Suchitra Kamath is Building Her Minuteman Press Franchise in Edison, NJ One Satisfied Customer at a Time

Suchitra Kamath is the new owner of her Minuteman Press franchise in Edison, NJ, and she is excited to help her colleagues in the business community design, print, and promote their businesses. Kamath said, "We provide printing, marketing, and graphic design services to our customers. We are also very active with promotional products printing as well as custom apparel printing, which are great ways for clients to promote their brands."

As part of the Minuteman Press franchise system that has been an industry leader for over 40 years, Kamath is able to provide the highest levels of quality and service to her customers. Minuteman Press is the modern printing industry that can meet the growing needs of today's business professionals. Kamath explained, "Right now in Edison, we stand out in terms of our location at 134 Talmadge Road (we encourage customers in the area to visit us and let us show you what we can do), our promise of free delivery, and the ability to take on orders and deliver them on short notice. We have also found our niche with quick turnarounds for blue prints as well as custom T-shirts."

More than just a business owner, Kamath also prides herself on getting involved and giving back to the community. She said, "I have been extremely active with the community for the past few years, even before becoming a business owner. I work in the capacity of a board member for a nonprofit organization that helps spread awareness within the community on health topics related to South Asians. I spend my weekends teaching in their Sunday school. Also, I work with the local Rotary Club and provide assistance on all of their projects. I feel it is extremely important to give back to the community for everyone, not just the business owners."

All of Kamath's efforts have not gone unnoticed in Edison, and she has received some very positive Minuteman Press franchise reviews from customers. She said, "The positive feedback we have received has been really great to hear. We have been told that we are a very sharp and professional business. The best feedback I received was recently given by another business owner who mentioned that we sounded very serious about our business and anyone while talking to us would want to do business with us. That was very uplifting because we are serious about helping other businesses. It is what we strive to do day in and day out."

Prior to franchising with Minuteman Press, Kamath did not have any experience with printing or graphics. In fact, her corporate career was a lot different, as she explained, "Before franchising, I was managing global programs for Tier -1 investment banks on Wall Street in New York City. I have always wanted to own my own business, experiment and take on new challenges."

Why Minuteman Press? For Kamath, it came down to Minuteman Press International providing her with high levels of support and service. She stated, "When I was exploring different franchising options and filling out online forms, the Minuteman Press response time was excellent and the potential franchise owner engagement process was simple yet fast! Subsequently, I found that this was a trend in this company and this actually helped me move along my franchising path quickly. The corporate managers were nice, helpful and had the knowledge that was needed to help me make decisions."

As a result, Kamath was able to realize her dream of owning her own business, making a successful transition from her corporate career in banking management to operating her Minuteman Press franchise. "As a new business owner, Kamath is working hard to build her business and has already made tremendous in-roads in the community," adds Jim Galasso, Minuteman Press International Regional Vice President for NY/NJ/CT. He continues, "We are thrilled that Kamath has joined the Minuteman Press franchise family right here in Edison and we will continue to support her on both the local and corporate levels."

For Kamath, the benefits of owning a Minuteman Press franchise include flexibility as well as being able to explore different ways to build her business. She said, "The biggest rewards are that I can be flexible with time and that I have the ability to explore different things on my own. In a short period of time, I took on some additional equipment and have become engaged in producing in-house engineering drawings and custom apparel. I like that I can do these things on my own and that Minuteman Press gives me the flexibility to do so."

What's next for Minuteman Press in Edison? Kamath answered, "At our center, we recently successfully experimented with printing on promotional drawstring bags and the results were promising. I am also looking into different ways to produce even more promotional items in-house in a cost-effective way with quick turnaround time. Items on my list at this time are sweatshirts, T-shirts with rhinestones and glitter, embroidered patchwork pressed onto T-shirts, and vinyl pressed onto T-shirts and bags."

When asked about what advice she would have for others who are thinking of owning their own business, Kamath said, "Since I am very new, I can give only very limited advice at this time. What I would say is that becoming an entrepreneur can be challenging, but it is also fun and gives you an opportunity to create and execute your plan in a pace that you set for yourself."