Lucas Guariglia

• President and director of sales at Rowboat Creative (asi/313715) in Chicago
• 13 years of industry experience
• Named to Counselor’s 2019 Hot List

What I Wish I Knew When I Started …
If I could go back to the beginning knowing what I know now, I’m not sure I would want to. The unexpectedness and wonder is what I thrive on as an entrepreneur. I remember the days of doing endless research just to discover what discharge ink is and how it works. I had a drive to learn everything about the industry and how to navigate it. I think it’s extremely important to continually challenge ourselves and find our passions in life that keep us wide-eyed.

What Frustrates Me the Most …
The industry allowing prices and margins to be driven into the ground. I wish we could all stand together and uphold fair value for all that goes into the magic we make happen.  

I’ll Never Do That Again …
When Rowboat Creative was in its infancy, we purchased our first heat press off of eBay. We knew absolutely nothing about the machine or how to use it. We were having trouble applying foil, which we initially though was a heat issue. We kept turning the heat higher and higher (finding out later the readout was in Celsius). We turned it up so high that it took the weight of myself and my business partner to even get it to start to close. We ended up snapping the bolt and lever clean off, which then dropped the scalding hot top plate onto the garnet and rubber. It actually burned a silhouette of the imprint into the rubber and destroyed the machine, but it still makes for a good laugh.

Lucas and his fiancée Suzanne. 

If I Were King of the Industry …
All imprints would be black ink on light garments to keep production happy, and any businesses caught poaching clients would be subject to fines and banishment from the industry.

What I Wish I Could Say to a Client …
Embedding a .jpeg into an Adobe Illustrator file and saving it DOESN’T make it a vector file. Also, I know you think you’re going to be the next biggest clothing line, but I don’t believe your first order of five shirts is a prelude to buyers purchasing millions of units from you.

Best Advice I Received …
My grandfather once told me that if I stayed in business at least five years, I either figured out the business world and would be fine, or I got really good at convincing people that I knew what I was doing. I think it’s a mixture of both!

Worst Advice …
Take every order and client you can get. Bringing in sales is a great feeling, but it’s a delicate dance. To us, each relationship is treated as a partnership. We’re both looking to achieve success together and in our own way. However, if this balance is shifted too much to one side, someone is going to feel slighted.

Stereotype About Salespeople I Hate the Most …
We all play golf and hang out on boats all day.

I Attribute Most of My Success to …
Not being afraid to be different. Be prepared to fall and get up if you’re paving new roads and redefining. If you want to control the whole orchestra, you can’t be afraid to turn your back on the crowd. They will applaud in the end.

My Never-Fail Product Recommendation ...
Anything Bella + Canvas. It just really has a finger on the pulse of our industry. Amazing quality, aggressive price points and a team that’s as eager to push the boundaries of our industry just as much we strive to.

Lucas and some of the Rowboat Creative team attending a Deftones/Thrice concert.