Smarter Training: Digital Tools, Real-World Results

This week, Terry Combs is joined by special guest host Erich Campbell for a timely conversation about Production Training in the Digital Age. As training demands grow and time becomes more limited, the guys explore how shops of all sizes can take advantage of digital tools, from structured video libraries to AI-assisted learning, while still honoring the hands-on experience our industry requires. Whether you’re onboarding new employees, improving consistency, or just trying to stop repeating yourself, this episode is packed with real-world ideas, honest discussion, and new opportunities for smarter, more scalable training. Tired of bouncing between SanMar, S&S, and alphabroder just to compare prices? PromoHunt’s free browser extension does the work for you—automatically showing you price and inventory comparisons across your favorite suppliers while you shop. Join 7,000+ decorators already using PromoHunt daily.PromoHunt.com News If you have anything newsworthy you would like us to share, please email details to [email protected]. Use the subject line “Weekly News.” https://youtu.be/UaFIGx_Aisw Dad Joke Terry: What did the janitor say when he jumped out of the closet? SUPPLIES!! Smarter Training and Education Let’s talk training in general to start Most people do little to no training. “Watch what I do.” “Watch what she does.” Why do owners and managers do limited training? There’s no time for training… you manage the business in crisis mode, daily They’ll take my double secret methods and techniques to the competition They’ll steal my ideas and go into competition with me Another option for training may not be the end-all-be-all if you’re not of a training mindset What’s reality? The more you invest in training, the more likely that person will want to stay with you The more you invest in training, the more efficient you’ll be, and the better product you’ll produce Most employees rarely want to change jobs if they don’t have to, so if you have a great work environment, they want to stay The bottomline truth, “I don’t know where are how to start.” What is the new opportunity with digital training? Some of us aren’t the best at structuring training in our own businesses Recorded training can get us started and stay on track with a structured format Can we turn training over to the internet? Hands on is still a part of the picture People who come to my screen printing classes who tried to start their business with YouTube training You still need to interact on the content as well. Showing them doesn’t mean they understand how it translates to your company. Onboarding new employees No matter the size of your company, time is at a premium. If you can use digital training for some part of this process, everyone is ahead. 52/15 Training Let’s talk ongoing training Using 2RG Secret Sauce If you’re not comfortable doing this training yourself, digital training may be your salvation Building a library of digital content A large well known company in the industry uses Aaron and my DTG training class available through Printing United Alliance for all their employees.Trade show: “I feel like I’ve been talking with you all week.” Rather than training binders, you’ll have training links. Recording your own content The next time you onboard a new employee, think about recording some or all of it while you’re going over the information. When you’re doing any training (like you should be now) record and edit it as a training tool. Ever invite any of your vendors to come into your workplace to train on their products or services? They’ll do that, you know. Record it for future use. Using AI in the training process AI is making the both the creation of training materials and the capture of trainable tasks easier and more accessible Tools for digesting and creating training regimens NotebookLM – Digesting materials to create audio content, training guidelines, and tests – using your own materials or those you access through trainers, guides, bullet points, summaries, podcast format Scribe – captures digital tasks and describes step by step processes on easy to follow guides. Think order systems, e-commerce, etc. Capturing idiosyncratic or multi-software practices that a user manual won’t describe completely.  Wrap up: Just like with new decoration methods, we decorators have multiple options with training as well. It’s just a matter of what we do with them. The Secret Sauce We serve up bite-sized tips for our #regulators to instantly spice up their decorated apparel business. Just like the perfect wing sauce, these quick tips can transform your business experience, adding flavor and depth to your operations. Each video in this playlist is a nugget of wisdom, carefully selected for its potential to bring immediate value to your work. So, whether you’re a seasoned pro or just getting started in the decorated apparel industry, dip into our ‘Secret Sauce’ for insights that can help you soar. https://youtu.be/sKiUCzXIJwE OTHER EVENTS Small Business Saturdays – Saturdays at Noon Central Time and then available to watch any time. Rising Tide Talks! – Wednesdays at 5 PM Central Time and then available to watch any time. Master of Success Inner Circle – Bi-weekly Mastermind Groups with accountability, support, and a built-in support group. Complete Screen Printing Business Course with Atlas Screen Supply in Chicago June 7-8. Complete Screen Printing Business Course with Workhorse Products in Phoenix, AZ, TBD The Take-up with Erich Campbell – Fridays at 2:30 Mountain Time Demystifying Next Level Digitizing Online Training from Erich Campbell Understanding Emblems  Learn from Erich Campbell about digitizing for patches. Trade Shows DAX Twin Cities Hilton Doubletree, Bloomington, MN – August 1-2, 2025 Fast Track Your Success: Halve The Time to Achieve Your Goals – Friday, Aug 01, 2025 at 2 p.m. – 3:15 p.m. How To Master Pricing: Pricing For Profit – Saturday, Aug 02, 2025 at 12:30 p.m. – 1:45 p.m. Graphics Pro Expo Long Beach, CA – August 21-23, 2025 Graphics Pro Meadowlands, NJ – September 12-13, 2025 Impressions Expo Dallas, TX – October 2-4, 2025 Printing United Orlando, FL – October 22-24, 2025 Graphics Pro Charlotte, NC – November 6-8, 2025All dates and events are subject to change