Houston, Tex. – For Kedar Davé, Melissa Davé, and Navi Birring, being best friends has made their business partnership even stronger. Together, they are celebrating two years as Minuteman Press franchise owners in their Houston West location at 14838 Park Row Drive, Suite D. Navi says, "It is fantastic that we have trust in each other as friends and entrepreneurs. Knowing we support each other and have each other's backs really helps us focus on providing the best design, printing, and marketing solutions for our customers."

Navi continues on that point, adding, "We are customer-focused and experienced in providing personalized service. This is very important to us because the biggest thing we see is that our clients truly value the customer experience. We love to help bring their visions to life from concept to market and to see them grow with us is such a rewarding and mutually beneficial experience."

How 3 Best Friends Joined Forces to Create a Printing Franchise Dream Team

In 2016, Navi, Kedar, and Melissa decided it was time to buy a business together. Navi says, "All three of us worked in business sales. We liked Minuteman Press because we knew their franchise training and ongoing local support programs would help us become experts in a new industry. They have had a #1 ranking in Entrepreneur for many years, the cost of entry was affordable, and their system allows us to grow with the business." He continues, "With Minuteman Press, it's not about your next location. You can grow your franchise in-house and be successful in one location."

Another one of the benefits of franchising with Minuteman Press is that the franchise offers a unique royalty incentive program. Navi says "Their royalty structure is great because it actually caps royalties above a certain monthly sales level. That is huge for us."

One of the reasons these three best friends are able to work so well together is because they are all dedicated to the business and are driven to keep growing. Kedar says, "Our main goal is growth. We focus on our customer base and their experiences with us. We want to keep them coming back to us and keep growing our business."

With Minuteman Press, franchise owners are able to offer a wide variety of products and services that include professional graphic design, marketing consulting and services, direct mail, and everything from traditional and large format printing to promotional products. Kedar explains, "We work with one prominent university where we have become their exclusive printer. We do direct mail campaigns with them and handle everything from design and printing to mailing. We just did a program with them with 20,000 pieces mailed. Other things we have done with them include promotional items, graphics for their buses, flags, and even a complete logo redesign."

Because they are able to offer a full suite of custom products and services on top of a positive customer experience, Minuteman Press in Houston West has secured a diverse range of clients across many industries. Kedar shares, "One of our clients that we have been proud to grow with is RhinoPro Spray On Bed Liners. We helped them consolidate their marketing efforts and became not just their printer but their full-service marketing partner. We produce their billboards and signage, marketing flyers, marketing cards, and more. They have opened up different locations in different cities. We wrap all of their vehicles and help them market. We have done direct mail, custom branded apparel, business cards, flyers, brochures, name badges, and banners all across the country!"

Kedar continues, "We work with another client, Aloft Hotels, doing embroidery, promotional products, and even flyers that have been used in the San Antonio Spurs Arena. We've also done two vehicle wraps for one baseball legend, including a 2017 Range Rover Sport that we changed from white to matte black and a 2018 Tesla that was a full color change."

He adds, "Within our first year of being open, we won Top Customer Service from Minuteman Press International, which was huge validation for us and helped us realize that we were on the right track with our business."

Rewards of Business Ownership in Houston

Owning any business comes with its share of work and rewards. Navi explains, "Being your own boss is great because you can work through things and you don’t need approval to make decisions or improvements. One of the things I love is that we are directly benefiting from our work. Earning our own keep is extremely rewarding."

As Minuteman Press franchise owners, Navi, Melissa, and Kedar are able to have full freedom and autonomy over their business while also receiving ongoing local support right in Houston. Navi explains how important it has been for their business to get crucial franchise support, saying, "Rich Panowitz, Minuteman Press International Regional Vice President for Houston, has been phenomenal. At the drop of a dime he will help us through anything! Rich will come here to our center, pitch in and support us in any way he can. I would give him a score of 11 out of 10 in terms of the ways he's helped us."

As they grow their business, the owners of Minuteman Press in Houston West are happy to help their community thrive as well. Navi shares, "Giving back to the community is very important for any business owner. Mesa Outreach is one organization we work closely with here in Houston. They provide food for people who can't afford it and they help children with basic needs from feeding to school advancement. We are proud to help support them and their cause."

According to Navi, when they are not working together at their Minuteman Press center, these three best friends "enjoy some Texas BBQ. We also love Rodeo season," he says.

At the moment, however, growing the business is their main focus, as it has been for the past two years and counting. Kedar says, "Our main goal is growth, to focus on our customer base and just keep going. We also brought in a wide format printer in-house and that will help us expand and give our customers an even better experience."

Advice to Others

When asked to share any advice for aspiring entrepreneurs who are looking to own their own business or franchise, Navi answers succinctly, "Some people think it's just an investment. It's a career. It's a life change. So be ready for it."

Kedar Davé, Melissa Davé, and Navi Birring's Minuteman Press franchise is located at 14838 Park Row Drive, Suite D, Houston, Texas 77084. For more information, call (832) 321-4380 or visit their website: www.mmphoustonwest.com.