The last step in how to breathe new life into your print business is to embrace taking risks.
So far, you’ve recognized if you’re stuck in a rut, you’ve looked to fortify what you already have, you’ve understood why you need to stop chasing after customers, you’ve worked to showcase your expertise, and you’ve realized the value of customer service.
Phew! That’s a lot to take in!
Here’s the thing, though… none of those things matter if you’re not willing to embrace some risk. Facebook founder and CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, captures this thought perfectly when he says, “The biggest risk is not taking any risk… in a world that’s changing really quickly, the only strategy that is guaranteed to fail is not taking risks.”
Risk-Taking is a Part of Business
Whether you’re a natural risk-taker or completely risk-averse, embracing risk in your printing company isn’t as scary as it seems.
If you think about it, all business owners take risks. From hiring the right people for their teams to choosing the right equipment, from branding choices to the services they offer, it all involves some measure of risk.
So, why do so many print company owners formulate change + risk = bad, especially when no change + no risk = worse?
Risks Are What Set You Apart
“But what if we fail? What if it doesn’t work out?”
Those thoughts sound a lot like Hem and Haw’s from Dr. Spencer Johnson’s bestselling book, Who Moved My Cheese?
Hem and Haw are two Littlepeople in a maze that find out, much to their dismay, that their cheese has been moved. Rather than follow the mice who don’t overanalyze things and simply move on to find more cheese, Hem and Haw sit stagnant in their situation trying to find a solution that requires zero change.
Now and then Haw thought about his mice friends, Sniff and Scurry, and wondered if they had found any cheese yet. He believed they might be having a hard time, as running through the Maze usually involved some uncertainty. But he also knew that is was likely only to last for a while.
Sometimes, Haw would imagine Sniff and Scurry finding New Cheese and enjoying it. He thought about how good it would be for him to be out on an adventure in the Maze, and to find fresh New Cheese. He could almost taste it.
The more clearly Haw saw the image of himself finding and enjoying New Cheese, the more he saw himself leaving Cheese Station C.
“Let’s go!” he exclaimed, all of a sudden.
“No,” Hem quickly responded. “I like it here. It’s comfortable. It’s what I know. Besides, it’s dangerous out there.”
“No it isn’t,” Haw argued. “We’ve run through many parts of the Maze before and we can do it again.”
“I’m getting too old for that,” Hem said. “And I’m afraid I’m not interested in getting lost and making a fool of myself. Are you?”
With that, Haw’s fear of failing returned and his hope of finding New Cheese faded.
So every day, the Littlepeople continued to do what they had done before. They went to Cheese Station C, found no Cheese, and returned home, carrying their worries and frustrations with them.
If you can relate, you must understand this very important fact:
They’ve moved the cheese, and they expect you to follow.
Today, your print buyers are online. They expect to order printing online. They expect do-it-yourself design capabilities on your website. They expect easy business solutions to reorder printing from you without actually having to talk to you. They expect to see your brand in their mailbox, in their social media feed, and in their email inbox, and the valuable content that comes with it.
So, what will you do with their expectations? Will you “Hem” and “Haw” or will you take a risk, get out into that maze, and get moving?
It’s All Comes Down to This
If you’re a part of the print industry and deal with wrestling between just grinding it out day in and day out and your desire to grow and have a successful future in a changing industry, then this message is for you.
The truth is, ignoring the slow (or fast) fade of your printing company will not make the problem go away. In fact, it’ll only make it worse, and it’s why so many fellow printers have chosen to “Hem” and “Haw,” give up, and leave the printing industry altogether.
We have witnessed print companies struggling in this way for years and understand the uphill battle you are facing. That’s also why we made it our mission to help printers just like you breathe new life into their companies through website, print MIS, and marketing solutions all geared toward a single mission: to help you sell more printing.
Take a look at what some of the printers we’ve helped have to say about working with us to breathe new life into their businesses:
Felipe Martinez, SaveMor Digital Printing
“The combination of the website and Odyssey has transformed our business in the last year. Please send a thank you to your staff on all of their good work. Be well, and God bless you and your work.”
Dick Olenych, Spectrum Printing
“Marketing Ideas For Printers provides us with a website that gives our customers the ability to design and place an order online which means a level playing field to compete against the online print giants. Any printer that believes these print giants won’t affect them is crazy.”
Rob Mayer, Graphic Technologies
“Marketing Ideas For Printers has been one of the best things to happen to our business. Their professionalism, technology, and customer service far surpass any other web-to-print solution. The friendly staff has also been instrumental in our success. Keep up the good work!”
These are just some of the ways we can partner with you to help you sell more printing. Reach out to us below, and we’ll listen to you as you explain what you’re struggling with and we’ll help make the maze easier by laying out a blueprint with you to find that cheese and breathe new life into your print business today!
Fill out the form below and you’ll be on your way to taking your first few breaths of success in no time.
