NEWARK, N.J. – US Army Veteran Ken Tays is the new owner of the long-established Minuteman Press franchise in Newark, NJ. Ken took over the successful business from Holly Kaplansky, who retired after owning and operating Minuteman Press in Newark for 15 years. Ken served for 11 years in the Army and then earned his degree in financial services. Ken says, “I worked as a Federal Bank Regulator for 12 years and then entered the private sector working for companies like PwC and Citibank. I decided to research franchise opportunities because I wanted to be my own boss.”
After doing his due diligence and reviewing many different franchises over a number of months, Ken decided that Minuteman Press was the right fit for him. He explains, “At its core, Minuteman Press International is a family-owned business. I went out to Long Island and CEO Bob Titus talked to me for an hour and a half. I was looking for a printing franchise that had that family-like atmosphere and wasn’t so corporate. The other franchises I looked into just didn’t have that same feel to them where I felt comfortable like I did with Minuteman Press.”
Ken continues, “Another aspect I really like about Minuteman Press is they don’t have a heavy hand on each business where they are dictating everything. I feel like this is my business and yet they provide me with that security blanket of local support and guidance. I have no printing experience and the training and ongoing assistance from Jim Galasso and the local field staff here in Newark really helps me. I know I can contact anyone in the company and they will respond and be there without breathing down my neck all the time.”
He adds, “I also have to mention the monthly royalty cap they have in place as well as the Minuteman Press FLEX software. The royalty cap is huge because unlike other franchises Minuteman Press is set up where they want us to succeed but they aren’t chasing after every dollar because they don’t take any royalties above that cap. FLEX was a huge selling point that drove me to own this business because the software makes it easy to manage everything and it contains so many features I can use for pricing, order tracking, and marketing.”
Speaking of marketing, Ken leaves no stone unturned and uses all of the tools made available to him by Minuteman Press to promote his products and services. “The overall approach is that we want to market through every channel we possibly can and create that awareness of who we are and what we can do to help. We do face-to-face direct marketing, email campaigns, phone calls, flyers, direct mail, and utilize internet marketing programs. We have a content marketing calendar that lays out what we want to do each month.”
He further explains, “We have a one-page calendar featuring the Minuteman Press logo and contact information. I ask my employees, ‘What do you think this means?’ I then tell them that the purpose of this calendar is to put us right in front of our clients every single day. When it comes to print, this will resonate with them. We advertise to them every day, and they don’t even see it as advertising because it’s a useful item for them to keep handy.”
When asked about the rewards of owning his own business, Ken’s first inclination is to say, “Work life balance. That is something I feel like I have even though I am working hard and always on. I love the challenge of running my own business and being responsible for everything. I spent a lot of time in corporate America making money for other people and I wanted to do this. There are ups and downs but it’s on my time.”
Ken’s advice for others who are looking into business ownership or franchising is, “I would say that I looked at a lot of businesses. Find something that is a good fit for you, and find a franchisor that has what you’re looking for. I spent several months doing my due diligence, and once you make that decision, you have to be committed.”
Minuteman Press International, the world’s leading design, printing, and marketing franchise, has announced the availability new and established franchise opportunities across New Jersey. New and existing franchises are available in NJ at https://minutemanpressfranchise.com.