Billy Hein graduated from the University of Delaware in 2003 and immediately went to work for Bill Vernon selling real estate. Although he didn’t work long as a Realtor, he made an important connection with the Vernon family that would ultimately turn his life around. Hein’s next stop on his work-life journey took him to Builders Supply of Delmarva.  Working for Ethan Rhodes selling windows is where he developed an appreciation for sales and customer relationships.

“It was working for BSD where I learned the importance of standing behind what you sell, as they were exceptional at that aspect of their business,” Hein said.

Hein often thought of working for himself and running his own business, but he never envisioned he would do that in the screen-printing business. In 2008, his dream became a reality when Bill Vernon’s brother, Geoff, decided to sell his business, Logo Motive. Hein started out with just himself and one graphic designer when the business was located on Savannah Road in Lewes. Although new to the screen-printing business, Hein was able to double sales in the first year. 

As Hein soon discovered, there were a number of advantages to being his own boss. One of the disadvantages was the amount of time he spent in the office in those early years. Initially, Hein was spending 12 to 14 hours per day getting his new business off the ground. Fortunately, as the business grew, Hein was able to hire the right people, and he now has 23 employees. While Hein continues to work hard, the crazy hours are no longer necessary with the great staff he has on board.

“I learned how important our staff is to our business, and we certainly couldn’t have built the business we have without them,” he said.

Because there are few screen printers and embroiderers in the area, Hein typically has to train the new staff he hires. Although he has one employee who works at home, he’s reluctant to let more people do that. One of the advantages he believes that Logo Motive offers his customers is that they can come in and talk to a person about their needs instead of doing everything online. Logo Motive does, however, offer customers the opportunity to do all of their business online. And Hein has made it a priority to make sure online customers get their questions answered ASAP, as there is always another online screen-printing business just one click away. 

As Hein looks into his crystal ball, he sees the growth of artificial intelligence and more automated ordering processes in the future. Although he prefers the face-to-face interactions with customers, he recognizes that customers of the future may want to do more of their ordering online, and Hein and his staff will make sure their online platform is very customer focused. He recognizes people are interested in convenience, and tech-savvy businesses of the future will expect to be able to do business like that.   

Hein stays on top of the developments with AI, as it has made some aspects of the design process more efficient. He foresees challenges with AI in the future, as these platforms have no ability to recognize copyright-protected logo information. With AI becoming ever more prevalent, this will become a bigger legal issue for folks in the screen-printing industry. 

Presently, 98% of Logo Motive’s customers operate within a two-hour drive of their shop. Additionally, larger businesses in the area tend to be Logo Motive’s bigger customers, as they often want to set up online stores for their own employees. Doing so makes it easier for people to order branded merchandise, representing the companies where they work.

Hein enjoys bringing customers, especially new ones, into the business so they can watch their orders being filled. This offers an advantage to the customer because they can see the first run of their order being completed and make sure it meets their expectations. 

Owning a business in a relatively small community is something Hein has come to appreciate. Because many of the business owners know each other, he enjoys that they all try to support one another’s business.

“I want to make sure I support the businesses that support my own business,” he said.

In addition, Hein’s community activities focus on helping local people and businesses who establish fundraising events by offering merchandise at a discount to help them raise more money for their worthy causes. 

When asked about any kind of advice he would give his 18-year-old self, he jokingly referred to his love of fishing and boats.

“Pay more attention in school and get better grades,” he said. “There are more doctors, engineers and lawyers with bigger boats than screen printers.”

While Hein acknowledges he wasn’t always a great student in school, his Logo Motive screen-printing business has certainly made the grade.