Philip Milburn, Minuteman Press franchise owner, Norwich
Philip Milburn is the owner of the Minuteman Press printing and marketing franchise in Norwich. He started franchising with Minuteman Press in May 2018.
Background Before Franchising
“I have a diverse background. I’ve started multiple companies from scratch, have worked as a Lloyd’s underwriter, and do have experience in both printing and franchising. One company I started from scratch was Highway Emergency Services, which did emergency repairs for insurance companies. We became the biggest in the UK and ran a 24/7 service. Our sales grew from zero to 77 million pounds. That business was sold to HomeServe.”
Why Minuteman Press?
“I previously built up 58 franchises for Highway Emergency Services so I knew what franchising was all about. I also had experience with another franchise and helped HomeServe expand their gas franchise business.”
“After traveling all over the UK and also Texas for my businesses, I simply didn’t want to travel anymore. I knew about printing and marketing, so I bought the Minuteman Press franchise in Norwich as I thought it was a great fit.”
“The more I looked into it, I thought it would be great to be able to stay in Norwich and sleep in my own bed at night. I visited ten Minuteman Press franchises all over the country. I thought that just maybe this would work, and what really sold me was their cap on royalties. I’ve collected royalties on the other side of franchising, and the fact that there is a cap was a huge selling point for me to go with Minuteman Press.”
Franchise Training and Support
“I liked the training, particularly the people and the atmosphere. When I launched, I had a team of field reps here for three weeks and I was able to get started and pick up the business. Today, if I have an immediate query to Mark Heath, he is able to help. At one point, I needed an extra Xerox machine, and I was able to get it at a great deal.”
“I also like the Minuteman Press FLEX software. I’ve seen other franchises where the software is lacking but FLEX works really well and helps manage many aspects of the business.”
Day-to-Day Role
“Right now, we have really been busy especially since the pandemic restrictions have been lifted. I have been spending my days managing my team as we process work and handle orders. I have a fantastic team and am hands on as we have so much work to do. We see the appreciation from clients with their reviews and they have also been showing their gratitude with really kind words and even some nice thank you gifts.”
Being the Boss and Managing Staff
“I’ve previously ran big companies that have had formal reviews and everything like that. With this business, I simply like to run on gut feeling, which is something you can do when you have a small business. There are four of us and we all work together while having fun. Yes, we are very busy, but it’s that banter during the day that makes it all work so well. In a small business, everyone has an important role to play, and I appreciate my fantastic team. We celebrate each other and they are rewarded for their great work.”
Advice for Others
“I think you have to set yourself apart and provide something unique in your area or sector. For example, we are able to do what our clients need and fast. I also have learned that our clients want to talk to us, which is something they can’t do online. Instead, we provide an experience where they can come to us, talk to me or my team, and we can help them understand what they actually need. Most of our clients might not know what they need at first, and we help educate them and show them what we can do that makes sense for their design, printing, and marketing needs.”
Romi and Russell Pinsent, Minuteman Press franchise owners, Hove
Romi Pinsent and her father Russell Pinsent are the owners of Minuteman Press in Hove. They joined the Minuteman Press family in June 2021 after buying 30-year independent printing business TJ’s Branding Solutions and converting it to Minuteman Press.
Background Before Franchising
“Before franchising, our background was and still is running care homes. It is an enjoyable business to run, supporting the more vulnerable people within society but it is riddled with legislation and we wanted to explore a new venture that was more creative and had an opportunity for growth. We wanted a change for us and a new business venture seemed the way forward.”
Why Minuteman Press?
“We have over 40 years of business experience between us however we were cautious about moving into a new industry as our experience is only in our other business. We visited a franchise show with the intention of looking at a hospitality franchise but quickly realized that this wasn’t something we wanted to explore due to having to work evenings and weekends.
“We met the Minuteman Press representatives at the franchise show in London who explained to us the way that Minuteman Press worked. We were immediately excited knowing there wasn’t a store in our area and we felt that with the support of the Minuteman team and buying into a global franchise, we would be as equipped as possible to move into a new industry and grow a print business.”
Researching & Buying the Business
“It was an easy decision to move forward with Minuteman Press. The information provided at the franchise show was the very start of things for us, we were then invited by Regional Vice President Mark Jones to visit a number of stores within the UK which helped us to understand what we were buying into and how the shop might look. When speaking to the store owners, we could see that the businesses were working well.
“There was no pressure from anyone at Minuteman Press to buy the franchise and there was so much time afforded to us to see stores, ask questions, and talk through any concerns that we felt that the decision we were making was well-thought-out and a good business decision.
“The intention at the start was to purchase a new store and grow it from the ground up however once we had decided on the franchise, Mark Jones undertook some market research and found an existing independent print shop in TJ’s Branding Solutions where the owner wanted to retire. As a result, we began the process of purchasing the store.”
Buying an Established Business
“We are so excited to carry the legacy of TJ’s Branding Solutions and expand our products and services through Minuteman Press to benefit our local business clients and community.
“The store that we have bought has predominantly been a sign writing store that already supports existing businesses and has a good customer base. The work done within the store already supports local businesses by assisting them to promote their own business by way of designing logos, shop fronts and vehicle livery.
“We are looking forward to providing more in-house offerings to our customers. Our Xerox digital machine will allow us to complete larger print jobs in-house. We intend to build long-lasting relationships with our existing customers so they come back and feel valued as we work hard to help them grow their business! Alongside direct marketing to grow the business, we believe positive experiences and word of mouth referrals will help us spread the word about Minuteman Press in Hove. We will do all we can to best serve our clients and support local businesses.”
Franchise Training and Support
“The ongoing local support from Mark Jones has been unwavering and this continued with the training we received from Mike Jutt, Pete Taglino, and Tom Carnesi through the Minuteman Press training school that we attended via Zoom. We really appreciated the expertise and knowledge that they shared with us. It was at training school that we really began to understand the Minuteman Press system and how to run our printing business, which is why we signed up with a franchise in the first place.
“We then moved into the store for onsite setup and met our staff. We were supported for a number of weeks by the local Minuteman Press team of Mark Jones, Dave Watson and Sam Fernandes. The first few weeks were exciting when we were operating and implementing the Minuteman Press way of working. Throughout the setup, the support from the UK team was second to none. They were there for us at every stage to support us with the re-branding.
“Overall, As a local business ourselves, Minuteman Press in Hove is excited to work with other local businesses. We look forward to seeing where this incredible journey takes us as we build and grow together.”
Duncan Parker, Minuteman Press franchise owner, Hedge End, Southampton
Duncan Parker is the owner of the Minuteman Press printing and marketing franchise in Hedge End, Southampton. He started franchising with Minuteman Press in August 2021.
Background Before Franchising
I am an ex-helicopter engineer who served in the British Army for ten years. In 2007, I set up my own equipment supplies business. Then, in 2018 and 2019, we bought two stationery
businesses and a wholesale paper supplies business. We were actually supplying goods to the Minuteman Press franchise in Hedge End, and when they went up for sale we decided this was a great opportunity to tie everything together and help meet our customers’ needs in every area.”
Why Minuteman Press?
“I had very positive experiences with Minuteman Press as a customer and as a supplier. Since we used the business ourselves, we thought this would be the perfect opportunity for us to buy this location. Also, I love the physical location of our business as I can now walk to work every day since I live so close to our centre.”
Franchise Training and Support
“The training helped me learn the mantra of what Minuteman Press is all about and I learned all about the direct promotion and marketing side of the business. I found the training to be worthwhile and enjoyed the atmosphere and people.
“The ongoing local support I’ve received has been a great resource. I also appreciate the Minuteman Press FLEX software – we use it all day, every day. It’s a very strong, powerful piece of software that helps us manage the business and keeps us focused. I have given ownership of FLEX to my senior staff and it helps them manage the day-to-day aspects.
Message to Clients
“Minuteman Press provides printing opportunities to promote your business. I tell clients all of the time that we are able to print all of their information in any kind of format. We are uniquely able to print on letterheads, flyers, promotional products, outside their buildings, on their vehicle wraps, and help them tell their stories while promoting their businesses.
“The business remained open during the pandemic and today we are seeing more and more people coming back to work in the UK, which means our products and services are in really high demand. Our staff has become busier and busier every day.”
Day-to-Day Role
“I spend my day running the business. I enjoy working with my staff and supporting them as well as our customers. I really love what I do and Minuteman Press has rejuvenated my excitement of being a business owner.”
Work-Life Balance
“I enjoy my work and if I didn’t enjoy it, I wouldn’t do it. Being able to walk to my centre from home is something that is really gratifying. When I come to work, I might be early and yet I am still coming in later than was expected at my other jobs. I am a lot more excited about work because I enjoy the business and the people.”
Advice for Others
“I would say it’s important to spend some time in the franchise you are looking at. Ask questions and find out what it’s like both at 8 am and at 5 pm, and everything in between.”
David Ghent, Minuteman Press franchise owner, Bath
David Ghent has owned his Minuteman Press franchise in Bath since April 1998. David and his team have won many community awards throughout his 23-year tenure as owner, such as Best Business Service Provider at the Bath Life Awards. Minuteman Press in Bath is also a 2021-2022 back of shirt sponsor for Bath City FC and has printed their programmes for 23 years.
Bounce Back UK
At the height of the pandemic, David rallied his community to make sure local businesses were able to connect with their customers through Bounce Back Bath and NE Somerset, part of the free Bounce Back UK initiative launched by Minuteman Press International in 2020.
David says, “Today, the Bounce Back Bath and NE Somerset programme has become a growing community movement with over 225 participating businesses and partnerships with local organisations. We all have one common goal, which is to help the entire community come together and bounce back.”
Print Is Essential
Since printing is an essential business, Minuteman Press in Bath remained open and operating throughout the pandemic. “We launched Bounce Back Bath and the first thing we did was call our clients and let them know we are offering a free service to support them. I also approached contacts through LinkedIn and social media, especially when we saw that they were opening. We received great feedback and what we do is every time a new business signs up, we create a graphic and post it on social media and we also send them official welcome packs.”
Those welcome packs include an introductory letter, the Minuteman Press product catalog, a Bounce Back Bath window cling, and a pandemic prevention poster. Dave says, “The response has been great. Our clients and prospects have really appreciated that we are here to help them back into business. They also really liked the fact that we were doing this for free and no obligation to buy anything from us.”
Growing the Movement to Support Local Businesses
As the Bounce Back movement has grown, Minuteman Press has received attention from local organisations looking to partner with them and pitch in. “The Bath and North East Somerset Council has co-branded some of our materials with us and the Bath Business Improvement District (Bath BID), were really keen to get on board. We also partnered with Bath BID on a special Bounce Back Art Competition to help people rediscover Bath and the amazing community we have here.”
For the Bounce Back Art Competition, Minuteman Press Bath reproduced the selected artwork and designs and created a parade of giant ‘bunting’ flags that were hanging from lamppost pennants in the city streets.
“It is incredible to see so many people, businesses, and groups working together in Bath and NE Somerset to help people rediscover their community and support each other,” says Mark Jones, Minuteman Press International Regional Vice President for the UK South Region. “That is exactly what Bounce Back Bath / NE Somerset and Bounce Back UK as a whole is designed to do, and I commend Dave and the team at Minuteman Press Bath for taking the free programme and bringing it to such great heights.”
David concludes, “We are all in this together and it has been very gratifying to see so many people wanting to work with us to spread the word and lift each other up during this time.”
