Two young entrepreneurs from Chicago take their project to Kickstarter.
Trying to start a new business on the side of your day job is far from an easy task, but developing a Kickstarter campaign around your dreams for the world to see while attempting to raise $10,000 in 40 days, certainly adds some pressure to it. Two young screen printers from Chicago felt it was worth the risk, and a perfect medium for their plans to redefine what people consider being the standard product in custom screen printing.
With more than 15 combined years of screen printing experience, Bryan Neubauer (25) and Nick Rizza (24) are saying that this is screen-printing the way it is supposed to be done. In an industry where the lowest price tends to be the determining factor, in a city flooded with advertisements for shirts printed within an hour, Pressd Apparel plans to shake things up a little bit. As the standard product they plan to offer apparel that is made in America and screen-printed using water based inks instead of plastisol based inks or direct to garment printed. Best of all, they will follow a one-for-one model and will still be priced competitively.
“We aren’t going to be the cheapest or quickest print shop that ever existed, but we will provide the best value in the industry,” says Neubauer. “Apparel is just another advertising medium; people notice what others are wearing and impressions multiply with each wear. Investing in custom printed apparel that isn’t worth a second look versus apparel people enjoy wearing makes sense, when it’s priced competitively it’s a clear decision.“
Determined to push their concept forward, Nick and Bryan decided to run a Kickstarter campaign to try and crowd source the additional $10,000 necessary to continue development of their website, and to get a barebones operation up and running, the hope is that they exceed their goal and can source additional funds down the road.
Kickstarter campaigns operate under an “all-or-nothing” funding model, so if the Pressd Apparel project doesn’t reach its goal at the end of the 40 days, Rizza and Neubauer go home empty-handed. Be sure to follow them on social media @pressdapparel and make sure to spread the word on your networks. Consider donating as little as $1 to join them in launching The Pressd Apparel Company, if you decide to pledge more, you might be among the first to get the Pressd Apparel experience.
About the Project Creators
Bryan Neubauer studied marketing at Columbia College Chicago and currently works for a startup company in the digital marketing world, managing programs for numerous Chicago small businesses. Nick Rizza studied graphic design at University of Illinois Chicago and currently works for a therapeutic day school for children located in the West Loop. Their graphic design skills, entrepreneurial savvy, and experience with printing and customer service alike make them a great pair to tackle the challenge of bringing Pressd Apparel to life.
If you’d like more information about Pressd Apparel’s project, or to schedule an interview with Bryan and Nick please email pressd.apparel@gmail.com or reach out on social media @pressdapparel.
Contact Information:
Contact: Bryan Neubauer
Cell Phone: (847) 212 9293
Email: pressdapparel@gmail.com
Twitter: @pressdapparel
Kickstarter page: www.kickstarter.com
