Lee Taylor served in the Royal Navy for 23 years and has now owned his Minuteman Press franchise in Newport, Wales for 6 years.
When COVID-19 hit, Lee immediately went to work to bring his community together with a free initiative called Bounce Back Newport, part of Bounce Back UK By Minuteman Press International. Lee shares his tips for success during the pandemic and positive feedback from clients…
Lee says, “Bounce Back Newport has been a great initiative, which we have enthusiastically embraced. In simple terms it’s been a great platform to engage existing clients and new prospects. It is straightforward, easy to use and cost-effective. I feel at the current time all our existing and potential clients are being bombarded with sellers desperate to stay afloat, so this local community-based message of support has struck the right tone. It’s something positive and useful they can engage with, and rather than just me trying to sell them stuff, it shows the wider public that we are genuinely interested in helping them maintain and grow their own business.”
Lee shares his success in reaching out to clients that has worked in getting businesses on board with Bounce Back Newport. He explains, “My approach has been to promote this by sending weekly emails, hard-copy print adverts wherever possible, and highly visible social media posts. Especially effective has been the daily thank you emails highlighting the firms that joined that day and tagging them on social media, which in turn allows them to share and increase the visibility further, so it becomes a snowball of goodwill.”
The feedback Lee has received about the Bounce Back platform has been very positive. “The quality of the website and messaging system has been well received, and drawn very complimentary remarks from my local and national clients alike. For me it’s really been a great conversation starter. As well as helping my own customer base, it gives me a good opportunity to speak to them, see how they are and potentially build stronger relationships that will serve all parties well as things improve. Likewise, it gives off a great impression to my new and prospective customers that I am behind such an impressive vehicle.”
Lee continues, “Bounce Back UK was the perfect system for us to work on when things were quiet, and moving forward the framework will help us build as we come out of this challenging COVID-19/lockdown period.”
From the Royal Navy to Minuteman Press Franchise Ownership
Lee Taylor, born in Harrow, Middlesex, served in the Royal Navy for 23 years. With the support of X-Forces, he made the transition from military to civilian life in 2014 by establishing his own business, a Minuteman Press franchise in Newport, Wales. Minuteman Press is proud to help Veterans like Taylor become entrepreneurs.
At just 16 years of age, Taylor enrolled into the Royal Navy with because he wanted to see the world and serve his country. His military career in the armed forces took Taylor to former Yugoslavia on four occasions in the 1990s and to Iraq during the second Gulf War. His best memories of the Navy are the friendships that were formed visiting different parts of the world. Lee’s contract ended in 2013, and from there he decided it was time to seek a new challenge. As an aspiring entrepreneur who wanted to own his own business, Taylor was looking for a lifestyle change with no ceiling, and the potential to be rewarded for the hard work he put in to his business.
Lee has now been the owner of his Minuteman Press franchise in Newport for six years. Minuteman Press Newport is a complete marketing and business services provider that offers a wide range of products and services including high quality printing, creative design and direct mail printing. As a Minuteman Press franchise owner, Taylor continues to form new types of relationships as he strives to do everything he can to help other businesses grow.
Why Franchise with Minuteman Press?
Minuteman Press’ business plan is considered highly successful and is routinely praised by entrepreneurs. Minuteman Press was once again rated as the #1 print franchise by Entrepreneur Magazine (January 2020), and like Lee Taylor, many franchise owners come from all walks of life. For Taylor, this was a complete career change, and the Minuteman Press franchise system was a perfect fit for its ability to offer an expert training program and provide ongoing local support.
Lee has combined the help and support provided by Minuteman Press International with his own skills and experience to establish his Minuteman Press franchise in Newport as the first port of call for local businesses’ digital print, design and marketing needs.
Taylor’s Minuteman Press is located in the 1,000 sq. ft. ground floor offices of 27a Hill Street, Newport. Lee began preparing for his new career before leaving the Royal Navy. He said, “I wanted to manage my own business and do something completely different when I left the Royal Navy. I explored a wide variety of different options and chose to invest in the Minuteman Press franchise after researching the company, finding out more about the products and services they provide and importantly the quality of the comprehensive training and support package they provide to help their franchisors succeed. This has included me studying at their training academy in New York and ongoing support from the UK management team.”
Newport Franchise Location and Building a Local Business
Explaining why the decision was made to open his Minuteman Press franchise in Newport, Lee commented, “I live in the town of Cwmbran and have been following with interest the regeneration of Newport. It’s an exciting time for the city, the local economy is growing and we enjoy helping fellow business achieve their objectives, and working with them to grow their own business.”
Six years later, Taylor’s business has steadily emerged as the print supplier of choice in the city and surrounding areas, building a solid reputation based on the foundation of offering exceptional quality products, flexibility and high levels of customer service. The business has a growing portfolio of local clients of varying types and sizes, including the largest industrial complexes on the edge of town, a large number of medium-size commercial and retail customers, and many small startup businesses.
Lee has involved himself in the local community and has built up an extensive network of local contacts. This has been achieved through a range of activities including extensive involvement in networking groups and putting in the time and effort to get out there and meet local business owners who can benefit from Minuteman Press products and services.
Lee is proud of the client base he has built up thus far, and has high hopes this operation will continue to build upon its reputation and go from strength to strength. He says “we work with all sorts of people, and produce all sorts of print and marketing material. The best new business comes from referrals from current clients. The most rewarding aspect is doing a good job for a customer and learning they have recommended you to friends, family and colleagues”.
