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Innovating with Social Imprints

Web dashboard for Social Imprints’ custom operations platform, designed and built by Born West to streamline workflow management, scheduling, and collaboration — an integrated UX and engineering solution.
Trusted partner since 2019

Since 2019, we have been the technology partner behind Social Imprints, a social enterprise print shop that employs and trains at risk individuals while producing merchandise for some of the world’s leading companies. Our work has transformed how their business operates, from client facing Shopify stores to the internal systems that run production, vendors, and accounting.

Over the years, the relationship has grown into a true partnership. We are not just a service provider but an embedded team, building and maintaining the digital infrastructure that allows Social Imprints to scale. What began as a replatforming project has evolved into a full operating system that supports every part of their business.

Featured projects

Social Imprints OS

A complete replatforming of Social Imprints’ operations. Built on Shopify, the system combines B2B quoting, bulk order customization, vendor management, and eCommerce. It automates everything from design mockups to purchase orders, with deep NetSuite integration for accounting. Launched in 2024, it now serves as the backbone for sales, production, and fulfillment.

40+ Shopify stores

We manage a network of employee and customer stores for clients including Stripe, Asana, and Dropbox. These stores run on custom integrations tailored to B2B models such as approval flows, bulk ordering, promo code handling, and business card customization.

Modal titled "Reject Work Order" with checkboxes to select reasons for rejection, a comment field, file upload option, and date/time inputs. A blue “Reject Work Order” button is shown at the bottom
Modal titled "New Work Order" with fields for title, account, contact, due date/time, and work order type selection. Buttons for “Continue Editing” and “Save as Draft” appear at the bottom.
Internal work order form with fields for title and due date/time. Users can select work order types such as Creative, Webstore, or Warehouse. Includes “Continue Editing” and “Save as Draft” buttons.
Event log modal showing upcoming and past events tied to a work order. Each entry includes the event title, date/time, and guest avatars. A “Done” button is at the bottom with a note about scheduling new events.
Feedback form for an assignee with rating options and comment fields for accuracy, quality of work, and deadlines. Ratings are private and used for internal metrics. “Submit Feedback” button is at the bottom.
Condensed view of a work order showing title, tags, assignee, creator, account, contact, status, due/acceptance dates, estimated and spent time. A “View Complete Details” button is at the bottom.
Form to refuse a work order with selectable reasons, comment box, and file attachment option. A blue “Refuse Work Order” button appears at the bottom.
Interface for managing followers of a work order. Users can add new followers or remove existing ones. A “Done” button confirms changes.
Event creation form with inputs for title, start and end time, guest invitations by email, and guest list display. Includes “Find Time” and “Add New Event” buttons at the bottom.
Modal titled "Reject Work Order" with checkboxes to select reasons for rejection, a comment field, file upload option, and date/time inputs. A blue “Reject Work Order” button is shown at the bottom
Modal titled "New Work Order" with fields for title, account, contact, due date/time, and work order type selection. Buttons for “Continue Editing” and “Save as Draft” appear at the bottom.
Internal work order form with fields for title and due date/time. Users can select work order types such as Creative, Webstore, or Warehouse. Includes “Continue Editing” and “Save as Draft” buttons.
Event log modal showing upcoming and past events tied to a work order. Each entry includes the event title, date/time, and guest avatars. A “Done” button is at the bottom with a note about scheduling new events.
Feedback form for an assignee with rating options and comment fields for accuracy, quality of work, and deadlines. Ratings are private and used for internal metrics. “Submit Feedback” button is at the bottom.
Condensed view of a work order showing title, tags, assignee, creator, account, contact, status, due/acceptance dates, estimated and spent time. A “View Complete Details” button is at the bottom.
Form to refuse a work order with selectable reasons, comment box, and file attachment option. A blue “Refuse Work Order” button appears at the bottom.
Interface for managing followers of a work order. Users can add new followers or remove existing ones. A “Done” button confirms changes.
Event creation form with inputs for title, start and end time, guest invitations by email, and guest list display. Includes “Find Time” and “Add New Event” buttons at the bottom.
E-commerce filter page for t-shirts, showing color filter options and product thumbnails. Filters on the left include gender, nature, brands, and colors, with products sorted by price.
Product detail page for a Port & Company 100% cotton tee. Includes product image, description, selected color, and options to create a virtual sample or request a quote.
Custom applications

To extend Shopify beyond its standard limits, we built specialized apps for Social Imprints. These include promo code management, digital product handling, order approval workflows, bulk order flows, eWallets, store access control, and tagging systems. Each app is connected to production workflows, allowing clients to run complex merch programs with ease.

Admin interface for managing promo codes. Features a searchable table of promo codes with product names, bulk action checkboxes to increase usage limits, file upload for importing codes, and shipping rule toggles on the right-hand side.
Bulk order dashboard showing customer emails, subscription status, upload status, product links, file downloads, and error messages. Action buttons allow CSV export and submitting new bulk orders.
Dashboard for viewing customer orders with columns for order info, customer details, product name, shipping address, status, and actions. Includes filters and export options at the top.
ThinCloud to Social Imprints OS migration

Social Imprints originally relied on a legacy CRM called ThinCloud. We led the multi year migration off this fragile system, replacing it with a configurable platform that supports order approvals, vendor routing, tax automation, kitting, and real time production tracking. The result is a scalable system designed for growth.

The nature of our partnership

Our work with Social Imprints is a long term partnership and deep team integration.
The result is an enterprise grade digital stack tailored for a social enterprise. It allows Social Imprints to deliver for some of the world’s top tech companies while staying true to their mission of creating meaningful jobs.

Impact at a glance
40+ Shopify stores

Employee and client storefronts for brands like Stripe, Asana, and Dropbox, all powered by custom features for bulk ordering, approvals, and branded merch.

5 Netsuite integrations

Accounting and financial integrations that connect sales, vendors, and fulfillment into a single streamlined system.

15+ custom apps

From promo code management to eWallets and bulk order flows, purpose built tools extend Shopify beyond its limits.

FAQ

How long have you partnered with Social Imprints?
We have been their technology partner since 2019, working across eCommerce, internal systems, and integrations. Our role has grown from building stores to shaping the digital backbone of the entire business.
What makes this partnership unique?
Social Imprints is both a large scale merch provider and a social enterprise. The work spans everything from client facing Shopify stores to deep integrations with accounting and production systems. This combination makes the collaboration both technically complex and mission driven.
How many platforms and stores have you built together?
We manage over 40 Shopify stores for Social Imprints’ clients, including major technology companies. In parallel, we built Social Imprints OS, a custom operating system that runs quoting, vendor management, production, and accounting.
What kinds of custom features were required?
The complexity of bulk orders, vendor routing, tax rules, and client approvals meant off the shelf solutions would not work. We built apps for promo codes, order approvals, bulk order flows, business card customization, eWallets, and more.
How has the partnership evolved over time?
It began with a replatforming project but has since grown into a long term collaboration where we maintain, extend, and scale every digital part of their operation. Today, we act as an embedded product and engineering team.
What impact has this had for Social Imprints?
The systems we built allow them to handle large scale orders for clients like Stripe and Dropbox while reducing manual work and improving accuracy. The technology scales with their business, giving them capacity to grow without adding overhead.
Could these solutions serve companies beyond Social Imprints?
Absolutely. While the tools were designed for Social Imprints, many of the challenges they address are universal in the merch and promotional products industry. Bulk ordering, vendor management, and complex tax rules are problems faced by many distributors.
Why does Social Imprints rely on custom technology instead of off-the-shelf software?
The merch industry looks simple from the outside but involves complex workflows: bulk orders, multi-vendor routing, tax variations, and kitting. Off-the-shelf software could not handle the scale or complexity. A custom-built system gave Social Imprints the flexibility to run everything from a single platform.
How do clients like Stripe and Dropbox benefit from this system?
Their employees and customers get streamlined storefronts with features like bulk ordering, approvals, and easy customization. For large companies, that means faster ordering, fewer errors, and a consistent branded experience across global teams.
What was the hardest technical challenge in building the platform?
Taxation and vendor routing. Each order could involve multiple products, printers, and shipping methods, all with different tax rules. It took months of engineering and a custom rule engine to automate these workflows at scale.
How does this platform support Social Imprints’ social mission?
By automating repetitive processes, the system reduces manual overhead. That allows Social Imprints to focus resources on training and employing at-risk individuals while still delivering enterprise-level service to major clients.
What did the partnership teach Born West about long-term product building?
That scoping and iteration are everything. What started as a one-year project evolved into a multi-year collaboration because of hidden complexity. The experience reinforced how important it is to push for phased launches, while also showing how deep, sustained collaboration can build software that truly runs a business.
Interested in working together? Schedule a call.

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