Young Ones to Watch: Kate Cusato, Minuteman Press

The franchise owner from Frederick, Maryland, discusses how she got into franchising and how Minuteman Press has supported her and her family, even through the death of a co-worker.

By Paul Mueller1851 Franchise Contributor

Updated 1:13PM • 08/02/22

When Kate Cusato’s father came to her with the franchise opportunity for Minuteman Press, her first response was, “We don’t know anything about print.” Lucky for her, Minuteman — the nation’s No. 1 printing and marketing franchise with nearly 1,000 locations nationwide — doesn’t require print experience. The brand prides itself on supporting its franchisees no matter what obstacles they may face in their business.

In Cusato’s case, even through tragedy.

“We had a wonderful, amazing graphic designer who suddenly passed away,” said Cusato. “So we had this business, we found this amazing graphic designer, we were growing, growing, growing — and then as we were kind of all learning and starting to feel comfortable, we had this horrible … tragic loss.”

Cusato, who runs her Minuteman franchise with her father, was in a position where she had to figure out how to replace a key employee at an early stage in her business’s growth — and do it while mourning.

That’s where Minuteman stepped in. And it wasn’t just phone calls from the corporate office expressing their condolences and asking if they needed anything. It was boots-on-the-ground support. They sent a regional executive to Cusato’s location to help answer phones and other administrative tasks. That executive also posted a new graphic designer job description, conducted interviews and eventually helped Cusato find another graphic designer — one who is still with the team today.

“It was really heartwarming and lovely to have actual VPs of the company calling … and then to have the boots on the ground here while all the moving parts are happening, trying to hire somebody when you’re trying to keep things moving — and you’re sad,” said Cusato. “They’re just good guys.”

1851 Franchise caught up with Cusato to discuss how Minuteman Press supported her and her family through that tragedy, along with how she got into franchising, how she adapted to keep her business afloat during the pandemic and how she and he family plan to continue growing with the brand.

Watch the full video above.