Branding Together: Finding Opportunities Within Failures
Colin Sinclair McDermott, the Online Print Coach, talks helping printers learn from the mistakes he’s made over the years and the differences between the U.S. and European print and promo industries.
Failure doesn’t have to be the end of the story. Sometimes it’s where the best lessons begin. In this episode of Branding Together, co-hosts Theresa Hegel of ASI and Cassie Green of Apparelist talk with print industry veteran Colin Sinclair McDermott, the Online Print Coach, about the mistakes that shaped his career, the growth pitfalls he sees print businesses make most often and why understanding your numbers, delegating effectively and embracing new technology are critical.
Mentioned in this episode:
- Marketing.com, JAL Equity Named in Two Class Action Complaints
- 2026 Counselor Awards
- Five Essential Sessions at PRINTING United Expo
- Counselor 2026 State of the Industry report
Key Takeaways
• Print business owners need to understand their financials and track key KPIs before they can make sound growth decisions, according to Colin Sinclair McDermott, the Online Print Coach.
• Generic marketing falls flat. Printers should tailor messaging to specific customer segments, pain points and needs.
• Owners who refuse to delegate often create their own time-management problems and limit their companies’ ability to grow.
• Focusing on high-impact work, setting tighter deadlines and eliminating low-value tasks can free up significant time.
• Effective coaching requires accountability, honest conversations and a willingness from both coach and client to adapt.
• Colin sees U.S. print businesses as generally more willing than U.K. firms to invest in themselves and take entrepreneurial risks.
• Convergence, accessible software and AI-powered tools are giving smaller print businesses new ways to automate, diversify and compete.