In addition to production areas for its Roland DG digital printers, computer numerical control (CNC) machines, and embroidery equipment, the facility also has a paint booth and wrapping bays.
Growing the business
Jeffreys believes a key ingredient for business success is hiring the right people.
“Over time you discover who really does the work,” he says. “In my experience, the people who say they have all the skills don’t usually know much, whereas the humble ones do well because they listen.”
Jeffreys looks for candidates who bring a positive attitude toward the inevitable challenges when onboarding employees.
“If you come to me with a problem, you’d better bring some ideas for a solution, or at least something we can work with,” he says.
He also believes in giving people room to rise and grow within the business. One of his employees used to clean windows for
his brother’s company. Within a month, the worker learned to operate his shop’s CNC machine and even taught himself how to run the devices’ raster image processor (RIP) software. Now he manages the printers.
Jeffreys encourages his employees to pursue learning opportunities and even covers the costs of any training courses offered by manufacturers the staff may like to attend to enhance their graphics production and installation skills. He sees this as an investment in the future of the company.
Tips for a successful wrap business
Jeffreys believes it is critical to explain to customers the value of a wrap.
“Some of my largest clients didn’t understand the advertising power of their vehicles,” he says. One of his regular customers once came to him to install a wrap on their John Deere tractor. Once Jeffreys finished the job, he educated the client about the advertising potential of vehicle graphics. Today, his shop installs wraps for the client’s business fleet.
In addition to cars and vans, Jukasa Designs also wraps boats, buses, and trailers, as well as high-end luxury vehicles and race cars. The shop has also wrapped many helicopters for trade shows and conferences.
“My number one tip to stay successful in the business is to never give up your smaller customers,” says Jeffreys. “Always take time to work with them. My smaller customers connected me to my larger clients.”
Jeffreys points out large companies often go bankrupt, sometimes quite suddenly, leaving the shop without a major portion of its business. Therefore, he counsels shop owners to make time for those small but important jobs that are a constant source of revenue.
He also advises shop owners to stay involved in their community.
“We’ll stop our machines to print something for a memorial or a baby shower because that affects everybody,” he says.
