John Titus is the owner of one of the first Minuteman Press franchise locations that opened in Huntington, NY in July of 1977. With over forty-five years in business, John and his team at Minuteman Press in Huntington have continued to build on their established foundation and grow sales. This includes their milestone of achieving record monthly sales for their business in 2022.
“I think print has longevity to it versus other forms of advertising like tv/radio and online ads,” says Titus. “Whether it’s the signs we see or business cards and postcards in people’s hands, print definitely hangs around and is not so quickly forgotten.”
Titus credits the recent sales growth to his booming Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM) business, which local businesses use to promote themselves along USPS carrier routes. He shares, “We do a tremendous amount of EDDM, which is something my son Greg really jumped on and helped grow over the years to what it is today. In our first year of promoting EDDM, we did fifty campaigns. To date, we’ve now done about 2,500 EDDM campaigns and average approximately 300 EDDMs per year.
“Our EDDM mailings range from 500 postcards to up to 100,000 postcards. We have real estate agencies, landscapers and contractors who use us for EDDM. During our record sales month, we had high volume EDDM mailings going out for clients at least every week, with some being mailed every five days or even every three days.”
Titus adds, “I’ve always been organized and I like to focus on the details. For direct mail campaigns, it’s important to not only get the mailing right but think about how the mailing will be sent and also what carrier routes are being chosen. For example, we have a half-dozen clients dropping 10K EDDM postcards per month, and I think they appreciate our attention to detail.”
Evolution of Printing
Like many of the original Minuteman Press shops that started up, Minuteman Press in Huntington began by offering traditional quick printing services.
Titus says, “We followed along with what Minuteman Press was doing at the time, doing one- and two-color work, offering ‘color days’ to our customers and providing great service to go with our products.”
Today Titus has continued to evolve and follow the lead of Minuteman Press International, providing digital printing, in-house wide format printing, and EDDM services. He is also looking to continue growing his apparel business. “We definitely are looking to produce more shirts and garments for our clients who need them such as restaurants and contractors,” says Titus.
Three Keys to Success & Longevity
When asked about what has made his Minuteman Press franchise successful over the years, Titus offers the following three keys:
“With a locally owned and operated print shop like we are versus online competitors, our clients know that they can pick up the phone and talk to us. People like to talk to people, and business owners like to do business with other local businesses.
“We know that when we do a good job and deliver on our promises, we’ll continue to get business. I would say 90 percent of our clients are repeat customers who continue to order from us.”
“We continue to market our business in various ways following the lead of Minuteman Press International. This includes through our website/email, social media, and our own direct mail campaigns.”
Another key to success for Titus is that Minuteman Press in Huntington remains a family business with his son Greg being an integral part of the shop. He says, “Greg joined us in 2009, and he’s been with us ever since. He jumped on the EDDM side of the business and helped us grow that part of it, and he always has great ideas and a fresh perspective that he brings to the table.
A True Family Business
As a result of their hard work and growth over the past forty-five years, Minuteman Press in Huntington employs three full-time staff members and three part-time staff members in addition to owners John, Gina, and Greg. “Owning this business has given us both the economic rewards as well as flexibility in our lives,” says Titus. “Greg has added a ton to the business as well and it’s great to keep it going strong with the family.”
Titus also shares his own perspective on Minuteman Press International from someone who has seen the franchise operate from the beginning. He says, “I feel like Minuteman Press International has done a fantastic job, and maybe the team at World HQ doesn’t get enough credit. When Roy Titus was in charge, he focused on growing from our original ten or so shops to what is now nearly 1,000 centers.
“Then, under Bob Titus’ direction, the support system that was put in place for all of these locations across five countries has been outstanding and second-to-none. Also, with Nick Titus as President today and how he helped us navigate the pandemic while also bringing new ideas to the business, I can’t say enough about their hard work and leadership capabilities.”
Titus concludes, “As a franchisee, Minuteman Press helps us in so many ways and I would be overwhelmed if I was doing all of this on my own. They have provided us with vendor agreements, special contracts, FLEX software, local support, marketing programs, and now a brand new website that they built. The support and progress I’ve seen first-hand has been tremendous to say the least.” Minuteman Press in Huntington is located at 46 Gerard St., Huntington, NY 11743. For more information, visit their website at https://minuteman.com/us/locations/ny/huntington/.
—Press Release
