In a business which has been monopolized by some of the best known companies available comes Chris of PrintPrintPrint.biz. Aiming to offer the best quality products possible at the lowest prices available, Chris has started something that will not only catch on but bring with it the potential to become one of the top in it’s category.
I got an opportunity to interview Chris about his business and he has shared with us some information about what inspires him as well as some of the things he has learned along the way.
How old is PrintPrintPrint.Biz and what are some of the products you offer?
I started PrintPrintPrint.Biz back in March 2008. We offer full color business cards, postcards, brochures, stationary (both letterhead and envelopes), and magnets. All of our products print in full color.
Which of those products are among the most popular with your customers?
It’s pretty much a tie with business cards and postcards. Once a customer orders business cards from PrintPrintPrint.Biz, they then know the quality and want to order postcards.
How long on average does it take for you to process an order and get it shipped?
All of our business cards and postcards have a guaranteed 2-4 business day printing turnaround but normally print and ship within 3 days. We do have the option for next day printing available as well. Our other items such as: brochures, magnets, letterhead and envelopes have a 5-7 business day turnaround for printing & processing.
What separates you from the other printing businesses on the market?
Well, one thing that has made us popular is that we have our pricing available on the home page with the shipping prices the same for everyone in the Continental United States. If gives our customers a quick way to look at what their marketing costs are going to be before logging in and going through a whole order when they just want to get a price quote. The other (big) thing is – we’re one of the cheapest & easiest printing websites to use.
What plans do you have for expanding your printing options? Where do you see this business going in the coming years?
Within the next few months – we’re looking to LOWER our prices. Yes, that’s right – lower. The more popular we become, the more money we save on printing costs. We then pass that savings down to our customers. We also add new products on a weekly/bi-weekly basis. Within the next few months we’re also launching a new website for signs and banners: www.signsignsign.biz – where you’ll be able to get custom printed yard signs, vinyl banners, outdoor stickers (including bumper stickers), and vehicle magnets at a fraction of the cost that our competitors charge.
We are already growing at a very rapid rate (orders are up over 400% since launch) and look to continue this rapid growth. Within the next few years we will have many more products to offer our customers at a highly discounted rate and will continue saving our customers marketing budgets!
Have you always wanted to become an entrepreneur? What inspired you to go into the printing business?
I was almost “forced” into the printing business. I started doing freelance graphic design and all of my clients needed the work I designed for them to be printed. So, in order to make more money, I started working with some local commercial printers. Before long, the printers I was using always had price fluctuations, missed deadlines, poor quality and any other excuses you could think of. I then switched to using other online printers, but it was a whole new mess of issues (some still the same). Only this time, the prices that they displayed on the website were never the same before I clicked “pay now.” This is what acted me to make a change in the industry by providing cheap priced printing, superior quality, and reasonable turnaround times.
What are some of the benefits you feel your customers receive by ordering online rather than going to an actual printer offline?
Well, first and foremost – it’s faster - especially if you know what you want. You could, literally spend days at a local printer trying out paper types and seeing different print qualities and styles. It’s also usually cheaper. Most local printers don’t print in a gang run process (many customers jobs all laid out on 1 big sheet). All online printers print in a gang run format – that is how we are able to keep the costs very low. So, as a result – you would pay more for virtually the same product.
What kind of knowledge or previous experience were you able to bring into the start-up of your business and how has it helped?
Well, first and foremost – I brought my experience working with commercial printers. That helped immensely in multiple facets of the business – from pricing to quality and turnaround time. Then, my entrepreneurial spirit allowed me to try to crack a multi-billion dollar industry that is a commodity without worrying too much about any of the big competition and what they are doing. Also, being a freelance graphic designer showed me how to work with some of the neediest of clients and make them happy.
What have you learned as an entrepreneur that you’re able to apply to everyday life?
I’ve learned several things… Pricing is a game that can be won only by negotiation. I haggle the price for everything I buy. I’ve also learned to manage money a lot better. Saving for that next marketing plan or piece of equipment for the business is the key to our success.
When you look back, is there anything you wish you had done different? What have you learned from those mistakes?
Sure. I think we all do. I think I took a little long to decide to build PrintPrintPrint.Biz. I really had this idea about 1 year ago and I never acted on it until recently. I’ve learned if you get an idea in your mind and in your heart and you have almost no question whether it will work or not, try it. At the end of the day, if it fails – at least you tried and it will make you a smarter/stronger person. On the other hand, if you don’t do it – you’ve already failed.
If someone was to contact you looking for the one product (from what you have to offer) you feel would best promote their company, what would you tell them to choose and why?
It all depends on what types of marketing they do. If they’re one that goes to a lot of events and does a lot of palm pressing – I would say an impressive business card would do the trick. If the customer plans on sending out mailers, I would direct them to either a postcard or brochure because they are the easiest and cheapest to mail as you can receive a bulk rate. If the person is looking to introduce someone to a new product or service and they have more to say than just what you can fit on a brochure or postcard, I would tell them to get some letterhead and envelopes printed up. Letterhead and envelopes provide a company with a more traditional marketing approach and allow a client to include much more information in letterform as opposed to a postcard. If they are in a service type business – I would get them to get us to product some business card magnets that they can leave with their clients. People tend to not throw out magnets because they’re useful.
What form of advertising has been the most helpful in getting the word out about your business? Why do you feel it has worked so well?
Word of mouth… Hands down – friends always tell friends about great deals on PrintPrintPrint.Biz! Second would have to be Google adwords. I’ve gotten some nice printed orders from people googling us. Also, Social networking has been very helpful. We try to be on all social networks, but there are so many and more everyday! There should be one service that allows you to sign up for all social networks… Business Idea!
Was there anything you have read or heard that has helped inspire you along the path you are on now? Why was it so inspiring?
Yes! I was told by a couple of people along the way that I’m breaking into a market that is a commodity and it will be very hard to take business from the likes of vista print. So that inspired me to do it! I look at Google and how they came into the search market when it seemed so closed off because yahoo had huge things going on. Also, Sergey Brin said in a speech one time that Google is aware of what Microsoft does, but they focus mostly all of their attention on innovation and that has allowed them to become number 1 in the search market. So, I think by us applying these innovations/new things to a very old industry, we can take market share and give customers something they have been searching for – for their printed products. But, on the other side of the coin, Steve Balmer from Microsoft once said “It’s easier to do something that has been done already and do it better, than to create something new.” And since I already knew what the printing industry had to offer, I thought I would do it one better by starting up www.PrintPrintPrint.Biz.
What advice do you have for someone interested in starting their own business?
I would say go for it. Like I said above, if you have an idea, do the proper research, and care about solving a problem and not just about making money, then you can be successful. If you worry about the money and not solving the problem, you start penny pinching and counting and not focused on the primary thing that brings those pennies in – customer service.
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