We have all wondered what it's like wanting to run or start our own business, and being able to get called “entrepreneurs.” I learned what that felt like at 16 years old: my family and I can say we were able to start our own printing business called Minuteman Press.
Minuteman Press is a franchise printing business that specializes in graphic designs and business cards. They are all that you need to help start your business!
I remember it like it was yesterday: my dad and I were at a local job fair and we ran across a Minuteman Press booth. We stopped and talked to the vice president of the operations for the area, he went on and on about the company. With all of the information we had, we were sold.
Within a few months, we did a grand opening Of course we had no customers, but we knew advertising would be the key to landing our first customers. We got right to work. With our first simple promotion, we were able to attract fifteen customers within a week!
From there we relied heavily on referrals., We told every customer to spread the word to their friends about our business, and from there we grew! We had one motive behind all of this, and it was making sure we were providing the best level of customer success possible. Within two months of opening, we grew very quickly with 15 customers. We were doing so well that we ended up hiring two graphic designers to assist in the production in making the customer’s requested orders.
While myself and my mom went to work bringing more customers to the business, we had a great way of attracting new customers. We designed them a free sample of a business card and told the potential customer what the finished product would look like.
Within months of opening, the first same customer kept coming in, all because of one big factor: how great the customer success was. By the summertime, we hit a major milestone, we had hit $10,000 in sales! That was a huge success for us, and from there we kept on going and making our customers very happy.
My role in the company was Customer Support. I did anything from work orders, typing emails, deliveries, and much more. I enjoyed working with my parents, because I was able to always give the customers a smile, and most of all the smile we got when they saw the finished product. We were a local family-owned business; we ended up having 5-star reviews because of how quickly we were able to finish a product, and how excellent our support team was. For the returning customers, we always remembered a name. My dad said, “say a name, get a name.” A year into the business the operation was running smoothly.
But one day, that changed.
Another Minuteman Press company opened up a few miles down the road from us and my family decided it was time to sell the business to the location a few minutes down the road. It was a sad decision, but in the end, it was worth it, because my family and I learned so much about how a franchise runs and operates.
In the end, I learned a lot also, I was able to learn more about different types of computer software, and how to answer a customer’s questions in an efficient manner. And most importantly how to help a startup business grow in customer success. By having my family start a business, I am extremely proud to say we are entrepreneurs.
If my family could start a successful business in a few months, what's stopping you?