The world of wide-format and specialty graphics printing has become so vast and so diverse that it’s common for shops looking to expand into wide-format to ask themselves, “Well, what should I add? What products/services would help me grow my business?”

Success at wide-format—like success at any business endeavor—comes down to a few basic factors. True, offering relevant products/services that the market demands is part of it, but what the market demands isn’t always clear. Heck, if everyone knew 100 percent of the time what “the market” wanted. every business would be a success and the economy would be through the roof. And given that the market—especially today’s market for printed products—is as dynamic as it is, by the time we think we’ve figured it out, it’s changed again. Anticipating what will be in demand in the future is also fraught with uncertainty.

While some portion of business success involves paying attention to current market trends, there are other factors involved. Some are obvious: is what a particular business offers any good? Has the business marketed and promoted itself effectively? Is a business in the right place at the right time; you’re not trying to sell iPhones in Amish country, for example? That all said, some of it comes right down to basic serendipity—someone happens to fortuitously be in the right place at the right time—and a very large part of it comes down to passion. That is, a business owner offering a particular slate of products and services is passionate about their business. People who succeed at a business often do so because they have a drive and a passion for it that compels them to do everything in their power to succeed. Sure, that’s not going to happen all the time, and other mitigating factors can trump passion, certainly, but being enthusiastic about what you do is a key ingredient.