Episode #215: Jay Sapovits — Turning branded merch into a strategic growth tool
How to stop wasting money on swag that gets ignored.
For founders and operators buying merch without a plan for impact.
Jay Sapovits of Ink’d Stores explains how branded merchandise becomes useful when it starts with audience, objective, and distribution instead of a last-minute product order. He shares lessons from a failed fitness brand, a pivot into on-demand apparel, and the operating choices that helped build a $5M+ branded merchandise business. The conversation covers trade show strategy, on-demand merch economics, and why a $3 difference in shirt quality can determine whether something gets worn or turned into a rag. Jay also breaks down why distribution is the step most teams forget, even when the product itself is right.
WHAT YOU’LL HEAR
– How to define strategic merch based on purpose, audience, and event
– How on-demand merch stores reduce inventory risk and preserve cash flow
– Why most swag fails: low-quality product choices, no planning, and weak distribution
– How to use merch to drive trade show engagement and other measurable outcomes
