Franchise Owners Carry Legacy Forward for Two ‘Texas-Sized’ Locations

Rhonda and William Norris first joined the Minuteman Press franchise family in November of 2022 when they purchased Minuteman Press in Austin, Texas. Earlier this year, Rhonda and William were welcomed into the Minuteman Press International President’s Club for achieving over $1 million in gross sales for the year ending 2023 with the Austin location. Then, in March of 2024, Rhonda and William bought their second center in Georgetown, Texas.

With nearly two years under their belts as owners and operators of two well-established locations, Rhonda and William share their journey to Minuteman Press as well as their insights on growing two already successful businesses.

Congrats on joining the President’s Club! What does this milestone mean to you?

“We are still relatively new to Minuteman Press and feel blessed that both our Austin and Georgetown locations are doing well and growing. We are grateful that we can run our Minuteman Press franchise in a high-quality way that is recognized by MPIHQ and is consistent with our core values.  Reaching this milestone confirms that both personally and professionally, we are contributing in the ways we want to in order to be successful.”

What are your top five keys to your sales growth and success?

“Our top five keys to our sales growth and success are:

1. Valuing the relationships with our customers
2. Ensuring we deliver high-quality products within the agreed-upon timeframes
3. Remaining competitive within our markets
4. Being creative in meeting each client’s unique needs
5. Balancing what services we can provide to ensure effective and efficient delivery of what our customers want”

What are your high-demand products and key growth areas?

“Wide-format printing has been a growth area over the past two years. We have been able to combine that with the extra services that we provide such as finishing and bindery, allowing us to meet all of our customers’ needs. We differentiate ourselves from our competitors in the downtown market by providing a very wide range of products in a timely manner. We are also able to serve clients that we have continuing business relationships with as well as those who are in our area for conferences and events.”

How would you best describe your business communities in Austin and Georgetown?

“The two locations are quite unique. The Austin location provides services to a very dynamic and demanding Austin business environment which includes universities and medical providers, businesses located downtown, and new businesses coming into the Austin area as well as the dynamic Austin Convention Center.

The Georgetown location was built through developing very strong relationships within the community including with the City of Georgetown, Southwestern University, YMCA, churches, and core local businesses.  As Georgetown is one of the fastest growing areas in the United States, we see many new businesses entering the location market as well.”

How are you active in these communities?

“In Austin, the community is broader and more unique with our community engagement supporting organizations in their specialized needs, including not-for-profits through our creativity in design and competitive pricing.  In Georgetown, we engage with the Chamber of Commerce to connect with the local community events both in providing services and in sponsorships.”

What are your career backgrounds? Why did you choose Minuteman Press?

“We both have accounting degrees from UT Austin with specialized business experience in public accounting and service organizations.  We are also educators who have experience in the United States and internationally.  We chose Minuteman Press due to the high quality of the franchise that operates consistent with who we are professionally and personally.  In our research, Minuteman Press was at the top in terms of being a successful franchise that was family-oriented and values having a strong relationship with us as owners.”

What has the support from Minuteman Press been like for you?

“We were fortunate to purchase two legacy Minuteman Press locations. Both locations had owners with long-time operations within the Minuteman system, Austin for 12 years and Georgetown for 18 years. Their franchises were well-developed and the transition has included thoughtful and engaging support from Minuteman Press International in order to make the necessary changes and continue with seamless operations. Minuteman Press has provided us with ongoing local and MPIHQ support and continues to provide support as we become more mature in our ownership of our two locations.”

What are the biggest rewards of owning your business?

“We have extensive backgrounds in professional services and as educators. We value the relationships that we can engage in and build through owning our own business. We have enjoyed building strong teams at both of our locations where we can provide quality services to our customers and our community in a collaborative environment with our employees, who are invested and highly engaged.

We have valued the opportunity to operate our franchises through a clearly defined set of core values that respect people, including both our employees and our customers. These strong relationships that we have built within both groups have deepened our team’s commitment to working together to build and provide quality services.”

What advice would you give to others?

“We are relatively new franchise owners and we are still learning from others, including other owners as well as the diverse and highly qualified individuals at MPIHQ.  From our perspective, staying connected to others in the Minuteman Press franchise system and embracing the family approach of Minuteman Press will support your success.”