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Print Shop Business Plan Template

Written by Dave Lavinsky

print shop business plan

Print Shop Business Plan

Over the past 20+ years, we have helped over 500 entrepreneurs and business owners create business plans to start and grow their print shop companies.

If you’re unfamiliar with creating a print shop business plan, you may think creating one will be a time-consuming and frustrating process. For most entrepreneurs it is, but for you, it won’t be since we’re here to help. We have the experience, resources, and knowledge to help you create a great business plan.

In this article, you will learn some background information on why business planning is important. Then, you will learn how to write a print shop business plan step-by-step so you can create your plan today.

Download our Ultimate Business Plan Template here >

What Is a Business Plan?

A business plan provides a snapshot of your print shop business as it stands today, and lays out your growth plan for the next five years. It explains your business goals and your strategies for reaching them. It also includes market research to support your plans.

Why You Need a Business Plan

If you’re looking to start a print shop business or grow your existing print shop company, you need a business plan. A business plan will help you raise funding, if needed, and plan out the growth of your print shop business to improve your chances of success. Your print shop business plan is a living document that should be updated annually as your company grows and changes.

Sources of Funding for Print Shop Businesses

With regards to funding, the main sources of funding for a print shop business are personal savings, credit cards, bank loans, and angel investors. When it comes to bank loans, banks will want to review your business plan and gain confidence that you will be able to repay your loan and interest. To acquire this confidence, the loan officer will not only want to ensure that your financials are reasonable, but they will also want to see a professional plan. Such a plan will give them the confidence that you can successfully and professionally operate a business. Personal savings and bank loans are the most common funding paths for print shop companies.

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How to write a business plan for a print shop business.

If you want to start a print shop business or expand your current one, you need a business plan. The guide below details the necessary information for how to write each essential component of your print shop business plan.

Executive Summary

Your executive summary provides an introduction to your business plan, but it is normally the last section you write because it provides a summary of each key section of your plan.

The goal of your executive summary is to quickly engage the reader. Explain to them the kind of print shop business you are running and the status. For example, are you a startup, do you have a print shop business that you would like to grow, or are you operating a chain of print shop businesses?

Next, provide an overview of each of the subsequent sections of your plan.

  • Give a brief overview of the print shop industry.
  • Discuss the type of print shop business you are operating.
  • Detail your direct competitors. Give an overview of your target customers.
  • Provide a snapshot of your marketing strategy. Identify the key members of your team.
  • Offer an overview of your financial plan.

Company Overview

In your company overview, you will detail the type of print shop business you are operating.

For example, you might specialize in one of the following types of print shop businesses:

  • Digital printing : This type of printing is one of the most cost-effective and fast printing processes available today. Electronic files and digital images replace the need for paper, press set-up and ink, which helps reduce the carbon footprint on the earth.
  • Offset lithography printing: Used for magazines, circulars, brochures and books, this type of print shop specializes in larger volumes and includes traditional methods of binding.
  • Screen printing: Any material that is not flat is a candidate for screen printing: shirts, hats, fabric bags, etc. Screen printing forces ink through a screening process that is replicated onto fabric or other materials used.
  • 3D printing: This type of printing is performed through design, initiated by a computer program, followed by the print process in a 3D printer. The 3D printer is calibrated and outfitted with special plastics to fulfill the specifications of the 3D computer program.

In addition to explaining the type of print shop business you will operate, the company overview needs to provide background on the business.

Include answers to questions such as:

  • When and why did you start the business?
  • What milestones have you achieved to date? Milestones could include the number of printing projects completed, the amount of revenue earned, or reaching X number of clients served, etc.
  • Your legal business Are you incorporated as an S-Corp? An LLC? A sole proprietorship? Explain your legal structure here.

Industry Analysis

In your industry or market analysis, you need to provide an overview of the print shop industry.

While this may seem unnecessary, it serves multiple purposes.

First, researching the print shop industry educates you. It helps you understand the market in which you are operating.

Secondly, market research can improve your marketing strategy, particularly if your analysis identifies market trends.

The third reason is to prove to readers that you are an expert in your industry. By conducting the research and presenting it in your plan, you achieve just that.

The following questions should be answered in the industry analysis section of your print shop business plan:

  • How big is the print shop industry (in dollars)?
  • Is the market declining or increasing?
  • Who are the key competitors in the market?
  • Who are the key suppliers in the market?
  • What trends are affecting the industry?
  • What is the industry’s growth forecast over the next 5 – 10 years?
  • What is the relevant market size? That is, how big is the potential target market for your print shop business? You can extrapolate such a figure by assessing the size of the market in the entire country and then applying that figure to your local population.

Customer Analysis

The customer analysis section of your print shop business plan must detail the customers you serve and/or expect to serve.

The following are examples of customer segments: individuals, schools, charitable organizations, corporations, and innovators.

As you can imagine, the customer segment(s) you choose will have a great impact on the type of print shop business you operate. Clearly, individuals would respond to different marketing promotions than corporations, for example.

Try to break out your target customers in terms of their demographic and psychographic profiles. With regards to demographics, including a discussion of the ages, genders, locations, and income levels of the potential customers you seek to serve.

Psychographic profiles explain the wants and needs of your target customers. The more you can recognize and define these needs, the better you will do in attracting and retaining your customers.

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Competitive Analysis

Your competitive analysis should identify the indirect and direct competitors your business faces and then focus on the latter.

Direct competitors are other print shop businesses.

Indirect competitors are other options that customers have to purchase from that aren’t directly competing with your product or service. Stores that house copy machines or overseas service companies may be examples of indirect competitors. You will want to mention any direct competition, as well.

For each direct competitor, provide an overview of their business and document their strengths and weaknesses. Unless you once worked at your competitors’ businesses, it will be impossible to know everything about them. But you should be able to find out key things about them such as

  • What types of customers do they serve?
  • What type of print shop business are they?
  • What is their pricing (premium, low, etc.)?
  • What are they good at?
  • What are their weaknesses?

With regards to the last two questions, think about your answers from the customers’ perspective. And don’t be afraid to ask your competitors’ customers what they like most and least about them.

The final part of your competitive analysis section is to document your areas of competitive advantage. For example:

  • Will you provide bundled services including printing and binding?
  • Will you offer large 3D printing projects that your competition doesn’t?
  • Will you provide better customer service?
  • Will you offer better pricing?

Think about ways you will outperform your competition and document them in this section of your plan.

Marketing Plan

Traditionally, a marketing plan includes the four P’s: Product, Price, Place, and Promotion. For a print shop business plan, your marketing strategy should include the following:

Product : In the product section, you should reiterate the type of print shop company that you documented in your company overview. Then, detail the specific products or services you will be offering. For example, will you provide cover design, book layout and digital printing to create a niche service for authors?

Price : Document the prices you will offer and how they compare to your competitors. Essentially in the product and price sub-sections of your plan, you are presenting the products and/or services you offer and their prices.

Place : Place refers to the site of your print shop company. Document where your company is situated and mention how the site will impact your success. For example, is your print shop business located in a busy retail district, a business district, a standalone office, or purely online? Discuss how your site might be the ideal location for your customers.

Promotions : The final part of your print shop marketing plan is where you will document how you will drive potential customers to your location(s). The following are some promotional methods you might consider:

  • Advertise in local papers, radio stations and/or magazines
  • Reach out to websites
  • Distribute flyers
  • Engage in email marketing
  • Advertise on social media platforms
  • Improve the SEO (search engine optimization) on your website for targeted keywords

Operations Plan

While the earlier sections of your business plan explained your goals, your operations plan describes how you will meet them. Your operations plan should have two distinct sections as follows.

Everyday short-term processes include all of the tasks involved in running your print shop business, including answering calls, planning and providing printed items or 3D printed items, billing customers and assisting with maintenance of equipment, etc.

Long-term goals are the milestones you hope to achieve. These could include the dates when you expect to book your Xth print project , or when you hope to reach $X in revenue. It could also be when you expect to expand your print shop business to a new city.

Management Team

To demonstrate your print shop business’ potential to succeed, a strong management team is essential. Highlight your key players’ backgrounds, emphasizing those skills and experiences that prove their ability to grow a company.

Ideally, you and/or your team members have direct experience in managing print shop businesses. If so, highlight this experience and expertise. But also highlight any experience that you think will help your business succeed.

If your team is lacking, consider assembling an advisory board. An advisory board would include 2 to 8 individuals who would act as mentors to your business. They would help answer questions and provide strategic guidance. If needed, look for advisory board members with experience in managing a print shop business or successfully running a small co-op of screen printers.

Financial Plan

Your financial plan should include your 5-year financial statement broken out both monthly or quarterly for the first year and then annually. Your financial statements include your income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow statements.

Income Statement

An income statement is more commonly called a Profit and Loss statement or P&L. It shows your revenue and then subtracts your costs to show whether you turned a profit or not.

In developing your income statement, you need to devise assumptions. For example, will you see 5 new customers per day, and/or offer discounted packaged pricing? And will sales grow by 2% or 10% per year? As you can imagine, your choice of assumptions will greatly impact the financial forecasts for your business. As much as possible, conduct research to try to root your assumptions in reality.

Balance Sheets

Balance sheets show your assets and liabilities. While balance sheets can include much information, try to simplify them to the key items you need to know about. For instance, if you spend $50,000 on building out your print shop business, this will not give you immediate profits. Rather it is an asset that will hopefully help you generate profits for years to come. Likewise, if a lender writes you a check for $50,000, you don’t need to pay it back immediately. Rather, that is a liability you will pay back over time.

Cash Flow Statement

Your cash flow statement will help determine how much money you need to start or grow your business, and ensure you never run out of money. What most entrepreneurs and business owners don’t realize is that you can turn a profit but run out of money and go bankrupt.

When creating your Income Statement and Balance Sheets be sure to include several of the key costs needed in starting or growing a print shop business:

  • Cost of equipment and office supplies
  • Payroll or salaries paid to staff
  • Business insurance
  • Other start-up expenses (if you’re a new business) like legal expenses, permits, computer software, and equipment

Attach your full financial projections in the appendix of your plan along with any supporting documents that make your plan more compelling. For example, you might include your office location lease or a list of corporations on a monthly printing contract.

Writing a business plan for your print shop business is a worthwhile endeavor. If you follow the template above, by the time you are done, you will truly be an expert. You will understand the print shop industry, your competition, and your customers. You will develop a marketing strategy and will understand what it takes to launch and grow a successful print shop business.

Print Shop Business Plan FAQs

What is the easiest way to complete my print shop business plan.

Growthink's Ultimate Business Plan Template allows you to quickly and easily write your print shop business plan.

How Do You Start a Print Shop Business?

Starting a Print Shop business is easy with these 14 steps:

  • Choose the Name for Your Print Shop Business
  • Create Your Print Shop Business Plan
  • Choose the Legal Structure for Your Print Shop Business
  • Secure Startup Funding for Your Print Shop Business (If Needed)
  • Secure a Location for Your Business
  • Register Your Print Shop Business with the IRS
  • Open a Business Bank Account
  • Get a Business Credit Card
  • Get the Required Business Licenses and Permits
  • Get Business Insurance for Your Print Shop Business
  • Buy or Lease the Right Print Shop Business Equipment
  • Develop Your Print Shop Business Marketing Materials
  • Purchase and Setup the Software Needed to Run Your Print Shop Business
  • Open for Business

Where Can I Download a Free Business Plan Template PDF?

Click here to download the pdf version of our basic business plan template.

Our free business plan template pdf allows you to see the key sections to complete in your plan and the key questions that each must answer. The business plan pdf will definitely get you started in the right direction.

We do offer a premium version of our business plan template. Click here to learn more about it. The premium version includes numerous features allowing you to quickly and easily create a professional business plan. Its most touted feature is its financial projections template which allows you to simply enter your estimated sales and growth rates, and it automatically calculates your complete five-year financial projections including income statements, balance sheets, and cash flow statements. Here’s the link to our Ultimate Business Plan Template.

Don’t you wish there was a faster, easier way to finish your Print Shop business plan?

OR, Let Us Develop Your Plan For You

Since 1999, Growthink has developed business plans for thousands of companies who have gone on to achieve tremendous success.  

Click here to see how a Growthink business plan writer can create your business plan for you.

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How to Start a Printing Business; Printing Business Plan PDF

Are you considering starting a Printing Business and are in need of a Printing Business Plan PDF? if yes, you'll find this free book to be extremely helpful.

This is a practical guide that will walk you step by step through all the essentials of starting your business. The book is packed with guides, worksheets and checklists. These strategies are absolutely crucial to your business' success yet are simple and easy to apply.

Don’t Start a New Printing Business Unless You Watch This Video First!

Checklist for Starting a Business: Essential Ingredients for Success

If you are thinking about going into business, it is imperative that you watch this video first! it will take you by the hand and walk you through each and every phase of starting a business. It features all the essential aspects you must consider BEFORE you start a business. This will allow you to predict problems before they happen and keep you from losing your shirt on dog business ideas. Ignore it at your own peril!

Here’s a Valuable Free Gift for You This is a high quality, full blown business plan template complete with detailed instructions and all related spreadsheets. You can download it to your PC and easily prepare a professional business plan for your business. Click Here! To get your free business plan template

The Single Most Important Ingredient for Business Success

The first and most important thing you need to acquire in order to succeed in a small business is... knowledge.

Sounds exaggerated? Listen to this...

According to research conducted by Dun & Bradstreet, 90% of all small business failures can be traced to poor management resulting from lack of knowledge.

This is backed up by my own personal observations. In my 31 years as a business coach and consultant to small businesses, I've seen practically dozens of small business owners go under and lose their businesses -- not because they weren't talented or smart enough -- but because they were trying to re-invent the wheel rather than rely on proven, tested methods that work.

Conclusion: if you are really serious about succeeding in a business... If you want to avoid the common traps and mistakes... it is absolutely imperative that you acquire the right knowledge.

"Why Invent Mediocrity, When You Can Copy Genius?"

That's an excellent quote I picked up from a fellow business owner a few years back. What this means is that you should see what is working and try to duplicate Printing Business. Why go through all the trouble of inventing something new, that you don't even know will ever work, when you can easily learn from and duplicate something that has been a proven success?

[ Note: One of the BIGGEST mistakes almost all new businesses make is that they WASTE tons of valuable time, energy and money on trying to create something "new", that has never been tested or proven... only to find out later that it was a total loss. Don't make the same mistake! ]

Hi! My name is Meir. I'm the founder and president of BizMove.com, a successful internet based information business. I'm also the author of numerous books, mostly in the area of small business management.

I've been involved in small business for the past 31 years of my life, as a business coach, manager of a consulting firm, a seminar leader and as the owner of five successful businesses.

During my career as a business coach and consultant I've helped dozens of business owners start their businesses, market, expand, get out of troubles, sell their businesses and do practically every other small business activity you can think of. You see, I have been there .... done it ... and bought the Small Business t-shirt! -- This free book contains techniques and strategies I've learned during my 31 year small business career.

Here's what you'll discover in the 'How to Start a Printing Business Plan' PDF book:

Success Tip: Setting Goals

Good management is the key to success and good management starts with setting goals. Set goals for yourself for the accomplishment of the many tasks necessary in starting and managing your business successfully. Be specific. Write down the goals in measurable terms of performance. Break major goals down into sub-goals, showing what you expect to achieve in the next two to three months, the next six months, the next year, and the next five years. Beside each goal and sub-goal place a specific date showing when it is to be achieved.

Plan the action you must take to attain the goals. While the effort required to reach each sub-goal should be great enough to challenge you, it should not be so great or unreasonable as to discourage you. Do not plan to reach too many goals all at one time.

Establish priorities. Plan in advance how to measure results so you can know exactly how well you are doing. This is what is meant by "measurable" goals. If you can’t keep score as you go along you are likely to lose motivation. Re-work your plan of action to allow for obstacles which may stand in your way. Try to foresee obstacles and plan ways to avert or minimize them.

Click here! to download your Printing Business Plan PDF book for free

Management Skills Video: How to Become a Great Manager and Leader

Learn how to improve your leadership skills and become a better manager and leader. Here's how to be the boss people want to give 200 percent for. In the following video you'll discover 120 powerful tips and strategies to motivate and inspire your people to bring out the best in them.

For more insightful videos visit our Small Business and Management Skills YouTube Chanel .

Here're other free books in the "how to start a business" series that may interest you:

Here's a Sample 'Executive Summary' for a Printing Business plan :

COMPANY NAME  is a 100% woman privately owned and operated S Corporation with well established relationships in the rapidly-growing Tri-Valley region of San Francisco's East Bay.  It was incorporated in 2004.  COMPANY NAME was founded by INSERT NAME and fully operated by INSERT NAMES who is established as Vice President of Sales and Acquisitions. Located in the rapidly-growing Tri-Valley region of San Francisco's East Bay, Dublin is located at the crossroads of I-580 and I-680. Dublin is 14.01 square miles in size and currently has an approximate population of 41,907 (and growing). Dublin has a mild climate and a positive attitude toward commercial, industrial and residential growth.  COMPANY NAME already does well in the area and even nationwide and overseas due to the company's availability and presence online. In the early 1990s, INSERT NAME launched his career in the printing industry with a sales position at a regional auto sales publication. Over the next few years, he made great professional strides, continuing his career with the #1 rated local daily newspaper. In 1995, he took the next step in his career as a sales representative with one of the premier, high-end printers in the country, Lithographix. INSERT NAME spent the next decade working for various high-end commercial printers, learning the industry, increasing his printing knowledge, and building relationships. His growing list of clients learned that his experience and expertise were second to none. In early 2004, these customers began expressing their desire to have Mike manage ALL of their printing needs, not just the high-end projects. There was a need in the marketplace to have a company that could facilitate all levels of printing. And so, in the fall of 2004, in response to these client demands, INSERT NAME, launched COMPANY NAME. INSERT NAME has over 12 years of marketing and sales experience across a broad spectrum of business types. She has worked as a marketing manager for the Clayton, CA office of Better Homes Realty; as a product marketing manager for Premenos, an EDI software developer; as a marketing manager at Net Wireless, where she directed all collateral and direct mail efforts; as an account executive at AT&T's cable accounts division; and most recently as a sales representative at All American Label. Her in-depth understanding of marketing and sales needs across various business platforms leaves her uniquely qualified to help clients strategize and fulfill their own promotional needs.

1.1 Objectives

1. To generate generous annual sales by the third year of this plan. 2. To establish a tiered client hierarchy:

  • 20% long term, established customers
  • 60% customers with ongoing irregular and periodic needs
  • 20% new customers with unestablished needs.

3. To hire permanent employees and eliminate the need for independent contractors, providing more job stability to the area. 4. To establish business and sell services in the greater Northern and Southern California areas. 5. To be a true one-stop operation by being able to accommodate all of a customer's printing needs from consulting and design assistance to printing, binding, and distribution. Our goal is to eliminate the need for our customers to source any printing outside of our scope. 6. To promote an awareness of green technology and eco-friendly product and publication and so as to support sales and income goals through aggressive marketing and telephone contact. This awareness will come from both marketing and word-of-mouth referrals.

1.2 Mission

COMPANY NAME is a printing solutions provider dedicated to offering a single source for all printing needs with a priority on earning and maintaining our customer's trust. COMPANY NAME will maintain a consistent and reasonable margin while providing customers with a fair price and exceptional service in the United States and abroad. The company will also maintain a friendly, fair, and creative work environment that respects new ideas and hard work. With the demise of the newspaper industry many advertisers are seeking ways to reach each consumer in the market place without major expenses of direct mail and postage costs.  COMPANY NAME has created a solution, the PRODUCT NAME.  [INSERT PRODUCT FUNCTION].  Customers are able to pick and choose market zone coverage by zip codes and receive a cost effective way to reach consumers in their desired demographic areas. COSTCO Business Value Book, COMPANY NAME and their advertising team has been chosen to produce the quarterly COSTCO BVB book for the Livermore / Pleasanton market.  Many other Costco’s are now considering COMPANY NAME to produce the very same advertising vehicle for their warehouse’s. Both of these vehicles allow our sales force to cross sell into all vehicles and build relationships for our design, print and collateral capabilities.

1.3 Keys to Success

The keys to the success of COMPANY NAME are:

  • Maintaining a reputable and untarnished reputation in the industry. 
  • Quality care of individual and business customers. 
  • Competitive pricing. 
  • Offering eco friendly alternatives to clientele.

COMPANY NAME is a 100% woman privately owned and operated S Corporation with well established relationships in the rapidly-growing Tri-Valley region of San Francisco's East Bay.  It was incorporated in 2004, but was conceived and begun in 1996.  COMPANY NAME was founded by INSERT NAME and fully operated by INSERT NAMES, who is established as Vice President of Sales and Acquisitions. Located in the rapidly-growing Tri-Valley region of San Francisco's East Bay, Dublin is located at the crossroads of I-580 and I-680. Dublin is 14.01 square miles in size and currently has an approximate population of 41,907 (and growing). Dublin has a mild climate and a positive attitude toward commercial, industrial and residential growth.  Touch Plate, Inc. already does well in the area and even nationwide and overseas due to the company's availability and presence availability online.

2.1 Company Ownership

COMPANY NAME is a privately-held California S-Corporation. INSERT NAME the company's founder, is the President and Operations Manager.  INSERT NAME is the Vice President of Sales and Acquisitions. INSERT NAME will be handling the marketing, sales and commercial print volume.   

2.2 Company History

COMPANY NAME was incorporated in February of 2004 by INSERT NAME.  The company has been 100% female owned and operated since the date of incorporation.  As the printing industry's time is waning, COMPANY NAME is already merging into the advertising and publishing industries with the company publication PRODUCT NAME, which focuses on an eco friendly yet modern way of lifestyle and business. Although 92% of the company's sales are Northern California based, COMPANY NAME does have a healthy amount of clientele in other parts of the country and abroad.

Table: Past Performance

3.0 Products

COMPANY NAME provides custom solutions for business printing needs. COMPANY NAME is a service for customers that are looking for a one-stop solution for all of their printing needs. The company provides them with an overall cost savings through strategy of job specific solution sales. COMPANY NAME solutions focus on the needs of the customer, the time frame for the project and the overall scope of work. With well established vendor partners, COMPANY NAME can accommodate any job size with solutions tailored to the specific need and can further reduce costs by aggregating and allocating among the various sources. Products and services include: SERVICES:

  • Consultation
  • Printing needs analysis and recommendations
  • Inventory management and storage
  • Graphic design
  • Corporate image
  • Copy writing
  • Pickup and delivery
  • Electronic communication and file management
  • Bindery, including cutting, folding, stitching, die cutting, foil stamping embossing
  • Identity packages
  • High-end collateral print
  • Grand format
  • Business forms including multi-part and carbonless
  • Door Hangers
  • Labels (wine and soft packaging)
  • Annual reports
  • Specialty and promotional items including silk screening, embroidery and advertising specialties

How to Be a Good Team Leader

Teams have been touted as a way to replace managers, evoke initiative, assist in leadership development and save the Queen. In reality, the synergy that's possible in teamwork usually turns out to be chaos. Here are 10 tips on making the most of your team.

1. Give the team (or have them create) a big enough vision or outcome.

If the goal isn't bigger than the personalities of the team members, the team's effectiveness will be mediocre, due to ego.

2. Train all team members in the standards of behavior of the team's communication, response and interaction.

These ground rules are designed to keep the team's communication clean and make team membership mean something. Bad attitudes, delayed responses, nattering, gossiping, whining or politicking are grounds forexplusion.

3. Have the team vote the Team Leader.

Leadership is still required in a team environment. Not a manager, but a Team Leader. A Team Leader should have the confidence of everyone and not the person with the power to hire and fire, unless the members are OK with that.

4. Install structures to support the team and keep it moving.

Daily or weekly reporting, public display of team goals/results,etc., helps everyone on the team get that they ARE on a team and that the team is accomplishing something.

5. Teams need a member/manager who manages the details and flow of idea sand information.

Have one team member be the person who makes sure that ideas are catalogued, agreements are kept, promises are made and that input from team members "goes" somewhere good and not into the ethers.

6. Include periodic meetings where the agenda is how the team can work better together -- and no other agenda for that meeting.

It's KEY that two things happen, otherwise these "effectiveness"meetings become too personal/venting/gripe sessions. First, make it aground rule that any unresolved/uncommunicated issues among/between team members must be completed resolved PRIOR to the next effectiveness meeting. This will help the meetings be positive and healthy progress/bragging sessions vs hurtful or finger-pointing slugfests. Second, have every team member make one suggestion for team effectiveness improvement prior to the meeting, so they can propose it during the meeting.

7. Know when a team approach is called and know when it's "not enough."

8. Continual, accurate and frequent acknowledgment

A big part of what makes the synergy of a team work is that individual team members are publicly acknowledged for what they've done to help the team and/or forward the outcome/goal. However, keep this praise accurate vs manipulative puffery.

9. Team meetings should be exciting moments of creating, not reporting.

Pose a great question or significant problem for the meeting,don't make it be a boring reporting session -- that's why God invented email and copy machines. If there's any reporting to do, keep it short shares about the wins and progress.

10. Teams work best when people enjoy each other's company.

Copyright © by Bizmove Free Business Guides. All rights reserved.

Free PDF Business Plan Templates and Samples

By Joe Weller | September 9, 2020

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We’ve gathered the most useful collection of business plan PDF templates and samples, including options for organizations of any size and type.

On this page, you’ll find free PDF templates for a simple business plan , small business plan , startup business plan , and more.

Simple Business Plan PDF Templates

These simple business plan PDF templates are ready to use and customizable to fit the needs of any organization.

Simple Business Plan Template PDF

Simple Business Plan Template

This template contains a traditional business plan layout to help you map out each aspect, from a company overview to sales projections and a marketing strategy. This template includes a table of contents, as well as space for financing details that startups looking for funding may need to provide. 

Download Simple Business Plan Template - PDF

Lean Business Plan Template PDF

Lean Business Plan Template

This scannable business plan template allows you to easily identify the most important elements of your plan. Use this template to outline key details pertaining to your business and industry, product or service offerings, target customer segments (and channels to reach them), and to identify sources of revenue. There is also space to include key performance metrics and a timeline of activities. 

Download Lean Business Plan Template - PDF

Simple 30-60-90 Day Business Plan Template PDF

Simple 30-60-90 Day Business Plan Template

This template is designed to help you develop and implement a 90-day business plan by breaking it down into manageable chunks of time. Use the space provided to detail your main goals and deliverables for each timeframe, and then add the steps necessary to achieve your objectives. Assign task ownership and enter deadlines to ensure your plan stays on track every step of the way.

Download Simple 30-60-90 Day Business Plan Template

PDF | Smartsheet

One-Page Business Plan PDF Templates

The following single page business plan templates are designed to help you download your key ideas on paper, and can be used to create a pitch document to gain buy-in from partners, investors, and stakeholders.

One-Page Business Plan Template PDF

printing and advertising business plan pdf

Use this one-page template to summarize each aspect of your business concept in a clear and concise manner. Define the who, what, why, and how of your idea, and use the space at the bottom to create a SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) for your business. 

Download One-Page Business Plan Template

If you’re looking for a specific type of analysis, check out our collection of SWOT templates .

One-Page Lean Business Plan PDF

One Page Lean Business Plan Template

This one-page business plan template employs the Lean management concept, and encourages you to focus on the key assumptions of your business idea. A Lean plan is not stagnant, so update it as goals and objectives change — the visual timeline at the bottom is ideal for detailing milestones. 

Download One-Page Lean Business Plan Template - PDF

One-Page 30-60-90 Day Business Plan Template

One Page 30-60-90 Day Business Plan Template

Use this business plan template to identify main goals and outline the necessary activities to achieve those goals in 30, 60, and 90-day increments. Easily customize this template to fit your needs while you track the status of each task and goal to keep your business plan on target. 

Download One-Page 30-60-90 Day Business Plan Template

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Small Business Plan PDF Templates

These business plan templates are useful for small businesses that want to map out a way to meet organizational objectives, including how to structure, operate, and expand their business.

Simple Small Business Plan Template PDF

Simple Small Business Plan Template

A small business can use this template to outline each critical component of a business plan. There is space to provide details about product or service offerings, target audience, customer reach strategy, competitive advantage, and more. Plus, there is space at the bottom of the document to include a SWOT analysis. Once complete, you can use the template as a basis to build out a more elaborate plan. 

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Fill-In-the-Blank Small Business Plan Template PDF

Simple Fill In The Blank Business Plan Template

This fill-in-the-blank template walks you through each section of a business plan. Build upon the fill-in-the-blank content provided in each section to add information about your company, business idea, market analysis, implementation plan, timeline of milestones, and much more.

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One-Page Small Business Plan Template PDF

One Page Business Plan For Small Business Template

Use this one-page template to create a scannable business plan that highlights the most essential parts of your organization’s strategy. Provide your business overview and management team details at the top, and then outline the target market, market size, competitive offerings, key objectives and success metrics, financial plan, and more.

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Startup Business Plan PDF Templates

Startups can use these business plan templates to check the feasibility of their idea, and articulate their vision to potential investors.

Startup Business Plan Template

Startup Business Plan Template

Use this business plan template to organize and prepare each essential component of your startup plan. Outline key details relevant to your concept and organization, including your mission and vision statement, product or services offered, pricing structure, marketing strategy, financial plan, and more.

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Sample 30-60-90 Day Business Plan for Startup

Sample 30-60-90 Day Business Plan for Startup

Startups can use this sample 30-60-90 day plan to establish main goals and deliverables spanning a 90-day period. Customize the sample goals, deliverables, and activities provided on this template according to the needs of your business. Then, assign task owners and set due dates to help ensure your 90-day plan stays on track.

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Nonprofit Business Plan PDF Templates

Use these business plan PDF templates to outline your organization’s mission, your plan to make a positive impact in your community, and the steps you will take to achieve your nonprofit’s goals.

Nonprofit Business Plan Template PDF

Fill-in-the-Blank Nonprofit Business Plan Template

Use this customizable PDF template to develop a plan that details your organization’s purpose, objectives, and strategy. This template features a table of contents, with room to include your nonprofit’s mission and vision, key team and board members, program offerings, a market and industry analysis, promotional plan, financial plan, and more. This template also contains a visual timeline to display historic and future milestones.

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One-Page Business Plan for Nonprofit Organization PDF 

One Page Business Plan for Nonprofit Organizations Template

This one-page plan serves as a good starting point for established and startup nonprofit organizations to jot down their fundamental goals and objectives. This template contains all the essential aspects of a business plan in a concise and scannable format, including the organizational overview, purpose, promotional plan, key objectives and success metrics, fundraising goals, and more.

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Fill-In-the-Blank Business Plan PDF Templates

Use these fill-in-the-blank templates as a foundation for creating a comprehensive roadmap that aligns your business strategy with your marketing, sales, and financial goals.

Simple Fill-In-the-Blank Business Plan PDF

The fill-in-the-blank template contains all the vital parts of a business plan, with sample content that you can customize to fit your needs. There is room to include an executive summary, business description, market analysis, marketing plan, operations plan, financial statements, and more. 

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Lean Fill-In-the-Blank Business Plan PDF

Fill-in-the-Blank Lean  Business Plan Template

This business plan is designed with a Lean approach that encourages you to clarify and communicate your business idea in a clear and concise manner. This single page fill-in-the-blank template includes space to provide details about your management team, the problem you're solving, the solution, target customers, cost structure, and revenue streams. Use the timeline at the bottom to produce a visual illustration of key milestones. 

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For additional resources, take a look at " Free Fill-In-the-Blank Business Plan Templates ."

Sample Business Plan PDF Templates

These sample business plan PDF templates can help you to develop an organized, thorough, and professional business plan.

Business Plan Sample 

Basic Business Plan Sample

This business plan example demonstrates a plan for a fictional food truck company. The sample includes all of the elements in a traditional business plan, which makes it a useful starting point for developing a plan specific to your business needs.

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Sample Business Plan Outline Template

Simple Business Plan Outline Template

Use this sample outline as a starting point for your business plan. Shorten or expand the outline depending on your organization’s needs, and use it to develop a table of contents for your finalized plan.

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Sample Business Financial Plan Template

Business Financial Plan Template

Use this sample template to develop the financial portion of your business plan. The template provides space to include a financial overview, key assumptions, financial indicators, and business ratios. Complete the break-even analysis and add your financial statements to help prove the viability of your organization’s business plan.

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For more free, downloadable templates for all aspects of your business, check out “ Free Business Templates for Organizations of All Sizes .”

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Sales & Marketing Plan for a Printing Business

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  • December 29, 2023
  • Business Plan , Sales & Marketing Strategy

printing and advertising business plan pdf

Establishing and succeeding in the printing industry demands more than technical proficiency—it requires strategic marketing and sales approaches. We have prepared this guide aims to help craft a tailored sales and marketing plan specifically for the business plan of a printing business.

We’ll begin by dissecting the market through competitive analysis and understanding client needs. Then, we’ll focus on shaping your brand identity and positioning it strategically. Finally, we’ll explore diverse marketing channels to engage potential clients. Additionally, we’ll delve into varied sales strategies to maximize revenue generation.

This guide aims to equip your printing business with the tools necessary for strategic positioning, effective client engagement, and revenue optimization in the competitive printing landscape. Let’s dive in!

the business plan template for a printing business

Printing Company Business Plan

Download an expert-built 30+ slides Powerpoint business plan template

Market Analysis

Understanding the market landscape is a pivotal step before implementing sales and marketing strategies. It involves a comprehensive evaluation of both the competitive environment and the target audience’s preferences and needs.

Competitive Analysis

Identifying and comprehensively analyzing competitors is essential for formulating effective strategies:

  • Competitor Identification: Beyond merely acknowledging competitors, delve into their strengths, weaknesses, market positioning, pricing strategies, customer base, and unique selling propositions.
  • SWOT Analysis: Conduct a thorough SWOT analysis to pinpoint your business’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats in relation to competitors. It helps in recognizing areas where your printing business can outshine others and areas that require improvement or differentiation.

Target Audience Profiling

Understanding your prospective clients in-depth aids in aligning services with their needs and preferences:

  • Demographics and Psychographics: Dive deeper into your ideal client characteristics, including industry sectors served, company size, printing volume, preferred print materials, and timelines. This information will facilitate more targeted marketing and service offerings.
  • Client Needs Assessment: Conduct surveys or interviews to understand client pain points, preferred printing specifications, delivery timelines, and expectations from a printing service provider. This insight will be crucial in tailoring services to meet their specific requirements.

Branding and Positioning

Developing a distinctive brand identity and positioning strategy is crucial to stand out in a competitive market:

Brand Identity Development

  • Defining Brand Values: Craft a compelling brand narrative that highlights your commitment to quality, innovation, sustainability, or exceptional customer service. Infuse this narrative across all brand communication channels.
  • Visual Identity: Design a consistent and visually appealing brand identity, including a logo, color palette, typography, and design elements that resonate with your target market. Ensure this visual identity is cohesive across all touchpoints, from your website to print materials and social media.

Market Positioning Strategy

  • Unique Offerings Emphasis: Highlight your printing business’s unique selling propositions prominently. Whether it’s specialized printing techniques, environmentally friendly practices, or outstanding customer service, these unique aspects should be central to your market positioning.
  • Crafting a Clear Positioning Statement: Develop a succinct and compelling positioning statement that encapsulates your brand’s value proposition. This statement should clearly communicate what sets your printing business apart from competitors and resonate with your target audience.

Marketing Channels

Effectively utilizing various marketing channels is key to reaching potential clients and enhancing brand visibility:

Digital Marketing

  • Website Optimization: Create a user-friendly website that not only showcases your services but also offers resources, such as downloadable print templates, industry insights, and FAQs. Optimize it for SEO to improve online visibility.
  • Content Marketing Strategies: Produce informative and engaging content, such as blog posts, infographics, or video tutorials, addressing common printing queries, emerging trends, and case studies showcasing successful projects.

Social Media Engagement

  • Platform Selection: Identify the most suitable social media platforms for your business. LinkedIn is effective for B2B outreach, while Instagram and Pinterest can showcase visually appealing print designs and creative concepts.
  • Engagement and Interaction: Regularly engage with your audience by responding to comments, sharing user-generated content, and hosting interactive sessions like live Q&A sessions or design challenges.

Local Networking and Advertising

  • Networking Events and Partnerships: Participate in local business networking events, industry conferences, and trade shows to establish connections, build partnerships, and generate leads.
  • Local Advertising Strategies: Consider investing in targeted local print ads in newspapers, and magazines, or sponsoring community events or local sports teams to boost brand visibility within your immediate vicinity.

Promotional Activities

Attracting and engaging clients through compelling offers and initiatives:

Introductory Offers

  • Discounts and Bundled Deals: Offer first-time client discounts or package deals for bulk orders to entice new clients to experience your services at a reduced cost.
  • Seasonal Promotions: Launch seasonal promotions like “Back-to-School Printing Specials” or “Holiday Greeting Card Packages” tailored to current market needs and trends.

Referral Programs

  • Incentivizing Referrals: Encourage satisfied clients to refer others by providing them with discounts, free add-ons, or credits on their next order for successful referrals.
  • Client Testimonials and Case Studies: Highlight satisfied client testimonials and case studies showcasing successful projects on your website and marketing materials to build credibility and trust.

Sales Channels

Optimizing sales channels to maximize revenue streams and customer satisfaction:

Online Ordering System

  • Seamless User Experience: Ensure a seamless online ordering system on your website, allowing clients to easily request quotes, upload files, track orders, and make payments securely.
  • E-commerce Integration: Integrate an e-commerce platform into your website to sell printing-related products like custom stationery, promotional items, or design templates directly to clients.

Client Engagement Strategies

  • Upselling and Consultative Selling: Train your sales team to upsell by suggesting additional services, premium finishes, or design consultations tailored to each client’s specific needs and project requirements.
  • Exceptional Customer Support: Provide personalized and prompt customer service, guiding clients through the printing process, offering expert advice, and ensuring satisfaction with every interaction.

Membership and Loyalty Programs

  • Tailored Membership Plans: Introduce membership options offering discounts on recurring orders, bulk printing, or exclusive access to new services or products.
  • Rewarding Loyalty: Develop a robust loyalty program where clients earn points for every purchase, which they can redeem for discounts or exclusive offers on future orders.

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How to write a business plan for a printing shop?

printing shop business plan

Putting together a business plan for a printing shop can be daunting - especially if you're creating a business for the first time - but with this comprehensive guide, you'll have the necessary tools to do it confidently.

We will explore why writing one is so important in both starting up and growing an existing printing shop, as well as what should go into making an effective plan - from its structure to content - and what tools can be used to streamline the process and avoid errors.

Without further ado, let us begin!

In this guide:

Why write a business plan for a printing shop?

  • What information is needed to create a business plan for a printing shop?
  • How do I build a financial forecast for a printing shop?

The written part of a printing shop business plan

  • What tool should I use to write my printing shop business plan?

Having a clear understanding of why you want to write a business plan for your printing shop will make it simpler for you to grasp the rationale behind its structure and content. So before delving into the plan's actual details, let's take a moment to remind ourselves of the primary reasons why you'd want to create a printing shop business plan.

To have a clear roadmap to grow the business

Running a small business is tough! Economic cycles bring growth and recessions, while the business landscape is ever-changing with new technologies, regulations, competitors, and consumer behaviours emerging constantly.

In such a dynamic context, operating a business without a clear roadmap is akin to driving blindfolded: it's risky, to say the least. That's why crafting a business plan for your printing shop is vital to establish a successful and sustainable venture.

To create an effective business plan, you'll need to assess your current position (if you're already in business) and define where you want the business to be in the next three to five years.

Once you have a clear destination for your printing shop, you'll have to:

  • Identify the necessary resources (human, equipment, and capital) needed to reach your goals,
  • Determine the pace at which the business needs to progress to meet its objectives as scheduled,
  • Recognize and address the potential risks you may encounter along the way.

Engaging in this process regularly proves advantageous for both startups and established companies. It empowers you to make informed decisions about resource allocation, ensuring the long-term success of your business.

To get visibility on future cash flows

If your small printing shop runs out of cash: it's game over. That's why we often say "cash is king", and it's crucial to have a clear view of your printing shop's future cash flows.

So, how can you achieve this? It's simple - you need to have an up-to-date financial forecast.

The good news is that your printing shop business plan already includes a financial forecast (which we'll discuss further in this guide). Your task is to ensure it stays current.

To accomplish this, it's essential to regularly compare your actual financial performance with what was planned in your financial forecast. Based on your business's current trajectory, you can make adjustments to the forecast.

By diligently monitoring your printing shop's financial health, you'll be able to spot potential financial issues, like unexpected cash shortfalls, early on and take corrective actions. Moreover, this practice will enable you to recognize and capitalize on growth opportunities, such as excess cash flow enabling you to expand to new locations.

To secure financing

A detailed business plan becomes a crucial tool when seeking financing from banks or investors for your printing shop.

Investing and lending to small businesses are very risky activities given how fragile they are. Therefore, financiers have to take extra precautions before putting their capital at risk.

At a minimum, financiers will want to ensure that you have a clear roadmap and a solid understanding of your future cash flows (like we just explained above). But they will also want to ensure that your business plan fits the risk/reward profile they seek.

This will off-course vary from bank to bank and investor to investor, but as a rule of thumb. Banks will want to see a conservative financial management style (low risk), and they will use the information in your business plan to assess your borrowing capacity — the level of debt they think your business can comfortably handle — and your ability to repay the loan. This evaluation will determine whether they'll provide credit to your printing shop and the terms of the agreement.

Whereas investors will carefully analyze your business plan to gauge the potential return on their investment. Their focus lies on evidence indicating your printing shop's potential for high growth, profitability, and consistent cash flow generation over time.

Now that you recognize the importance of creating a business plan for your printing shop, let's explore what information is required to create a compelling plan.

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Information needed to create a business plan for a printing shop

Drafting a printing shop business plan requires research so that you can project sales, investments and cost accurately in your financial forecast, and convince the reader that there is a viable commercial opportunity to be seized.

Below, we'll focus on three critical pieces of information you should gather before starting to write your plan.

Carrying out market research for a printing shop

As you consider writing your business plan for a printing shop, conducting market research becomes a vital step to ensure accurate and realistic financial projections.

Market research provides valuable insights into your target customer base, competitors, pricing strategies, and other key factors that can significantly impact the commercial success of your business.

Through this research, you may uncover trends that could influence your printing shop.

You might find that customers may be increasingly interested in non-traditional printing options, such as vinyl prints, canvas wraps, and other specialty products. Additionally, customers could be looking for more eco-friendly printing options, such as recycled paper or water-based inks.

Such market trends play a significant role in forecasting revenue, as they offer valuable data about potential customers' spending habits and preferences.

By incorporating these findings into your financial projections, you can present investors with more accurate information, helping them make informed decisions about investing in your printing shop.

Developing the marketing plan for a printing shop

Before delving into your printing shop business plan, it's imperative to budget for sales and marketing expenses.

To achieve this, a comprehensive sales and marketing plan is essential. This plan should provide an accurate projection of the necessary actions to acquire and retain customers.

Additionally, it will outline the required workforce to carry out these initiatives and the corresponding budget for promotions, advertising, and other marketing endeavours.

By budgeting accordingly, you can ensure that the right resources are allocated to these vital activities, aligning them with the sales and growth objectives outlined in your business plan.

The staffing and equipment needs of a printing shop

As you embark on starting or expanding your printing shop, having a clear plan for recruitment and capital expenditures (investment in equipment and real estate) is essential for ensuring your business's success.

Both the recruitment and investment plans must align with the timing and level of growth projected in your forecast, and they require appropriate funding.

The staffing costs for a printing shop might include wages for a manager, customer service representatives, and production workers, as well as payroll taxes and benefits. The equipment costs might include the purchase of printing presses, paper cutters, computers, and software, as well as ongoing maintenance and upkeep of the machinery.

To create a realistic financial forecast, you also need to consider other operating expenses associated with the day-to-day running of your business, such as insurance and bookkeeping.

With all the necessary information at hand, you are ready to begin crafting your business plan and developing your financial forecast.

What goes into your printing shop's financial forecast?

The financial forecast of your printing shop's business plan will enable you to assess the growth, profitability, funding requirements, and cash generation potential of your business in the coming years.

The four key outputs of a financial forecast for a printing shop are:

  • The profit and loss (P&L) statement ,
  • The projected balance sheet ,
  • The cash flow forecast ,
  • And the sources and uses table .

Let's look at each of these in a bit more detail.

The projected P&L statement

The projected P&L statement for a printing shop shows how much revenue and profit your business is expected to make in the future.

example of projected profit and loss statement in a printing shop business plan

A healthy printing shop's P&L statement should show:

  • Sales growing at (minimum) or above (better) inflation
  • Stable (minimum) or expanding (better) profit margins
  • A healthy level of net profitability

This will of course depend on the stage of your business: numbers for a startup will look different than for an established printing shop.

The projected balance sheet of your printing shop

The balance sheet for a printing shop is a financial document that provides a snapshot of your business’s financial health at a given point in time.

It shows three main components: assets, liabilities and equity:

  • Assets: are resources owned by the business, such as cash, equipment, and accounts receivable (money owed by clients).
  • Liabilities: are debts owed to creditors and other entities, such as accounts payable (money owed to suppliers) and loans.
  • Equity: includes the sums invested by the shareholders or business owners and the cumulative profits and losses of the business to date (called retained earnings). It is a proxy for the value of the owner's stake in the business.

example of projected balance sheet in a printing shop business plan

Examining the balance sheet is important for lenders, investors, or other stakeholders who are interested in assessing your printing shop's liquidity and solvency:

  • Liquidity: assesses whether or not your business has sufficient cash and short-term assets to honour its liabilities due over the next 12 months. It is a short-term focus.
  • Solvency: assesses whether or not your business has the capacity to repay its debt over the medium-term.

Looking at the balance sheet can also provide insights into your printing shop's investment and financing policies.

In particular, stakeholders can compare the value of equity to the value of the outstanding financial debt to assess how the business is funded and what level of financial risk has been taken by the owners (financial debt is riskier because it has to be repaid, while equity doesn't need to be repaid).

The projected cash flow statement

A cash flow forecast for a printing shop shows how much cash the business is projected to generate or consume.

example of cash flow forecast in a printing shop business plan

The cash flow statement is divided into 3 main areas:

  • The operating cash flow shows how much cash is generated or consumed by the operations (running the business)
  • The investing cash flow shows how much cash is being invested in capital expenditure (equipment, real estate, etc.)
  • The financing cash flow shows how much cash is raised or distributed to investors and lenders

Looking at the cash flow forecast helps you to ensure that your business has enough cash to keep running, and can help you anticipate potential cash shortfalls.

It is also a best practice to include a monthly cash flow statement in the appendices of your printing shop business plan so that the readers can view the impact of seasonality on your business cash position and generation.

The initial financing plan

The initial financing plan, also known as a sources and uses table, is a valuable resource to have in your business plan when starting your printing shop as it reveals the origins of the money needed to establish the business (sources) and how it will be allocated (uses).

printing shop business plan: sources & uses example

Having this table helps show what costs are involved in setting up your printing shop, how risks are shared between founders, investors and lenders, and what the starting cash position will be. This cash position needs to be sufficient to sustain operations until the business reaches a break-even point.

Now that you have a clear understanding of what goes into the financial forecast of your printing shop business plan, let's shift our focus to the written part of the plan.

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The written part of a printing shop business plan plays a key role: it lays out the plan of action you intend to execute to seize the commercial opportunity you've identified on the market and provides the context needed for the reader to decide if they believe your plan to be achievable and your financial forecast to be realistic.

The written part of a printing shop business plan is composed of 7 main sections:

  • The executive summary
  • The presentation of the company
  • The products and services
  • The market analysis
  • The strategy
  • The operations
  • The financial plan

Let's go through the content of each section in more detail!

1. The executive summary

The executive summary, the first section of your printing shop's business plan, serves as an inviting snapshot of your entire plan, leaving readers eager to know more about your business.

To compose an effective executive summary, start with a concise introduction of your business, covering its name, concept, location, history, and unique aspects. Share insights about the services or products you intend to offer and your target customer base.

Subsequently, provide an overview of your printing shop's addressable market, highlighting current trends and potential growth opportunities.

Then, present a summary of critical financial figures, such as projected revenues, profits, and cash flows.

You should then include a summary of your key financial figures such as projected revenues, profits, and cash flows.

Lastly, address any funding needs in the "ask" section of your executive summary.

2. The presentation of the company

In your printing shop business plan, the second section should focus on the structure and ownership, location, and management team of your company.

In the structure and ownership part, you'll provide an overview of the business's legal structure, details about the owners, and their respective investments and ownership shares. This clarity is crucial, especially if you're seeking financing, as it helps the reader understand which legal entity will receive the funds and who controls the business.

Moving on to the location part, you'll offer an overview of the company's premises and their surroundings. Explain why this particular location is of interest, highlighting factors like catchment area, accessibility, and nearby amenities.

When describing the location of your printing shop, you may emphasize the potential benefits of the area. You could highlight the area's access to a large customer base, its business-friendly environment, and its potential for growth. You might mention that the area has transportation links which could facilitate the delivery of goods, and is well-positioned to reach other markets. Additionally, you could point out the proximity to amenities such as restaurants, entertainment, and other services. Overall, you may present the area as an attractive destination for businesses that could realize a good return on their investment.

Finally, you should introduce your management team. Describe each member's role, background, and experience.

Don't forget to emphasize any past successes achieved by the management team and how long they've been working together. Demonstrating their track record and teamwork will help potential lenders or investors gain confidence in their leadership and ability to execute the business plan.

3. The products and services section

The products and services section of your business plan should include a detailed description of what your company offers, who are the target customers, and what distribution channels are part of your go-to-market. 

For example, your printing shop might offer services such as full-colour printing, large format printing, and custom design to its customers. Full-colour printing is an ideal choice for businesses that need to create promotional materials, such as brochures, flyers, and posters. Large format printing is perfect for producing banners, signs, and posters, and custom design can help customers create unique visuals with the help of a professional designer. All of these services are designed to help customers create marketing materials that will help attract more customers to their business.

4. The market analysis

When presenting your market analysis in your printing shop business plan, you should detail the customers' demographics and segmentation, target market, competition, barriers to entry, and any regulations that may apply.

The goal of this section is to help the reader understand how big and attractive your market is, and demonstrate that you have a solid understanding of the industry.

You should start with the demographics and segmentation subsection, which gives an overview of the addressable market for your printing shop, the main trends in the marketplace, and introduces the different customer segments and their preferences in terms of purchasing habits and budgets.

The target market section should follow and zoom on the customer segments your printing shop is targeting, and explain how your products and services meet the specific needs of these customers.

For example, your target market might include small businesses. This segment would include those who need high-quality printing services in order to create materials for their business operations, such as brochures, business cards, and flyers. Additionally, they may need more specialized printing services such as large-format printing or specialty papers.

Then comes the competition subsection, where you should introduce your main competitors and explain what differentiates you from them.

Finally, you should finish your market analysis by giving an overview of the main regulations applicable to your printing shop.

5. The strategy section

When you write the strategy section of your printing shop business plan, remember to cover key elements such as your competitive edge, pricing strategy, sales & marketing plan, milestones, and risks and mitigants.

In the competitive edge subsection, elaborate on what makes your company stand out from competitors. This becomes especially important if you're a startup, aiming to carve a place for yourself amidst established players in the marketplace.

The pricing strategy subsection should demonstrate how you plan to maintain profitability while offering competitive prices to attract customers.

Outline your sales & marketing plan, detailing how you'll reach out to new customers and retain existing ones through loyalty programs or special offers.

For the milestones subsection, outline your company's achievements to date and your main objectives for the future, complete with specific dates to set clear expectations for progress.

Lastly, the risks and mitigants subsection should address the main risks that could affect your plan's execution. Explain the measures you've put in place to minimize these risks, assuring potential investors or lenders.

Your printing shop may face the risk of a decrease in demand for print products, as more businesses switch to digital formats. This could mean that your shop has to adjust its services to accommodate new technologies, or risk losing customers. Additionally, your shop might face the risk of a disruption in its supply chain, either due to a natural disaster or an unexpected increase in demand. This could lead to delays in the delivery of materials, resulting in a disruption of your operations.

6. The operations section

The operations of your printing shop must be presented in detail in your business plan.

The first thing you should cover in this section is your staffing team, the main roles, and the overall recruitment plan to support the growth expected in your business plan. You should also outline the qualifications and experience necessary to fulfil each role, and how you intend to recruit (using job boards, referrals, or headhunters).

You should then state the operating hours of your printing shop - so that the reader can check the adequacy of your staffing levels - and any plans for varying opening times during peak season. Additionally, the plan should include details on how you will handle customer queries outside of normal operating hours.

The next part of this section should focus on the key assets and IP required to operate your business. If you depend on any licenses or trademarks, physical structures (equipment or property) or lease agreements, these should all go in there.

You may have key assets such as a large printing press and a variety of inks and papers. These items could be considered intellectual property of the printing shop, as they are integral to the operations of the business. Additionally, the shop might have a portfolio of designs that it has produced over time, as well as customer databases and contacts, which could be considered intellectual property as well.

Finally, you should include a list of suppliers that you plan to work with and a breakdown of their services and main commercial terms (price, payment terms, contract duration, etc.). Investors are always keen to know if there is a particular reason why you have chosen to work with a specific supplier (higher-quality products or past relationships for example).

7. The presentation of the financial plan

The financial plan section is where we will present the financial forecast we talked about earlier in this guide.

Now that you have a clear idea of what goes in your printing shop business plan, let's look at the solutions you can use to draft yours.

What tool should I use to write my printing shop's business plan?

In this section, we will be reviewing the two main solutions for creating a printing shop business plan:

  • Using specialized online business plan software,
  • Outsourcing the plan to the business plan writer.

Using an online business plan software for your printing shop's business plan

The modern and most efficient way to write a printing shop business plan is to use business plan software .

There are several advantages to using specialized software:

  • You can easily create your financial forecast by letting the software take care of the financial calculations for you without errors
  • You are guided through the writing process by detailed instructions and examples for each part of the plan
  • You can access a library of dozens of complete business plan samples and templates for inspiration
  • You get a professional business plan, formatted and ready to be sent to your bank or investors
  • You can easily track your actual financial performance against your financial forecast
  • You can create scenarios to stress test your forecast's main assumptions
  • You can easily update your forecast as time goes by to maintain visibility on future cash flows
  • You have a friendly support team on standby to assist you when you are stuck

If you're interested in using this type of solution, you can try The Business Plan Shop for free by signing up here .

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Hiring a business plan writer to write your printing shop's business plan

Outsourcing your printing shop business plan to a business plan writer can also be a viable option.

Business plan writers are experienced in writing business plans and adept at creating financial forecasts without errors. Furthermore, hiring a consultant can save you time and allow you to focus on the day-to-day operations of your business.

However, hiring business plan writers is expensive as you are paying for the software used by the consultant, plus their time, and their profit margin of course.

From experience, you need to budget at least £1.5k ($2.0k) excluding tax for a complete business plan, more if you need to make changes after the initial version (which happens frequently after the initial meetings with lenders or investors).

You also need to be careful when seeking investment. Investors want their money to be used to grow the business, not spent on consulting fees. Therefore, the amount you spend on business plan writing services (and other consulting services such as legal services) needs to be negligible relative to the amount raised.

The other drawback is that you usually don't own the business plan itself: you just get the output, while the actual document is saved in the consultant's business plan software - which makes it difficult to maintain the document up to date without hiring the consultant on a retainer.

For these reasons, outsourcing the printing shop business plan to a business plan writer should be considered carefully, weighing both the advantages and disadvantages of hiring outside help.

Ultimately, it may be the right decision for some businesses, while others may find it beneficial to write their business plan using online software.

Why not create your printing shop's business plan using Word or Excel?

Using Microsoft Excel and Word (or their Google, Apple, or open-source equivalents) to write a printing shop business plan is not advisable. Allow me to explain the reasons.

Firstly, creating an accurate and error-free financial forecast on Excel or any spreadsheet demands technical expertise in accounting principles and financial modelling. Without a degree in finance and accounting and significant financial modelling experience, it's unlikely that the reader will fully trust your numbers.

Secondly, relying on spreadsheets is inefficient. While it may have been the go-to option in the past, technology has evolved, and software now performs such tasks much faster and more accurately.

The second reason is that it is inefficient. Building forecasts on spreadsheets was the only option in the early 2000s, nowadays technology has advanced and software can do it much faster and much more accurately.

And with the rise of AI, software is also becoming smarter at helping us detect mistakes in our forecasts and helping us analyse the numbers to make better decisions.

Moreover, software offers ease in comparing actuals versus forecasts and maintaining up-to-date forecasts for clear visibility on future cash flows, as we discussed earlier in this guide. Such tasks are cumbersome when using spreadsheets.

Now, let's address the written part of your printing shop business plan. While it may be less prone to errors, using software can significantly boost productivity. Word processors lack instructions and examples for each section of your business plan. They also won't automatically update your numbers when changes occur in your forecast, and they lack automated formatting capabilities.

In summary, while some entrepreneurs may consider Word or Excel for their business plan, it's far from the best or most efficient solution when compared to specialized software.

  • A business plan has 2 complementary parts: a financial forecast showcasing the expected growth, profits and cash flows of the business; and a written part which provides the context needed to judge if the forecast is realistic and relevant.
  • Having an up-to-date business plan is the only way to keep visibility on your printing shop's future cash flows.
  • Using business plan software is the modern way of writing and maintaining business plans.

We hope that this practical guide gave you insights on how to write the business plan for your printing shop. Do not hesitate to get in touch with our team if you still have questions.

Also on The Business Plan Shop

  • In-depth business plan structure
  • Key steps to write a business plan?
  • Free business plan template

Know someone who owns or wants to start a printing shop? Share this article with them!

Guillaume Le Brouster

Founder & CEO at The Business Plan Shop Ltd

Guillaume Le Brouster is a seasoned entrepreneur and financier.

Guillaume has been an entrepreneur for more than a decade and has first-hand experience of starting, running, and growing a successful business.

Prior to being a business owner, Guillaume worked in investment banking and private equity, where he spent most of his time creating complex financial forecasts, writing business plans, and analysing financial statements to make financing and investment decisions.

Guillaume holds a Master's Degree in Finance from ESCP Business School and a Bachelor of Science in Business & Management from Paris Dauphine University.

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How to build a marketing strategy for printing businesses - A complete guide in 2021

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In the United States alone, the 2021 print business is estimated to be $68.7 billion. In addition to being incredibly competitive, print enterprises also have to deal with constantly changing technology and trends. Many print businesses fail because of the intense competition they face. However, to stand out in a time when many printing companies are lowering their marketing expenses, it seems that increasing spending is the better option.

Even the print industry has found the tsunami of digital business to be unsettling. Businesses that had previously thrived have had to implement budget cuts or perhaps close their doors. Some things still need to be printed, but the days of corporate communication and advertising being primarily via printing are long gone. Most of the most effective print marketing methods are digital. In this modern digital age, these are the most effective techniques to promote your printing firm.

A few basic steps to build an overall marketing strategy for printing companies

Printing companies are good at helping their clients advertise and get results, but they don’t do a good job of promoting themselves. Marketing appears complicated and time-consuming, but it isn’t. The following key rules are important: understanding your clients, deciding what you want to communicate to them, and choosing the appropriate approaches.

Step 1: Determine your target audience

The first step of any successful marketing initiative is to understand your customers. Research your customers and develop profiles of the clients you wish to target. You might also consider the things they value, what they require, and what they are expecting from you. You can formulate more successful strategies by understanding the client’s needs.

The following are some approaches for determining the target customer and some suggestions on whom to target. To begin, consider a few inquiries.

  • Are you the kind of shop that sells a lot of print to specific industries? If that’s the case, it’s important to treat them as prime target consumers.
  • Examine the job titles of your customers. Is there a pattern or are there several instances of the same job title? They are one of your customers.
  • What type of item do you wish to put on the market? What sector employs this product in an unusual way? This is an ideal customer (if you promote that product)

Step 2: Refine your message

Decide regarding what you will inform your clients about. What makes you stand out as a graphic designer? According to the marketing professionals, this is your messaging. You can express your thoughts in several ways. It can be organized in regards to overall branding or a specific campaign, such as your new large-format division.

The two most crucial parts of every marketing campaign are knowing your customers and developing your message. These are steps that will shape your strategies. A consultant at this stage may assist you in getting your thoughts in order and increasing your ROI.

Step 3: Decide on Your Budget

Decide on Your Budget

Knowing how much you can spend is straightforward. Many people believe it is going to be difficult and time-consuming, but it doesn’t have to be.

You already do it if you generate a marketing budget each year. If you don’t, then estimate how much you’ve spent on marketing in the past year, regardless of whether you used money or materials. If you’re happy with that number for the upcoming year, go ahead and use it. If you believe you can invest a little more, do so. It doesn’t have to be a complicated process.

If you are going to have a booth, participate in events, or travel, you’ll probably want to put more thought into these decisions, but in general, you just need to work backward from your channel efforts and then use that number to determine your overall budget.

Step 4: Establish a Unique Value Proposition

One of the more difficult aspects of the printing industry is that most businesses provide comparable services. All services produce similar technology and final results.

It is imperative to offer a unique value proposition to stand apart. You may have a sort of printing in which you excel, and may even have special technology in that field. To emphasize it, explain it in your description.

Some manufacturers do very well in microbreweries, sports clubs, and municipalities. You may be able to help the business messaging evolve if you have marketing knowledge to assist them with marketing materials (often the most difficult part).

Step 5: Reach agreement on channels

Though there are plenty of suitable marketing avenues for print companies, there are three basic options: offline, online, and email (Existing Customers).

Reach agreement on channels

National or local trade shows, local events, and direct mail are all ways to advertise offline. When dealing with sponsorships, don’t do those that merely include your name and brand because they aren’t useful. If you have decided to do trade fairs, you are either already an expert or you are obtaining all the information you need.

Local events are quite successful in their own right. When targeting specific customers, select a target group that visits and works at nearby local events. Have your samples ready for those customers to see and make a connection with them. In a similar vein, if they are packaging people, they bring sample containers.

You may increase your chances of success in the digital world by optimizing your website to appear in search engines, posting blogs, sharing on social media, running advertising, and sending an email.

If you’re sending out emails, do so as part of your internet marketing activities, but try to reach out to your previous and present consumers via email. If they can see you, they’re more likely to spend money. Your ability to be more strategic and creative in your email will increase their buying rate.

Step 6: Build the Infrastructure & Launch

That pretty much sums it up. After that, you’ll just build out your resources for each of your planned channels, targeting the specific individuals you selected and carrying out the themes you determined within the budget you outlined. Then start, go live, wait, etc.

Some tips for developing a printing business marketing plan in 2021

#1 keep an eye on your competitors.

The availability of instant access and visibility over the internet has significantly intensified printing companies’ competition. You don’t compete with only a few local companies anymore. You also have to think about worldwide brands.

Keep an eye on your competitors

Therefore, keeping your competition constantly monitored is the next thing you need to do to attract consumers for printing. Innumerable factors affect your print sales. Your competitors play an important influence in your company’s success. Therefore it is crucial to take the right actions to achieve a competitive edge by continuously upgrading and learning from your competitors.

Once you know how your competition offers it, you just have to ask yourself the following questions: “What makes your firm unique?,” “What characteristics will enable you to stand out?” Once you correctly answer these questions, you’re good to go!

*Tip: Don’t go against VistaPrint

Many people who start printing are asking whether they should try to replicate a business such as VistaPrint, especially with the feature to develop and process print orders completely on their websites.

The response to the ordinary neighborhood print shop is no. The major problem is that it is prohibitively costly and complicated to create a website like VistaPrint. It’s a big investment that a little local shop won’t get back. The second concern is that Vista Print is already available. If you wish to enter the industry, how are you going to get market share? Have you the resources to market them? How are you going to distinguish your services?

A website is a leading generation tool for the local print shop. The aim is to have prospects for early work phases. You can list basic rates and explore different design aspects, but aim at your local market, not the national internet markets where you must fight against major players such as VistaPrint.

#2 Release in local newspapers and industry publications

Release in local newspapers and industry publications

Publishing in local newspapers, magazines in the industry, and so forth is yet another wonderful digital marketing approach for printers. Rather, the aim is to develop valuable content for websites or news publications that are informative and make you a leader in printing.

In this manner, the website that you publish gets high-quality material and a do-follow link to increase your domain authority. You can boost the domain authority of your website by gaining links in local and online publications, also referred to as link building or backlinking, that in turn improve your rank on Google’s results.

However, it can pay a little more than occasionally simply gaining a link. Digital PR focuses on the posting of articles that might contribute to brand awareness and which do not only rely on a do-follow link for value. For printing companies who are trying to survive in the declining printing sector, this is highly crucial. For example, the Community Q&As which spotlight small company owners raise awareness of brands, and secure a link from a relevant, official source to your website.

#3 Develop a strong website

Like all today’s companies, a printing service requires a nicely designed website that is professional and experienced. Since printing is a design service, your site is an integral element of your portfolio. Your website should be clean and current. Also, whether on-page photos or PDFs, your actual work portfolio needs to be easy to browse.

Develop a strong website

Make sure that your website contains a strong call for action to encourage them to contact you. Keep your navigation straightforward especially if you have a lot of print services on your site.

Ensure that it is easy to download designs and photos in all the formats with which you deal. Provide explicit instructions on how to transmit downloads and test the process to ensure that there are no crashes.

#4 Start promoting content with an insightful blog

You probably heard this saying: content is king when it comes to marketing. According to the Content Marketing Institute, a remarkable 92% of marketers consider the content of their companies to be an asset. So valuable material is for a company.

By providing high-quality instructive material that answers potential customer inquiries or discloses tips and methods, you may improve the traffic of your organic website and lead.

#5 Optimize the search engine (SEO)

Optimizing the search engine is the process of boosting the visibility of a website in search engines. This means more inbound leads for print enterprises, without having to house the bucks for costly sponsored advertising.

Any SEO plan of quality begins with a detailed SEO audit. You can only find out what problems your site has in communicating with search engines through an audit. SEO tactics are based on research in industry, competitive analysis, keyword research, and more; however in the end an effective plan to boost your online presence comes to fruition.

Then SEO helps to upload search engine results pages through content marketing, backlinking, local SEO services, and a lot of other strategies (SERPs). Technical SEO also enables you to optimize site speed, user experience, internal links and so much more to ensure that you never lose out on organic internet traffic. SEO is the foundation for any good marketing approach. It helps and improves all other parts of digital marketing and is noted for its quality ROI provision.

#6 Create and improve your Google My Business profile

One of the fastest and most efficient ways to boost your Internet presence is to just create and maintain a Google My Business Profile (GMB).

Create and improve your Google My Business profile

GMB profiles allow your business to be shown on Google maps and local results. For ordinary search inquiries, you are included in sponsored advertising, but above organic results.

GMB accounts also allow your company to appear on Google Maps, an ideal place to acquire local customers. And a conspicuous quote that contains not only an exact name, address, and telephone number (NAP), but also a link to your site can be sent.

GMB accounts also allow your company to appear on Google Maps

An updated GMB profile is essential if you want to boost your online presence and see the marketing strategy of your printing firm succeed.

#7 Master Market Research

You want to demonstrate the traffic to your website for print-related searches in your location. There are three techniques to control the results of the search.

The first is pay-per-click publicity. These adverts run on auction-based platforms such as Google Adwords and Bing Ads. The key advantage here is that you can present the copy and the landing page on the top slots (reserved for paid ads). For example, you may want to run a business card ad. Your ad and your website page may match that offer.

Next, you have to set up Google My Business and rank it. This is the Google map listing and review site for geospatial searches. This is a free listing that may be optimized with your descriptions and client reviews.

Then you have the listings on the organic website. These are free clicks, with your site optimizing for keywords, acquiring links, social media traffic, and material added to your blog.

#8 Manage your reputation

Although your content is significant, there is another sort of internet content that is equally valuable: an online review. Consumers today consult online reviews, including print services, for most services. What’s said about you in the reviews influences your decision to work with you.

This begins with your own service. All you do with customers has an impact on your marketing. Today, a company needs to include customer service in its culture. In case of doubt, put the demands of the consumer first and amaze people with your service.

Manage your reputation

Furthermore, the follow-up urges individuals to examine you. Mention it in follow-up phone calls. Try to receive reviews on major platforms, including Google, Facebook, and Top Rated Local. Keep a close eye on what you’re saying and answer anything unpleasant. Reviews are also a good area to receive customer input to improve your service.

*Pro tip: Put your website with testimonials

Another fantastic technique to make customer feedback proactive is to include your testimonials on your website. This is a strategy to receive good feedback before consumers go to third-party websites.

You can have a testimonials page, but the most efficient way to diffuse your content is next to your calls for action. Video accounts are also very effective. Furthermore, there are widgets to insert reviews of Google or Facebook, and the Top Rated Local badge links to the site with a rating score of all of your reviews.

#9 Partner with local networks

One thing you can do is use your local networks. As a printing company, you can take benefit of local references. Each business with which you work can become a connection where you refer to new customers.

Partner with local networks

As a printer, it extends your reputation management in numerous ways. You must receive local references. However, because you are connected to so many companies, you can also refer customers for certain services. Do that to them, and they will do the same thing for you.

#10 Create a business page for Facebook

Facebook offers excellent marketing prospects with the visual components of a printing business. The public (including your guides) is on Facebook. Many people ask for advice and find Facebook companies. There you need a presence.

Create a business page for Facebook

This presence is your business page on Facebook. Half a website, half a social media update. It is a website that allows you to put all your business information, call for an estimate, and even chat via messenger directly with leads.

You also post on your schedule so that people can feel their employees, work, and daily life inside and out of your enterprise. You should connect and remark on your contributions with your partner companies.

Final Words

Building a marketing strategy can be easier said than done for a printing company. It takes a lot of time and works if you want to do it correctly.

Ensuring that you offer specialty printing services can assist your clients to grow their businesses and attract new customers. Furthermore, several of these services are required for each of these seven customer groups described. Instead of offering a few things, which may or may not be what your consumers want, you offer a selection of solutions based on your customers’ current and future demands.

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