Shorewood custom T-shirt company Big Frog celebrates 10 years

A Minooka woman said she took a “leap of faith” in opening a franchise of Big Frog Custom T-Shirts and More in Shorewood.

Gail Girard now is celebrating her 10th anniversary as a Big Frog franchise owner in the same location, and she couldn’t be happier with her decision.

“Along the way, I have met some absolutely wonderful people, both business owners and people in the community,” Girard said.

She said she loves fulfilling someone’s need for a T-shirt, whether it’s for a business, church group, upcoming event or a tribute to a loved one.

“[It’s wonderful] to see the face of someone light up as you pull out their garment and [they] say, ‘That’s perfect’ – and to feel like you had an impact on what’s under people’s Christmas tree this year,” Girard said.

Why a franchise

Ten years ago, Girard was just looking for a job, not to own a business.

She said her position as a service excellence manager at the corporate level for a health care system had been eliminated.

As she sought similar positions, Girard made up her mind about one thing.

“I really didn’t want to commute an hour or more every day just to get to the job,” Girard said.

At the same time, the outpatient agency that was helping Girard find a new job asked whether she were interested in exploring vetted franchise options.

Girard said she was, since she liked the idea of “being in control of my destiny.”

So she talked with Big Frog representatives and said she learned that the company was very customer service-focused.

Girard said she appreciated that since customer satisfaction was a primary component of her previous position.

Girard also loves the products.

“Who wouldn’t want to have a career making T-shirts and creating things?” she said.

Becoming a successful business

Girard said she went from signing the paperwork to opening her doors in 60 days, a decision she might not make today.

She thought opening at Christmas was a good opportunity but never considered that no one knew about her business.

“Perhaps if I had worked the industry a little bit more, that would have been help in those early days,” Girard said, later adding, “We never know what we don’t know until we realize what we don’t know.”

Girard also quickly learned that owning a business was much different than managing staff.

“I quickly realized I had no [human resources] department I could rely upon to do all the paperwork for my new employees,” she said. “There was no maintenance department to take out the trash. So I learned on the fly and relied on the expertise of others.”

Girard said she also relied on support from her father and her husband, Joe Girard, during those initial years of getting established.

She said the saying “if you build it, they will come” isn’t necessarily true.

“It took four or five years before we actually turned a profit,” Girard said. “Those were long, hard years.”

She became involved with the Joliet Junior College Entrepreneur & Business Center and what is now known as the Plainfield Shorewood Area Chamber of Commerce.

Girard said she talked to local business owners and others who had “good business sense.”

She also received training from Big Frog, participated in community events, and focused on “being visible out there” and “just keeping at it,” she said.

Girard has since mentored other business owners and given design students their first job, where they learn to fulfill an order very quickly and create designs that “wow” customers, she said.

Girard currently has three employees and “a couple of production people.”

She’s amazed at the technology available for customization – and she still cringes at the order that had an extra “l” in “Illinois.”

Still, she said, it’s satisfying to see people in the community wearing custom T-shirts from her store.

[It’s wonderful] to see the face of someone light up as you pull out their garment and [they] say, ‘That’s perfect’ – and to feel like you had an impact on what’s under people’s Christmas tree this year.”

—  Gail Girard, owner of Big Frog Custom T-Shirts and More in Shorewood.

For anyone considering starting a business, Girard suggested they take time to see if the community has a need for it.

“Just because you have a great thought that your family and friends love doesn’t mean anyone outside that circle is going to pay money for it,” Girard said.

IF YOU GO

WHAT: Big Frog

WHEN: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday

WHERE: 1141 Brook Forest Ave., Shorewood

INFORMATION: Call 815-782-6357 or visit bigfrog.com/shorewood.