The current process of ordering customized team gear is cumbersome, difficult, and just plain sucks.

Most of us will resort to putting our organization logos on PowerPoint slides, dragging and dropping them into paint, or if we are lucky someone out there has heard of Photoshop or Canva.

Once we have a design, Steve from HR will be put in charge of the whole project. He will have to scour the web for the best custom t-shirt printer… or maybe you’re lucky enough to have a local print shop nearby.

Assuming Steve can find the right supplier now the second issue arises: How much will this cost? Does the supplier have a minimum order amount? Do they charge per item or do you have to order in bulk to get any price break? How much do I have to order upfront? How do I pay for all those orders? How does Steve keep all this straight?

On to the next mess: the team. While we all love our teams, we know that getting a single lunch order together is impossible, let alone ordering tea gear for 10-20 people. Steve has to draft emails and build spreadsheets to track the order and what everyone wants. Each person orders different items with different sizes at different times. Each person wants to pay in their own way (if they pay upfront at all). Do we order extra in case someone new joins the team or if someone decides they actually do want a long sleeve shirt too?

The order is gathered, the money is collected, and the vendor is processing the order. Weeks later, the massive shipment arrives and now Steve the HR guy has to figure out inventory control. Where does he store it? How do people pick up their items? What happens if Steve loses count? If something goes missing? If Steve has a breakdown and quits over this new role he never signed up for anyway?

Once this final delivery is delivered and Steve is back at work following some mental health leave your team decides they like the gear and want some more. Maybe some long sleeve shirt, or let’s add hoodies to the mix. How does the team gear selection grow? How do you add more items? Do we need another bulk order? Is Steve leaving for good this time (I saw him on Indeed uploading resumes)?