Business Solutions for Winter 2021

4 WINTER 2021 BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT “In 2016, I began designing fun shirts for my family out of our home while working a full-time job and taking care of our young daughters, Tinsley and Kambri. Then my husband Nate asked me to make shirts for his workplace, and soon people around town were talking to me about projects. Things just took off from there. I initially kept my ‘real’ job and worked late into the night at home to fill orders. It was too much to handle. Just over two years ago, I quit my job and made this a true business. The letters T and K pay tribute to our daughters,” Hodges said. Personal Attention and Lots of Options Customers of T&K Designs can expect excellent customer service and personal attention, which Hodges sees as strong competitive advantages. “One thing we have going for us at T&K Designs is that we’re local. People know me personally and appreciate the fact I’ll be handling the orders myself. I design, print, and build everything, and offer options to fit different types of orders. If someone needs 100 shirts, I’ll screen print them. If they just want one shirt, I’ll use the vinyl machine. Other projects may require the embroidery machine. Plus, at T&K Designs there are no minimum orders, no design fees, and unlimited proofs,” she noted. Hodges recently added a laser printer to her suite of equipment. It enables her to engrave or score designs on leather to make custom patches to put on hats, for example. The laser printer will also be used to make 3-D signs, such as ones in the farmhouse style featuring words like “Family” made from letters cut out of wood. Courtney Hodges stitched together a successful business from her T-shirt design hobby. T&K Designs, located at 126 W Main Street in Panora, creates custom apparel using vinyl, embroidery, and screen printing to meet the needs of individuals as well as events, clubs, athletics, reunions, and businesses. This Panora business grew from a hobby at home to a store on Main Street T&K Designs