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Image Matters

Ah, professionalism. It’s sometimes the mere difference between looking like you have it together that gets you the job, gig, or clientele you seek. We all want to be accepted and liked for who we are. We all want the freedom to pursue the things we’re passionate about and gifted at. The hope of conveying a favorable Personal/Business image is the sole reason why the acquisition of fake/vanity likes, followers, and comments exist. Does that help you or gain your income to have a fake/padded following? Absolutely not. Fake likes/followers/comments/views 100% does nothing to help you [outside of potentially creating a false narrative that will dupe someone into believing someone or something is more popular than it is]. Regardless, those services wouldn’t exist if there wasn’t money in it, and there wouldn’t be money in it if people didn’t know that image matters.

Let’s be real. Most people want to back a winner & feel like they belong. It’s really nice to feel liked and accepted by those around you. When I wrote band reviews/articles for a small newspaper there was this certain group. They were made up of a three-piece male band (guitar, bass, drums), with a female lead. Like most bands/groups, it’s a revolving door. She lost all three of the guys for whatever reason and had a whole new band backing her. When I met the new people, I asked her, “What’s the difference between them and the band you were with before?” She answered, “They’re more professional.” It was a crafty answer and one intended to sculpt my overall first impression.

I’ve said for years that I feel that good leadership is surrounding yourself with people who are good at the specific things you have them doing, and then letting them do it. As freeing as that sounds, good leadership is also about exercising clear boundaries and uniformity. A team needs to look like a team & behave like a team. The consistency of quality is what keeps customers/clients/fans coming back. When I frequent McDonald’s, Chik-Fil-A, or any other well-established business, there is a comfortability in knowing that I’m going to get the same consistent product each and every time. If I have a good experience over and over again, I’ll be back knowing that I’m going to have the same good experience this time.

Having the same consistent logo on your business cards, banners, polos, t-shirts, hats, vehicles, etc. makes your company look like you know what you’re doing. Good branding is invaluable. It’s just like that singer who got a new band… She wanted me to walk away with my first impression being that they were “professional.” Consistent branding does just that. You can look at any major business, major festival, professional sports team, or accredited University. They have their branding down pat. They use pantone colors. Tennessee Orange is pantone “151c”, their charcoal gray is pantone “Cool Gray 11c”, and so on and so forth. The University of Kentucky and Duke University both have “royal blue” in their colors, but they’re different shades of royal blue. Ergo, they’re different pantones.

In business, consistency is key. Perpetually every established University and College has its own “Standards Guide.” I’ve personally had the distinct pleasure of working with quite a few of them. A standards guide is about one thing: Branding. It tells you specifically what colors, fonts, and images can be used. They do this because they want to look like a team. If you were wanting something to look like the University of Tennessee, you couldn’t just say it’s orange. Orange is a lot of things. Syracuse uses orange. The University of Texas uses orange. Yet, all three are night and day in their differences. Color matching tends to cost extra, as it’s a special mix. At The Tee Spot we can work with any customer regardless of how specific or unspecific they’re needing things to be, with terrific results every time.

Our professional team would love to work with you. Feel free to reach out for a free consultation at: “customerservice@theteespot.com” or investigate some of our many options on your own via “www.TheTeeSpot.com“.


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Are you ready for a ‘Band’ or ‘Record Label’ Merch Store that Rocks?

Sometime ago I heard someone explaining that to effectively grow your audience and make money, a newsletter should be “90% fun / 10% sales”, and while a blog may be different, I have no evidence to support that, so I’m going to be myself & talk about what I know… or at least one of those things – i.e. music.

It’s probably not shocking to think that someone with a background in music would be working a job in relation to art, after all they’re all kinda-sorta in the same vein. I personally have played (drums/percussion), sang, written (multiple genres/100+ songs), copyright & published (BMI), produced, promoted, emceeded festivals & events, reviewed albums for a few internet publications, interviewed artists & written articles about it for a physical newspaper & magazine, and merchandised within the spectrum of music. Whew! And while apparel isn’t the heart and soul of a soloist or band’s haul (monetarily), it’s a walking advertisement letting others know you’re out there. It’s a window leading into your musical world.

The music industry has really changed over the years. Basically, a lot of artist have went independent for too many reasons to go into, but a lot is that it’s more profitable & due to how prominent the digital marketplace is anyone and everyone can put their stuff out there regardless of how talented or wealthy they are. Lest we forget, YouTube popularity is what launched Justin Bieber. Social Media skyrocketed Rebecca Black’s song “Friday.” Love it or hate it, the profits earned from it paid for her college education! Neither of them had a major label backing them. Justin had a lot of musical talent, playing multiple instruments. Rebecca has far more talent than she was credited. Her mother paid a songwriter and so forth to create a trendy hit for her daughter to sing. And it was money well spent considering that she came out so far ahead. It’s all about putting yourself out there and having consistent quality.

We can do a lot for you. The Tee Spot can build you, your group/band, or record label an online commission store, and sell promotional apparel on it with a safe and secure checkout. In an effort to make things easier for your customers, our thoughtful and talented staff will be available for live chats to guide them through the ordering process. Our quality service will help you maintain the level of professionalism that any artist going anywhere consistently strives to have.

Wanna know more? Email us today at: stores@theteespot.com and we’ll help you amp up the volume to 11, because it’s one louder than 10. [and yes, I just made a Spinal Tap reference. If you were going to share this post for no other reason than that, you’d be justified.]


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They Will Know Your Name.

Hey, Readers. I’m one of the customer service representatives at The Tee Spot & we want to make your brand, business, campaign ,&/or annual event shine. We have a wide array of production options and an exceptionally competent staff. In fact, having worked as a professional graphic artist for 7+ years with a list of clients that most readers would recognize, I’ve never worked with so many talented people before as I have at The Tee Spot. At the end of this post, I’ll go into more detail about the options and service that we provide. Prior to that, Lets talk about right now & the way that marketing/promotion/influence works.

We’re living in an interesting age. Currently, the sound of a single person’s voice, their ideas, their opinions, their vision, and/or their business can have a footprint that spans across the globe. In the 21st Century many social media influencers who have branded themselves well have a vastly higher audience than major television networks and the professional persons associated with them. Take that in for a moment. We’re literally in an age where a regular person with a Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, or Instagram page can have more credibility and/or prestige within the eyes of their audience than a college educated, highly paid celebrity-personality who’s broadcast to you in high production quality with a full staff of makeup artists, writers, lighting and camera crews, etc. working along with them to put it all together. It’s rather obvious too.

This doesn’t really seem to be a point of contention with anybody when you look at the numbers. Generally speaking, the facts are:

  • Social Media has changed the way that people take in media.
  • The Internet has become a place of learning rather than traditional college campuses.
  • Streaming Services have forever changed the music industry & entertainment industry.

Despite the new methods the approach to marketing is still the same. To run a successful business or social media platform you have to keep people thinking about you. That’s why on many platforms you subscribe & click the bell with the parentheses around it. Then every time a new video is aired, tweet is tweeted, picture is posted, or whatnot – you’ll be notified. Physical imager shows physical competence and expressed interest. A T-Shirt, Bumper Sticker/Car Magnet, Hat, or Jacket displaying a logo is a moving advertisement that someone will see. It’ll give your message legs. With your cellphone, you could take a picture, post it on all of your social media, and spread your message farther. Physically imagery can become digital imagery, reaching people across both personal and impersonal medians.

In some relevance to this, I’ve been told that nothing helps church growth like a new sign or a freshly paved parking lot. Evidentially, it shows people outside of the walls of that church that something must is going on inside. Supposedly, it gives others the impression that if that church is taking care of things on the outside, that they must have things going well on the inside. *Do you remember the Saturn Commercial, back when they were a car company? It had a kid hit the car door with a ball. The ball bounced off. The plastic door likewise popped out, leaving no dent or mark. Then the commentator told the viewers that Saturn’s automobiles had dent resistant doors, adding how if they took care of the minor external things then that was indicative to the fact they took care of the more pertinent things you couldn’t see. It’s kind of the same thing.

Recently, I heard a New York Times best-selling author giving a lecture about how the notable quote from the movie Field of Dreams, adding how it’s a lie that many have suffered for believing. In that movie it’s character famously said, “If you build it they will come.” She then went on to explain how every 5 minutes a new book is put up on Amazon.com. Mind you, this was a lecture specifically about the importance of having a newsletter, gaining subscribers, the dos and do nots of it to make an author stand out. Yet that’s just the thing isn’t it? Your business/brand needs to stand out.

And so here we are, back to where we began. My hope is that I’ve clearly articulated, or most likely reaffirmed something that you (the reader) already know. You need people to think of you and seek you out for the service(s), product(s), or events that you provide – we’re here to help.

The Tee Spot has an array of employees with substantial amounts of experience in Graphic Design, Screen Print, Embroidery, Direct To Garment Printing, both on apparel and for Promotion Products. We can build a state of the art webstore with a modern feel and easy application gently guiding your customers through ordering process step by step. If you’ve got questions, we’ve got answers. We’d love to hear from you.

  • Call us for your free quote and consultation at: 865-539-8220
  • Email your questions at: customerservice@theteespot.com
  • Visit us in person at: The Tee Spot, 264 North Peters Road Suite B, Knoxville, TN 37923

Our regular business hours are: Monday-Friday 9AM-6PM, and Saturday 10AM-2PM (EST)


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We want to put your business on the map.

If you have your own business, you know that Marketing is hard. Here at ‘The Tee Spot’ we’re here to help. Beyond our standard physical production, which falls within the spectrums of embroidery, screenprint, heat-press, and direct-to-garment, we’re also proud to offer an array of digital promotions that openly trail across the world social media platforms. We want to help bring your business to the forefront and gain the attention that you deserve.

Let us unlock the power of your brand. We have a full roster of talented graphic designers, experienced screen printers, and a seasoned sales and marketing team. Together our staff functions as a full-service promotional studio that specializes in screen printing, embroidery, promotional items, and website development. Above all, we are experts whose main goal is to consistently deliver high-quality products and unmatched customer service.

Does your business need an online store? We build them all the time & would love to make yours shine. Whether you’re seeking to raise money for your business with a custom online store, strengthen the uniformity of your brand, or gain exposure, The Tee Spot is here for you. We know that merchandising, quality branding, and terrific communication is of the utmost importance.

  • Explore our website for ideas of what you might like.
  • Live chat with our helpful staff.

We look forward to working with you.