Franchise Article

Sitting in the shadows of big businesses like entertainment, computer technology, food service, and retail, many worthy and productive business industries do not receive a great deal of stage time before the public. Part of that is due to the fact that there are markets whose primary work is never actually commissioned by the average consumer, even though the product may be as ordinary as a newspaper or printed advertisement. One such industry (in fact the one responsible for papers and advertisements) is the printing industry.

Though it has existed for over 500 years, the business of printing remains one of the most necessary and simultaneously underappreciated industries in existence. Many people do not realize it, but among manufacturing industries, printing is a part of the fifth largest, "printing and publishing, pulp, paper and paper products," which is a £43.4bil market. Within that larger group, £14.6bil is produced each year by printers and printing firms alone. Every flyer, every magazine, every newspaper, every advertisement, every piece of educational material, everything comprised of ink and paper was printed by someone, someone smart enough to get into one of the strongest and most long-lasting businesses in history.

Right now, in the UK, there are roughly 11,000 printing facilities in operation, but there is still room for more. If the thought of joining a £14.6bil industry is appealing to you, there are at least three business opportunities that can get you into the market without forcing you to spend years as a press operator to learn the ways of the business and machinery first.

The first of those opportunities is a franchise business by the name of AlphaGraphics. Built from scratch in 1970 by Rodger Ford of Tucson, Arizona, US, they have been franchising for the last 29 years and have grown to include 260 locations in 10 nations, including the UK. While many printing businesses tend to specialise in some specific kind of work or clientele, AlphaGraphics targets a much broader market, serving the marketing, advertising, and internal communication needs of business firms of every size in areas of education, retail, manufacturing, marketing, and healthcare. Franchisees need not have previous experience to start an AlphaGraphics franchise; they only need the drive to learn sound business practices and succeed once the doors are open. If the Leeds branch is any indication (having achieved double their expected first-year performance) the future for this business in the UK is bright.

Aimed more at the public sector, another mogul among printing franchises is Minuteman Press. Another American franchise crossing the pond, this business has been active for over 30 years, steadily building into a market giant that now proudly includes 950 global locations run by franchisees from every conceivable walk of life. Again and again, Entrepreneur Magazine sets Minuteman Press apart as the No. 1 printing franchise for their incredible support system built on 27 regional offices, award-winning training, and expert marketing methods. A franchise can get off the ground with the help of only two employees (far less than most other print shops) which makes the overhead for an already inexpensive business even less. The best part is that the name is highly recognizable in places that the business has already franchised. Even in new locations, it does not take long for it to be familiar.

Slightly more specific in regard to their intended business market, FASTSIGNS is all about printing business signs and graphics. This greater degree of specificity, however, does not decrease the growth or earning potential of their franchises and the business as a whole; on the contrary, since its inception in 1985, the business has seen exponential franchise growth, sprouting 525 stores in seven countries, 23 of which are in the UK. The average gross earning for those UK franchises in 2007 was £310,000, which is an impressive return. Growth predictions in the UK estimate that there is room for the number of UK franchises to double in the next three years, making plenty of room for more franchisees to get in on the success of this printing business without taking away clients from the business unit as a whole.

Business history and projected future earnings are excellent gauges for whether or not to approach a franchise or industry. Not only does printing have the history of success and a solid place in UK earnings, but the future of these three specific franchises within the field are solid. If you have been looking for a new business opportunity for yourself, make sure you consider a printing franchise.