This past year has been an incredible journey for my small business. With so many new connections and customers, a lot has been accomplished - honestly, more than I expected.
At the start of 2018, I was just getting settled into a nice little office space in Old Ellicott City with the equipment that I started with in my parent's basement the prior year. For the first few months of the year, things picked up fast. The shop was getting busier and busier every week with plenty of new clients and work coming in. The momentum of my small business growing was unreal, I was excited to roll up my sleeves and get to work every day (and sometimes even weekends when big orders came in).
Sadly, on May 27th, an extremely destructive flash flood tore through downtown Ellicott City. Because the town was closed off to the public for about 2 months, I was forced to put the business on hold. This became a huge setback for me, I had to cancel orders that I was in the process of completing, and I had to turn down other customers that were looking to get work done. Although, it sucked being out of business for 2 months, I was able to use the extra time to my advantage to work on some behind the scenes work for my business. A lot of work was done on this website, which was really something that kept getting pushed back when I "didn't have the time" for it.
Just prior to the flood, I was getting ready to buy a new printing press. So in my downtime, I started researching models and looking for some deals to get a nice commercial level press into my shop. Keep in mind, I was currently working with a cheap, hobby-level press, so I was long overdue for an upgrade. After getting back to work sometime in July, I was able to get my new press. I finally found the one I wanted and got in contact with a shop owner out in Denver who was getting ready to sell the press to make room for some automated equipment. A few weeks later the press was delivered and setup in the shop, it was like Christmas morning and I couldn't wait to print some shirts on it.
Luckily, I was able to pick back up where I left off and the business was running smooth and growing bigger everyday again. In fact, even with the setback of the flood, Blackout was able to meet and exceed the goals that were set at the beginning of the year. We even jumped into the world of embroidery with a new machine for custom embroidering hats, polos, and so much more.
For this upcoming year, there are more goals set in place and expecting another successful year. Blackout's success comes from all our amazing customer's that we've built relationships with over the last year. Thanks to everyone for a great 2018, and here's to an even better 2019!
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