Tag: USCutter

The USCutter Story, As Seen through the Eyes of Employee #1

Posted on by USCutter

Introduction: Cutter Power to the People

The year is 2006. The world is in upheaval. Tech giant Google buys a little democratic video sharing platform called Youtube. Pluto is kicked out of the planetary brotherhood. Borat debuts to a shocked and chastened viewing public. And in Redmond, Washington, in a non-descript building nestled among a mushroom colony of Microsoft buildings, a little start-up called Selltopia is selling people’s possessions through an eBay consignment store (think Catherine Keener’s character in The 40 Year Old Virgin).

Selltopia (the precursor to USCutter) sold many items on eBay. Not these fabulous boots, but items such as antique jewelry up to large size boat engines!

Little did they know that a product in their testing queue called the MH vinyl cutter would change the face of the world as we know it…

Chapter 1: Employee #1 Jaster Nyasulu Hops Aboard and Reports for Duty

USCutter: When did you start with the company, Jaster?

Jaster: March 6th, 2006.

USCutter: Wow. You know your start date to the day. That’s a lot of water under the bridge. All right. It’s 2006. Set the scene for us.

Jaster: My background was in web development. Building systems to sell in the supplementary insurance market.

USCutter: Interesting. Tell us about the early days on eBay with Selltopia.

Jaster: We were a 2 man operation, Marcus (the original owner of Selltopia), and myself. We would list products for customers on eBay. We’d photograph and describe them and sell them via a Chinese auction for a commission. We sold all kinds of items from antique jewelry to large size boat engines.

USCutter: Really, so what’s the story behind the MH? The vinyl cutter which made sign-production and apparel-decoration accessible to the masses?

Jaster: We were studying how different categories of products performed in the marketplace. And we knew pretty quickly we had a winner in the MH. Affordable relative to the competition, reliable, and easy to operate.

USCutter: So how did Selltopia become a sign and graphics supply wholesaler?

Jaster: MH was such a huge success on eBay that we had to quickly expand the business. USCutter.com was born. We moved to a larger warehouse in Woodinville, and we started carrying sign vinyl. In 2008, we brought on current president Karl Bowman to oversee the daily administrative operations of the company. He came from a background in the sign-making industry and had his own sign shop making cut vinyl graphics and digitally printed signs and banners.

USCutter: So from the ashes of Selltopia, USCutter.com (me) was born?

Jaster: Yes, the company was rebranded as USCutter to cater to the sign-making community. We brought on Orafol and launched GreenStar adhesive vinyl brands to sell through our new ecommerce portal. In 2008, in our industry, this was a fairly revolutionary way to do business and reach customers not served by local wholesalers.

USCutter: So, in 10+ years of developing a platform for servicing businesses, as well as beginners and hobbyists in this industry, what are the main lessons you’ve learned?

Jaster: USCutter has grown to a position of leadership in servicing this segment of business. From bringing on the MH, to Oracal products, to leading the charge into apparel customization with Siser heat transfer vinyl, and other brands, we always have to be pushing the envelope to remain innovative and relevant to our customers. WE CAN’T BE SLEEPING!

USCutter: Thank you Jaster. One last question, you’re also known in the community for your charitable endeavors. Can you tell us a little about Mzuzu Academy?

Jaster: Yes. As many people know around the office, I am from Malawi. And my heritage has always been very close to me, even living here in the Seattle area all these decades. Mzuzu Academy is a boarding school in my home country of Malawi that draws teachers from all over the world to come and teach grades K-12. It began in 2003 as a joint collaboration between myself and fellow Malawaian expats who perceived a need for the local children in the community to receive a quality education and exposure to the global community at large.

Jaster, proudly posing before the international academy he helped to make into a reality.

USCutter: That’s amazing. And it’s really snowballed since 2003, hasn’t it?

Jaster: Yes. We’ve been very fortunate to have the support of some very generous donors, and even famous people, like Tom Brokaw’s wife! The school has been in operation for 9 years, and now serves a student body of over 300, including students from other countries than Malawi! It is truly an international success story, and a symbol of what can be achieved when people work together. The academy is also home to an elementary school section and orphanage.

Students from Malawi and beyond call these halls home. Education is a cause near and dear to Jaster’s heart as a former mathematics and computer science teacher.

USCutter: Thanks so much for your time, Jaster, and all you do.

Meet Taylor aka “Kid Cutter”: A Vinyl Graphics and Car Wrap Wunderkind

Posted on by USCutter

Taylor stays pretty busy in the USCutter shop these days, refurbing and QA’ing equipment, getting to know our machines on a personal level.

So I approach cautiously, and get right to the point. I don’t want to take up too much of his valuable time.

USCutter: How’d you get hooked up with USCutter, Taylor?

Taylor: Basically, I was coming into the Redmond will-call area (now a full-fledged retail store) 3 – 4 times a week. After a while, the (then) contact center manager told me, I might as well work here. Made sense to me. I guess the rest is history.

USCutter: What were you doing with all that material?

Taylor: I was just using my Cameo to make graphics for friends, and friends of friends. It took off. I couldn’t even keep up with all the requests I was getting for decals, window banners, and custom shirts.

USCutter: Where did you find this huge audience for your products?

Taylor: Honestly, most of my business came through word of mouth, Snapchat, and Instagram.

USCutter: Wow. Really? Snapchat?

Taylor: Ha, yeah. People were hitting me up for logos they wanted on their cars. I’d do the artwork. I had a design of the week.

USCutter: That’s awesome. What keeps you busy these days?

Taylor: Ha. All these. Seriously though, I’m proud to work at USCutter. They’ve been very supportive of me getting to know all these products better. And I’m happy to help spreading awareness of the USCutter brand out there in the community.

Here’s Taylor’s home maker space! USCutter wants to see yours! Get entered into a random drawing for a free giveaway on the USCutter Facebook!

USCutter: Thanks for your time Taylor. Any final thoughts?

Taylor: I spend almost every waking hour either thinking about or playing with vehicle wrap, adhesive vinyl, heat transfer vinyl and sublimation. While most people my age are simply chasing a dollar or wasting time, I am living my dreams. Thank you US Cutter!

Meet Pete: USCutter Sales Manager Peter Robinson

Posted on by USCutter

Get to know your USCutter.com staff! These people are here every day, 9-5 (actual hours may slightly vary), to make sure you are getting the service and support that you deserve.

We took a moment to ask our sales manager, Peter Robinson, a few questions. Peter brings a very interesting perspective to USCutter, in that he used to be one of our customers himself!

Peter and the USCutter sales staff are here to serve you!

USCutter: Peter, you were a USCutter customer way before you were ever an employee. Tell us about that customer experience.

Peter: I was a customer of USCutter for many years before coming to work here. I owned and operated my own local sign shop, and it was great having a sales team that I could reach by email very quickly. Having a storefront, I didn’t have time to be on the phone or waiting on hold so it was great to have the ability to communicate with my source for media electronically, and affordable ground shipping that would arrive within just a few days even if shipped from the Memphis warehouse.

USCutter: What made you decide to work at USCutter? How has your industry background been an asset to our business?

Peter: USCutter was looking for salespeople, and with the great experience I’d had in my dealings with them over the years, the decision to jump at the opportunity to work for such a great company was easy. My many years in the digital print segment of the industry was and has been a huge help to the company. I’m able to contribute to business decisions and product direction that keep the USCutter catalog at the leading edge of the industry, as well as aiding in training and knowledge for the rest of the sales and customer service teams. My hope is that my experience translates into a better customer experience, having been one myself.

USCutter: What direction do you see us going in as a company? What can we do to improve value and service for our customers?

Peter: USCutter is still a young company, and still finding its way. This is very exciting to me because USCutter has always found that “next best thing” and I want to be part of a team that can bring those products to market, and watch our customers succeed because of what we can offer them. I was attending an ISS show in Long Beach a couple of years ago and sat in on a seminar I can’t even remember the name of. The speaker was talking about value of your brand to the customer, and its relationship to price. One of the most profound things I think that we lose sight of sometimes is always trying to compete on price. We don’t have to be the lowest price on the web for the supplies we offer. We need to be the best value to our customers. Superior service and support will naturally weed out the customers that wouldn’t be with us long term and are only price driven.

USCutter: Mucho thanko for your time, Peter.

Peter: It’s been my very great pleasure.