Paul Mikos is the owner of Minuteman Press in Franklin, TN since February of 2021. As he celebrates over 3 years in business, Paul achieved a record sales month in February of 2024. He attributes the growth of his Minuteman Press franchise to a “booming” signage business that Paul has built through word of mouth, Internet marketing, and building trust with clients.
3 Keys to Selling Signage
Paul shares the following 3 keys to building his signage business:
“1. Word of mouth. There is a very wealthy local business developer in the area who asked us to make him a 4' x 8' coroplast sign for one of his properties a couple of years ago. We do 90% of our wide format printing through one of our vendors and I knew a 4 x 8 would incur freight cost. I told him that we could design the sign to go up in two pieces and it would save $200. I didn't know who he was or that $200 is pocket change to him, but I earned his trust. Since then, he has given us or referred us to every major sign job we've done.
2. Minuteman Press SEM+ Program spend. Google is our #1 source of new business and we just increased our spend for this year.
3. Completing smaller jobs first. Every major sign we've done has been for a customer we were already serving on other jobs.”
Sign Projects Double Monthly YOY Sales
In Feb. of 2024, Paul doubled his monthly sales from Feb. of 2023 and also had his best sales month to date. Below are the sign projects he completed:
Promoting Signage Inside the Shop
Paul shares, “In our own Minuteman Press shop, we installed a floor-to-ceiling mural of downtown Franklin that feels like you are stepping out into our Main Street. It has stirred much conversation and many ideas for wall graphics. We also recently completed a display of the different signage substrates we print on, featuring photography of local landmarks. Our customers love to be able to see how the different materials look and feel.”
He continues, “In addition, we currently have an illuminated building sign in review with the city codes department for approval and we are prepping to install a 16' cut vinyl sign on the side of a mobile coffee shop. The sign business is booming!”
Additional Background Information & Insights
Career Background: “First, I worked my way through college in a university department print shop. We had a one-color offset press but my job was finishing – mostly running a collator and spending hours upon hours at the saddle-stitcher. That little shop got its first digital press the same spring I graduated.
Professionally, I spent 25 years in book publishing and came up through the ranks in marketing in the days before social media. I bought print ads, print collateral, and show graphics. I learned to speak the language of print. As I advanced in book publishing, I specialized in packaging so I learned how to communicate with designers and we won many awards for the work we did with special treatments – embossing, debossing, foil, spot gloss, printed end-sheets, deckled edges, stained edges, raised hubs, ribbon markers, etc. I loved engineering the tactile experience a reader would have with a book.
Later in my career, I got involved with technology and developed ebooks, mobile apps, and software. Tech took me out of book publishing where I worked in some startups until 2020. When the writing was on the wall about where things were headed that year, I started to dream about having my own business and found this location was for sale. It was a perfect match for my interests and experience and how I want to finish my career.”
Support from Minuteman Press: “Corporate support has been fantastic. My RVP Keith Cawley walked with me through the franchise buying process and the transition. The training was great. Our store setup was great. In my work in tech, my experience was that most employees loathe homegrown software. People's attitudes towards FLEX surprised me. Everyone spoke highly of FLEX – and not just corporate but other owners. And they were right. FLEX is an amazing tool. It is the backbone of the entire operation. I love it.
Our field reps have also been a great help with training new employees and helping cover when I had a key employee out on medical leave. Access to the branded boxes and catalogs has also been great. As a highly independent individual, I was concerned about being a franchise owner. As it turns out, I always tell people that I love the support I get from Minuteman and that I never feel like they are interfering or imposing anything on us, but always providing opportunities and support. I really couldn't be happier.”
Advice for Others: “As for advice, never let anyone outwork you, and always look out for your customers' interests. Try to save them money. It earns trust and nothing sells like trust.”
Minuteman Press in Franklin is located at 354 Downs Blvd., Suite 105, Franklin, TN 37064. For more information, visit https://minuteman.com/us/locations/tn/franklin/
Learn more about #1 rated Minuteman Press franchise opportunities and read Minuteman Press franchise reviews at https://minutemanpressfranchise.com
Minuteman Press International
SPONSORED
Minuteman Press franchise owner Paul Mikos grows sales by building and promoting printing and signage business capabilities in Franklin, TN.
Paul Mikos is the owner of Minuteman Press in Franklin, TN since February of 2021. As he celebrates over 3 years in business, Paul achieved a record sales month in February of 2024. He attributes the growth of his Minuteman Press franchise to a “booming” signage business that Paul has built through word of mouth, Internet marketing, and building trust with clients.
3 Keys to Selling Signage
Paul shares the following 3 keys to building his signage business:
“1. Word of mouth. There is a very wealthy local business developer in the area who asked us to make him a 4' x 8' coroplast sign for one of his properties a couple of years ago. We do 90% of our wide format printing through one of our vendors and I knew a 4 x 8 would incur freight cost. I told him that we could design the sign to go up in two pieces and it would save $200. I didn't know who he was or that $200 is pocket change to him, but I earned his trust. Since then, he has given us or referred us to every major sign job we've done.
2. Minuteman Press SEM+ Program spend. Google is our #1 source of new business and we just increased our spend for this year.
3. Completing smaller jobs first. Every major sign we've done has been for a customer we were already serving on other jobs.”
Sign Projects Double Monthly YOY Sales
In Feb. of 2024, Paul doubled his monthly sales from Feb. of 2023 and also had his best sales month to date. Below are the sign projects he completed:
Promoting Signage Inside the Shop
Paul shares, “In our own Minuteman Press shop, we installed a floor-to-ceiling mural of downtown Franklin that feels like you are stepping out into our Main Street. It has stirred much conversation and many ideas for wall graphics. We also recently completed a display of the different signage substrates we print on, featuring photography of local landmarks. Our customers love to be able to see how the different materials look and feel.”
He continues, “In addition, we currently have an illuminated building sign in review with the city codes department for approval and we are prepping to install a 16' cut vinyl sign on the side of a mobile coffee shop. The sign business is booming!”
Additional Background Information & Insights
Career Background: “First, I worked my way through college in a university department print shop. We had a one-color offset press but my job was finishing – mostly running a collator and spending hours upon hours at the saddle-stitcher. That little shop got its first digital press the same spring I graduated.
Professionally, I spent 25 years in book publishing and came up through the ranks in marketing in the days before social media. I bought print ads, print collateral, and show graphics. I learned to speak the language of print. As I advanced in book publishing, I specialized in packaging so I learned how to communicate with designers and we won many awards for the work we did with special treatments – embossing, debossing, foil, spot gloss, printed end-sheets, deckled edges, stained edges, raised hubs, ribbon markers, etc. I loved engineering the tactile experience a reader would have with a book.
Later in my career, I got involved with technology and developed ebooks, mobile apps, and software. Tech took me out of book publishing where I worked in some startups until 2020. When the writing was on the wall about where things were headed that year, I started to dream about having my own business and found this location was for sale. It was a perfect match for my interests and experience and how I want to finish my career.”
Support from Minuteman Press: “Corporate support has been fantastic. My RVP Keith Cawley walked with me through the franchise buying process and the transition. The training was great. Our store setup was great. In my work in tech, my experience was that most employees loathe homegrown software. People's attitudes towards FLEX surprised me. Everyone spoke highly of FLEX – and not just corporate but other owners. And they were right. FLEX is an amazing tool. It is the backbone of the entire operation. I love it.
Our field reps have also been a great help with training new employees and helping cover when I had a key employee out on medical leave. Access to the branded boxes and catalogs has also been great. As a highly independent individual, I was concerned about being a franchise owner. As it turns out, I always tell people that I love the support I get from Minuteman and that I never feel like they are interfering or imposing anything on us, but always providing opportunities and support. I really couldn't be happier.”
Advice for Others: “As for advice, never let anyone outwork you, and always look out for your customers' interests. Try to save them money. It earns trust and nothing sells like trust.”
Minuteman Press in Franklin is located at 354 Downs Blvd., Suite 105, Franklin, TN 37064. For more information, visit https://minuteman.com/us/locations/tn/franklin/
Learn more about #1 rated Minuteman Press franchise opportunities and read Minuteman Press franchise reviews at https://minutemanpressfranchise.com
Sign up for the 1851 Franchise newsletter to get our biggest stories before everyone else
By signing up, you agree to our user agreement (including class action waiver and arbitration provisions), and acknowledge our privacy policy.
No related articles found
