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we have doubled in size year over
year because we run our business
by following the Golden Rule,”
Freeman says. “No matter the size
of the client, we treat everyone
exactly the same by delivering the
highest quality products at the
lowest possible pricing.”
The company’s approach to
customer service is innovative
and proactive. “Every one of our
sales reps out in the field has two
personal administrative support
employees, called client develop-
ment managers, because we
never want our clients waiting on
a quote, art proof or tracking
number,” Freeman explains. “We
have a two-hour guarantee across
the board. If you send in a
request for a quote or an art
proof, you will receive it back
within two hours. This is
unheard of in the industry and
what truly sets us apart from our
competition.”
Full-Service Solutions
Freeman has made one-stop
marketing and branding solu-
tions his company’s mission. “We
offer in-house design and pro-
duction as well as warehousing
and fulfillment. These solutions
are tied directly into our propri-
etary online company webstores
we run for our clients. Many of
the country’s largest and most
recognized brands trust Wizard
Creations to manage their mar-
keting programs because they
know that the process will be
handled for them without the
worry of poor quality or missed
deadlines.” The company’s clients
include ADT, Carnival Cruise
Lines, Zaxby’s, State Farm, Tire
Kingdom and Wonder Bread,
and professional sports organiza-
tions including the Miami
Dolphins, Miami Heat, Florida
Panthers, Miami Marlins and
the NBA.
The biggest part of the com-
pany’s business is its professional
and collegiate license division,
called For The Fans™, which
focuses on creating custom sports
merchandise for professional, col-
legiate and high school team fans.
Overseas sourcing has become
the fastest growing part of Free-
man’s business. “The promotional
products industry has become very
commoditized,” Freeman says. “In
an effort to compete against this,
we want to source products that
are completely unique in nature
for our clients’ brands and corpo-
rate initiatives.”
Overcoming Obstacles
In 2014, a private equity firm
bought the company’s single
largest client and dismantled it,
shocking Freeman and the rest
of his team. “The hardest lesson
to learn as an entrepreneur is
that not everything is under your
control,” he says.
“This was a multimillion-
dollar, multi-year agreement
encompassing over 80 locations
nationally. We provided this
client with every aspect of their
marketing collateral from uni-
forms to promotional products
and printing. To lose this
account through no fault of our
own was incredibly devastating.”
But, Freeman adds, there was
a silver lining. “We took this hard-
ship and turned it into a positive
outcome. We focused on restruc-
turing our sales department,
changing from individual goals to
team-based goals, so that the
more the company sold, the better
everyone did. It created a team
environment around winning.”
While some companies
might implement a hiring freeze
or even lay off people after such a
setback, Freeman did the oppo-
site. “The extra bodies were
tough to absorb at first, but ulti-
mately it helped us perfect our
sales process and allowed our
other core sales professionals and
me to spend more time in the
field with our existing business.
This led to growth in our existing
client base to new product lines,
and it also led to referrals,”
Freeman says. In 2015, not only
did the company make up for all
the business it lost, but also
increased its business by 30 per-
cent. In 2016, business is up more
than 40 percent in the first quar-
ter. “It feels so rewarding to over-
come obstacles, especially when
you have an incredible team
backing you up,” he adds.
Julie Richie is associate editor
for
PPB.
JULY 2016 •
PPB
• 13
WIZARD CREATIONS
Wizard Creations’ Founder and President
Luke Freeman
(center) and wife Mara (center right) with the rest
of the Wizard Creations team at the company’s headquarters in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.