The How Do I? Podcast: A Video Podcast for Decorated Apparel Shop Owners

Pssst. Hey, you.

Want a sneak peek at something special before it “officially” drops?

Episode 1 of The How Do I? Podcast is live right now on the Impressions YouTube channel. That’s right. The official release is Wednesday, November 18, 2026, but you can click the link at the bottom of the article and watch it early.

The How Do I? Podcast is a video podcast for decorated apparel shop owners in screen printing, embroidery, DTF, DTG, and promotional products, hosted by Marshall Atkinson and brought to you by Impressions Magazine.

What Is The How Do I? Podcast?

The How Do I? Podcast takes one question a decorated apparel shop owner might ask and works it through with an industry expert. Each episode runs under an hour and will give you expert answers you can put to use immediately in your business.

Here’s how it works:

• 1 question and 1 guest per episode
• A companion article in Impressions for every episode
• New episodes drop on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of every month

If you’re looking for a podcast on screen printing, embroidery, DTG, DTF, or the promo industry that focuses on expert help for running a business, this is it.

What Does Episode 1 Cover?

The first episode answers “How do I know my business is healthy?” with Mark Coudray of Coudray Growth Technologies. Mark has been teaching at Impressions since 1978 and has spent 54 years in this industry. He started his first screen printing business when he was 19, and exploded his business from $200,000 to $4.5 million a year in 19 months. Mark has been a mentor to me for a long time, and a lot of how I think about this industry started with him.

In the episode, he starts with something you can see from your front door. He compares a greasy-spoon diner and a Michelin-starred kitchen to shops in our industry. Both of these examples cook food, but only one of them cleans as it goes. Your production floor says the same thing about your business.

Here’s what’s packed into the episode:

• How much cash you should keep in the bank, and the number that puts you in the danger zone
• What Mark calls “Junk Food Orders,” and why the fear of an empty schedule keeps you saying yes to them
• Why no single customer should be more than 10% of your revenue, and the $2 million lesson behind that rule
• The 5 numbers he checks every Monday morning

Junk Food Orders are a close cousin of what I call The Blind Yes. Your profit gets decided the moment you say yes to a job.

What Did Mark Say That Will Stick With You?

Mark was very clear about a few things that I think would make a difference for you. Here are 4:

On side hustles: “If you are not making at least 4 times your hourly rate, you don’t have a business.” Below that, you’ve created a job for yourself, plus a bunch of other work you didn’t plan on.

On being busy: Shops that call Mark because they can’t get the work out are typically running at 27% to 33% of their capacity. The rest disappears into waiting on approvals, waiting on art, hunting for ink, or finding out you’re a few dozen short with the inventory for an order after you have set the job up on press.

On new equipment: Before you buy a new machine, send the work to a contractor until you can bring 50% of the work inside your shop. A new piece of equipment can add $1,000 to $3,000 per month to your overhead.

On new customers: Mark has researched a combined data of more than 300,000 customer-years, and it showed that over 90% of first-year customers didn’t break even. Watch the episode to hear what he does with it.

Why Should Shop Owners Watch?

You should watch this podcast because you will get practical answers when you need them, not months from now at the next trade show. Trade shows and magazine issues run on their own schedule. Sometimes the problems in your shop don’t wait for them.

Each episode of the How Do I? Podcast stays on one problem, and you will leave with something you can do this week to improve your business. For example, Mark’s episode ends with a tip that will change how you look at your top 10 customers.

Where Can I Watch and Subscribe?

The How Do I? Podcast is on the Impressions Magazine YouTube channel. Subscribe there to get each new episode the day it comes out.

It’s a new podcast, and it is already available on most podcast platforms. Make sure wherever you listen, you subscribe!

What’s Coming Up on The How Do I? Podcast?

Here are the first 6 episodes, topics, and air dates:

Air Date	Question	Guest
November 18, 2026	"How do I know my business is healthy?"	Mark Coudray, Coudray Growth Tecnologies
December 2, 2026	"How do I price embroidery for profit?"	Jennifer Cox, NNEP
December 16, 2026	"How do I use AI in my shop?"	Jesse Freeby, Corvallis Custom
January 6, 2027	"How do I source the right blank apparel?"	Milissa Gibson, Lane Seven
January 20, 2027	"How do I stop being my own bottleneck?"	Ali Banholzer, Wear Your Spirit Warehouse
February 3, 2027	"How do I eliminate downtime?"	Richard Greaves, Screen Police

The How Do I? Podcast Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a podcast for decorated apparel shop owners?

Yes. The How Do I? Podcast is a video podcast for owners of screen printing, embroidery, DTF, DTG, and promotional-products businesses. Each episode answers one business question with an industry expert.

Who hosts The How Do I? Podcast?

Marshall Atkinson hosts the show. He’s a decorated apparel business consultant with 33 years in the industry and the author of Price for Profit and other books.

Where can I watch The How Do I? Podcast?

Watch it on the Impressions Magazine YouTube channel. The show is also available on all podcast streaming platforms.

How often do new episodes come out?

New episodes come out on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of every month.

Start Here

Watch the first episode “How Do I Know My Business Is Healthy?” with Mark Coudray.

Read the companion article here.