Succeeding as a small business is far from easy, but over the past five years, Skreened has proven the strength of a business model that reflects the zeitgeist of self-expression. Under the direction of Daniel Fox and Michael Limes, the company’s website allows artists and designers to create and sell custom apparel and accessories. Formerly operating out of a small shop in Clintonville, Skreened recently relocated to an 8,000-square-foot warehouse on Silver Drive.

The impetus for the move was the predominance of online sales, which made space a greater concern than location. “Less than three percent of our business comes from Central Ohio,” said Fox. “The High Street location brought in more local business, but we still primarily dealt with online orders, so we didn’t really need to be there.”

Like many small companies, Skreened began as a home operation. “Originally, I was just going to design t-shirts and sell them on the website,” said Fox, a former graphic designer at Nationwide. He teamed up with Limes, a web developer who agreed to program the site for equity. “Then I thought, ‘I can’t design t-shirts all the time. I’m an okay designer, but I’m certainly not good enough to crank out 10 a week.’ So we agreed to make software so other people could make their own.”

Using the tools on the website, artists from around the world are able upload and customize designs to be printed. They then have the option to sell their work for commission. It’s truly a win-win venture; the artists promote Skreened, while the company in turn provides the artists a venue to showcase their work. “That’s what’s kept us growing, and that’s how we could start and not flounder at the beginning,” said Fox. “We have a solid group of people that are selling and sending traffic to us.”

While larger companies continue to pour billions into advertising, Fox and Limes have tapped into the advantages of free social media. Forums like Facebook and Twitter have helped the business evolve simply by word of mouth. “You have to be smart about the Internet, and about the data that you’re putting out,” said Fox. “Having a strong Internet presence really lets you collect a large amount of data about the behaviors of your customers, so you can give them what they want to see.”

Unlike competitors such as CafePress, Skreened prints exclusively on American Apparel’s U.S.-manufactured, sweatshop-free clothing. This has proven valuable in attracting ethically-conscious designers, as well as guaranteeing quality products.

Although the majority of their business is non-local, Fox makes it a priority to promote local businesses on the site. “I wanted to raise the profile of some local craftspeople, so we got connected with Igloo Letterpress, Stinkybomb Soaps and Little Alouette,” he explained. “We offer their products as gifts on the website.”

With the benefits of the new space, Fox plans to launch new projects based on customer response. “Soon, we’re going to be doing full-shirt prints, which requires additional machinery,” he said.

In addition to paying close attention to his consumers, Fox maintains that a strong growth-oriented mindset has been crucial to the business’s success. “I just expect to grow. I expect to double business every year, if not triple it,” he said. “So we plan for it, and we push it, and we do everything we can to make sure we reach that goal.”

Skreened accepts web orders at www.skreened.com and walk-in orders at 2887 Silver Drive (near Weber Road and I-71).