How to Grow Your Small Print Business with Limited Resources – It’s Possible!

Some small businesses like being small, but many others are small because they can’t find the resources to grow bigger. If you find your small print business stuck in the second category, you’re not alone. Lack of capital is a big reason why many small businesses fail to grow.

But that doesn’t mean your print business has to stay tiny forever. Here are 5 ways that even a mom-and-pop print shop can grow their business on limited resources.

Find a Product or Service to Grow

The first step to growth is finding one aspect of your small print business to grow. Trying to grow everything at once can cause you to spread your already-limited resources even thinner. Instead, identify what you can do better than your competitors.

Think beyond the ordinary price-turnaround-quality trio about what makes your business stand out. Are you able to provide a unique finish that only your company has the time to do? Is your customer service more multilingual that your competitor’s? Do you show clients a more accurate proof of what their file will look like when it gets printed?

Differentiate yourself from the competition by doing better what you’re already known to be good at. It makes your good better, and your better the best. It takes fewer resources than trying to fix what your business isn’t good at, and it yields high returns. Don’t forget to use it to draft your unique value proposition if you don’t have one yet.

Use Digital Marketing Strategies

Marketing your small print business can involve a lot of different campaigns, strategies, and channels, but if you’re low on resources, use digital marketing strategies, as the initial cost can be a lot lower than traditional marketing.

First, update your website and use it. Many small print business owners create a website and do nothing with it for years. Your website is your digital real estate for marketing your products and services. So update your website regularly and make it work for you.

Next, find out which digital channels your clients are using and use them too. Do they prefer email to Facebook? Are they on Twitter? Do they enjoy seeing your newly printed products on Instagram? Use these channels to communicate with your clients and prospects. We also recommend reading our article on how to build a winning digital marketing strategy.

Adopt Financial Best Practices for Small Businesses

Even the smallest print business should start adopting good financial practices. That includes creating a budget, even if you have limited capital to work with. Not only will it help you stick to your growth goals, but it also helps you see what your business is spending a lot on so that you can start looking for alternative options.

Growth also needs to be financially sustainable. Data from Jessie Hagen of the U.S. Bank National Association reports that 82% of small businesses fail due to poor cash flow management. As a small print business, you’ll want to implement these financial practices of successful small business owners so that a small amount of investment can go a longer way.

Lower Production Costs with a Trade Printer

No matter what size your printing company is, you’ll always be looking for ways to minimize costs and maximize profits. For smaller print companies, any amount saved during production can be used for growing other parts of the business.

One way to lower production costs is to get jobs outsourced to a wholesale trade printer. Since they get many orders a day, they’re able to produce your orders at a better cost than if you printed them in house. They also help you print products that you don’t have the equipment for, which allows your small print shop to grow into a one-stop shop for all your clients’ printing needs.

A good trade printer should not only meet your needs but the needs of your clients too. You may just want fast, low cost printing to stay competitive, but your clients might be more concerned about how fast you can give them a quote, or how much shipping will cost. For a trade printer that meets all these needs, we recommend SinaLite, a trade-only wholesale printer offering over 1,000 types of quality products with fast turnarounds. Their users enjoy instant quotes and shipping estimates so that they can quote their clients quickly and accurately.

Expand Your Geographic Client Base with Shipping

One final way you can grow your small print business with limited resources is by expanding your client base geographically. Sometimes there just aren’t enough clients in your local area for you to get more orders.

Always make sure you take into account all the various costs related to shipping before you offer it as an option. This includes:

• Packaging
• Labeling
• Taxes
• Paperwork
• Transport to the post office
• Tracking
• Insurance
• Delivery
• Any other potential costs

If you accurately account for all these factors when pricing your shipping, then you’ll be able to expand your client base geographically without investing heavily.

Alternatively, some trade printers can drop ship directly to your clients. After they print your order, they’ll blind ship it to your clients so that the package can’t be traced back to themselves. Trade printers like SinaLite ship all over North America, so their users don’t have to worry about the shipping logistics of expanding their client base.

Growing Your Small Print Business Possible

Growing your small print business with limited resources won’t be easy, but it’s essential for survival in a competitive industry. We’ve offered some of our ideas. Now it’s your turn. How do you grow your businesses when resources are scarce? Share with us by commenting below. And don’t forget to subscribe to Printer Success so that you never miss an opportunity to grow your business.