Mark Smith
We offer branding and marketing solutions nationwide.
Specializing in printing rush orders, we work on everything from custom signage to custom printed labels for products, marketing or promotional use to custom printed apparel and more.
Our slogan is “Always Done RIGHT On Time!” because we focus on meeting our clients deadlines and being accurate with our work.
Our mission is to make sure that each individual client is 100% satisfied with our work and that has been the case since day one, and that is the reason for our success.
Tell us about yourself?
When I was working as vice president of an event planning firm, I longed to start my own business.
Since I always have been a lifelong musician, I wanted to work with musicians to help them succeed by assisting them with the business side of the music business.
I set up a network of businesses to do just that and help guide my clients through all the steps to help get them to the next level in their careers.
This meant helping them with everything from finding rehearsal and recording studios to producers to printing and manufacturing facilities to finding the right promoters and publicists to work with.
It was difficult to get off the ground, but eventually I succeeded and today, my business is now serving major corporations in all types of industries nationally.
If you could go back in time a year or two, what piece of advice would you give yourself?
I would go back more than one or two years, but I would advise myself or anyone that experiencing adversity is part of life. Everyone goes through it, so expect that you will face adversity.
If you can prepare ahead of time for all possibilities, you won’t be blindsided by it when it comes.
That means doing research to find out what the hurdles might be that you will face in the near future. If you know what to expect, then you can prepare for it.
What problem does your business solve?
We specialize in rush orders. So if a client needs printing or manufacturing within the same day, we can fulfill their need. Meeting deadlines is something we do on a daily basis.
What is the inspiration behind your business?
As I stated previously, as a lifelong musician, I wanted to help other musicians succeed. Today, we are fulfilling the needs of businesses that need branding and marketing solutions that meet or exceed their deadlines.
What is your magic sauce?
I think there are two factors to this:
- We treat others as we would want to be treated ourselves. That means making sure that each client is 100% satisfied with our work, which will naturally lead them to refer us to others. This is just common sense, but most businesses lose sight of this as they grow, and are just focused on numbers. Business is also about helping people, and the people part of it is what we find most important.
- We offer rush service that is unparalleled in the industry. We can literally turn around jobs within hours, and in a fast-paced city like New York, that is a necessity!
What is the plan for the next 5 years? What do you want to achieve?
I think that we can continue to grow this business in the next five years to help serve more clients nationwide. I just want us to continue on this path because it is a path that has worked for us for over 25 years. There is no need to change what works.
What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced so far?
Back in 2010, I found myself on the brink of bankruptcy because I was working on a creative project that ate up all of my funds, and I was so enveloped in the project that I lost sight of my business. From this, I’ve learned that it’s always important that if you get sidetracked, to always keep an eye on how your business is doing and not lose sight of the bottom line.
Of course there are more important things in life than making money, but you also need to make sure that everything with your business is running smoothly no matter where else life takes you.
Through that difficult time where I faced serious illness and nearly went bankrupt, it led to the creation of a worldwide community website that I created called Rise Up Eight, based on the Japanese proverb, fall down seven times stand up eight.
Today, https://riseupeight.org features stories of people from all over the world who have overcome challenges to succeed in business and in life.
So in the end, what I learned is that adversity is not something to be feared, but something that will help you achieve meaning in your life. This is why my personal slogan is “Don’t look at adversity as the enemy, look at it as your ally.” I wrote an article about overcoming adversity in business here: https://www.novacustomlabelprinting.com/how-to-overcome-adversity-in-business/
I hope it helps.
How do people get involved/buy into your vision?
Businesses and startups who have need for custom printing and manufacturing can reach us at our website https://www.novacustomlabelprinting.com or by phone 1-800-495-1306.
