Transforming the Vehicle Wrap Industry, Again

I’ve been putting off writing this article for a long time, and I want to be fully transparent about why. I’ve struggled with how to express what I believe without offending anyone. The truth is, I think our industry is at a crossroads. The vehicle wrap business is young, rapidly growing, and full of promise. Yet, it’s also become messy— filled with bad advice, outdated teachings, and leaders who hold their positions simply because they’ve been around the longest. Some of you know me, some of you don’t. I’m Tyler Dunn, Owner and CEO of 360 Wraps, a vehicle wrap company based in Dallas, Texas. We’ve been in this game since 2007, starting in a cramped 800-square-foot space. We had the standard cheap printer/laminator Wrap Shop Startup Kit and we had to take a deposit on our first job simply to cover the cost of the film to do it. No experience, no training—just a burning passion for vehicle wraps. Back then, “we” were a team of one, but we sounded bigger so that’s what we said. We were excited and ready to take on the industry.

The Search for Real Guidance

Some things have changed since then, but not enough.

When we started, we looked everywhere for advice on how to improve, and how to grow. What we found was nothing but closed doors. Shop owners guarded their so-called trade secrets. Many wouldn’t even let us tour their businesses. They wouldn’t hire us because we had no experience, and they wouldn’t train us because they couldn’t afford to—or worse, they feared we’d take that knowledge, leave, and take their clients. I’ve always hated that mentality, but we’ll dive deeper into that later. So, like most shops starting out, we taught ourselves. Luckily, this industry carried such high margins that we could afford to operate without prior experience or additional capital. Clients didn’t care if you worked out of the back of a warehouse or a storage facility; they just wanted the job done. We took the deposit from our first job, bought the film, got paid, and made our margin. We paid the rent, maybe took a little for ourselves, and kept pushing from one job to the Next.

Growing in an Industry With No Rules

It doesn’t take long in this business to start feeling like a mogul. One day you’re making great money, buying new cars, renting space for a real shop, maybe adding air conditioning if you’re lucky. It’s easy to feel like you’ve “made it.” But here’s the reality: we were playing a game that had never been developed. There were no rules or standards. Every shop was doing its own thing, and we didn’t realize that our perceived success was because we were all playing on “easy mode.”

Most of the general public didn’t even know what a vehicle wrap was back then, and many still don’t. This gave birth to inflated egos and so-called industry experts everywhere. Our vendors and film manufacturers jumped on board because, let’s face it, their job is to sell us more stuff.

They didn’t know what it was going to take to build a strong vehicle wrap company, they are pushing what is working at the moment. They don’t need to worry about the sustainability or scalability of our businesses when new wrap shops open every day. When we started, most wrap businesses were extensions of sign companies. The popular wisdom was, “You need a wrap division because clients are asking, but you can’t make money just doing wraps. You have to offer everything.” It wasn’t until later that standalone shops began popping up, and it quickly became the new industry standard.

A Moment to Acknowledge Our Industry Builders

Let me be clear: none of this is inherently bad. I’m not trying to dismiss the hard work of those who shaped this industry. Many of us have leaned on each other, and we’ve grown this business together. There are shop owners making millions with nothing but street smarts and grit. We’re an industry of people literally living the dream. I owe who I am and the success of 360 Wraps to so many of you, and I’m grateful.

However, we need to acknowledge that the wildfire growth of this industry also came with some pitfalls. Manufacturers and vendors started jumping on the “easy success” bandwagon, offering classes, certifications, and advice at every turn. Now, there’s more information out there than any of us could possibly digest. Everywhere you look, someone is selling a tool, class subscription, or certification.

The Problem With Today’s Training

The issue isn’t the abundance of information; it’s that our training hasn’t evolved. The mindset has remained the same. We’re still teaching shops how to run small businesses and how to install wraps “the right way,” whatever that means. If you don’t follow someone’s specific method, you’re labeled as “the cheap guy.”

As an industry, we need to wake up to where we are in our growth and work together to take the next step. I’ve attended trade shows for years, and while they’re getting bigger, the message hasn’t changed. Every manufacturer, wrap demo, guest speaker, and breakout session repeats the same mantras of ego and bad advice. How many times have you heard: “Make sure you get paid,” “Charge your client for every little thing,” “Only take the jobs you want,” or “We stay booked out for months”? It’s the same script, and it’s holding us back.

Time for Self-Reflection: What Kind of Business Are You Building?

Where do you want your business to go? What kind of owner and leader are you striving to be? Everyone is different, and that’s fine. If you’re content with where you are, if your clients love you and your local community respects you, that’s great. I support that 100%. Every shop is different, and there’s no one-size-fits-all answer.

But for those who are just starting, struggling, or feeling stuck, I want to offer you a different path. From day one, we’ve run 360 Wraps in a way that’s different from what you’ve been taught. And I’ve built one of the most successful vehicle wrap companies in the world because of it.

360 Wraps: Doing Things Differently

Today, 360 Wraps operates with 44 employees, running lean and efficiently. Our Dallas location is a 47,000-square-foot facility located on DFW Airport property for overnight shipping coast to coast. Our Houston branch started in 2018, and two years ago, we bought out our largest competitor, doubling our size overnight. Our third location in Corona, CA, is known for its quality and innovation, led by one of the raddest dudes on this planet. We refer to Team360 as the network powering our company. To design, print, and ship 300-500 vehicles every week, you need a dedicated, loyal team. At any given moment, we have 500 active projects and 200 vehicles in the installation queue in Dallas alone. If a new client walks in the door today with a deadline of 2 days, we can get them in as soon as tomorrow. We don’t book out, we scale up and schedule accordingly. This kind of operation is only possible through partnerships—with vendors, clients, and a nationwide network of contractors or more appropriately referred to as partner shops. We work with hundreds of vehicle wrap companies across the country. I genuinely believe that we can all grow together. There’s enough business out there for every shop to thrive. Let’s eliminate the inability to train, the mindset of upselling clients at every turn, and the hostility that comes from thinking we have some kind of trade secret that can’t be shared.

Opening Up the Playbook

Knowledge is power, and I’m here to share it. The doors at 360 Wraps are open to everyone, anytime. There isn’t a question you can ask that we won’t answer. Over the next few months, I’m going to share with you how to build the kind of business no one else will tell you about. I’m going to show you the difference between Team360 shops and others, so you have an option on how to grow your business.

I’m forever grateful for my mentors, team, friends, and family who’ve helped grow this monster of a company. Now, I want to challenge the industry norms and teach you how to focus on the client, not the money. At 360 Wraps, we don’t charge for design, we don’t tack on cleaning fees or prep fees, and we don’t bill for missed appointments, reprints, or removals. We don’t change invoices on our clients, and we don’t hold artwork hostage if they want to leave. We aim to create the ultimate buying experience.

Every job we touch comes with an in-house warranty with national coverage because I wanted our clients to have something free from loopholes and exclusions. We don’t charge installers for reprints, and we loan our warehouses to any installer or any shop in need at any time, free of charge. Our priority is the client and our team, and we are willing to risk anything to stand behind our product.

The Path Forward

This isn’t about offending anyone; it’s about challenging the status quo because we can do better. As providers, we have the choice to put the client and their needs first. Upselling and squeezing every dollar out of them isn’t a win for anyone. Your clients don’t owe you for years of experience—they’re paying for the value you deliver today. Holding their artwork hostage or being difficult to work with doesn’t make you stronger; it makes you weaker.

I’m saying this to push you, to make you better. It’s 2024, and the learning curve for our industry is shrinking every year. The manufacturers have made films easier to work with, colors more forgiving, and printers more vibrant and consistent than ever. The hard part isn’t the wraps anymore—it’s how we do business.

Let’s raise the bar together. Let’s make the buying process simple and enjoyable again. The next generation of vehicle wrap shops is coming, and I’m committed to teaching them how to do it right—how to treat people right.

Let’s share knowledge, support each other, and grow beyond the small business mindset. The potential is right in front of us.

By Tyler Dunn, 360 Wraps