Ex-banker Rod Hambley, owner of Minuteman Press in Welshpool, WA since 2005, says his decision last year to acquire another independent print shop and merge the two companies has produced a significant boost in sales.
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| Owner Rod Hambley (right) with the team at Minuteman Press, Welshpool WA |
Hambley has just celebrated 17 years in business as the owner of Minuteman Press located at U2 119 Welshpool Rd., Welshpool, WA 6106. In May 2021, he bought 15-year independent print shop Images on Paper and merged staff from both businesses. With new equipment producing more in-house orders, the business has doubled and even tripled monthly sales since the acquisition.
Prior to buying Minuteman Press in Welshpool, Rod worked in the banking industry. “I was in banking for 25 years and worked as branch manager for several banks,” he says. “I found Minuteman Press at a franchise show and in gaining a rapport with the regional vice president, I saw this as a viable option I could venture to when finished at the bank.” 
Following last year's acquisition of Images on Paper, Minuteman Press Welshpool continued grow its core business, he says.
“Our core business is always in high demand. We offer our clients high quality printing from our (HP Latex )wide format machine which produces posters, signage, and stickers of all shapes and sizes. Our digital machine prints booklets, flyers, business cards, and much more. We also still run an offset machine for NCR Books, envelopes, and spot colour work that are all still in demand.
“It is important for local businesses to market and promote themselves. We are able to design and produce the items they need for those purposes and they also need printing of workbooks, forms, and plenty of other items for their operations as well.”
The decision to buy Images on Paper came about with the help of a local Minuteman outreach campaign initiated by regional vice president Glenn Coyle.
“We have had our eye on this business in the area for a number of years among others,” Hambley says. “I have done smaller acquisitions over the years that were successful as I still have some clients from those. I saw Images on Paper as a good prospect where the owner might be looking to retire, and Minuteman Press regional vice president Glenn Coyle also identified them through an acquisition campaign.”
Coyle says: “I reached out to Images on Paper and set up a confidential meeting with the owner Harry and his wife Robyn. We chatted for a while and after we got to know each other and I learned about their business, we all moved forward with a plan for Rod to acquire the business if all went well so Harry and Robyn could sell the business and retire.
“Once I looked over the paperwork they provided, I met with Harry and Robyn again and told them my plan to introduce their business to Rod. They were happy for me to do this. After Rod met with Harry and Robyn, things went well, and they ultimately came to an agreement on price, terms, equipment, staff, and changeover date.”
Hambley says: “The benefit to the seller was to save on brokerage costs, and the benefit to me was the increased sales as well as merging staff and added equipment for in-house jobs.”
When asked what advice he would give to others looking to own a business, Hambley adds: “Be prepared to work hard and find good staff. Also, you should ensure that you have steady cash flow and enough for a rainy day or two.”
Minuteman Press in Welshpool is located at U2 119 Welshpool Rd., Welshpool, WA 6106.
https://www.welshpool.minutemanpress.com.au
Learn more about Minuteman Press franchise opportunities in Australia at https://minutemanpressfranchise.com.au
