Entrepreneurs Hailey and Jason Riley Find Success with Two Family-Run Franchises

International Minute Press, Chandler, AZ combined team photo. Left to right: Jason Riley, Bill Riggs, Teri Rodriguez, Jim Hockenbury, Adam McLaughlin, Craig Barnes, Curtis March, Marty Rhey & Hailey Riley.

Hailey Riley is a new business owner with her International Minute Press design, marketing, and printing franchise located at 6140 W. Chandler Blvd, Suite 5 in Chandler, Arizona. Previously, Hailey earned her Master’s Degree at ASU in Legal Studies to become a patent agent. When the opportunity arose to own her own business, Hailey decided to join her husband Jason in entrepreneurship. Together, they have both sides of town covered with their own businesses. Jason’s franchise is located at 460 E Warner Rd, Suite 1, also in Chandler.

Jason explains the value of International Minute Press to the local business community and residents. “Today, we help companies and organizations brand themselves with apparel, promotional products, design, printing, and making them look their best to their clients and prospects. We want to help make life easier on our fellow small business owners, and make it easy for them to do business with us. They can rely on our expertise, our suggestions, and we allow them to not have to be creative on their own or spend so much time developing a professional look for their company because we do it for them.”

Two Different Paths to Family Business Ownership

Hailey and Jason always “did their own thing” when it came to their professional careers. Jason first went into business with his father Zane, who is now retired, in 1998.  When Jason told her that Minuteman Press International was giving them the chance to buy another franchise in Chandler, she knew she had to give entrepreneurship serious consideration.

Hailey explains, “Owning a franchise was always his thing, but when an independently run print shop went up for sale, I was given the chance to convert it to an International Minute Press center and in a way, the timing was good. I just finished my internship at a law firm so I took the time to think about it and Jason and I weighed the pros and cons.  Patent agents are well-paid, but being a business owner, if you are doing it right, has the potential to surpass the salary of a patent agent.”

For his part, Jason says, “When Hailey went through training and onsite setup of her franchise, I was interested to see what she learned. Even with my 20-plus years of experience, it was helpful to see how new Minuteman Press International owners are in great hands. The business she bought had a strong amount of wide format printing, and it was great to see that the field rep who set up the business and the FLEX software we use were both able to accommodate wide format so easily.”

Hailey adds, “Training was helpful as I was going through personal and professional life changes. The break from my hectic life was welcome, but I missed my family after 12 days away. As a full-time student commuting to downtown Phoenix three times a week, the rigorous demands of law school and having a 2, 6 and 8 yr. old, I felt I had already overcome challenges.  When you factor in my dad being diagnosed with leukemia and taking him to chemotherapy and stem cell transplant consultations, I really looked at training as a welcomed break.  After my dad’s successful stem cell transplant and the completion of my master’s and law clerk internship, I was ready for a change and the new challenge of running a business.”

Jason elaborates on the benefits he sees from being an International Minute Press franchise owner for 22 years. “I’ve seen a huge benefit from being able to reference the experience within the Minuteman Press International organization. Yes, we get the support that one would expect when signing on to join a franchise. The fact that there are 950-plus franchise owners who can relate to us is incredible. I am even part of a small peer group of other franchisees where we found that we can all relate to each other. We are all parents of school-aged children and we plan to own this business until we retire. That’s a huge unseen benefit of being part of Minuteman Press International that deserves more attention and praise.”

Jason continues, “I also cannot overstate the value of the Minuteman Press International FLEX Software that is available to us. FLEX provides the engine that helps run our business and it’s the hub of everything we do. Management, sales, marketing, FLEX really includes everything.”

He also explains the positive changes and value of the modern printing industry. “In digital printing, the ROI is dramatically better than when I first started in 1998, and the margins on wide format printing are extremely promising. As for marketing, it’s not really much different from when we started. We still take care of our customers’ needs and today we simply can take care of even more of their needs. It’s never about us, but our clients, and we believe in relationship-building and showing our greater capabilities to be their one-stop solution.”

Like any small business owner, having the right team in place is a key element of Jason’s ability to best serve his clients. He says, “I’ve been fortunate to have a tremendous staff whose expertise has been invaluable to our shared success. Two of them have been with me over 10 years, and another about 5 years.”

Jason also talks about the impact his business has on the local community and why that means so much to him. “As a business owner and member of the Rotary Club of Chandler, I feel there is a level of ownership and pride in the community. Pride in helping produce products for the local economy, and a sense of ownership in helping other businesses. When I see household names around town and say, ‘Yeah, we print for them.’ For me, that’s the community I am so happy and fortunate to be a part of.”

Hailey took over an independent print shop in Chandler and has breathed new life into the local business. She explains, “The previous owner was older. He was very ‘inside the box’ and didn’t go outside of that. He was replaced by a forty-year-old woman and I am the opposite.  My team does it all, including large format printing. I am willing to take on any idea and if it is something new, I let the customer know and ask them to bear with us as we explore options.  For instance, one of our customers wanted giant flip pads for use on an easel during a meeting.  We made these huge 2 x 2 pads of pastel paper and they used it as a flow chart and marked it up throughout the meeting.”

She continues, “Another customer came to us and they were local but were attending an event in Oregon and had an unusual request.  We successfully took photos of colleagues not in attendance and printed their faces on thick stock, so they could be attached to sticks and placed in chairs in their absence.”

Hailey also loves her staff and sees amazing business opportunities in Chandler and Phoenix. She has her designer and two print specialists on board, all capable of crossover work as they take on new print and design projects. “Teri and Marty have been here for several years and stayed with me during the transition.  They have been a huge asset and then, I hired my own designer.  Phoenix and Chandler make up a huge tech corridor so there is no shortage of competition in my field.  But I know who my competition is and I know I am here to make people happy with what we produce for them.”

Jack Panzer, Regional Vice President for Minuteman Press International says, “The Riley family already established success with their first location, so it made sense for Hailey to open her own center. I have had great success helping independent print owners sell their businesses and exit into retirement by converting them into Minuteman Press and International Minute Press franchises.  I had a perfect one available for Hailey, so the decision was a no brainier. I introduced her to the seller, helped with the negotiations and now the Riley family has two very successful International Minute Press centers.”

Hailey adds, “The change was a good one. The independent shop I bought was completely rebranded with help from Minuteman Press International and I feel supported by my local representatives. I know there is no hesitation in them when it comes to helping me.”

When asked about the rewards of owning a business, Hailey and Jason have similar sentiments and one word that pops up on both of their radars is the word fun. Hailey says, “It is always fun to be in contact with customers because I am a people person.  I learned from my time at the law firm that I am not into sitting at a desk, working and not conversing with people.  I am excited to go out and explain things.  My location is on a main road, so I get a lot of walk-in traffic and I find it enjoyable.”

Jason says, “Boil it down to one or two items and it’s this – my rewards come in the form of helping my staff achieve their goals, setting and reaching goals as a team. Whether it’s 2020, 2021, or 2031, we always want next year to be our best year.”

He continues, “Today, our current momentum is as strong as it has ever been because of several factors. We are expanding offerings to clients, which is really fun when it happens organically and I get to see their increased interest when I make deliveries. It’s rewarding to deliver new products like apparel and promo items and have them get excited about their new hoodies or outerwear. It’s so much fun to experience that with our clients.”

Jason offers the following words of advice for people who are considering business or franchise ownership. He states, “Start by asking yourself, ‘What do I love to do and what do I hate to do?’ Identify those key items and don’t forget them when you do own your own business. Check yourself. If you love what you are doing, don’t stop, the hire the right people to fill your knowledge gaps and do the things you aren’t fond of that they love to do themselves. That’s how a winning team is built.”

From her perspective as a new business owner, Hailey says, “I am making a good living and I am having a good time because I love building relationships. Knowing I am helping people as I get to know the needs of their businesses is why I love what I do at International Minute Press.”

Hailey Riley’s new business is located at 6140 W. Chandler Blvd, Suite 5, Chandler, AZ 85226.

Source: International Minute Press

The preceding press release was provided by a company unaffiliated with Wide-Format Impressions. The views expressed within do not directly reflect the thoughts or opinions of the staff of Wide-Format Impressions.