How to Scale Your Business with On Demand Print

When you are a small business owner or a brand new startup, you’re always looking for ways to scale your business. Growing your business is a delicate seesaw maneuver: you need to expand your business for healthy growth, while also managing your budget to ensure financial stability. 

Creating long and short-term plans is a great way to start thinking about ways to scale your business. As you do, consider some of the most common challenges small businesses face. According to the Harvard School of Business¹, there are several key challenges when scaling a company, including:

• scaling too fast
  
• investing too much money in expensive equipment you might not use
  
• losing focus of your business goals
  
• getting bogged down with daily operations
  
• hiring people to do odd in-house jobs, rather than contractors 

One area where small businesses frequently invest too much money and in-house resources is printing. In-house printing, especially when you are required to perform complex printing jobs such as collating proposals, assembling booklets, or producing catalogs, can be time-consuming and resource-draining. So, how do you produce all the print collateral you need without it eating your entire budget? Scale your business with on demand printing. 

What Is On Demand Printing?

On demand printing is a service that gives you the option to print what you need, when you need it, without worrying about purchasing expensive print machinery, managing inventory, reserving storage space, or worrying about wasting paper and resources. When you need something printed, whether it’s a proposal response or product catalog, you can easily print the exact number of copies you need. Some on demand printers, like Mimeo, will even package and ship your documents wherever you need them. 

How Does On Demand Printing Help Scale Your Business? 

Here are 5 ways on demand print can help you scale your business. 

1. On Demand Print Lets You Stay Nimble with Your Budget 

Utilizing on demand printing gives you the power to smartly strategize and stretch your budget. When your company is in its growth stage, you need to stay reactive to circumstances as they arise, keeping cash free for big, unexpected expenses. Don’t get locked into a pricey contract with a traditional printer. Instead, choose on demand print for small-batch jobs. That way, you aren’t printing extra collateral just to hit a volume discount.

2. Many On Demand Printers Offer Real-Time Quotes 

Local print shops seem to offer you great prices on printing until you realize that their price is based on volume or the quote is only good for a short time period. That means you may be stuck ordering more than you need just to keep the per-unit price low. Instead, choose on demand print for small-batch jobs. As a growing business, they can really hinder your efforts to scale up and stay financially healthy.

A reputable on demand printer like Mimeo offers real-time quotes without hidden clauses or last-minute upcharges. Search for a printer that offers an easy-to-use online print calculator that gives you real-time estimates based on your print job. From there, you can customize your document while staying within your budget.

3. On Demand Print Helps You Secure Sales

As a new business, you have to prove your readiness and agility to help secure a sale. When a potential deal comes your way, you have no time to waste. You must prove you’re up to the task quickly. On demand print empowers your salespeople with personalized literature for each sales meeting. It also gives your marketing team the option to update marketing collateral for specific events or campaigns, because you can order a few hundred copies at a time, rather than thousands. On demand print can even help your RFP team make an impression with professionally-printed proposals for large bids. In each case, on demand print is cost-effective enough to order in small quantities.

4. On Demand Print Lets You Invest in Technology You Need, Not Want

A new company gets hit with dozens of unexpected operational expenses in the first few years. Instead of investing in expensive print equipment or signing a multi-year contract with a fulfillment center, you can rely on on demand print to stay nimble and help scale your business. On demand printing provides you the peace of mind that you will get all your printing needs done professionally, without having to invest in expensive print technology. Plus, unlike traditional printers, on demand printers don’t lock you into inflated or prolonged spending contracts.

5. On Demand Print Offers a Strategic Way to Outsource and Save Time

Hands down, on demand print is the best outsourcing option for a growing business. Although simple print jobs are easy to manage, daily or complicated print projects are extremely time-consuming, especially when your staff is tasked with other important work. When you use an on demand printer to help scale your business, you’re not only removing extra tasks from your employees’ to-do lists, but you’re also enabling your team to devote their time to what they are truly good at. Online, on demand printing allows you to build your print jobs in minutes, making it a powerful form of outsourcing. Many Mimeo customers have noted that they saved days and even weeks of their time when they switched to on demand printing. 

Scaling a business requires you to be open to new ways of performing any business-critical task, including printing. Choosing to outsource your printing needs to an on demand printer is not only cost-effective, but also a great time saver. As you consider the best print options to scale your business, reach out to Mimeo to learn more about how print can help you maximize your budget and your time.

Sources:

1. Harvard School of Business