Minuteman Press promotes small businesses, lifts up the community

Minuteman Press promotes small businesses, lifts up the community
 
Sioux Falls has been home to a franchise location of Minuteman Press for 10 years, but the business has experienced some impressive changes over the last two and a half years after being purchased by Mike and Jessica Hauck.
 
“When my dad and Jess bought the business, it was with the understanding of, ‘How can we help businesses grow and promote themselves?’” said Peter Hauck, director of business development. “We didn’t get into printing because we have some undying love for paper, but because we love small business.”
 
Located in downtown Sioux Falls, Minuteman’s team is dedicated to supporting those businesses, whether they’re across the street or down the interstate in Hartford.
 
Minuteman is owned and operated by the Haucks to maintain that friendly, small business feel, but it benefits greatly from the support of the franchise. Peter Hauck says this connection is key when it comes to negotiating prices with vendors.
 
“Vendors have an incentive to listen to us as franchisees, and they give us their lowest prices because we have more negotiating power as part of a larger company,” he explained. “We try to offer the best prices we can, because we know the people buying from us don’t have unlimited budgets.”


 
What services does Minuteman Press offer?
 
As a full-service shop, Minuteman is able to provide virtually any printed paper product you could imagine, including business cards, brochures, newsletters, and even magazines.
 
However, Minuteman creates promotional products as well. Whether your business is looking for pens, beverage koozies, t-shirts, mugs, or magnets, Minuteman is the place to turn.
 
In fact, after making an investment in some new equipment last year, they’re now able to offer in-house dye sublimation. They use a heat press machine to press ink from a special printer against a poly product at high heat and pressure to sublimate or imprint a design onto the item.
 
The benefit of dye sublimation over the more standard screen printing process is its durability. Screen printing is susceptible to fading or scratching over time, while dye sublimation creates a chemical reaction where the ink actually becomes part of the fabric or product coating rather than just adhering to its surface.
 
Minuteman is also proud to be the area’s go-to local provider for promotional products. According to Hauck, most providers are actually distributors working through a clearinghouse of promotional items to access thousands of products made by manufacturers around the world.
 
“People don’t realize that if someone is doing promotional products here, they’re almost certainly getting it from somewhere else,” he said. “Few retail providers are making those products in-house.”
 
While the company’s passion is providing services for small businesses, they’re happy to help anyone with a printing job, whether it’s a non-profit, a large corporation, or an individual with a personal project.
 
Additionally, Minuteman’s services aren’t limited to printing and promotional items. Their small but talented staff also includes a graphic designer and bindery specialist.
 
Because Minuteman has a graphic designer on staff, customers are able to hire out design services at an affordable hourly rate if they have an idea for a project but lack the time or resources to complete it. Whether it’s a logo design or a brochure layout, the team at Minuteman has your back.
 
“People are often shocked to find out how much easier it is to go through us than to work with some of the online vendors,” Hauck said. “It’s that customer service aspect. We’re real people here to help you out.”


 
Watching the business community grow
 
Ultimately, the most rewarding part of Minuteman’s business is the impact it makes community-wide.
 
“That’s really the thing that’s cool about print in general. Maybe it’s not the world’s flashiest thing, but everyone needs it,” Hauck said. “To go to an event and be able to say, ‘We printed that,’—maybe our name isn’t plastered everywhere, but there’s a certain sense of pride in knowing you helped an event happen.”
 
Having a full staff allows the owners to be out in the community, attending the events they’re printing for, and showing support for their customers.
 
In addition to building up their staff to allow for that time, the Haucks have also invested significantly in equipment, from the heat press for promotional products to a duplo machine for digitally cutting paper to size.
 
Hauck says Minuteman’s biggest goal is growth, but not for its own sake.
 
“Most print work is designed to help you grow your business, and the more it grows, the more printing you need,” he explained. “The biggest sign of success is when our customers come back and say, ‘I need more,’ because it shows that we provided value.”
 
Doing business with Minuteman Press
 
While the shop is located in downtown Sioux Falls, Minuteman is proud to be an involved member of the Hartford community.
 
“We’ve seen the momentum in business growth, and the buzz that surrounds Hartford’s growth is rewarding to see,” Hauck said. “It’s exciting, and we’re stoked to be part of it.”
 
If your business is in need of print or promotional products, the easiest way to get started is to visit Minuteman online at www.mmpsiouxfalls.com. From there, you can get a quote or get started on your project. The Minuteman team is always just a phone call or email away, and they even accept walk-ins at the shop.