I SPENT two days last week at the AlphaGraphics headquarters in Salt Lake City observing the monthly Discovery Days event for folks considering an AG franchise. Some were looking to start a franchise from scratch while others were considering converting their existing printing operation or buying an existing AG franchise. I don’t know if any of the people who attended will actually pull the trigger but they certainly got what I think was a full measure of candor and openness.
Now let’s be clear. I’m not a cheerleader for AlphaGraphics or any other particular franchise system. I am, however, a cheerleader for this industry and I found the attendees’ interest in the industry encouraging.
The days of go-go growth are long past and attrition is taking its toll on unhealthy or unprepared printing businesses. That said, there still is a very real opportunity to build a successful and profitable quick or small commercial printing business. The key word is business. As I told several attendees at the Discover Days event, we do not publish a printing magazine. We publish a business magazine for printers. Technology certainly is important but it is not a substitute for business management, marketing, sales, or human resources skills. I got the impression that the folks attending Discovery Days get that message.
Lately, everybody’s going green. I’ve been awash in green news about FSC/SFI certification, wind powered paper mills, carbon setoffs, and sustainable printing. From what I can tell, the printing industry has been pretty good about greenwashing. Most green claims seem to have at least some merit. That can’t be said for other industries.
I live in a state with an economy largely dependent on coal. My home state bears the ugly scars of so-called mountaintop removal mining, but coal is still king despite the ravaged landscape. Adding insult to injury, billboards and ad campaigns are promoting “Clean, carbon neutral coal.” As ABC’s John Stossel says: “Give me a break!”
Despite the fact that I haven’t hugged any trees lately, I am an environmentalist of sorts. I believe in doing something about global warming. I’m in favor of energy efficiency. I support sustainability. I buy shade-grown, fair trade coffee. I recycle. I appreciate the efforts of such outfits as the Sierra Club and the National Wildlife Federation. What I don’t appreciate is being greenwashed.
From talking to other folks, I gather that they don’t appreciate it either. That’s why I thought I’d share with you two resources that can help you cut through the green hype. At www.greenwashingindex.com contributors post and rate green advertising claims. At www.terrachoice.com you can find out “The Six Sins of Greenwashing.” You might also want to check out www.us.heidelberg.com/eco which has info on sustainable solutions for the printing industry “minus the greenwashing and marketing hype.” Paying attention to the environment is a good thing. Putting out misleading information on environmental efforts is not.
A couple of years ago, FedEx Kinko’s showed up at the On Demand show touting its printing capabilities. Evidently this was not a viable venue for them because their appearance was a one-shot deal. I guess they finally figured out that show attendees were printers who saw them as competition and who were not the least interested in how whiz-bang their operations were.
Well, the Kinko’s name has been buried under the FedEx Office brand, and FedEx has said precious little about how the former “most recognized brand in the printing industry” is faring these days.
So who should show up at this year’s On Demand show? None other than the UPS Store and its sister franchise Mail Boxes, Etc. (MBE). They were there touting their soon-to-be introduced online print ordering capabilities for their 4,300 North American franchisees. The Now-Docs based system is a big step for them, but seems a little late to the game since Web-to-print has become almost a necessity for successful print providers. Obviously, they are pushing to grow their printing services business, but the question remains: What is to be gained by touting that to an audience of print service providers with whom you are competing?
A while back there was a recurring bit on Mad TV called “Lowered Expectations.” That came to mind just before we departed for the On Demand show. After all, the economy sucks, credit is clogged, and the general mood is dark. Why exhibit or attend a trade show when nobody is in a buying mood?
Or so I thought. I’m not saying that the show hearkened back to the glory days of yesteryear when hardware and software were being snapped up by ravenous printers. However, the show was much better than I had expected. Attendance was steady, vendors were busy, and people were selling things to people. Presstek sold a 52 DI off the show floor. Xanté sold several Ilumina Digital Envelope Presses. All in all, a pretty active event.
There are two basic ways to handle hard times. Hunker down or go out and do something about the situation. Seems as if there were lots of folks at On Demand who had decided not to hunker down. Those are the people who will come out of this economic malaise in the best shape because when you hunker down you’re very likely to get passed by.
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