Top 250 Franchise by Entrepreneur-Rank no. 178-PostNet Neighborhood Business Centers – US

Products & Services: Packing & shipping, printing, signs, web services

Number of Locations: 676

Total Investment: $162.16K – 200.64K

Founded: 1985

Began Franchising: 1993

About PostNet Neighborhood Business Centers
Steven Greenbaum and Brian Spindel founded PostNet in 1985, and began franchising the concept in 1993. PostNet Neighborhood Business Centers offer graphic design, printing, copying and shipping services for home-based and small- to medium-sized businesses, as well as consumers.

Where Seeking Franchisees: Franchisor is seeking new franchise units worldwide.
Startup Costs, Ongoing Fees and Financing
Total Investment: $162,167 – $200,650
Franchise Fee: $35,000
Ongoing Royalty Fee: 5%
Term of Franchise Agreement: 15 years, renewable
Financial Requirements
Net Worth: $300,000
Liquid Cash Available: $60,000
Operations
14% of all franchisees own more than one unit. Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 2 – 5. Absentee ownership of franchise is NOT allowed. (100% of current franchisees are owner/operators).

How This Franchise Supports Franchisees
Training: Available at headquarters: 2 weeks. At franchisee’s location: 1 week. At store location : 2-3 days.
Ongoing Support: Newsletter, Meetings, Toll-free phone line, Grand opening, Internet, Security/safety procedures, Field operations/evaluations
Marketing Support: Ad slicks, National media,
Other marketing support: First-year advertising program
Franchise Ranking History
Franchise 500®: #178 (2013), #237 (2012), #171 (2011), #165 (2010), #167 (2009),
America’s Top Global: #58 (2013), #185 (2012), #134 (2011), #131 (2010), #132 (2009),

PostNet’s training and support sets us apart from other franchises. PostNet offers seven days of classroom training, then five days of on-site training just before launch to refresh your knowledge, answer any questions and assure your center enjoys a smooth opening. What happens next is the part that makes PostNet extraordinary.

Four ways PostNet helps franchisees succeed

After you learn how to run your business, we’ll teach you how to grow it: Sixty days after your PostNet opens, we return for two more days of on-site training. Why separate the training this way? Simple: When a franchisee launches their first PostNet, they need to concentrate first on how to operate all aspects of their new business, so that’s what our initial on-site training focuses on. After four weeks, most franchisees have a solid grasp of how to operate the business — what they want to know is how to grow it. That’s why our second round of on-site training focuses on marketing, business-to-business sales and opportunities to expand revenue.

Business Support Consultant dedicated to your success: When you call PostNet for support, you don’t have to wonder who you’ll be talking to. Each franchise owner has a dedicated Business Support Consultant assigned to work with you. And our BSCs are a lot more than troubleshooters — they actively keep tabs on your business to help you monitor the health of your center and understand opportunities to grow your business. Often, instead of you calling us, we’ll call you — to check up, ask and answer questions, offer suggestions and gather your ideas for improving the business. BSCs also visit centers periodically. By building a personal relationship with franchisees, BSCs are able to understand the challenges and opportunities that your business encounters every day and develop solutions — or share solutions that one franchise owner has developed so that everyone in the PostNet family benefits.

Making it easy to share ideas: John Yovetich, who owns the PostNet in Missoula, Mont., says one of the keys to his success is a Performance Group of franchisees with similar markets and operations: “On a regular basis, you get together and share in-depth details about your business — your challenges, your financials — and then you consult with one another. It’s like being able to peek into a competitor’s operation.”

One of the key advantages of a franchise organization, even beyond the proven business systems, is the relationships franchise owners build with each other. PostNet has succeeded in part by granting franchises to people who are generous with their advice. New franchise owners are paired with mentors, and PostNet owners get to know one another during the annual convention, regional conventions, franchise advisory councils and conference calls. PostNet also provides an online message board for franchisees.

Online tools: PostNet believes in the power of one-on-one relationships, and the right technology allows us to harness all those relationships and combined knowledge and turn them into a powerful business advantage.

Here are some of the tools we use:

• PostNet has its own Wikipedia-style database with instructions on how to manage various aspects of the business, as well as training manuals and employee handbooks. The Wiki is a searchable repository of knowledge that is kept up-to-date and is always available.
• Advanced dashboards and business intelligence tools help track transaction counts, gross profit margins and other key business metrics.
• PostNet’s center management/point of sale system allows you to process sales, produce professional estimates, manage inventory, invoice customers and capture and manage customer data.
• Center web/mobile sites feature a blog that makes it easy for franchise owners to share news about their centers.
• PostNet’s Integrated Marketing Center provides access to proven marketing materials, tools and programs.
• Each center has an Online Print Center which allows customers to request quotes, submit files and approve orders and proofs online. It also provides 24/7 access to your services and makes re-ordering easy, which encourages repeat business.
• Online forums, databases and blogs allow franchisees to find answers and connect with experts and mentors within the system and keep up-to-date on important PostNet events.

PostNet has been franchising since 1993 and has more than 700 locations, nearly 300 in the United States and the balance in South Africa, Canada, Australia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Panama and Venezuela.

Our franchises are operated by people who help small businesses thrive in their communities by offering business services such as digital printing, online marketing and shipping — three industries with a combined value of more than $700 billion.

PostNet’s breadth of knowledge in those industries provides small and medium-sized businesses a gateway to solid marketing and growth. When someone is just launching their business and needs a logo and a set of business cards and letterhead, we can get it done. When they are ready to grow and need signage, or are ready to print and distribute marketing materials, we can help. When they need a website that is easy for customers to find and also works on mobile devices, we can get it done. Since PostNet Neighborhood Business Centers are owner-operated, local business owners also know that we understand their challenges and time constraints. When people need quality work done fast, they come to us.

Terry Stokes describes his PostNet franchise in Steamboat Springs, Colo., as the ”make it go away place.” “Customers bring their printing, shipping or marketing projects to us, often with urgent deadlines, and just want to know we can get them done professionally and on time. That’s where we shine.”

PostNet is the only franchise system established to provide the support small businesses need to prosper. Sophisticated digital printing, online marketing and shipping solutions are critical to small businesses, and we serve as a one-stop destination for busy entrepreneurs, who represent a fast-growing part of the American economy. More than 12 percent of U.S. adults reported starting or running a new business in 2011. The United States has more than 27 million small businesses. Self-employment has grown tremendously since 2001 as Americans have left frustrating corporate jobs with long hours and shaky job security for small businesses with growth potential; the trend has accelerated since 2008, when the economic crisis eliminated thousands of corporate jobs.

Our franchise focuses on building relationships with other small businesses and consumers. PostNet customers include small entrepreneurial start-ups, existing and mature businesses, local organizations and institutions, and the rapidly growing home-based and mobile workforce.

PostNet delivers on its brand promise by consulting with customers on their marketing needs and by offering a wide range of solutions — everything from logo design, branding, website creation and search engine optimization to business forms, brochures and marketing materials, direct mail and email marketing campaigns, signage, banners and vehicle graphics, just to name a few. We provide everything a business needs to attract new customers and reach out to existing ones.

PostNet-Figure-7-colour1-revisionsWe also offer shipping and logistics solutions for businesses and consumers, partnering with UPS, FedEx, DHL and the U.S. Postal Service to offer customers freedom of choice and reliable service options. PostNet offers professional packing services for all types of items and international expertise so that customers don’t have to try to figure out how to get their packages from Dallas to Dubai — we already know, and we make it simple.

By providing expert services to a wide range of businesses and consumers, we’re able to reach deep into our communities and help make them stronger.

“If our country is going to stay strong, we’ve got to focus on small businesses and helping them grow, and it’s exciting to know that we are part of that,” says Irene Fenolio, who owns the PostNet on West Horizon Ridge Parkway in Henderson, Nev., with her husband, Ronald. “We are a small business and we know what they need, and it’s exciting to provide the resources they need to grow.”

Source:PostNet official website