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In 2010, Bryan Goltzman and his business partner started Liquid Screen Design, LLC (asi/254663) as just a “complete side hustle.” He was a lobbyist who loved his job fighting against poverty in Minnesota; and his partner was the CEO of a summer camp. The promo business grew yearly, and by 2017, it was time to make a decision: All in or all out? Both gentlemen left their jobs to grow the business full time, and within six months, they had to hire someone to help with the extra work. Every quarter they grew by hundreds of a percentage up until 2020, when the world stopped for COVID. Overnight, Liquid lost half a million in sales and had no orders. What was next?
Liquid’s bread and butter were education, recreation and nonprofits – all hit hard during COVID. However, one nonprofit customer needed to do a fundraiser, even if virtually, and they wanted promo. Bryan suggested doing a swag event box, and with a graphic designer still on staff, he felt they could really create something unique and custom. The client went for it, and that $50,000 order was enough to keep Liquid going. Word of the swag box spread, and five other organizations wanted boxes. Pretty soon, every time Liquid did a box for an organization, someone else called wanting one. And just like that, Liquid was looking at 350% more sales than 2019.
With four graphic designers on staff and no shortage of creative juices flowing, Liquid doesn’t charge extra for their graphic design services – it’s built into their pricing structure.
A university approached Liquid requesting a $1 giveaway to new students. They settled on an eyeglass wipe, which sounds pretty basic. But Liquid took it to another level, adding a full print of the school’s map on the wipe with a QR code on the back. No new student would throw away a map they needed, making the ROI significant for this customer. After seeing what Liquid did with a $1 promo, they came back every year with a bigger budget.
“ASI is the foundational piece that everything else is built on.”
– Bryan, The Swag Doctor
According to Bryan, “It’s the one organization you have to be part of to be in this industry. People that aren’t doing it – you’re wasting your time.” Once you’re an ASI® member it’s easy to find any product.
Bryan says, “You have to come to the shows. It’s the #1 thing. Literally, we learned everything from being at the show.” He’s been to so many ASI Show® events, he’s lost count. Whether you’re an industry veteran or a newbie, he suggests attending sessions on the first day of the trade show, Education Day, where you can keep building on what you’ve learned.
With 1.2+ million promo products, it’s no wonder Bryan admits to being in ESP+ all day long and says, “That’s how we search for every single product.”
To make Liquid’s website even more useful for visiting customers, Bryan had a custom designed ESP+ Website built into it. Its ESP+ search feature allows end-buyers to search for and order promo right from Liquid.
Liquid’s staff reads everything that comes out from ASI’s award-winning editorial team so they can stay up to date on important news and trends that affect the industry.
“It’s not about the cheapest item. You can get inexpensive items that are equally important and are useful that aren’t throwaways.”
“I love thinking about an item and using it in a way people haven’t before.”
Want this Success Story as a PDF? Click here to download.