Today we feature Aniceto Mojica the co-owner of Up All Night Ink Print Shop in Lancaster, Ca. Aniceto and his partner, Geovanna, started their screen printing business 4 years ago but Aniceto has been printing for over a decade. Up All Night Ink Print Shop is a true hustle and working partnership. Ancieto kept his day job to afford the equipment they needed, while his partner worked at the shop all day responding to inqueries and working on orders. Ancieto's passion for people and community has helped shape the success of the print shop today.
In our conversation we dive into the struggles of starting a screen printing business and future business goals. Aniceto also offers great advice for other printers, stressing the importance of learning printing basics and mastering patience.
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Interview Start:
1. When you first started screen printing, what was your biggest struggle while learning the trade?
Aniceto: In the early stages of my screen printing career, I had the most difficulty trying to figure out how to cure screens while only have access to a small flash dryer.
2. What is your favorite part about owning a Screen Printing Business?
Aniceto: My favorite part about owning a screen printing business is being in a position where I am able to not only meet a large number of people within my community, but also help them in times of need and build valuable relationships with them.
3. Scaling a business is difficult. What were your biggest obstacles while trying to grow your business? How did you overcome these obstacles?
Aniceto: When first envisioning what Geovanna (co-owner) and I could turn Up All Night Ink into, the number one obstacle that was always present was money. I have never really been a big fan of going into debt and financing everything. We have been able to find our solution to the issue by having myself, Aniceto, work 12 hour days at a regular job to make the funds needed to purchase all the new equipment while Geovanna stays at the shop to handle incoming orders, emails, and product deliveries. This strategy has proven to be successful for us as we have recently scaled our business to a multi six-figure revenue.
4. How did you market yourself when you first opened the shop? How do you market yourself now?
Aniceto: So one thing you have to understand about me (Aniceto) is that I love talking to people, so in the beginning I would just spark up a conversation with everyone I saw throughout my day and see if they had a need for printing. We were doing alot of vinyl graphics on cars for the 1/4 mile oval track out at Willow Springs Raceway so word-of-mouth got us a good amount of clients. Today we still rely on the word-of-mouth, but with the age of social media we spend a pretty good amount of time on our socials interacting with people and businesses.
5. Can you tell us one big mistake or one lesson that you have learned in your time as a business owner/screen printer?
Aniceto: By far, our largest lesson that we have learned throughout our journey as entrepreneurs is to make sure that you’re always paying your dues to the IRS. We had the misfortune of working with a very misinformed CPA that led us straight into a $10,000 IRS disaster. We have since parted ways with that person, paid all of our dues to the IRS, and have systems in place to make sure we are always saving money for taxes.
6. Have you been able to achieve an ideal work/life balance?
Aniceto: This is definitely an area where I could use some improvement. There have been plenty of times where I have focused all of my attention on work and the business which has led to the deterioration of some of my friendships. On the contrary, there have been times where I have focused more on my friends and family to the point where the business begins to suffer. I am more than willing to admit that I could use some guidance in regards to achieving a perfect work/life balance.
7. If you were given $10,000 to grow your business, what would you do with it?
Aniceto: $10,000 would go an extremely long way towards upgrading our dark room. Since moving to our new shop, our new darkroom is most certainly a step up from our previous dark room, but adding a second washout booth, an LED exposure unit, and a large drying cabinet would really take our setup to the next level.
8. Are there any books or podcasts you’d recommend to those just starting out in screen printing/business?
Aniceto: I am a massive advocate for both books and podcasts as a source of education for aspiring business owners, so I have quite a few suggestions here. First up would be Andy Frisella’s “The MFCEO project” podcast. I would highly suggest starting with the very first episode and working your way through all the episodes in order, although it is worth mentioning that if you are sensitive to profanity, this may not be the podcast for you. This podcast helped Geovanna and I establish our core values as business owners which ultimately helps us determine who to work with and who not to work with.
I have a few books I’d like to recommend as well, although I’d like to make clear that if you aren’t actually APPLYING what you are reading or listening to in these podcasts/books, you are wasting your time. With that being said, here are my book suggestions:
Delivering Happiness - Tony Hsieh
The Magic of Thinking Big - David Schwartz
The Power of One More - Ed Mylett
The Dichotomy of Leadership - Jocko Willink
9. What are your favorite and least favorite parts about being a business owner?
Aniceto: Far and away, my favorite thing about being the owner of my own business is the intense feeling of accomplishment that you get when you reach goals that you and your team had set in the past. Being a business owner is one of the most stressful things that anyone could put yourself through, but being a successful business owner is one of the rewarding experiences any human being could have. Just thinking about how Up All Night Ink literally started inside my garage with below industry standard equipment but now we are in a huge 2,400 square foot shop brings immense joy to my heart.
10. Is there any part of your business that you feel you have mastered?
Aniceto: This may be a bit of an unorthodox answer, but I believe we have mastered the art of having what I call “aggressive patience”. We are very good at sitting back and waiting for the perfect moment to make the next move with our business and, when that moment comes, we are always fully prepared to take advantage.
11. If you were mentoring someone who was just starting their own screen printing business, what advice would you choose to share with them?
Aniceto: I run the risk of sounding cliche here, but LEARN YOUR BASICS. I see a lot of beginners getting really excited about making/printing beautiful artwork for their clients, but they haven’t taken the proper time to get familiar with both their equipment and the general basics of screen printing. Success will come with patience and persistence, I would strongly recommend taking your time to learn the in’s and outs of screen printing (or whatever business you’re interested in pursuing) and try not to focus too much on the potential “glitz and glamor” of having a profitable business.
Print created at Up All Night Print Shop
12. What is your shop management style?
Aniceto: At the current moment, it is mostly just myself and my partner Geovanna who handle all the incoming work for Up All Night Ink, so my job as a “manager” is very simple. Geovanna is prompt in getting any work done that needs to be done, so as long as I come in and also do my part, there really isn’t much “managing” involved. The few times we have had employees, however, I do try to run a pretty tight ship. I can be a very nice and friendly boss but I also have very clear cut expectations for those who work for me and I don’t often give second chances to anyone who doesn’t fit with our core values.
13. Is there anything else that you would like to share with your fellow screen printers?
Aniceto: My best piece of advice that I could give would be to stay calm and patient. As a business owner, you are going to be put in many situations that are scary and uncomfortable. However, if you think things through and always use your best judgment, you will almost always come out the other side unscathed. More than anything, being your own boss is a test of your will, the more times you are willing to get knocked down and get back up, the more success you are going to have as an entrepreneur.
End Interview
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Aniceto has a wealth of knowledge in both screen printing and business. We love that he takes the time to read and sharpen his skill set, something important regardless of your trade. Aside from his daily print grind Aciento enjoys riding his motor bike and giving back to his community.
If you have any questions for Ancieto you can find him @upallnightink on instagram. You can also visit his website at https://www.upallnightink.com/
We hope you enjoyed this piece, we look forward to interviewing more printing shops and sharing more stories and advice with you.
Comment below or email us at info@screenprintdirect.com if you have any questions.
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Screen Print Direct