Sam Reed Jr. was a corporate executive, working for PepsiCo in sales and operations before taking an early retirement. He’d always wanted to own his own business, so he contacted Bob Tierno with The Entrepreneur’s Source and started looking at franchise organizations. After completing the TES profile assessment, he identified AlphaGraphics as one that might be a good fit. Sam Reed “I decided I had a little left in my tank, so I started exploring franchise opportunities,” Sam says. “I developed 10 decision criteria, and AlphaGraphics met nine of them.” Sam had some very specific goals in mind: a business-to-business opportunity near to his home in Dallas; the flexibility to sell his business, or pass it down to his children; a comfortable six-figure income down the road; and the scalability that could offer additional locations. He purchased an existing AlphaGraphics business center in Dallas in January of this year, and his sales have increased month over month. “In March, we exceeded January and February’s numbers combined,” Sam says. “I bought this business with the aspiration of doing $2 million in annual sales, and I believe we’ll get there.” He says he noticed an “infectious culture” within AlphaGraphics almost immediately. “I was hesitant to go spend three days in Salt Lake City for AG Discovery Day,” Sam says. “But it was a highly valuable experience. We were evaluating each other to ensure that it would be a good fit, and I appreciated the chance to spend time with the CEO and company leadership, to understand the philosophy and where the organization was going.” He says he was impressed by the competitive advantage of AG’s expansion into marketing services – “anyone who picks up a periodical knows that the printing industry is changing” – and that he could tell he was buying into a very supportive network of other AlphaGraphics owners. “I talked to 25 or 30 other owners during the process, and we have a very active owners group here in Dallas,” Sam says. “This was a significant investment for me, and it wasn’t a decision that I could get wrong.” And while he’s only a few months in, Sam is confident that he is well positioned to meet his personal and professional goals as an AlphaGraphics owner. “I am really enjoying this business, and I’m learning something new every day,” he says. “Many of our customers don’t yet understand the full scope of our capabilities, and that represents an opportunity for huge growth potential.”

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The following is an insightful piece from FranNet.com, a great resource for professionals seeking fulfilling careers through franchising.

People everywhere are sick of their jobs.

We wrote recently about a Gallup poll showing that 71 percent of American workers are either not engaged in their work or actively disengaged — and that these dismal results dovetail with similar surveys over the last dozen years.

Clearly, something’s wrong with this picture, and we have an idea what it is.

Even if you really enjoy your work and have the world’s greatest boss, you’re still subject to someone else’s priorities, directions and opinions, not yours. If you’re an independent-minded, skilled, driven professional, that can start to rankle after a while.

Here are five signs it might be time for you to switch careers:

You try to visualize your future — and can’t. People who are at least satisfied with their jobs tend to think of their careers strategically: What do I want to accomplish in my career and with this company, what steps can I take to get there, and what skills do I need to achieve my goal? If you try to think about your future in your current career and draw a blank, it’s time for a change.

You find yourself hanging with malcontents — because you’re one of them. We all know what misery loves, and nothing feels more temporarily satisfying while accomplishing nothing than complaining about work. If you’re unhappy, start looking elsewhere or go into business for yourself. It’s that simple.

You’re not developing. One of the best ways to stay engaged in your career is to constantly learn new information and new skills. When you stop learning — or, worse, stop wanting to — your career is dead in the water.

You bristle at directives. When you work for someone else, that person or group of people will tell you what to do, and sometimes you will disagree. That’s natural. But if you find yourself objecting by reflex, or getting hacked off at the most insignificant instruction or suggestion — “Hey, Bill, use an extra scoop of coffee, will you?” “Make your own, you lazy, mud-drinking so-and-so” — you’re chafing at your constraints like an animal in a cage lashing out at the zookeeper.

You do the old pros v. cons exercise, and you have to use an extra sheet to make room for the cons.When you lay it out that clearly, the evidence is hard to ignore.

It’s been a hard ride for everyone lately. The past few years have shown us that nothing’s guaranteed, that the foundation under your job and company can turn from granite to pudding overnight. Wouldn’t it be better to sail or sink on your own terms?

You can do it more easily than you think, with FranNet’s help. For 25 years, FranNet has helped people realize their entrepreneurial dreams by matching them with the right franchise opportunities. FranNet is an international network of franchise consultants that plays “franchise matchmaker” by carefully evaluating our clients’ interests and goals and connecting them to top-rated franchises we’ve worked with for years.

If you’re interested in learning more about how you can broaden your career options through franchise ownership, visit them at www.frannet.com. To learn more about the AlphaGraphics opportunity, click here to view our interactive online brochure.

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Solis Women’s Health is a breast cancer screening and diagnosis company based in Dallas, with 24 locations in Arizona, Indiana, North Carolina, Ohio and Texas. When the physicians and staff of the individual centers need printed materials, they call on AlphaGraphics of Carrollton, Texas, and Corporate Account Manager Carla Beene.

Beene’s institutional knowledge proved to be highly valuable to Solis’ corporate office manager, Jamie Pack, when she started at Solis in January of this year. Pack is the liaison in the corporate office, working with Beene to ensure that everything gets to the proper location – on time, on budget and on message.

“All of our centers are getting materials specific to their individual locations, and Carla coordinates everything from the order to the shipping,” Pack says. “When we need a new product, she even meets with us and helps us design it.”

Pack says that, as a new employee, there was a learning curve that she needed to overcome quickly, and Beene was there every step of the way, helping her understand the background and history, what had worked in the past and how the online ordering and distribution system works.

“She’s taken my hand as a new employee and really gone above and beyond to help,” Pack says. “She knows the staff at our locations and works directly with them when necessary, and it makes it so easy. AlphaGraphics has been wonderful to work with.”

AlphaGraphics has evolved from a print shop to a marketing communications provider, and these kinds of stories demonstrate the value that we bring to customers. We wanted to share this great testimonial with you as you consider the AlphaGraphics opportunity. If you haven’t seen it yet, please take a look at our interactive online brochure. We’d love to talk with you in more detail about how we can help you realize your personal and professional objectives.

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Survey Advantage has released its print buyer satisfaction benchmarks for the fourth quarter, ending Dec. 31, 2011.

While the industry average remained essentially unchanged at 81 percent, AlphaGraphics of Canton, Mich., shattered the best overall loyalty ratings, with 98 percent of its customers “Very Likely” to recommend AG to others. Congratulations to owner Bob Carrigan and his team!

Results were calculated from a survey of 10,511 print buyers who shared their level of satisfaction after jobs were completed.

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Will 2012 be One to Remember for You?

This time last year, Mike Grimes was conducting his due diligence on an AlphaGraphics franchise opportunity in Houston, Texas. Like many, Mike was a successful corporate executive who wanted to own and grow his own business. We caught up with Mike at the AG Annual Conference last fall and captured his perspective after three months as an AlphaGraphics owner. Watch the interview, and hear his insights on the value of being a part of the AG network.

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DMA President Beth Smith and Dave Buzza Share How AG is Helping Customers Utilize Best Practices

At AlphaGraphics, we’re constantly working to provide opportunities for our franchisees to gain knowledge, capture new business and provide more ROI to their customers. Direct Marketing Association President Beth Smith spent three days with AG owners and corporate staff leading a DMA certification source.  Watch the video and see what they learned.

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Bill Apodaca, El Paso, TX

The marketing communications industry is constantly evolving, and AlphaGraphics is on the cutting edge. Social media has become a cost-effective, highly targeted means by which to reach key audiences, and our franchisees are utilizing Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other tools to not only attract new customers to their business centers, but as central components of comprehensive marketing campaigns on behalf of their clients.

The AlphaGraphics Service Center helps AG owners design and execute marketing plans across multiple channels, incorporating the latest tools like QR codes and texting campaigns, and through appropriate social media channels.

Our franchisees are using social media to their own benefit, too. Check out what AG Owner Bill Apodaca in El Paso, Texas is doing on Facebook to keep his business front-of-mind. Every time he posts, the information is shared in the news feeds of his fans’ Facebook friends, and the cumulative effect on brand awareness is significant.

Bill purchased an AlphaGraphics franchise in June of 2010. “I had been looking for a franchise with a proven track record of success… one that was innovative in its vision for the future,” he says.  “To this day, I have had absolutely no regrets about my decision. The concept of offering ‘communication solutions’ to clients is something AlphaGraphics truly breathes and believes. The level of talent they have accumulated to help franchisees in the field is second-to-none.”

Click here to view our interactive online brochure, or connect with us on our Facebook page, and let’s talk about whether let’s talk about whether AlphaGraphics might be a good fit for you.

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If you’ve ever wondered what a “day in the life” an AlphaGraphics business center owner was like, take a few minutes and watch this video. Mark Welsh was a corporate executive who, like so many, was downsized. He looked at a number of franchise opportunities, but AlphaGraphics intrigued him. Now, he operates a highly successful AG franchise in Franklin, Tennessee. Click on the link to hear more of his story.

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When we ask AlphaGraphics owners why they love being a part of the AG Network, they cite things like the industry-leading sales metrics, the promise of an evolving business or how much fun they’re having serving as the marketing department for their clients. But over and over, the theme that rises above all is the personal connection.

Chuck Stempler in Seattle says, “I could just feel that this was something that I could really make a difference with.”

Butch Clarke in Dallas says the biggest advantage is the camaraderie – “learning, challenging, helping each other to grow…”

And Rob Johnson in Salt Lake City says he’s developed life-long friends. “When we have questions, I know that I can always get an answer.”

Click Here to watch the video, and hear what else they had to say.

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One of the benefits of joining the AG Network is the AlphaGraphics Annual Conference, where franchisees and corporate staff come together to learn from and with each other. The 2011 Conference — our greatest one yet — was designed to set an exciting course into the future.

After 41 years of building brand equity, AlphaGraphics has successfully updated its logo and brand, rolling out the new look and culture at the recent Annual Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada.

(more…)

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