Scaling a Business for the Long Game: Lessons from 1-800-Tshirts Founder Tom Rauen
When Tom Rauen started printing t-shirts in his parents’ basement, he didn’t imagine he’d someday run a company with 40 employees, serving clients across the country. But that’s exactly what he’s built with 1-800-Tshirts, a business that has grown about 20% every year for the past two decades.
In our conversation on The Entrepreneur’s Blueprint, Tom shared how his entrepreneurial spark started young—selling baseball cards, running lemonade stands, and even reselling beanie babies. By college, he was designing shirts and selling them at football games and in dorms. With a degree in computer graphics and a strong network from bartending, Tom took the leap into business.
From Basement Startup to Rebrand
At first, he worked out of a 10x10 basement room before upgrading to a 2,000-square-foot retail space. From there, word-of-mouth growth fueled the company’s early success. Over the years, the business went through several name changes—from Envision Sports Designs to Envision Tees—until Tom saw a bigger opportunity.
In 2015, he approached the owner of the 1-800-Tshirts brand about buying it. Five years later, in the middle of COVID, the deal finally went through. The timing wasn’t ideal, but Tom saw it as a “do or die” moment. The rebrand gave the business new energy and a national presence. Looking back, he calls it the catalyst that pulled them out of a difficult season.
Navigating Growth and Hiring Challenges
One of Tom’s biggest lessons over the years has been knowing when and who to hire. As he explained, “There’s always a fine line between being understaffed and overstaffed. Too many people, and payroll eats your profit. Too few, and you can’t deliver on your promises.”
This constant balancing act has shaped the way Tom thinks about growth. With 40 employees now, he continues to evaluate when to add middle and upper management roles to keep the company moving forward.
The Impact of a T-Shirt
What started as “just printing shirts” has turned into something much bigger. Tom has witnessed the power of a t-shirt to unite teams, support individuals battling cancer, and rally communities around a cause. He says, “When we print somebody’s message and their battle cry on a t-shirt, it’s like their Superman cape.”
Advice for Entrepreneurs
Looking back, Tom credits his success to doing “whatever it takes” in the early days, but also to playing the long game. He’s learned to focus on relationships, not just transactions. He’s also discovered the importance of understanding his role as a visionary and finding the right integrator to bring structure and balance to the business.
His advice for entrepreneurs? Identify what energizes you, what drains you, and hire or outsource accordingly. And, above all, keep setting the bar higher—because you’re capable of more than you think.
Final Thoughts
Tom’s journey is a testament to persistence, strategic risks, and the impact of simple products done with excellence. Whether it’s outfitting a local team or supporting a cancer patient with a custom shirt, 1-800-Tshirts proves that entrepreneurship is about more than profits—it’s about making a lasting impact.
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