An invaluable resource, download Atkinson’s timely book free of charge
Veteran designer, decorator and principal of Atkinson Consulting Marshall Atkinson has released a new digital book, 2026 Thinking: How Businesses Will Win, Stall, or Fail in 2026, offering a comprehensive interview-based snapshot of today’s decorated apparel industry.
Based on no less than 88 separate in-depth conversations with decorated apparel business owners, consultants, suppliers, equipment manufacturers and apparel brands, the book—available as a free digital download—creates a clear picture of the pressures, patterns and structural shifts shaping the industry.
According to Atkinson, “2026 Thinking” focuses on perspective and context. It explores why many businesses are seeing revenue growth while still feeling behind, why quality and service are no longer enough to escape pricing pressure, and how structural constraints, relationship maturity, labor dynamics and information overload are reshaping how shops operate.
Key themes explored in the book include:
- Why growth feels harder even when demand exists
- How owner-centric operations quietly stall momentum
- The limits of quality, service, and speed as differentiators
- Relationship maturity and its impact on pricing power
- Why automation, AI, and hiring often fail to deliver change
- How advice overload is creating decision paralysis across the industry
Industry Professionals on the Decorated Apparel Industry
“This project wasn’t about forecasting the future,” Atkinson says. “It was about listening closely to what people across the industry are actually experiencing right now and connecting the patterns that emerged.”
The result is a resource anyone working in decorated apparel, including screen printers, embroiderers, promotional product distributors, suppliers and industry partners, will want to take advantage of. To download the book, go to: qrco.de/2026Thinking. For more on Atkinson and his role, both as a consultant and thought leader in general, go to atkinsontshirt.com.
