| I've tried the Promotional Products or Custom Imprinted | | | | would deal with franchises. My reply was what's a |
| Business three different ways. | | | | franchise? I'd heard of hamburger franchises but didn't |
| The beginning of this line of work for me began | | | | know my competitors. Big clue there in sales is know |
| January 1, 1990. I was doing what I enjoyed which was | | | | who your competitors are and how they do business. |
| being a radio DJ. It didn't pay well so to supplement I | | | | Somehow the franchise found me and began my third |
| also sold radio advertising. In small markets you also | | | | way of being the Promotional Products business. I had |
| sweep floors. One day I stopped to see a business | | | | been getting calls from a representative at Proforma |
| person about advertising on the radio. He told me no | | | | World Headquarters in Cleveland, OH. They wanted |
| thank you and said he used things like this and handed | | | | me in their franchised business. I was making a decent |
| me a fist full of imprinted items including pens, magnets | | | | living without them but decided they were right for me |
| and calendars complete with his company information | | | | when I heard the representative say something that hit |
| on it. | | | | a nerve about I would never have to pay in advance |
| Time passed and then one day I saw an ad in a | | | | for my orders. There were a lot of other things that |
| magazine telling me to send for information on those | | | | were worth it to me for the investment but that was |
| very items the radio customer had shown me. In the | | | | the key selling point for me. |
| information I sent for was a catalog of those custom | | | | Another benefit I've enjoyed besides not having to pay |
| imprinted items. I went door to door of local businesses | | | | in advance is technology that I couldn't afford for |
| and let them know I was considering getting into the | | | | product research when I was on my own. The ASI |
| Promotional Products business but wanted to know if | | | | has research programs making it easier to find |
| there was a market for it. I picked up several orders | | | | suppliers and make life easier all around for the |
| and was officially in the Custom Imprinted Promotional | | | | promotional products distributor. The program I use is |
| Products business and bought their kit making me an | | | | ESP/ACE and without the franchise would be a major |
| independent contractor. | | | | expense. With the franchise it is very affordable. |
| Doing business the old fashioned way of showing the | | | | On my own I would have to fill out all kinds of credit |
| catalog worked and I built a good business. That was | | | | applications and even with a franchise there is still a |
| in the days of snail mail, no email to send artwork and | | | | little of that but not as much. The franchise also has |
| basically a slow process of sending the handwritten | | | | more employees that are a call or email away and |
| order to the distributor and they would call to clarify | | | | has saved my business a lot of time and effort. There |
| any omissions. Very few people had their own | | | | are many benefits too lengthy to mention here. A |
| artwork or logos and it was mostly putting straight line | | | | favorite benefit that was profitable to me was learning |
| imprints on promotional products. | | | | how to acquire a couple of competitors in the printing |
| One day I thought there has to be a better way. I had | | | | business which allowed me to expand into the print |
| also gotten tired of splitting the commission and thinking | | | | business. |
| I was doing all the work. I thought the better way | | | | For those that are interested in getting into the custom |
| would be contacting the suppliers and dealing direct | | | | imprinted promotional products business I highly |
| with them so I wouldn't have to split commissions. | | | | recommend doing it the franchise way for all the |
| A trip to the library and finding the Thomas Register I | | | | reasons above. |
| managed to locate some names of suppliers that I | | | | I've listed three ways I have worked this business |
| recognized and contacted them. That was a major | | | | beginning out of a spare room to owning my own |
| feat to get the suppliers to deal with me and give open | | | | office building. In the beginning we just used pencil, |
| account status. It soon paid off and after several | | | | paper and phone with no fax machines or computers. |
| months I earned an Advertising Specialty Institute (ASI) | | | | Now I can build a website from scratch and have built |
| number. That number was the key to getting my foot | | | | my own which adds e-commerce to the mix. |
| in the door of almost all the suppliers I could ever want. | | | | I don't know what the hardest part of this business |
| It also brought in almost more catalogs than I could | | | | would be. Probably for me it was keeping up with |
| manage. But it was working and I was making a living | | | | technology or getting out of the chair and seeing the |
| at it and most of all I was having fun too. Fun is getting | | | | people that do the buying. |
| a paycheck and not having to split it with someone | | | | Now instead of sending artwork by snail mail I can |
| else. The part that wasn't so much fun was bookwork | | | | email it. In spite of all that technology and speed I think |
| and remembering that the sales tax money collected | | | | the single most important thing that makes any |
| wasn't mine even though it was in my account. | | | | business run is you have to enjoy it. I have to know |
| I wondered what would keep my customers from | | | | that what I provide gives my customers what they |
| doing what I did which was go direct to the supplier. I | | | | want, when they want it and like they want it. Not one |
| found that most suppliers do not sell to the end user. | | | | customer is impressed that I own a franchise. They |
| They will only sell through established distributors. | | | | only care that I care that they get their order done |
| There are some that will but the majority will not sell to | | | | right and on time. |
| the end user and depend on distributors to sell their | | | | The worst thing I can think of at this moment about the |
| items. | | | | business is forgetting to charge for screen charges. |
| Being in the Promotional Product business this second | | | | That's an expensive lesson to learn. |
| way went pretty well until a time came that I needed | | | | There are smarter people and more successful |
| to pay in advance for a very large order. I didn't have | | | | people at this than me. But there have also been a lot |
| that kind of money. The supplier suggested getting a | | | | of others fall by the wayside because of not listening |
| franchise. One supplier even told me that they only | | | | to or taking care of getting what the customer wants. |