Rush Hour Printing Franchising Business Plan

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Sustainable Printing Franchise

1320 18th Street, NW

Suite 300

Washington, DC 20036

Orders Telephone: 202-290-1118

Fax: 202-290-1204

E-mail: [email protected]

Customer Service Telephone: 202-290-1118

Fax: 202-290-1204

E-mail: [email protected]

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Table of Contents Sustainable Printing Franchise .................................................................................. 1 Orders .............................................................................................................................................................................. 1 Customer Service ......................................................................................................................................................... 1 ABCD system ............................................................................................................................................................... 5 Amine .............................................................................................................................................................................. 5 Archival terms ............................................................................................................................................................... 5 Biocides ........................................................................................................................................................................... 6 Design .............................................................................................................................................................................. 6 E Ink ................................................................................................................................................................................. 6 e-waste ............................................................................................................................................................................. 6 Innovation ....................................................................................................................................................................... 7 LCA .................................................................................................................................................................................. 7 Lignin ............................................................................................................................................................................... 7 Mechanical pulp ........................................................................................................................................................... 8 Monocrop ....................................................................................................................................................................... 8 Oilseeds ........................................................................................................................................................................... 8 Recyclability .................................................................................................................................................................. 9 Skill deficiency ............................................................................................................................................................. 9 Softwood ......................................................................................................................................................................... 9 Sustainability ................................................................................................................................................................. 9 VOC .............................................................................................................................................................................. 10 Wood free .................................................................................................................................................................... 10

Business Description ................................................................................................. 15 Who We Are ............................................................................................................................................................... 15 Mission ......................................................................................................................................................................... 16 Company Culture ...................................................................................................................................................... 16 Our Values .................................................................................................................................................................. 17

Client Testimonials ................................................................................................... 17 Charmaigne G., Fairfax, Va .................................................................................................................................. 17 Theresa K., Washington, Dc ................................................................................................................................. 17 Allison G., Washington, DC ................................................................................................................................. 17 Elaine G., Bowie, MD ............................................................................................................................................. 18 Catherine R., NY ....................................................................................................................................................... 18 Eric O., Portland, OR .............................................................................................................................................. 19 L. M., Washington, DC .......................................................................................................................................... 19 Philip M., Washington, DC ................................................................................................................................... 20 Anne B., Washington, DC ..................................................................................................................................... 20

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Betsy S., Washington, Dc ...................................................................................................................................... 20 Sameer S., Winter Park Fl ..................................................................................................................................... 20 Heidi R., Portland, Or .............................................................................................................................................. 21 Brian W., San Francisco, Ca ................................................................................................................................. 21 Stella Vanburen, Washington, Dc ....................................................................................................................... 22 Jess S., Greenbelt, Md ............................................................................................................................................. 23 Raquel S., Bowie, Md ............................................................................................................................................. 23 Dora S., Washington, Dc ........................................................................................................................................ 24 Lauren M., Washington, Dc .................................................................................................................................. 24 John P., Washington, Dc ........................................................................................................................................ 24 Tina T., Washington, Dc ........................................................................................................................................ 25

Sources of Capital ..................................................................................................... 26 Products and Services ............................................................................................... 28 Project Management ................................................................................................................................................ 28 Equipment ................................................................................................................................................................... 28 Enterprise Solutions ................................................................................................................................................. 29 BUSINESS CARDS ................................................................................................................................................ 29 BUSINESS SERVICES ......................................................................................................................................... 29 PHOTO CALENDARS .......................................................................................................................................... 29 CORPORATE GIFTS ............................................................................................................................................. 29 CLOTHING & BAGS ............................................................................................................................................ 30 DIGITAL MARKETING ...................................................................................................................................... 30 CHRISTMAS CARDS & GIFTS ....................................................................................................................... 30 INVITATIONS & ANNOUNCEMENTS ....................................................................................................... 30 LABELS & STICKERS ......................................................................................................................................... 30 MAGNETS ................................................................................................................................................................. 31 MARKETING MATERIALS .............................................................................................................................. 31 PHONE CASES ........................................................................................................................................................ 31 PHOTO GIFTS .......................................................................................................................................................... 31 STAMPS & INK ....................................................................................................................................................... 32 STATIONERY .......................................................................................................................................................... 32

The Market ............................................................................................................... 37 The Printing industry Overall ............................................................................................................................... 39 Printing Inks ............................................................................................................................................................... 40 Sustainable (and Un-sustainable) Practices in De-inking and Recycling Paper .................................. 40 Wood Pulping Process ............................................................................................................................................ 41 Sustainable Practices in Organic and Printed Electronics ........................................................................... 41

Competition .............................................................................................................. 44 Other Print Brokers .................................................................................................................................................. 44 Commercial Printing Companies ........................................................................................................................ 44

Operations ................................................................................................................ 45 Operational Goals ..................................................................................................................................................... 49 Cost Contain ............................................................................................................................................................... 49 Productivity/Efficiency Goals ............................................................................................................................ 49

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Sustainable Practices in Personal Printing .................................................................................................. 50

Management Team ................................................................................................... 52 Management Goals ................................................................................................................................................... 52 Employee Guidelines and Production and Quality Control ....................................................................... 53 Dealing with Customers ....................................................................................................................................... 53 Job Orders ................................................................................................................................................................... 55 Proofs ............................................................................................................................................................................ 55 Supplies ........................................................................................................................................................................ 55 Errors ............................................................................................................................................................................ 55 Reducing Expenses .................................................................................................................................................. 56 Equipment .................................................................................................................................................................. 56 Work Areas ................................................................................................................................................................. 56

Risk/Opportunity ...................................................................................................... 59 SWOT ANALYSIS ................................................................................................................................................. 59 Strengths ..................................................................................................................................................................... 60 Weaknesses ................................................................................................................................................................ 60 Opportunities ............................................................................................................................................................ 61 Threats ......................................................................................................................................................................... 61

Financial Summary ................................................................................................... 63 Cost of Goods ............................................................................................................................................................ 63 Wages (including owners) ..................................................................................................................................... 63 Payroll Taxes .............................................................................................................................................................. 63 Advertising .................................................................................................................................................................. 64 Auto Expense ............................................................................................................................................................. 64 Bad Debts .................................................................................................................................................................... 64 Insurance ...................................................................................................................................................................... 64 Interest .......................................................................................................................................................................... 64 Lease Expense ............................................................................................................................................................ 64 Repairs and Maintenance ....................................................................................................................................... 65

Capital Requirements ............................................................................................... 66 PROFIT AND LOSS FORMA .................................................................................. 69

BALANCE SHEET ................................................................................................... 73 RATIOS .................................................................................................................... 74 PRO FORMA PROFIT AND LOSS ......................................................................... 76 PRO FORMA CASH FLOW .................................................................................... 77

PRO FORMA BALANCE SHEET ........................................................................... 78

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Definitions

ABCD system

In Britain the National Association of Paper Merchants (NAPM) uses a classification

system to identify the proportion and source of waste fibre used to make recycled paper.

The system uses the letters A to D, with each letter accompanied with a figure indicating

the percentage of that source. It is important to understand the differences between these

four sources of waste:

A: Mill broke

B: ‘Woodfree’ unprinted waste

C: ‘Woodfree’ printed waste

D: Mechanical and unsorted waste

Amine

An organic base formed by replacing one or more of the hydrogen atoms of ammonia by

organic groups.

Archival terms

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The Image Permanence Institute at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) has a

database of terms used in describing archival properties of images that can be found here:

http://www.archivaladvisor.org/shtml/glossary.shtml

Biocides

A chemical agent, such as a pesticide or herbicide, that is capable of destroying living

organisms.

Design

Design is problem setting and problem solving. Design is a fundamental economic and

business tool. It is embedded in every aspect of commerce and industry and adds high

value to any service or product—in business, government, education and training, and the

community in general. Reference: ‘Sustainable Policies for a Dynamic Future’,

Carolynne Bourne AM, ISS Institute 2007.

E Ink

E Ink is a specific proprietary type of electronic paper manufactured by E Ink

Corporation, founded in 1997 based on research started at the Massachusetts Institute of

Technology (MIT) Media Lab. It is currently available commercially in greyscale only,

and is commonly used in mobile devices such as e-Readers and to a lesser extent mobile

phones and watches.

e-waste

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Typically, waste comprising old electronic goods, especially computers, monitors and

peripherals. Of the estimated 8.7 million tonnes of e-waste created annually in the

European Union (EU), a massive 6.6 million tonnes is not recycled. In the USA there is

very little regulation of e-waste. Less than 20 per cent of USA e-waste is recovered for

recycling.

Hardwood Typically, hardwood trees are deciduous trees that loose their leaves during

cold winters (angiosperm). A hardwood tree is often, but not necessarily, a harder and

denser wood than softwood.

Innovation

Creating and meeting new needs with new technical and design styles. (New realities of

lifestyle). Reference: ‘Sustainable Policies for a Dynamic Future’, Carolynne Bourne

AM, ISS Institute 2007.

LCA

The goal of Life cycle assessment (also knows as ‘cradle to grave’ or ‘cradle to cradle’

assessment) is to compare the full range of environmental and social damages assignable

to products and services, to be able to choose the least burdensome one.

Lignin

A complex oxygen-containing organic compound, a mixture of polymers of poorly

known structure. After cellulose, it is the most abundant organic material on Earth,

making up one-fourth to one-third of the dry weight of wood, where it is concentrated in

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the cell walls. Removed from wood pulp in the manufacture of paper, it is used as a

binder in particleboard and similar products and as a soil conditioner, a filler in certain

plastics, an adhesive ingredient, and a raw material for chemicals including dimethyl

sulfoxide and vanillin (synthetic vanilla flavoring).

Mechanical pulp

A method of converting logs or wood chips into paper pulp for use in papermaking,

primarily short lifespan paper, such as newsprint, telephone directories, catalogs, ‘pulp’

magazines, paper towels and tissues. This method is accomplished by mechanical

grinding, as opposed to chemical pulping. The purpose of pulping is to reduce wood (or

other fibrous raw material) to individual cellulose fibers. A nonfibros constituent of

wood, lignin, binds cellulose fibers together, and is primarily responsible for reducing

paper quality and its permanence.

Monocrop

The agricultural practice of growing the same crop year after year on the same land,

without crop rotation.

Oilseeds

Oilseeds are a type seed or seed crop grown mainly for oil. Soybeans are the major

oilseed produced around the world. The oil content of small grains (eg wheat) is only 1–2

per cent; that of oilseeds ranges from about 20 per cent for Soybeans, to over 40 per cent

for Sunflowers and Rapeseed (Canola). The major sources of edible seed oils around the

world are soybeans, sunflowers, rapeseed, cotton and peanuts. Seed oils from Flax

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(linseed) and castor beans are used for industrial purposes. Edible fats and oils are similar

in molecular structure; however, fats are solid at room temperature, while oils are liquid.

Recyclability

The potential for a material to be wholly or partly used to make new raw material at the

end of its useful life.

Skill deficiency

A skill deficiency is where a demand for labour has not been recognized and training is

unavailable in The US in education institutions. This arises where skills are acquired on-

the-job, gleaned from published material or from working and/or studying overseas.

Reference: ‘Directory of Opportunities. Specialized Courses with Italy. Part 1: Veneto

Region’, ISS Institute, 1991. There may be individuals or individual firms that have these

capabilities. However, individuals in the main do not share their capabilities, but rather

keep the intellectual property to themselves. Over time these individuals retire and pass

away. Firms likewise come and go.

Softwood

Typically, softwood trees are evergreens and are broadly defined as conifers

(gymnosperm).

Sustainability

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The ISS Institute follows the United Nations for Non-Governmental Organizations’

definition on sustainability: “Sustainable Development is development that meets the

needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their

own needs”. Reference:

http://www.unngosustainability.org/CSD_Definitions%20SD.htm

VOC

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are emitted as gases from certain solids or liquids.

VOCs include a variety of chemicals, some of which may have short- and long-term

adverse health effects. Concentrations of many VOCs are consistently higher indoors (up

to ten times higher) than outdoors. Further information can be found on the United States

Environmental Protection Agency website: http://www.epa.gov/iaq/voc.html.

Wood free

The term ‘wood free’ is an oxymoron, as the paper is anything but wood-free. As the

name indicates, when originally pulped the ‘woody’ lignins in the timber are destroyed in

a chemical reaction (part of the environmental problem of conventional papermaking), to

produce a higher quality paper. If not removed, the lignins—the inflammable part of the

wood—cause paper to yellow and become brittle with age (as, for example, old

newspapers do). The same process causes pine furniture to change color over time.

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Putting it into Context

The US is presently undergoing a fundamental awareness shift in understanding and

implementation of sustainable practice. Terms such as ‘carbon footprint’ and ‘greener

practice’ are encountered frequently and strategies are already underway, such as the US

Government’s Green Office Initiative is already entering its ninth year. It is also now

possible to study sustainability in The US. The number of institutions that are offering

courses in this, now officially recognized, discipline is growing rapidly. Creative fields of

practice ranging from the graphic arts to photography and digital imaging have been

impacted by the rapid transition from an analog to a mostly digital workflow, but have

not yet met the challenges of sustainable practice in a proactive manner.

This lack of focus on sustainable practice is also embedded in current education

programs directed at future practitioners in the field that, in general, will still have a

printed output as the final result of their creative innovation. New content related to

alternatives to print, convergent viewing technologies and the archival qualities of print

receive just a small percentage of content focus in these programs. On a larger scale yet

again the printing industry as a whole and its approximately 5,000 printing

establishments, is still undergoing a difficult period of adjustment towards a growing

demand for a greener product, workflow and practice.

The Sustainable Green Print (SGB) initiative, which is built around the ISO14001

framework is a very good step, and will help the industry build greener practices around

waste management, recycling, energy and water usage as well as emissions. The

Company believes that future apprentices who are entering the print trade as well as

students in Graphic Arts and related fields should have the opportunity, and indeed the

requirement, to study these issues in the course of their training. New paradigms of how

visual information can reach its audience are emerging rapidly and while The US’s

position amongst this rapidly changing world is not unique, regrettably, neither is its

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history of innovation in this area. At the time of drafting this report there is no published

opportunity to study Sustainable Printing Practice in fields such as fine art and design in

The US. There is also no evidence that studies are available that are geared to developing

and testing industry-specific, applied work procedures and tools for environmental and

emerging sustainability issues in the graphic arts industry. This includes methodologies

that can quantify, follow-up, evaluate, manage, improve and communicate the

environmental performance of activities in the graphic arts supply chain and in printed

products.

A great deal of printing occurs in another context altogether, namely in the home, the

studio and the office. Usually this involves small volume devices such as inkjet and laser

printers. There are numerous opportunities to make personal printing a greener activity

and because of this, an investigation into how the current practices, devices and

consumables can be made to benefit the environment without loss experiential or

technical of quality. Most will agree that the concept of the paperless office, which has

been talked about for some 40 years, has not produced the economies or efficiencies

originally quoted as possible. Because of this the Company believes it quite urgent to

explore ways in which environmental benefits can be achieved in this area, followed by

embedding this core knowledge of sustainable technologies, workflows and practices in

education programs especially in VET.

William McDonough in his book Cradle to Cradle points out that we can no longer afford

to act without regard to downstream consequences. In this broad context any reduction of

paper usage, be it produced from sustainably grown plantation timber or recycled from

the ‘urban forest’ not only reduces carbon production, but more importantly, given The

US’s status as the driest inhabited continent on the planet (http://www.about-The

US.com/facts/), reduces water usage. It is worth noting that each ream of A4 paper uses

the equivalent of a single person’s maximum recommended daily water usage of 150

liters.

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The US Printing Industries Association is already heavily involved in the promotion of

Sustainable Printing practices. This means that the need for greener practice is recognized

at this level and some printers are already discovering that substantial positioning as a

green enterprise has provided very profitable consequences. In this context the

Company’s research will hopefully discover new developments that can augment the US

printing industries very substantial initiative to become more sustainable. The big lag is

in the area of personal and office printing, where staff and individuals usually base their

workflow and general printing habits on inherited and observed practices. Neither

education in general, nor vocational training has up to now included sustainable printing

in their curricula. This Company intends to make a positive contribution towards new

strategies that infuse sustainable printing in curricula. As we learned with recycling, the

first essential step in behaviour change is awareness.

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Business Description

Rush Hour Printing caters to all individuals and organizations that require printing and

design services. The company is

established in the D.C. tri-area, which

includes Virginia and Maryland, yet it

also caters to an international market,

expanding to Canada and Puerto Rico.

A prototype is currently being

established that will aid in the building

of the franchise in additional locations.

Moreover, Rush Hour Printing has

been servicing the tri-area for 30 years.

We have accumulated a client base of

over 20,000 organizations and/or

individuals in the last three decades. Marketing is completed via email, trade shows,

direct courier, and alliance with other businesses in the area. Word of mouth or referral is

our number one advertising tool since most 99% of our clients will refer us to their

friends and family, or acquaintances, after using our services with guaranteed

satisfaction.

Who We Are

Rush Hour Printing combines reliable and dependable printing solutions with a full array

of printing and graphics services to support your unique business needs and to provide

you with peace of mind. We love what we do. The passion we have for the printing

business incites us to take ownership of our client’s projects and drives us to deliver the

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highest-quality products possible. There is no greater satisfaction than delivering a

finished product that helps a client reach their goals and objectives.

Our philosophy is to constantly strive for the newest innovations. We immerse ourselves

at all levels of your organization to completely understand your distinctive circumstances

and the task at hand. The assessment phase is imperative in being able to deliver concrete

& long-lasting change, not simply presentations or theories. Our staff is the cornerstone

of our success. Many quick printers and the national office supply chains that offer quick

printing have staffs that include a large portion of non-professionals. This is not the case

with us. Our team is client-oriented & hands-on. We listen to our clients needs and work

closely with your team to help you achieve your business goals, within your time and

budget requirements. Every person on our staff is committed to providing excellent

customer service and producing high-quality products and services. As you work with us

in the future, we’re confident that you’ll find this to be true.

Mission

Our mission is to create competitive advantage through unique printing and graphic

solutions. We are dedicated to generating value for our clients by providing exceptional

expertise that guides them to perform their business in the most effective and profitable

way possible.

Company Culture

Our primary objective is to have you come back. We earn our customer’s trust by

providing the maximum value with every purchase. We’ll work with your design staff to

insure you receive the highest return for every dollar expended, we’ll hustle to finish your

order as quickly as possible, and we’ll take the initiative to offer suggestions that could

possibly save you money. We encourage our staff to be innovative and speedy but not at

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the expense of quality. We search for experienced customer service representatives who

have positive attitudes, a concern for others, and a high level of detail orientation.

Our Values

Our company was founded on the principle of customer service. This commitment

permeates our company culture. And we never stop trying to improve! We instill in our

employees the importance of:

§ Customer Service

§ Continuous Improvement

§ Honesty

§ Integrity

Client Testimonials

Charmaigne G., Fairfax, Va These guys are so friendly and pleasant to work with – and the printing job for my

design project book came out wonderfully – for the price a college student can only

afford. Thank you Rush Hour Printing & Graphics!

Theresa K., Washington, Dc I have been using Rush Hour from the get-go when in G-Town! They are very good.

Have used them for my business from brochures to dance concert programs. And even

though they have left my area, I am following to the new location! Wishing you many

more years too come. Cheers!

Allison G., Washington, DC

Rush Hour Printing offers efficient, high-quality services. I ordered a banner for an

event that I held in the fall, and I’m sure it will be used for years to come. Thanks to Rush

Hour Printing for their assistance and expertise!

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Elaine G., Bowie, MD I use rush hour printing for all of my Summer Camp promo brochures and applications.

They have the best quality and the best price in this area – HANDS DOWN!

Catherine R., NY

I won’t go anywhere else, ever, to get a printing job done in DC. These guys fulfilled

our order with professionalism, friendliness and speed. And this was not an easy order!

Banners, posters, programs, business cards, more posters, pull-downs…

They did it all pronto, delivered (to VA) on time, and were constantly in touch regarding

the status of our large order. Thanks to them, our conference signs looked state of the art

and I never worried if we’d end up with terrible signage the day before the main event.

Not only that, but they did it all at a fraction of the cost of similar services elsewhere. I

recommend Rush Hour wholeheartedly for any printing job that needs to be done right on

time.

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Eric O., Portland, OR I went to Rush Hour and Jean because of the reviews on Yelp, and I couldn’t have been

happier. They gave a reasonable price (not the cheapest, but not the most expensive) and

turned around 1,000 business cards within 48 hours. The quality is terrific, and they even

provided a money-back guarantee if I wasn’t satisfied. They even delivered them! I run a

small business and this was a small job, but Jean and his team treated me like I was their top priority, and they have absolutely won my repeat business.

L. M., Washington, DC

Perhaps the best testament to my high review of Rush Hour Printing is the fact that I now

use them for all of my business and personal printing projects. As a small business

owner, I am familiar with many of the print shops in the area. None has provided such

high quality product coupled with amazing service… and somehow, Rush Hour manages

to consistently offer very competitive pricing. The owners carefully manage each project, and truly value perfection in their work.

I first came across Rush Hour Printing quite by accident when I needed to quickly print

an extra copy of a document for the DMV (downstairs in Georgetown Park). Jean, one of

the owners, kindly allowed me to print the document free of charge and run back to the

DMV. I returned to Rush Hour to pay for the printing later that afternoon and was so

impressed by their customer service that I decided to try them for the redesign and

printing of my business card.

After great satisfaction with the new business card, I have returned to Rush Hour for

other business projects as well.

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Philip M., Washington, DC

I can only compliment this company and it’s employees! Had a super important and

urgent printing issue. I was advised quickly and professionally. The deadline of a

couple of house was not a problem and the result was perfect! Anne B., Washington, DC

Rush Hour Printing is Great! Jean has saved me so many times by printing exactly what I

need in a rush, even when my requests are way too complicated for other, non-rush

printing companies. Jean worked with me to create the business card of my dreams and

he did such a good job. It’s great to have a printing company that you can depend on (and not too expensive either!) Definitely give them a try.

Betsy S., Washington, Dc Jean, the manager and graphics extraordinaire of Rush Hour takes care with every job,

and promises that it will be perfect every time. When I was on a deadline, he even had

my printed materials delivered to me (though I also work in Georgetown). He does all of

our printing for our restaurant, and has done great work.

In short, we at Farmers & Fishers appreciate his service and his pricing, and will stay loyal to Rush Hour.

Sameer S., Winter Park Fl I am very impressed with Rush Hour Printing and Graphics! We had a ridiculous

deadline for printing banner-ups for a project proposal. They had to be completed and

shipped out of the state in 3 days. We initially worked with Jean, who was both friendly

and helpful.

They ordered the banner up stands for us, and exceeded our deadline. Thy even shipped

everything out for us to make our deadline.

A few days later, we had a printing disaster in our office (for the same project). We had

to print a large wall-sized poster, and our black print head broke at 2:00 am on a Friday

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morning. We emailed our file to Rush Hour Printing, and they were able to print it by

11am on Saturday to take to the meeting on Monday.

Everyone at Rush Hour was friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable. They helped us

with our print files to make sure that everything looked great. Not only did we meet all of

our deadlines, we also won the project! Jean also called the following week to follow up

and make sure everything went smoothly. Thanks guys!

Heidi R., Portland, Or

Rush Hour Printing helped me out of a tremendous bind at the very last minute, with calm, professional customer service. I live in Portland, Oregon and had to print an

addendum to a proposal and arrange for delivery to a federal agency – FAST! They

printed my addendum, and had it all ready for the courier service to pick up in no time

flat. I don’t live in the DC area and won’t have much opportunity to use their services

again, but if I ever need a printer in DC, I know whom I’ll be turning to!

Brian W., San Francisco, Ca

I give Rush Hour Printing my ultimate recommendation for any copy shop/printing

needs. I’m actually writing this because I don’t see any of the past reviews that brought

me to Rush Hour in the First Place. I had just moved to DC last year from San Francisco,

where there is no shortage of good community-run copy shops that I would frequent for

any printing needs.

I had a pretty big job of random things to print (like 200 flyers, 30 posters, 500 business

cards, and more) for my nonprofit and I needed it all done in one day. Once again, Yelp

saved the day when I was searching at the last minute for a good place to print. I saw it

was in Georgetown and in the mall, which made me a little worried – I’m used to finding

diamonds in the rough – but the reviews were stellar and when I called them, they gave

me the quick turnaround time (IMMEDIATELY) that I needed.

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I went in and Jean, the guy who runs the place, was simply amazing. He took all my

various jobs and really invested the time and effort to make sure they were perfect. I had

brought in my own do-it-yourself Office Depot paper for my business cards, and they just

weren’t coming out right, so he went ahead and printed them for me on their own special

card stock, chopped them up for me, all for the same price. I couldn’t believe the quality

of the personal service and the attention to detail. They also have free wi-fi and a

really comfortable area to sit around and wait. I even had time to buy some gifts for our

guest speakers and grab a quick bite to eat. By the time I returned, all my assorted

projects were done and Jean even gave me a discount!

I will return here for all my future projects and I cannot give them a more positive

review. Please support them, you will not be sorry.

Stella Vanburen, Washington, Dc Eureka! I finally found the perfect printing company to guarantee their digital copy

quality & last-minute turn around at LESS THAN 5 cents A COPY in the entire DC area-

their current charge is only 2 cents!! Now, where else in DC – much less pricey

Georgetown – can you get a deal like that?

The staff at Rush Hour is just great: professional, patient, neat & detail oriented – they

even pointed slight ink smears on my original docs & offered to correct them –

to perfection at no extra fee! I had with me the .pdf files and they just did it themselves.

So I didn’t have to buy any computer time to upload my files to their website (as I had to

do at Kinko’s in previous visits!) They immediately gave me proofs & I was out of there

in no-time. A job well-done.

The manager on-site (Jean) guarantees no minimum charges for our monthly brochures &

weekly reports plus free pickup & delivery at their same ultra-inexpensive rate. So, on a

rainy afternoon their delivery came in on time for our officer Quarterly meeting.

We run another job of 10k copies with tabs/dividers, which were on different types of

colored paper w/ alternated graphics, coil binding, lamination (the works!). And they did

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it in like 2 hours… so by the time I returned to my office (after window-shopping at the

cool shops inside Georgetown Park mall on my way to the parking level), the job was

already on my desk. My office is a 15-min drive from Georgetown. So, from then on,

we’ve been uploading our files directly to their webpage & they do the rest!

Regarding their prices… I was still waiting for any surprise “price bomb” to drop

somewhere on my invoice, but their prices are as quoted – no hidden extras for nothing,

unlined Kinko’s last-minute fees & frustration. Really, their prices are way too low for

Georgetown standards but I’m not complaining!!! I wish them lots of success during

these economic hardships.

I truly recommend them and you will, too, once you use their services. Ah, they also

have special discounts for students.

Jess S., Greenbelt, Md

I needed a poster made up for a research conference at my school. I heard great things about Rush Hour Printing from my fellow classmates, so I thought I would give it

a try. I uploaded a file right on their website and b the end of the day already had an

appointment set up. The manager was so friendly, well informed, and helpful. It

surprised me that he took so much time out of his day to meet with me to make sure my

poster was of the exact quality that I had requested. Within minutes, he had come up with

a very attractive poster template. At the conference, I kept getting compliments from

faculty, judges, and other students about the professional quality and design of my poster.

It almost didn’t seem fair since the total cost of everything was so small! It was

substantially cheaper than other print shops I had been to in the past. I will definitely be

using their services from now on!

Raquel S., Bowie, Md As a student, I must say prices are essential to my everyday living. School materials are

pocket-draining!! But I found this place in Georgetown that made my life much easier.

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Its called Rush Hour Printing!!! Every student must head there. I believe to copy is like 2

cents per page, that’s a big difference from the 10 cents a copy at the university. They are

fast and the customer services was truly exceptional. I found my helper now, you guys

should too!! Thanks Rush Hour… loved the place too!

Dora S., Washington, Dc

The best in town. I have heard about this place and wanted to check it out for myself.

What a wonderful place to do business. The most helpful staff I have ever met working in

the print-shop. Everyone ought to give this place a try. I had 40 books of 20 pages that

needed to be copied and professional finished. The manager there politely asked me to

come back in one hour to pick them up. It was just unbelievable. I normally get this job

done in another print shop, they take 2 or more days to do. I picked up my books for 1/5

cost of the other print shop. I was ecstatic. Check them out, you won’t regret it!

Lauren M., Washington, Dc Awesome prices, friendly staff, nice atmosphere.

John P., Washington, Dc A cool and cozy place at the second level of Georgetown Park Mall. They are one of the

few places in Georgetown that offers free wifi. And when I say free, I mean FREE!!! No

strings attached.

As I was walking down 34th Street, this guy handed a flyer to me. So, I decided to check

them out and as I walked in the place, the staff immediately attended to me and within

minutes my job was done, and I was out of there. I paid 2 cents for black and white, and

19 cents for color copies. My damn printer costs more! Very happy with the job they

did for me and I highly recommend this place. They also do business cards, letterheads, envelopes, large format printing, flyers and

brochures!!

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Check them out guys, you won’t be disappointed!

Tina T., Washington, Dc

Truly a pleasure to do business with. Particularly appreciated their frequent updates on

the status of the job as it went through the print process – and the followup afterwards to

ensure we were satisfied. Job was completed with a super-quick turnaround and at a great

price. Excellent product, packaging, and prompt delivery.

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Sources of Capital

Rush Hour Printing has risen over $5M in the last 30 years. Currently, in order to open a

new franchise, the business requires a small percentage of this, $250,000 USD. Private

Placement Offering (self underwriting) has sufficed in the last three decades, but today,

we are encouraged to seek other sources of funding including Banking and Private

investors. Most of the expenses have been deferred to the accumulated portion of nearly

$5M and, therefore, the need to raise funds is now current.

Rush Hour Printing will raise $500,000 USD in a second Private Placement Offering in which

the ‘Company’ will be represented by one or more securities broker dealers. The above

reference Private Placement Offerings will be structured under the Washington D.C.

Corporation because in the United States, we are allowed to have up to 2,000 investors and

remain a privately held company. Therefore, with the maximum amount of private investors

possible (2,000), we seek $125 from each to accomplish 50% of what we seek

($250,000/2,000). Furthermore, the other half, $250,000, will be sought using different

methods, which consist of Initial Public Offering, Bank Investors, Low-Interest Micro-Credit

Loans, among other options.

Regarding the Private Placement Offering, It is much less expensive to host an information

seminar for senior executives of securities firms rather than approach each broker dealer on an

individual bases. In our opinion, securities professionals will be receptive to raising funds for

the Company because the Company is paying a ten percent commission as well providing to

the securities firms a list of leads of high-net-worth individuals who attend its investor forums.

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Regarding the Initial Public Offering seed-money initiative, the Company intends to raise

additional capital through IPO following completion of the above referenced Private Placement

Offerings. Thereafter, the Company will initiate an Employee’s Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP).

The Company will introduce a regional franchise program to the prospective investors and

stakeholders with a promise and guarantee of at least 10% ownership over royalties. Any funds

that are accumulated will be placed towards the endeavor of opening a second location in the

United States. Any funds not allocated will be sought via Bank Loans at low-interest with zero

royalty for bank officials or micro-credit lenders.

28

Products and Services

Project Management

We offer a variety of project

management and

coordination options to help

ensure that your team has the

tools and resources to

manage the scope, timeline,

and resources of any project.

Our proven methodology

establishes discrete steps for

each phase of a project, with

strong project management

throughout.

In working with us, you’ll find that we are not overly regimented. Everyone understands their role but is

willing to help out wherever needed to see a job through. You’ll never hear a member of our staff say,

“that’s not my job.”

Though we believe whole-heartedly in this open approach, it’s necessary to separate the Print Shop into a

few departments. Whether it’s Customer Service or Pre-Press, it takes everyone we have to make our

clients look their best.

Equipment

We utilize the most current technology in our industry. Our state-of-the-art equipment allows us to provide

our clients with high-quality products faster and less-expensively than our competition. We realize that

most people could care less about what models of equipment we use, so long as they receive what they

ordered. Still, we can’t help being proud of our toys. Once you see how great they make you look, we hope

you’ll be proud of them, too.

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Enterprise Solutions

You can now create and launch direct mail campaigns that can be used by branches and franchisees in

every part of the country. This eliminates the headache of administration and brand control in traditional

forms of direct marketing. No large inventory must be maintained – inventory that can become out of date

or obsolete. This will save your organization money and generate the highest ROI on your marketing

dollars. Give your marketing pieces a more effective and timely message. Print on demand is the future of

printing and mailing – We offer you this technology today!

BUSINESS CARDS Standard Business Cards

Signature Business Cards

Brilliant Finish Business Cards

Raised Print Business Cards

Spot Gloss Business Cards

Metallic Finish Business Cards

Ultra Thick Business Cards

Economy Business Cards

Personal Business Cards

Folded Business Cards

Business Card Holders

Networking Cards

Appointment Cards

Mommy Cards

BUSINESS SERVICES Logo Design

PHOTO CALENDARS Wall Calendars

Desk Calendars

Poster Calendars

Magnetic Calendars

Pocket Calendars

CORPORATE GIFTS Promotional Products

Personalized Mugs

Pens

USB Flash Drives

Calculators

Stress Balls

Tape Measures

Letter Openers

Keychain Flashlights

Rulers

Magnetic Clips

Mouse Pads

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CLOTHING & BAGS T-shirts

Men's T-shirts

Women's T-shirts

Kids' T-shirts

Polo Shirts

Men's Polo Shirts

Women's Polo Shirts

Premium Caps

Hoodies

Bags

Promotional Products

Design Services

DIGITAL MARKETING Websites

Social Media Marketing

Email Marketing

CHRISTMAS CARDS & GIFTS Photo Calendars

Christmas Cards

Personalized Gifts

Canvas Prints

Personalized Mugs

Phone Cases

T-Shirts

Labels & Gift Tags

Business Gifts

INVITATIONS &

ANNOUNCEMENTS Wedding Invitations

Save the Date

Birthday Invitations

Birth Announcements

Baby Shower Invitations

Party Invitations

Moving Announcements

Graduation Invitations

Business Invitations

Religious Announcements

Christmas Cards

LABELS & STICKERS Address Labels

Return Address Labels

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Mailing Labels

Tags

Gift Tags

Name Tags

Stickers & Decals

Product Labels

Custom Stickers

Business Card Stickers

Bumper Stickers

Window Decals

MAGNETS Car Door Magnets

Magnetic Business Cards

Magnetic Postcards

Magnetic Calendars

Photo Magnets

MARKETING MATERIALS Flyers

Postcards

Brochures

Door Hangers

Rack Cards

Presentation Folders

Menus

Table Tents

Bookmarks

Gift Certificates

Loyalty Cards

Magnets

Corporate Gifts


Christmas tips for your business.

PHONE CASES iPhone Cases

Samsung Galaxy Cases

PHOTO GIFTS Personalized Mugs

Phone Cases

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Premium Canvas Prints

Wall Calendars

Desk Calendars

Mouse Pads

Photo Flip Books

Photo Magnets

Photo Cards

Bookmarks


SIGNS & POSTERS

Banners

Posters

Lawn Signs

Lawn Signs

Construction Signs

Real Estate Signs

Car Door Magnets

Window Decals

Plastic Signs

Bumper Stickers

STAMPS & INK Self-Inking Stamps

Signature Stamps

Pocket Stamps

Replacement Ink Pads

STATIONERY Address Labels

Return Address Labels

Mailing Labels

Pens

Letterhead

Notebooks

Envelopes

Note Pads

Envelope Seals

Compliment Cards

Appointment Cards

Thank You Cards

Sticky Notes

Sticky Note Holders

Christmas Cards

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34

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1. PMS (Print Management Service): Service that optimizes print ordering and

costs by assessing and clarifying print-related work processes and costs

2. MPM (Marketing Print Management): Service that offers print solutions

optimized for customers' marketing divisions

3. PV (Print Volume): The number of sheets output by printers

4. HPP (Heavy Production Printer): High-speed production print machine

5. MPP (Mid Production Printer): Medium-speed production print machine

6. LPP (Light Production Printer): Low speed production print machine

7. ELPP (Entry Light Production Printer): Entry production print machine

8. On-demand print: Means of printing emphasizing instantaneousness, aimed at

providing printing when needed, in just the amounts needed

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9. MIF (Machines In the Field): The total number of working units installed in

the MFP and production print machine markets

10. Textile printing: A method for dying cloth by directly printing pigments onto

it

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The Market

Rush Hour Printing is in the business of printing, under NAICS Code 32311 – Printing.

As of 2014, the industry in the District of Columbia has 1,434 employees in total, which

constitutes 0.1% of the relative standard error for the estimate of number of employees.

The annual average payroll is of 60,093, again with a standard deviation of 0.1%, and

counted as an individual non-business-owner, simply employee. There are 919

production workers, or corporations established, with a relative standard deviation of

0.4%. The total annual hours are 1,791 (0.0% SD), the total wages render 33,845 and cost

of goods sold at $135,148 per year1. This plan will demonstrate the overall COGS and

Wages for the entire country, as well as the states where there are more opportunities for

Rush Hour Printing to make more money as a franchise. We are looking at states that

collect millions in USD in the printing industry. The US average is $3,486,762,403

according to the Government of the Unites States Census for 2014. The following is a list

of states that earns the most in the industry in comparison to other states:

1. Texas with an annual expenditure in the industry of $494,603,256

2. California with an annual expenditure in the industry of $283,593,864

3. Louisiana with an annual expenditure in the industry of $203,519,743

These are the three states where the Printing industry is making most of its wealth.

Therefore, we are looking at franchising Rush Hour Printing to Texas as the main

potential state, followed by California and Louisiana. The more the state spends on

materials for printing, the more the state is producing.

Currently, this is what we are working with:

1 http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ASM_2014_31AS101&prodType=table

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1. Washington D.C. is currently spending $135,148 per year on printing

2. Maryland is currently spending $18,305,792 per year on printing

3. Virginia is currently

spending $44,141,883 per

year on printing

Based on these numbers, then, we

are working at the least profiting

state, the District of Columbia, and

alongside the most profitable of the

three, Virginia, in conjunction with

an average state, which is Maryland.

Therefore, we are looking at opening the franchises in:

1. Virginia (for proximity)

2. Texas (for profit)

3. California (for profit)

4. Louisiana (for profit)

In order for this to happen, we would require the initial investment to triple, requesting a

total of $2M USD in order to follow through with the four-location-venture franchise as

proposed.

Our market segmentation scheme allows room for estimates and non-specific definitions.

We focus on large companies, and it is hard to find information to make exact

classifications. Our target companies are large enough to utilize a great deal of print

products, but small enough that they do not have in-house printing equipment. We say

that our target market company has at least 50 people.

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Our target markets are larger companies that utilize diverse printed materials. We chose

this group because the marketing and purchasing departments are generally too busy to

research and follow a printed product from beginning to end. They usually rely on the

expertise and knowledge of a print vendor they can trust. The focal point of our

marketing strategy will be direct face-to-face contact with those individuals that make the

print vendor choice.

The Printing industry Overall

• The printing industry is experiencing major changes in activities and processes, such as

slowly being replaced by online systems.

• Ageing workforce (The median age of workers in the printing industry was 42 years in

2015).

• Technologies are very specific to individual workplaces, which makes it difficult in

terms of employable skills transfer as, often, printing practitioners are trained in

particular hardware/software combinations. As these practitioners frequently lack basic

fundamental education there is little skill transferability.

• Poorly managed printing organizations can be a risk factor to the ongoing success of

equipment providers and manufacturers because bankruptcy can lead to financial

exposure, and multiple bankruptcies could seriously affect even very large manufacturers.

• The packaging industry is looking for ways to address the ageing population by using

advanced print technologies to become interactive with consumer devices.

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Printing Inks

Soya-based inks are claimed to be more environmentally friendly on the grounds that

they are vegetable-based. This is an unfortunate piece of misinformation; in fact, almost

all conventional inks used for printing on paper are vegetable based. The most common

base ingredient is linseed oil, and rubber is also used. All types of ink contain roughly

similar amounts of petrochemical-derived solvents, and this applies equally to soya-based

inks, so they really offer no environmental advantage in their ingredients. Indeed, far

from offering any benefits, they have significant disadvantages; soya oil is mainly

produced in the USA, whereas linseed is a European crop. This means the product is

unnecessarily transported between continents. Linseed is an indigenous raw material,

with its cultivation providing employment in Britain and Europe. About 50 per cent of

the USA soya crop is now genetically modified, raising serious questions about its

potential to damage the environment. Soya crops are usually produced under a monocrop

farming approach, with significant environmental damage and impact especially in

developing countries. Heavy metals such as barium, copper and zinc can be found in

some pigments. They are most often found in metallic inks that are green, orange or

opaque yellow. Heavy metals are toxic and sometimes carcinogenic.

Sustainable (and Un-sustainable) Practices in De-inking and Recycling Paper

• European newsprint is printed on 100 per cent recovered and recycled paper. This

approach to recycling saves greater than 60 per cent of the energy and water compared to

fresh fibre.

• Inkjet and Flexographic technologies are least suited to de-inking and thus recycling.

Dry toners offer excellent de-inking, better than offset. Liquid toners remain a problem,

41

and are not recommended for high volumes such as direct mail or advertising. Lower

brightness paper reduces the requirement for bleaching.

• Best paper for recycling comes from glossy magazines, because of the initial high paper

quality.

• There is a need for credible Chain-of-Custody certification on all printed material.

• ‘Whole system’ best practice needs to be identified, and replicated by all printers.

• Chlorine bleach is still used in conventional wood-pulp papermaking to create

‘woodfree’ paper, especially in developing nations. It has been recognized for some years

that this can be a serious pollutant from paper mills.

• The ‘water footprint’ of papermaking and paper recycling is considerable.

Wood Pulping Process

Bleaching mechanical pulp is not a major cause for environmental concern since most of

the organic material is retained in the pulp. The chemicals used (hydrogen peroxide and

sodium dithionite) produce final benign by-products of water and sodium sulfate

respectively. Delignification of chemical pulps releases considerable amounts of organic

material into the environment, particularly into rivers or lakes. Pulp mills are almost

always located near large waterways

Sustainable Practices in Organic and Printed Electronics

In the span of less than a year, the term ‘electronic paper’ has largely been pushed to the

margin in order to make way for generic trademarks and proprietary eponyms such as

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Amazon’s ‘Kindle’, Apple’s ‘iPad’ and Sony’s ‘Reader’ to list a few. Electronic Paper is

a subset of Organic and Printed electronics. The acceptance of electrophoretic display

technology (where, simply put, dispersed colored particles are told electronically where

to appear) as an important alternative to both paper publishing and conventional display

readers has now been proven by both the diversity and quantity of new products on the

market. Driving the acceptance of the e-paper product family over conventional LCD

displays are the devices offering a paper-like look, daylight readability, low power

consumption, and viewing angle independence. In addition, electrophoretic display front-

plane technology is suitable for use with the new generations of flexible and printed

electronic backplanes. Many of these new backplane technologies utilize new materials

and processes from conventional semiconductor manufacture. This new generation of

technology means that new displays are beginning to emulate the physical flexibility of

paper. The current E Ink display performance is improving rapidly, as is public

acceptance of this technology and consequent changes in the marketplace. The second

key area in which organic and printed electronics impact on sustainable printing is in the

manufacturing of the printed circuit.

The printing of electronic circuits in the production of digital electronics is now emerging

as a strong alternative to the traditional process of manufacturing silicone chips. Inkjet

technology is now making it possible to print digital circuits directly on to a substrate

instead of traditional methods. These traditional methods of producing computer chips

had always been subtractive in nature ie requiring the use of acid etching processes (a

process that requires the use of ‘resist’, tin-lead that has significant environmental

consequences, such as copper bearing wastewater and air pollution from acid fumes). The

key advantage of inkjet printed circuits, from the environmental/sustainability angle is

that the printed circuit involves an additive process (no removal waste) where as the

traditional silicon chip industry uses a subtractive process (necessitating acids for matter

removal).

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44

Competition

Other Print Brokers

There are numerous print brokers

already established. Some of which have

been highly successful due to their

number of years in the business and

established client base. These brokers

already have more work than they can

handle.

Commercial Printing Companies

This field is dominated by individually

owned print shops that can turn around the work quickly when sold in-house. However,

high turnover in employees, especially sales people, makes it hard for them to retain

long-term clients.

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Operations

Our operations consist of the following procedures:

First, the customer places the order. The employee taking the order should get as much

information from the customer as possible (filling out the job worksheet should be

sufficient). Also, at the time the employee receives the order a reasonable time should be

determined for completing the job. The customer should be notified of any changes

occurring with the order.

Second, the job ticket with all the information should be completed and documented in

the job log book. The typesetter should be notified if typesetting is needing or the job

should be taken directly to layout if all of the information is camera-ready. If the job is a

repeal order, it should also be taken to layout.

Third, the typesetter should typeset any required copy as specified by the customer.

Questions or problems should be directed to the person who took the order. No work

should leave the typesetter until it has been properly proofed by two or more employees.

Fourth, every time typesetting is done for a customer, the customer must see a proof

before printing is done. Therefore, the client is to be called in for proofing and they

should sign a proof slip after reviewing the completed work. A customer who is proofing

the typesetting that we have done should be encouraged to check spelling, phone

numbers, etc. for accuracy.

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47

It is a good idea, and should be a regular practice, for an employee to go over the

proofing process with the customer and review the printing specifications as they are

printed on the job ticket. Take nothing for granted and never ASSUME anything.

Fifth, after the proofing and correction stage, the job should go to layout, where logos

and art work are added, an original is made, and a plate is prepared for printing.

Sixth, the plate is taken to a pressman. The pressman's job is to pull the stock required

for the job and then print it to the specifications on the ticket. Again, the pressman should

not assume anything. If there is any question or doubt as to the specifications of printing

the job, the pressman should take the questions to the shop foreman for clarification.

Seventh, the job is printed and then goes to the bindery for any bindery work needed

(i.e. collating, numbering, padding, cutting, gathering, packaging, etc.). When all bindery

48

work is done and the job is complete, it should either be delivered or taken to the front

office for pick-up.

Eighth, the delivery person or the front office employee should get a signed delivery

receipt and/or a signed in voice when the job is picked-up. The delivery receipt should

then be placed in the job envelope and the envelope filed in the completed box. The

invoice also has its assigned place and should be filed there without fail.

Personnel in each department should be aware of the delivery dates requested by

customers. The work schedules should ensure that these dates are met. Should a job be

held up in a department that will affect the delivery dates, the customer should be notified

to help maintain proper public relations.

Also, it is the responsibility of the bookkeeper to make sure that all customers are

invoiced weekly and that statements are in the mail at the proper time. Any time an

invoice can be delivered with the job, it should be, as this will eliminate unnecessary

postage and work load in the front office.

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Operational Goals

Cost Contain

• Contain all costs within FRA guidelines where applicable.

• Establish a regular insurance audit to determine needs and reduce cost where

applicable.

• Install TQM in phases as indicated on the master calendar.

• Examine costs on a regular basis during monthly financial review.

Productivity/Efficiency Goals

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• Contain waste through regular management meetings, at the present time and

through TQM methods in the long-run.

• Install employee suggestion box with cash incentives for suggestion that result in

cost savings on increased productivity. This will lead to a team based presentation

program through TQM in the long-run.

• Outline Quality Control Procedures. (See subsection on Production and Quality

Control).

Sustainable Practices in Personal Printing

• Many artists have used variations of Inkjet media and paper that are quite

unstable in combination, and these images will not survive for very long periods

irrespective of storage and display conditions.

• Museum collections are recognizing the imperative to correctly identify

substrate and ink/dye combinations to optimize storage and display conservation

of prints.

• Cool storage of prints extends the life of the print considerably, but has a

significant carbon footprint.

• Rapid, planned, device obsolescence adds to the recycling burden and often

results in environmental degradation in third world and developing nations. The

new term ‘e-waste’ has recently been used to describe this particular type of

waste. To date the US has no Federal or State legislation requiring Personal

Computer (PC) equipment makers to recycle their products.

• Personal printing devices have poor recyclability.

• Cartridges used in personal printers are generally over packaged and have low

reservoir capacity.

• Personal printer cartridges are not easily re-filled by the end user. If that option

was more available it would significantly reduced plastic and packaging waste.

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52

Management Team

The managers' duties are quite encompassing,

as they oversee all shop employees. Therefore,

this job requires knowledge of operational

procedures, people skills, and a very broad

knowledge of shop equipment maintenance.

Further duties and responsibilities are:

• Management of each department

supervisor

• Ordering supplies and all paper stock

• Overseeing the completion of jobs and

ensuring quality control

• Maintaining schedules

• Cost controlling and waste

management which requires shop

personnel to use stock that is cut and

left from previous jobs, instead of cutting down new stock

• Responsible for monitoring job flow and ensuring that each order is on schedule

• Taking job orders, answering the phone if the front office needs help, and waiting

on customers

Management Goals

• Recapitalize through loan proceeds.

• Initiate a plan of action to create a better working atmosphere.

• Reduce cost and increase profits.

• Through new formats and procedures, increase profitability.

53

• Strengthen present customer base and expand customer base to outside areas

(Rosemond, Alareado, Mansfield, etc.).

• Update equipment to expand into more specialized areas of the printing market.

• Increase employee benefits.

Employee Guidelines and Production and Quality Control

Production and Quality Control is everyone's responsibility.

Dealing with Customers

Be polite and cordial

A prerequisite and requirement to taking orders is being friendly and cordial, regardless

of how bad a day you may have had. Make each customer feel he or she is important and

welcome. Every customer is important, so be careful not to be rude or brash.

When a customer arrives, know in advance who is going to deal with their order. Wait on

customers immediately. DO NOT keep them waiting. If more than one customer comes

in get someone in the back to help.

Receiving Jobs or Information (in person or on the phone)

Write everything down (use the work order form)

1. Record person's NAME, TIME of call, and DATE.

2. Get the address and phone number if possible.

3. Get a complete and detailed description of what the customer's request. This

includes:

o Type, color, and weight of stock

o Size or sizes of stock

o Color or colors of ink

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o Types of bindery required (if necessary)

o Job due date

o Question information that is vague

o Quantity or quantities of order

o Record price quoted if possible

4. Do not quote the customer a price unless you are sure of it. Double check the

price with someone if possible.

5. When receiving information concerning jobs already in production, write down

the change and send it immediately to the appropriate department. Make sure that

the change is recorded on the job ticket.

6. Watch for Obvious Errors: Always check name, dates, and phone numbers.

Follow-Up

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Job Orders

After information on Page One has been obtained and recorded, the old job ticket should

be pulled and a new ticket should be filled out. Someone other than the person taking the

job should call the customer to verify information recorded, including the price.

Proofs

After a proof is ready, with respect to the due date, the customer will be contacted, or

proof will be delivered to the customer. If proof has not been picked up or OK'd in a

reasonable time, with respect to the due date, a follow-up call needs to be made to the

customer.

The same shall apply to completed jobs waiting to be picked up by the customer.

Supplies

If supplies that have been ordered have not arrived in a

reasonable amount of time, a follow-up call is to be made to

the company. This also applies to orders shipped outside of

the print shop.

Errors

• If it is clear where the fault lies, due to carelessness or negligence, the cost of the

job may be charged to the person or persons responsible for the error.

• The majority of errors can be eliminated by follow a few simple guidelines:

1. Communicate effectively

2. Work together

3. Keep your mind and thoughts on your job

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Reducing Expenses

• Reducing Waste

1. Utilized supplies efficiently

2. Avoid cutting too much stock

3. Be conservative when using supplies. Use only what is needed.

4. Designated persons will be responsible for cutting papers and stocks for

each job prior to printing

5. Each job ticket will be attached to a production control sheet. Each person

and department will be responsible for recording the time the project was

started and the time it was completed.

• Production Time

1. Quality Time

1. Utilize time efficiently

2. Strive to produce 8 hours of quality production daily

2. Overtime

1. Work overtime only when necessary

2. Overtime is encouraged when the level of production justifies it.

3. Inform the front office when you are making up time or working

comp-time or overtime.

• Maintenance & Neatness

Equipment

1. Regular Maintenance on equipment is required: Equipment will be

lubricated on a regular basis. Operators of each piece of equipment will set

up a regular maintenance schedule for each piece of equipment. These

schedules will be submitted and reviewed at the end of each month.

2. Equipment will be cleaned and kept clean daily.

Work Areas

57

3. Each person will be responsible for keeping his or her immediate work

area neat and organized

4. An organized work space will create a more efficient work environment

It is in everyone's best interest to be efficient and to reduce costs as much as possible. If

you see something that needs to be done, inquire about it, and see that it gets done. Each

person working at this company is a valuable and important part of our success.

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59

Risk/Opportunity

· New print shop(s)

· Price wars

· Lawsuits

· New and better copiers, for in-house do-it-yourselfers

· Brokers

SWOT ANALYSIS

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Strengths

• Improved awareness of best possible practice.

• Creative practitioners become more aware of greener alternatives in printing their work.

• Extends the relevance of vocational training in the graphic art, multimedia and

photography.

• Transforms present ‘ad hoc’ practice into more sustainable and cost effective solutions

in printed media.

• Cultural, attitudinal, behavioral adaptation of more sustainable printing practices will

give the US a competitive advantage.

• Feeds into education rollout of sustainability awareness.

• Can be rolled out as short course delivered content.

• Increasing public awareness and demand for greener practices and products.

Weaknesses

• Research value may be short lived as this area is undergoing rapid change.

• Lack of knowledge where best practice may be found.

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• Insufficient time for extensive preliminary research.

• Lack of local research and development.

• Lack of local awareness of ISO 14001.

• Embedded falsehoods about the green value of particular practices masquerading as

facts.

Opportunities

• ISO 14001 mandates corrective action addressing unsustainable practices.

• Research should provide the opportunity to recognize elements of technology, materials

and processes presently used that are unsustainable under ISO 14000 environmental

management standards and recommend appropriate changes.

• To create and become known for best practice in Asia Pacific region.

Threats

• Long-term entrenched attitudes may make it difficult to take action towards adaptation

of the recommendations resulting from this Company.

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• Industry is focused on continuous growth.

• Confidentiality issues with new technologies.

• Industry may choose compliance over quality-based leadership and initiative.

• Implementation may be deemed too financially costly

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Financial Summary

Cost of Goods This item appears to have been out of proportion at certain periods. To remedy this,

several steps have been and will be taken.

• Procedures are being taken to monitor material waste. Waste due to errors can be

considerably reduced by implementing and enforcing policies on quality control.

• Pricing updates will be made more often to reflect price increases on papers and

supplies. Price lists have recently been updated and modified to simplify pricing

procedures for employees. This will be a major help in eliminating pricing errors.

• Each department will be responsible for recording time spent on each job. This

will show what types of printing jobs are more or less profitable, and indicate

what measures should be taken to increase profitability.

Wages (including owners) Wages have averaged 28.6 percent over the 12 year history. Current labor expense is

high, 37.3 percent of gross sales, due to the loss of the Hillman Equipment contracts. The

figures are ½ actual and ½ projection. One employee has been terminated and one

employee quit. As a result, this percentage should be lower by year end. The FRA

(Financial Research Association) comparison for a like-size business indicates a 35.98

average. Therefore, Master Printer and Partners Printing are only 1.32 percent above this

industry average. Increases in productivity brought about through the implementation of

this plan will bring this figure to below the industry average.

Payroll Taxes Payroll taxes have increased from .7 percent in 2002 to 3.7 percent in 2010. However,

this line item is only controllable indirectly through total labor.

64

Advertising Advertising is .7 percent on average and is above the FRA average of .39 percent for

small-sized businesses. In order to increase our penetration in the market, this item will

have to remain above this average for a short time. However, we do feel that by utilizing

an effective advertising strategy, our advertising dollars will yield a greater return than in

the past.

Auto Expense Auto expense was .8 percent in 2002, and 1.9 in 2010, or a 237 percent increase. There

are no industry averages for this line item, but it is deemed to be high.

The increase is contributed primarily to the frequent trips and distance from Virginia to

Washington D.C. These trips should be less frequent due to the loss of certain contracts.

Therefore, this expense should decrease without an action plan.

Bad Debts Bad debts have not been a significant problem in the past, but we will continue to

monitor accounts receivable to avoid developing any problems in this area.

Insurance Insurance costs have escalated from .4 percent of gross to 1.2 percent and are in line with

the FRA industry average of 1.78 percent.

Interest Interest has moved from 2.3 percent of gross to 2.8 percent in 1991, which is a 21.7

percent increase in 11 years. We hope to reduce our interest expense by obtaining a loan

at lower interest rates than we are presently paying.

Lease Expense Lease expense has fluctuated over the years, starting at 4.6 percent in 2002 and

decreasing to 2.3 percent in 2010. We hope to reduce this expense even further by

purchasing equipment, rather than acquiring it on lease options. The purchases will be

65

evaluated with our accountant to determine what items will be most advantageous at the

time.

Repairs and Maintenance Repairs and maintenance increased significantly from 2002 through 2010. This was due

in part to service agreements on new equipment. From 2002, however, this expense has

significantly decreased from .77 percent of revenues to .37 percent.

66

Capital Requirements

The monumental franchising of Rush Hour Printing is unprecedented and about to come

alive. This venture requires some start-up funds in addition to the investment already

sought and acquired. Furthermore, Rush Hour Printing is up and running with a location

already established in the D.C. area. Opening at least one more will begin the great

venture that we seek. Rush Hour Printing is looking for start-up requirements of at least

$500,000 USD (per location), which is about 75% of our current annual sales per store.

67

68

69

PROFIT AND LOSS FORMA

Y1$ Y2$ Y3$

SALES 750,000 1,250,000 1,500,000

DIRECT COST OF SALES 559,600 875,000 1,050,000QOTHER

OTHER 0 0 0

TOTAL COST OF SALES 559,600 875,000 1,050,000

GROSS MARGIN 190,400 375,000 450,000

GROSS MARGIN % 25.3 30.0 30.0

EXPENSES

PAYROLL 20,004 20,500 20,500

MARKETING/PROMOTION 6,000 6,000 6,000

DEPRECIATION 0 0 0

LEASED EQUIPMENT 0 0 0

INSURANCE 4,800 4,800 4,800

PAYROLL TAXES 0 0 0

Other 0 0 0

TOTAL OPERATING EXPENSES

30,804 31,300 31,300

PROFIT BEFORE

INTEREST AND TAXES

159,596 343,700 418,700

EBITDA 159,596 343,700 418,700

INTEREST EXPENSE 4,533 3,470 2,450

TAXES INCURRED 46,519 102,069 124,875

NET PROFIT 105,544 238,161 291,375

NET PROFIT/SALES % 14.47 19.05 19.43

70

71

PRO FORMA CASH FLOW

Y1 Y2 Y3

CASH RECEIVED

CASH SALES 0 0 0

CASH FROM

OPERATIONS

CASH FROM

RECEIVABLES

594,600 1,146,400 1,448,200

SUBTOTAL CASH

FROM

OPERATIONS

594,600 1,146,400 1,448,200

ADDITIONAL

CASH RECEIVED

SALES TAXES 0 0 0

NEW CURRENT

BORROWING

0 0 0

NEW OTHER

LIABILITIES

0 0 0

NEW LONG TERM

LIABILITIES

0 0 0

SALES OF OTHER

CURRENT ASSETS

0 0 0

SALES OF LONG

TERM ASSETS

0 0 0

NEW

INVESTMENT

RECEIVED

37,000 0 0

SUBTOTAL CASH

RECEIVED

631,600 1,146,400 1,448,200

72

Y1 Y2 Y3

EXPENDITURES

CASH SPENDING 20,004 20,500 20,500

BILL PAYMENTS 560,008 971,302 1,171,951

SUBTOTAL SPENT

ON OPERATIONS

580,012 991,802 1,192,951

ADDITIONAL CASH

SPENT

SALES TAXES 0 0 0

PRINCIPAL

REPAYMENT OF

CURRENT

BORROWING

0 0 0

OTHER

LIABILITIES

PRINCIPAL

REPAYMENT

0 0 0

LONG-TERM

LIABILITIES

PRINCIPAL

REPAYMENT

10,200 10,200 10,200

PURCHASE OTHER

CURRENT ASSETS

0 0 0

PURCHASE LONG-

TERM ASSETS

0 0 0

DIVIDENDS 0 0 0

SUBTOTAL CASH

SPENT

590,212 1,002,002 1,202,651

NET CASH FLOW 41,338 144,398 245,549

CASH BALANCE 91,338 235,785 481,335

73

BALANCE SHEET Y1 Y2 Y3

ASSETS

CURRENT

CASH 91,388 235,785 481,335

ACCOUNTS

RECEIVABLE

155,400 259,000 310,800

OTHER CURRENT 0 0 0

TOTAL 246,788 494,785 792,135

LONG-TERM ASSETS

LONG-TERM ASSETS 0 0 0

ACCUMULATED

DEPRECIATION

0 0 0

TOTAL 0 0 0

TOTAL ASSETS 246,788 494,785 792,135

LIABILITIES AND

CAPITAL

Y1 Y2 Y3

CURRENT

LIABILITIES

ACCOUNTS PAYABLE 61,443 81,840 97,654

CURRENT

BORROWING

0 0 0

OTHER CURRENT

LIABILITIES

0 0 0

SUBTOTAL 61,443 81,480 97,654

LONG-TERM

LIABILITIES

39,800 29,600 19,400

TOTAL LIABILITIES 101,243 111,080 117,054

PAID-IN CAPITAL 52,000 52,000 52,000

RETAINED EARNINGS (15,000) 93,544 331,705

TOTAL CAPITAL 145,544 383,705 675,080

TOTAL LIABILITIES

AND CAPITAL

246,788 494,785 792,135

NET WORTH 145,544 383,705 675,080

74

RATIOS Y1% Y2% Y3% INDUSTRY

PROFILE

SALES GROWTH 0 66.67 20.00 1

PERCENT OF TOTAL

ASSETS

ACCOUNTS

RECEIVABLE

62.97 52.35 39.24 25.80

OTHER 0 0 0 24.00

TOTAL 100 100 100 57.90

LONG-TERM ASSETS 0 0 0 42.1

TOTAL ASSETS 100 100 100 100

CURRENT LIABILITIES

24.90 16.47 12.33 32.20

LONG0-TERM

LIABILITIES

16.13 5.98 2.45 25.40

TOTAL LIABILITIES 41.02 22.45 14.78 57.60

NET WORTH 58.98 77.55 85.22 42.40

PERCENT OF SALES 100 100 100 100

GROSS MARGIN 25.39 30 30 30

SELLING, GENERAL

AND

ADMINSITRATIVE

EXPENSES

9.05 9.80 9.62 15.60

ADVETRTISING

EXPENSES

0.48 0.29 0.24 0.50

PROFIT BEFORE

INTEREST AND

TAXES

21.28 27.50 27.91 2.30

MAIN RATIOS

CURRENT 4.02 6.07 8.11 1.61

QUICK 4.02 6.07 8.11 1.19

TOTAL DEBT TO

TOTAL ASSETS

41.02 22.45 14.78 57.60

PRE-TAX RETURN

ON NET WORTH

106.54 88.67 61.66 4.20

PRE-TAX RETURN 62.83 68.76 52.55 10.00

75

ON ASSETS

ADITIONAL RATIOS

NET PROFIT

MARGIN

14.47 19.05 19.43 N.A

RETURN ON EQUITY 74.58 62.07 43.16 N.A

ACTIVITY RATIOS

ACCOUNTS

RECEIVABLE

TURNOVER

4.83 4.83 4.83 N.A

COLLECTION DAYS 57 61 69 N.A

ACCOUNTS

PAYABLE

TURNOVER

10.11 12.17 12.17 N.A

PAYMENT DAYS 27 26 28 N.A

TOTAL ASSET

TURNOVER

3.04 2.53 1.89 N.A

DEBT RATIO N.A

DEBT TO NET

WORTH

0.70 0.29 0.17 N.A

CURRENT LIABILITY

TO LIABILITY

0.61 0.73 0.83 N.A

LIQUIDITY RATIOS

NET WORKING

CAPITAL

$185,344 413,305 694,480 N.A

INTEREST

COVERAGE

35.21 99.05 170.90 N.A

ADDITIONAL

RATIOS

ASSETS TO SALES 0.33 0.40 0.53 N.A

CURRENT

DEBT/TOTAL ASSETS

25% 16% 12% N.A

ACID TEST 1.49 2.89 4.93 N.A

SALES/NET WORTH 5.15 3.26 2.22 N.A

76

PRO FORMA PROFIT AND LOSS

77

PRO FORMA CASH FLOW

78

PRO FORMA BALANCE SHEET

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