and we live in Fort
Collins, so we're enjoying bingoat the breweries and trivia
nights and different things likethat.
We all work really hard indifferent ways.
He's a student at CSU and workson campus, and then, of course,
joel runs the business andworks, you know, very long hours
.
So our focus is really on ourfamily and then spending time

(04:41):
with friends, but having a21-year-old is a lot of fun.

Speaker 2 (04:46):
Maybe switching gears ?
Can you describe a hardship ora life challenge that you
overcame and how it made youstronger?
What comes to mind?

Speaker 3 (04:53):
Oh, a life challenge.
Probably having a childdiagnosed with autism, that was
a challenge for us.
And just navigating this newspace, this new world and trying
to get the right resources forhim, the right resources,
resources for our family, sothat was a big challenge.
And also owning a businessduring COVID, I would say that
was a challenge.

(05:15):
You know, it's kind of funnywhen that not funny, but when
that, when COVID happened andall of the small businesses kind
of had to shut down, you know,joel bought a sewing machine and
started making masks forrestaurants and that's how we
stayed in business and a lot ofthem were donated like we did a
lot of donating, and then he gotto the point where we were able

(05:36):
to, like, source really nicemasks for people and, and you
know, print their logo acrossthem.
But I feel like that was areally challenging time and he
taught himself how to sew oneday.

Speaker 2 (05:49):
Good for you guys, cutting into China's margins
there.

Speaker 3 (05:52):
There you go.

Speaker 2 (05:55):
Please tell our listeners one thing they should
remember about Black Forest.
Print Lab.

Speaker 3 (06:01):
We want to serve our community and provide excellent
customer service, meet yourneeds.
We're just not a small, amedium-sized business and we're
working really hard to providegreat support for our community
and for listeners of the goodneighbor podcast.
We are offering 10 off, so justmention the podcast.
We'd love to work with you.

(06:22):
Quote out your next job, giveus a try.
You know I I don't think you'llbe disappointed and we would
love to serve your business andhelp you take it to the next
level.

Speaker 2 (06:35):
How can?

Speaker 3 (06:35):
listeners.
Learn more about Black ForestPrint Lab.
On our website, actuallyblackforestprintlabcom, you can
find some information just abouthow we do things, how the quote
process works, and we do havesocial media probably not as
active as we should be, but wehave a Facebook and an Instagram
page that you can find out alittle bit more about what we do

(06:55):
in the community, like how weutilize that more for our
community partnerships and whowe're supporting, like
nonprofits.
But yeah, and also, just shootus an email.
We'd love to talk you through aproject to see if there's
anything we can do to help andsupport to talk you through a
project to see if there'sanything we can do to help and
support.

Speaker 2 (07:15):
Well, Laura, I really appreciate you being on the
show.

Speaker 3 (07:17):
We wish you and your business the best moving forward
.
Thank you so much for having me.

Speaker 1 (07:21):
Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor
Podcast.
To nominate your favorite localbusinesses to be featured on
the show, go tognpfortcollinscom.
That's GNPFortCollinscom, orcall 970-438-0825.