Doug Frederickson was a retail store manager with Canadian Tire, where nights and weekends were a must. It was the only job he’d ever known, and now he wanted to start a family. He found a franchise opportunity with Minuteman Press that helped him reclaim control of his personal life. Doug hasn’t looked back since. 

SURREY, British Columbia – When Doug Frederickson graduated high school, he started working part-time for Canadian Tire, a big retail store in his area. He eventually worked his way up to store manager for the company, moving up as high as he could go with the organization. While Doug didn’t mind working evenings and weekends when he was younger, he came to a crossroads when he was trying to start a family. With his career at a plateau and his retail work schedule starting to wear on him, Doug started looking into running his own business. He found the answer with his Minuteman Press franchise in Surrey, British Columbia, which he has grown into a top performing business.

Monday through Friday Working Hours

For Doug Frederickson, a business model with Monday through Friday working hours was a must when researching different small business opportunities. Not only did Doug want to leave the rigorous retail schedule behind, but he needed a reason not to work evenings and weekends. Doug recalls, “I was starting a family, and I wanted to have some control of my personal life. I know myself well enough that if the business was open later into the evening or on the weekends that I would probably be there.” 

With nights and weekends off the table, Doug Frederickson then set out to find a business where he could use his retail skillset and also do something he enjoyed. “The idea of producing something that would be custom really intrigued me.  As much as I enjoyed the retail business, I wanted to try something completely different, and the food industry did not interest me at all.”

Easy Transition from Retail to Franchising

With the training and support offered by Minuteman Press to all franchisees, Doug was able to seamlessly transition from retail management into owning his own design, print and marketing services franchise in Surrey, British Columbia: “The training and support from Minuteman lets us focus on running the business and selling our products and services. There are great systems in place that keep us from having to re-invent the wheel, which was important to me since I had no prior print industry experience. By applying my retail experience and following the Minuteman system, I was able to combine those two elements and find success with this venture.” 

Doug adds, “After acquiring several smaller shops and seeing the poor operating systems in place and the lack of preferred vendor programs elsewhere, I really understand how valuable my royalty check is when I send it in. Not to mention that the royalties are capped, so my royalty as a percentage of sales is consistently decreasing.”

“Doug Frederickson is the perfect example of a person who came from the retail sector with no printing experience and simply shined in our franchise system,” says Neil MacLeod, Minuteman Press Regional Vice President for Vancouver/Western Canada. “Our training program and ongoing local support are designed to make that transition as easy as possible, and to his credit Doug followed the program very closely.”

Highest Volume Center in Canada and Expansion to a New Facility

Doug’s Minuteman Press center in Surrey has grown into an impressive top performing business that is the highest volume center in Canada. He also recently moved his operation into a brand new state-of-the-art facility. “We were one block away in tight quarters, and we were just bursting at the seams. We purchased the new building as a stand-alone property, and it has made all the difference in the world. It helps our presentation to customers, gives us a pristine environment to work in, and enables us to really breathe and continue to expand our business.” 

What is the secret to Doug’s success? “It all starts with hiring the right staff and communicating my vision to them. In return, treating them well, fair compensation and being a part of their personal growth are what keeps everyone happy and helps our business thrive.”

Quality of Life Before and After

When asked about the biggest differences between life before and after Minuteman Press, Doug Frederickson thinks long and hard for a minute, and then says, “I used to be in survival mode, always wondering if the bank machine was going to spit out money, or if I had to wait until payday. I am now in a position that I have control of my life. There is a well trained staff, including a General Manager that can run the business efficiently in my absence when I take time off.”  He adds, “I still put in a full day, and don’t take excessive holidays, but that is by choice.” 

Typical Day

On a typical day, Doug Frederickson will run a production meeting with his staff, review key points of both previous and upcoming days, and then spend most of his time building his business. “I think the 80/20 rules apply, I spend about 20% of my time managing production and 80% on the growth of the business,” he says.

Ideal Day Off

When he has that time off that he has rightfully earned, Doug relishes every moment. “My ideal day off is getting up early in the morning and going for a long ride on my motorcycle through the mountains with my wife,” he says with a smile.

Advice for Others

When asked what advice he would give to others who were once in his shoes, Doug says, “Don’t be afraid to take calculated risks, so long as you can be diligent in following through with the actions that need to be taken once implemented.” 

Spoken like a true entrepreneur.