20 years ago I started DGI Creative in my parents basement with nothing more than ambition and a $20,000 dollar loan co-signed by my grandmother.
At the age of 23, I moved back home and started over. I distinctly remember that Nissan had just released its Titan truck and I badly wanted one. I thought it was the coolest thing ever! It was $20,000 dollars and so was a new large format digital printer. And I had to pick one or the other. Knowing that a vehicle would quickly depreciate in value and someday wear off, I chose the printer. And my friends thought I was crazy!!! $20,000 dollars for a BIG printer... BUT, I was determined.
I knew that the truck would cost me money and the printer could make me money. So I took the risk. I had no idea what I was doing. I mean, no idea... BUT I was young, motivated, and had zero responsibilities. So I grinded, I mean 12-14 hours a day and 6-7 days a week grind. This was the cost of my education. And I loved it! It was never an inconvenience. I became fascinated with the ability to create something from nothing. I spent the first 2-years just learning how to use design software. And thankfully enough people trusted me along the way to pay me to learn while doing their projects. That, or they had no idea that I didn't know what I was doing. Probably the latter...
A few years later I got married. And guess what, I moved the business from my parents basement to her parents basement. Which we did for a couple years also. Thankfully, everyone believed in us enough to go out of their way and allow us to cram their basements with printers, ink, and tables.
The time had come that we were outgrowing the basement space, but we also needed a house. We decided on our first commercial lease with Bob Sheets. 1,200 Sq Ft. Bob was a great man who I am also thankful for, for giving us a chance well before we had our feet planted on the ground. The shop did challenge us, but it also allowed us to grow, and 1-year later we were able to buy our first house!
Eventually, the shop space became small, so we added more space, and then we added more employees. One by one. And then we added more space again, and more employees again. And then 10-years later you begin to get some attention and all of a sudden you're an "overnight success". I specifically remember complaining to Bob one time about all the responsibilities that came with running the shop. He didn't console my complaints, he gracefully said "welcome to the big leagues". I'll never forget that. So I put my big boy pants on and went back to work.
The family began to grow and the kids spent lots of time at the shop. Late nights, missed dinners, no vacations. But we had fun. We grew and learned as a family. We met lots of interesting people along the way. Some came, some went, some stayed, many we still know today!
We continued to add lots of new equipment over the years, printers, routers, welders, presses, embroidery, lasers, computers, software, you name it. Whatever it takes to turn a dream into reality. I never seemed to be able to keep my hands off learning the next cool thing.
We can be on a road trip hours away from home and pass by a vehicle that we designed and completed. It's very satisfying.
I've mostly tried to stay away from names in this overview because there are too many to count. So many along the way that have believed, supported, or hopped on for the ride all together. All have brought something to the table. We couldn't have done it without them. There's only so many hours in a day, so you have to get people to buy into the same vision you have. Creating products that will change other people's lives on a daily basis. That sounds silly, but it's true. When you create something that didn't exist before you woke up that morning, you have put all your heart and soul into it, and then pass it on to somebody for them to use personally or professionally, it matters!
So now what? Things are far from over, in fact I would say they have just begun! There's work to be done. So many amazing things have happened along the way and we've just scratched the surface. Time to pull it all together and synergize the past efforts into an even better future!
Thank you for participating in this journey with us. Whether that's closely or from afar. 20 trips around the sun, plenty more still to come!
Weston Caple