Press Release

BEND, Ore. – Renee Mansour owns the Minuteman Press design, marketing, and printing franchise in Bend, Oregon. She is the latest member of the Minuteman Press International President’s Million-Dollar Circle for generating yearly gross sales of at least $1 million.

Renee says, “Becoming part of the President’s Million-Dollar Circle was a goal I set for myself during Minuteman Press training in 2015 and I feel like our hard work has paid off.  I have grown so much over the past 5 years as a leader, business owner, and a marketing provider to Central Oregon.  To go from being a stay at home mom for 15 years to having an amazing team that services the community I live in is truly rewarding.  Professionally this means that we have had great success in providing quality branded materials to our customers with excellent customer service.”  

In addition to joining the Million-Dollar Circle, Minuteman Press in Bend has been named as one of Central Oregon’s top 20 fastest growing companies for the past two years. Renee shares some of the key reasons for her success:

• Following the Minuteman Press franchise system: “When we purchased our center 5 years ago, it was a distressed store and had been poorly managed.  We took the advice and training from the corporate office by marketing to customers and increasing the array of marketing avenues we offered.  I felt that if I offered everything customers needed to market themselves from print, mailing, and apparel to promotional items, they wouldn’t need to go anywhere else.  Minuteman Press in Bend is now seen as a trusted business partner vs. just one of many sources for marketing materials.”
• Personalized customer service and engagement: “We think of our customers as team members.  We are partnering with them to learn about their needs, how we can most effectively fill those needs, and how we can relate their needs to other businesses in our community, all while holding high standards of integrity.”

Renee adds, “Buying into the Minuteman franchise is one of the best things we have done.  I am so thankful for the great team that we have, for the company and community that supports our business, and for the support of my family. If we didn’t have the support or the products and services, this would not have happened.”

Prior to joining the Minuteman Press franchise family in 2015, Renee’s focus was on her family. She says, “At one point in my career, I was a major account sales rep for IKON office solutions.  I handled all the reproductive equipment for hospitals, college campuses, large corporations, as well as print shops.  This taught me how to look at the big picture while qualifying and fulfilling the needs of my clients.  Following this I became a stay at home mom and managed the volunteers for the Leadman Triathlon as well as many large, multi-day cycling events here in Bend. During that time, I learned how to manage people with all different personalities.”

Renee continues, “The skills I learned from these two positions provided with me so many tools that I use day to day running Minuteman Press.  Each client that walks through our door is different from the previous and has different needs as well as projects they are working on.  We help them to look at the big picture and find ways to provide them with the best solutions that will get them the results they desire.”

For Renee, being part of a franchise has provided many benefits. She explains, “Purchasing a Minuteman Press franchise is turnkey. You have everything you need from equipment and software to suppliers. Being part of this franchise has been one of the many keys to our success.  The support and knowledge from the Minuteman Press family is invaluable. I’ve called Regional Vice President Chris Jutt as well as the corporate staff to help me navigate through a project or find ways to be more productive. I also seek advice from other owners who happen to be in the President’s Million-Dollar Circle.”

Growing a million-dollar printing franchise

For those who are skeptical about the printing industry today or think print is dead, Renee shares her own perspective on why that’s not the case. She says, “I am the first to admit that digital marketing is huge, however, print is what makes a true marketing campaign successful.  One needs to look around and see that in our fast-paced world, print is everywhere.  Combining these two marketing strategies helps companies grow.  Print has staying power, as it doesn’t get lost in one’s inbox but remains in the consumers hand.  Printed materials are remembered more than digital marketing and consumers engage more with print.”

On being a successful business owner, Renee offers the following advice: “I would say if you have work ethic, willpower, determination, and choose a business that inspires you, you won’t fail.  Owning a business is not easy but it has some of the most rewarding moments that come in all forms. The most rewarding time for me, which never gets old, is when a customer is ecstatic about the product we provided them. We also find it very rewarding when a customer comes back to us and places another order, which tells us we are doing things right.”

She concludes, “One of the biggest lessons I have learned is success comes in many forms.  It may be figuring out a difficult project or finding a new process that makes our day to day operations run smoother.  Don’t be blind to the little successes as this makes you a better provider to your team and your customers.”