Brandon and Nikki Jasper first joined the Minuteman Press franchise family in August of 2022. They purchased a long-running independent print shop, Schuerholz Printing, and opened Minuteman Press in Kettering, Ohio.
Over the past two years, Brandon and Nikki have grown their business by expanding products (wide-format printing and apparel), increasing internet marketing program spending, and providing outstanding customer service that generates 5-star reviews and client referrals.
As a result of their hard work and by following the Minuteman Press franchise system, Brandon and Nikki have joined the Minuteman Press International President’s Club for achieving over $1 million in gross sales for 2023.
“We are thrilled to have reached this milestone. For our first year in business, we have seen double digit growth from the previous owner’s yearly sales, as well as achieved over $1M in yearly sales,” stated Brandon.
Growing the business
When asked about their keys to growth, Brandon shared, “Our sales growth is primarily attributed to attracting new customers and taking on more business installations and on-site projects. Our new customer growth has come from our increased investment in the Minuteman Press Internet Marketing Program as well as current customer referrals. We strive to be the best in class with customer service, speed, and quality. That culture has increased our Google review 5-star ratings and in return has generated many leads from our current customers.”
Product expansion has also been a key to growth for Minuteman Press in Kettering. Nikki said, “Our high-demand products are books and programs. Our key growth areas are wide-format products as well as apparel. We recently purchased wide-format equipment to drive down costs and increase overall margins. We also partnered with Stahl’s Transfers to create online Spirit Sites for the local schools.”
Being active in the community also helps build relationships and drive business growth. Brandon explained, “The community we serve is wide-ranging. We provide printing and marketing services for large corporations, schools, churches, non-profits, and small businesses. No one customer represents more than 8% of our total sales. We are members of the local chamber of commerce, and I am a member of Dor-Wood Optimist group, on the board of the Bellbrook-Sugarcreek Community Center, and the board of The Gathering Church.”
Why Minuteman Press?
Prior to Minuteman Press, Brandon’s background was in marketing and operations for a large convenience retailer and Nikki’s background was in environmental resource management.
“We ultimately chose Minuteman Press because we liked the business model and support provided by the company. We found a great opportunity by purchasing Schuerholz Printing, which was a staple in the community for over 45 years,” explained Nikki.
She continued, “Support from Minuteman Press including our RVP Gary Nowak and the field team has been great, especially as a new business owner. Also, the proprietary FLEX software is a very good tool to manage customers, jobs, marketing opportunities, and financials. It helped us get up-to-speed more quickly and not get bogged down in inefficient processes. Support has also been great for purchasing new equipment. We were able to leverage the Minuteman Press brand to get preferred pricing on new equipment.”
Rewards & advice for others
Together, Brandon and Nikki reflected on the rewards of changing careers and becoming business owners: “Owning our own business has allowed us to establish the culture and priorities that are centered around top-notch customer service, quality products, and speed. We can make decisions that actually drive sales. It has also given us more flexibility to be able to attend important events for our daughter.”
Their advice to others is this: “Continue to WOW your current customers with excellent service and products. Also, focus your marketing efforts on businesses that can benefit from multiple offerings and services that you can provide.”
