5 Things You Don't Know About Minuteman Press

Minuteman Press Printing

Minuteman Press is an international printing and marketing business that offers franchising opportunities across the globe. It aims to provide the services required by both businesses and individual consumers by producing “anything you can put a name, image or logo on”. This strategy has led the franchise to offer more than 50,000 different products, from pens and memory sticks to water bottles, mugs and clothing.

Minuteman Press is most famous for its business materials, however. The business provides a range of copying services, including binding, collating, finishing and folding, and it sells personalised products such as business cards, appointment cards, bookmarks, stationery, leaflets, menus, price lists, posters, magazines and even books. On top of this, Minuteman Press offers graphic design and web design services to enhance its clients’ brand identities.

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Minuteman Press Locations

Minuteman Press is a global franchise and operates just under 1,000 branches worldwide. It is currently franchising in the UK, the US, Canada, South Africa and Australia.

Five Things You Don’t Know About Minuteman Press

1. It is a family affair. Minuteman Press was founded in 1973 in Plainview, New York, by Roy Titus and his son, Bob. Today, Bob Titus is the President and CEO of the company, and continues his father’s legacy by furthering the reach of the business. Minuteman Press franchisees benefit from the business’ 45 years of industry experience, and many have passed their franchise outlets onto their own children. In fact, more than 100 outlets are owned by second generation franchisees, reflecting the family values instilled by the franchisors.

2. It is the top printing franchise. The success of Minuteman Press is clear to see. Its consistent dominance in the printing sector is demonstrated by the fact that it has been rated number one in the Printing & Marketing Services Franchises by Entrepreneur for the last 16 years (and 28 rankings)!

3. It does things a little bit differently. When it comes to franchising, Minuteman Press switches things around. Rather than approving a franchisee and subsequently instructing them to find a suitable location to launch the branch, Minuteman Press asks entrepreneurs to approach the franchising team with a location suggestion. The team will carry out research into the site and evaluate its suitability. If the site is approved, the entrepreneur can apply to become a franchisee. In terms of financing, franchisees should be prepared to make an investment of between £59,000 and £125,000. The investment is more likely to fall in the upper end of the spectrum when franchisees are leasing the necessary printing equipment from the company. However, the company states that financing options are available, which could reduce the initial investment to around £23,5000 – £40,000.

4. It has one of the most extensive support teams of any franchise. This support team consists of 28 regional offices, from which franchising experts provide on-site guidance to a territory of franchisees. This means that franchisees do not need experience in the printing and marketing sectors; Minuteman Press only specifies that franchisees should be “active within their local community and pride themselves on excellent quality and service”. The support available to franchisees ranges from guidance in management to marketing. Minuteman Press helps with sourcing signage, furniture, fixtures, printing equipment and business management and pricing software for the store. The business also enrols new recruits onto a two-week training course (and pays for the travel and accommodation). Further down the line, franchisees receive on-site training from their local franchising team, as well as support with business set-up, staff recruitment and marketing the franchise branch.

5. It operates a royalty cap. Minuteman Press cares about its franchisees and works to ensure they never feel short-changed. As a result, it has developed a unique royalty incentive programme to help franchisees maximise their income. This means that the royalties they are obliged to pay are capped at a specified income level, so any profits made that fall above the cap level can be kept by the franchisee as the business becomes increasingly profitable.

So there you have it – five tempting reasons to join Minuteman Press. However, these aren’t the only advantages of starting up a printing and marketing business. Let’s take a look at some additional benefits that come hand-in-hand with businesses in the printing sector.

Advantages of Printing Businesses

• Print firms encourage repeat business. Many of the products you will sell are classed as ‘consumables’. Business cards, appointment cards, stationery, leaflets and branded apparel all fall into this category, as they are continually given away or sold by a company, which will then require more of the same items to give away or sell to new customers. This means that clients should regularly re-order the same items to replenish their stocks. In time, you should have a pool of loyal customers you can rely upon to use your services for the foreseeable future.
• Print businesses benefit from multiple revenue streams. Once you’ve started offering printed signage and posters, there is scope to expand your business to offer similar products, such as branded stationery and clothing. Over time, you can develop your knowledge and improve your financial standing so that you can introduce new services and consequently boost your revenue potential. This will enable you to target a new group of customers, but you could also encourage existing customers to sample some of your other products and services too. You could even create a package deal, offering customers a reduced price for posters, business cards and branded hoodies bought together, for example. Of course, if you start a franchise business with Minuteman Press, you will benefit from these multiple revenue streams from day one.

To find out more about Minuteman Press, head to its profile on Point Franchise.