Meet the Owner of Big Frog Custom T-Shirts
Meet Kyle Perkins, one of the owners of Big Frog Custom T-Shirts in North Raleigh!
Big Frog of Raleigh is your premier destination for custom garments, offering a variety of decorating techniques and business solutions to let your style jump to life.
Joining the Franchise
Kyle’s path to becoming a successful business owner showcases the power of diverse experiences and passions. Though not initially a T-shirt printing expert, Kyle leveraged his varied background to excel in the custom apparel industry.
A North Carolina local, Kyle moved to the Triangle area in 1993. After attending Western Carolina University, he explored various careers—from retail and authoring fantasy books to teaching English in Japan. From 2005 to 2013, Kyle built websites for clients, which provided him with valuable experience in technology and business ownership.
In 2018, Kyle transitioned from web development to establishing Big Frog’s North Raleigh location. He joined the franchise after meeting the franchise founders, appreciating the opportunity to run a business with limited restrictions and significant growth potential.
Kyle sought to enhance his business acumen by attending the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth for MBA courses. Influential figures like David Ridell, another franchise owner, also guided his journey.
Satisfying the Customer
Upon opening Big Frog, Kyle learned the importance of working on the business rather than in it.
Trusting his team to manage daily operations allowed him to focus on growth and expanding services. Kyle is grateful for his team, whose efforts were pivotal, especially during the pandemic. Their hard work led to an 85% sales increase in 2021, earning them the Rally Frog Award, which was awarded to the franchise location that saw the largest increase in sales year-over-year.
Kyle mastered the details and nuances of garment decoration, specializing in a process called “Direct-to-Garment”, which can print up to 16 million colors in a single print – without having to separate colors or create screens. This level of customization meets diverse customer needs, from banners to medical scrubs.
Seeing customers’ satisfaction with their orders brings him great fulfillment. His tech-savvy nature led to the creation of cloud-based systems to help the daily operations of the store, including a feature that texts customers if they miss a call from the store. His passion for reading and writing fuels his continuous learning about business operations.
Kyle advises business owners to focus on growth by delegating tasks and working on the business, not in it. This approach has been key to Big Frog’s success. He appreciates Raleigh’s welcoming nature and the importance of shopping locally. Kyle encourages everyone to support local businesses, like Big Frog Custom T-Shirts, for their custom printing needs.