From: TomCrouser@aol.com
Date: Mon, 19 Aug 1996 09:45:34 -0400
Subject: Letters: Franklin s Joins Kwik Kopy
Content-Length: 17281
X-UIDL: 840467873.012

Crouser Report OnLine Copyright 1996 Thomas P. Crouser, August 18, 1996 -
Material may not be reproduced in whole or in part without prior written
consent of the copyright holder.
***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** *****
Gonna be active this week: Wednesday Morning 

Are You Ready To Hire Your
First Salesperson?

 That s the topic of our breakfast meeting, August 21st in
Dallas at 7 am for the Printing Industries Association of Texas. $35 members,
$70 non-members. Message piatexas.jan@NT1.azone.net (Jan Thornton) for more
information. . .Saturday Morning Power Pricing Seminar will be in Colorado
Springs on August 24th. Call (304) 342-5100 if you want to attend this FREE
session.
***** ***** *****
Letters: Franklin s Joins Kwik Kopy
Transmitted from Dallas, Texas

Index: This week our letters are about: FRANKLIN S Joins ICED Family (Kwik
Kopy); Last week we had a question regarding the $1 BUYOUT of a lease. CPA
Jack Kern adds to our comments; COMMENTS on LaserMaster are still coming in,
check the latest; a printer is just getting into electronic FILE transfers
and wants some advice; a young printing family member wants to know if this JO
B would work for them; and Hotline Cy adds some comments for Carol on FAVORITE
 vendors and a source for marketing the color copies.
*****
We received this news release this week regarding Franklin s Systems, Inc.

Subj:	FRANKLIN S Joins ICED Family

The International Center for Entrepreneurial Development (ICED) and
Franklin s Systems, Inc., signed on August 13, 1996 a letter of intent where
Franklin s becomes the newest member of the ICED franchise family with Kwik
Kopy Printing, The Ink Well, American Wholesale Thermographers and Copy Club.

Hal Collins remains Chairman and President of Franklin s and joins the Board
of Directors of ICED. Franklin s Systems, headquartered in Atlanta, began
franchising in 1977 and today has 70 Franklin s Printing, Copying & Graphics
centers in 14 states.



For the past quarter of a century, Hal Collins has been recognized as a
leader in the world of franchising. Franklin s will add further depth to our
systems as we will add to theirs. It s an exciting future that lies before us
and by working and sharing, I predict an even brighter future for all of us,


says Bud Hadfield, Chairman of ICED.

Hal Collins said, 

The rapid change in technology is causing a dramatic
increase in consolidation within our industry with experts predicting even
greater consolidation in the coming years. In the interest of perpetuation of
our business, maintaining high-tech training and marketing programs, and
providing additional value to our owners, joining with ICED is the right
thing to do. Combining the proven successful programs of our companies with
the talents of our people will assure our new family of owners a tremendous
opportunity for success in the years to come.



ICED is the parent company for Kwik Kopy Printing, The Ink Well, American
Wholesale Thermographers and Copy Club. It is the world s largest alliance of
printing and copying franchises with business centers in the United States,
England, Scotland, Wales, Canada, Australia, South Africa, Israel, Mexico,
Northern Ireland, Turkey, Nambibia, Swaziland, New Zealand, Brazil,
Argentina, Chili, Paraguay, Bolivia and Italy.

For Further Info Contact: Gina Chepely at 713-256-4324. Tom s note: And Hal
Collins didn t mention a word of this when we talked to him during the NAQP
Chicago show, either. My congratulations to Hal (the former Itek salesman who
made good) and Bud Hadfield (the former assistant to the Mayor of Houston who
also has done darned well.) Get Bud to tell you the Little Red Wagon Story
sometime. One of the best speeches I have ever heard. Now, back to our
business at hand. . . .
*****
Last week we had a question regarding the $1 BUYOUT of a lease. CPA Jack Kern
responds.

Subj:	Re: FMV vs. $1 BUYOUT lease question
From:	JackCKern
To:	TomCrouser

Tom: In your very appropriate diplomatic way, you are being very generous in
giving the benefit of the doubt to leasing companies.  My experience with
leasing companies is that it is almost impossible to get straight answers out
of them.  Unrelated third party leasing companies seem to be vague and
difficult on purpose, as a part of their business strategy.  Many leasing
companies related to the manufacturer seem to be vague as an overall strategy
to leave customers in the dark at the mercy of the dealers  sales reps.  In
my experience, Xerox is the only manufacturer and provider of lease and
installment purchasing vehicles that will deal straight up, in a straight
forward way with customers, but only if such treatment is demanded.  The
difficulty is that there is so much widespread financial ignorance in our
industry, we are unnecessarily at the mercy of suppliers who have their
interests as far ahead of ours as we allow them.   I believe the profit
leaders of the next decade will not be dependent on suppliers (or related
entities) for any sort of lease financing. Sincerely, Jack

Thanks for the response, Jack. 
*****
Subj:	COMMENTS on LaserMaster
From:	Rutgers
To:	      TomCrouser

Hi TC & PC Hope you are enjoying some office time at home and catching up.
Tom s Note: Blonde lady works me much harder at home than on the road. .
.why do you think we stay on the road so much?

We USED to own a LaserMaster printer and Perry sounds like he has one like we
had.  Less than 6 months after we bought it they offered us an upgrade
similar to Perry in order for the printer to do standard Postscript language.
 They refused to offer any practical solutions to help us ( and others like
us) even though they had just sold us the equipment.  We sold the printer and
now have a NewGen.  While riding in the shuttle to O Hare Airport (from the
NAQP conference), two printers were telling me they have a LaserMaster RIP
which has lots of problems and they are not getting the necessary help from
LM.  Sounds
they don t offer much help to others with problems.  Not a good
recommendation.. Rutgers
***** *****
Have you checked NAQP OnLine this week? If not, 

go NAQP

 on America OnLine
and read the new issues posted there. Also, find out about a really simple
way to start surfing the World Wide web - not as fast or cheap as a direct
ISP connection, but much easier and available NOW.
***** *****
Subj:	Type FILE extensions
From:	OPI BEREA
To:	      TomCrouser

Hi Tom/George: I am getting into Electronic File Transfers and receiving more
disks where my fonts either do not match or the type font is not included on
the disk. What file extension do I need to have transferred over to me?  How
do we know the name - The files seem to have names other than what is shown.
Like Times Roman is ???????

I m using PC - PM5 and yes a LaserMaster printer (it works fine, but you are
right - - no support).  There is a place in Cleveland called Taussigs that
seems to know some about them. Also I m thinking about a laser printer I can
use for letters and utility printing - any suggestions? Thanks, Richard

Hey, Richard. . .Clark suggests that the file extensions may be either .FOT
or .FON.  However, I would highly recommend John Giles book, 

The Digital
Original.

 You can reach John at JohnG247@aol.com. John and I had the
opportunity to chat last week in Charleston and I went over the book. It s
really a good read for those getting into such things and covers many of the
basics.
 
 Also I m thinking about a laser printer I can use for letters and utility
printing -  any suggestions? 

I am assuming almost any 300 dpi printer would do for what you need. I use a
Panasonic and have for years with little problems, except those caused by
overwork. You can find a wide selection at Sam s, and all of the office type
supermarkets. . . and I m sure we will hear from many of our friends on their
own preferred brands. Hope this helps. P.S. George (George Yoxtheimer who
worked with me for a number of years) is now president of CompuStar Satellite
in Charleston where he has been building his own family based business for
about two years now. I ll pass along your greetings when I see him in a
couple of weeks.
*****
Last week, FUZZY wrote about his focusing problem. In college, he noted, the
only way I could study was to write down everything I read over and over. And
he said he was thinking about going to the doctor and see if medication will
help. Well, it just so happens that another reader knows the situation all
too well. The family is intimately involved. And while medications, etc., is
not a usual topic of our conversation, I see many times when it impacts our
business. Let s hear from Knows.

Subj:	Note to FUZZY 
From:	Knows
To:	      TomCrouser

Regarding the focusing problem that 

Fuzzy

 talks about.  Sounds a lot like
Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and also Attention Deficit Hyperactive
Disorder (ADHD) which is shown to have a physical cause and can be inherited.
 Four members of our family have some form of it.  It was thought that you


outgrow

 it during adolescence but it is now known that the symptoms change
as the person learns new coping skills and uses other parts of the brain.
 This may or may not be accompanied by a learning  disability.  People can
have both ADD/ADHD and/or a learning disability.  Medications are many and
some knowledge about the disorder as well as the alternatives is important
before considering anything.  Two excellent books are: 

Driven to
Distraction

 and 

Beyond Ritalin



Both books can tell about diagnosis and there are psychologists and
psychiatrists who specialize in treating this disorder,  Both books mention
medications to consider as well as techniques to use.  I think it is
important to have a working knowledge by reading the books in order to know
before going on medication. Happy Trails to wherever you are headed. . .Knows

Thanks for sharing your insight. I m sure Fuzzy will be acting on the
information soon and checking with his doctor. As a side note, since we deal
with family businesses everyday, we do run into many varied situations with
which we all have to cope. Be blessed if you and your family just have to
worry about this crazy business. Thanks, again.
***** ***** *****
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***** ***** *****
Subj:	Would this JOB work part time?
From:	Looking
To:	      TomCrouser

Hi! I ve been using the NAQP page on AOL for a few months and decided it was
my time to ask a question. Background: I ve spent the last 7 years working
for my family s small printing business, plus I have an AS degree in Printing
management and prepress. I had to leave the company (that they are in the
process of closing) because, well, I was working for family. I was basically
wore all of the hats of an owner from production, scheduling, purchasing,
estimating, financial controls, etc.

Currently: I have been looking for a job that fits my knowledge. The industry
in So. California is slow right now and I understand (from experience)
companies can t hire someone full-time---- Nor can they really afford not
too. I have vital skills that would be useful to any small/medium size bus.
owner who wears many hats. 

Problem: I was considering instead of looking for 1 company full time,
looking for 2-3 companies that need my skills part-time. since I am very good
at estimating I assume that is one hat where I would be most useful but I can
also see where working for 2 companies some controlling owners might worry.
Plus I m not sure if I would bill out by the hour as an employee or a salary
as an outside contractor? Or What someone would be willing to pay? Or if it
is even logically possible to have a part-timer in these positions. This


new

 job description is the find of thinking that keeps me up at night and I
would greatly appreciate a 2nd opinion on it. Thanks for all your good and
very informative work. Looking.
*****
Hey, Looking. . . .Thanks for your excellent question. Let me respond to it
in parts.

I ve spent the last 7 years working for my family s small printing
business, plus I have an AS degree in Printing management and prepress. 
I had to leave the company (that they are in the process of closing) 
because, well, I was working for family. I was basically wore all of the 
hats of an owner from production, scheduling, purchasing, estimating, 
financial controls,
etc.

And this is the saddest thing I can hear as a consultant to family printing
businesses. It didn t have to be. You are telling me the shop wasn t
organized into real jobs (everyone did everything), they were in the process
of closing the shop (probably because sales were down or something sales
related that they just didn t have tools to cope with) and I think that is
sad because it just doesn t have to be. Anyway, nuff of that. On with your
question.

 Currently: I have been looking for a job that fits my knowledge. The
industry in So. California is slow right now and I understand (from
experience) companies can t hire someone full-time---- Nor can they really
afford not too. I have vital skills that would be useful to any small/medium
size bus. owner who wears many hats.

I see it somewhat differently. Assuming you have the skills to do what you
said you were doing, then there are MANY printing companies who would 
DIE to find someone like you. I know. I try to find them all of the time for
companies (unfortunately we don t have any active recruiting program going 
on in Southern California right now. . .but I bet you get a few responses 
when I publish this letter. But, again. . . .on with your question.

Problem: I was considering instead of looking for 1 company full time,
looking for 2-3 companies that need my skills part-time. since I am very good
at estimating I assume that is one hat where I would be most useful but I can
also see where working for 2 companies some controlling owners might worry.
Plus I m not sure if I would bill out by the hour as an employee or a salary
as an outside contractor? Or What someone would be willing to pay? Or if it
is even logically possible to have a part-timer in these positions. This


new

 job description is the find of thinking that keeps me up at night and I
would greatly appreciate a 2nd opinion on it.

Hey, don t run yourself ragged. Go get one really good job and focus on that.
Don t transpose the situation you faced in the family business onto all small
press shops. They all aren t that way. I have great confidence that if you
package your experienced in a resume and go after the market leading print
shops (and don t be afraid of the more commercial looking shops - same
problems with bigger presses) you will have a really good job within ninety
days.

Anyway, no you would not be an independent contractor. Yes, you 
would be paid by the hour. You probably would get paid (my guess) less 
in two part time jobs than you would in one really good full time one. So, 
Looking, get out there and sell something to someone. . . .namely your 
own talents and skills.We need folks like you real bad. Just hit it with all 
you are worth and don t stop until you have landed your really good full
 time job. And, let me know what happens. Good luck. Tom
*****
A couple of messages ago, Carol replied to Hotline Cy s comments on 
FAVORITE vendors. Cy adds a couple of his own ideas on marketing the 
color copier and more. (By the way, Cy says he is doing well.)

Re:         FAVORITE Vendors
From:	Hotline Cy
To:  	TomCrouser

Snip. . .Carol s favorites are also excellent vendors.

As far as looking for ideas to market using her color copier, I would suggest
contacting Mona at Coastal Business Supplies (800) 562-7760 and Sheldon 
at For ever USA 800-762-2679. They have all sorts of neat things you can 
use to add value to color copies - mouse pads, mugs, puzzles, coasters, 
and more.

Another favorite I think I omitted was Tom Kirchner at Roanoke Stamp & Seal.
Tom does a superb job on all kinds of obscure rubber stamps and hand seals,
in addition to the normal rubber stamps. Believe it or not, his delivery and
prices to Texas from Virginia were more favorable than a local rubber stamp
manufacturer. Cy Stapleton
*****
And that s all for now. Pamela and I have made it to Dallas where we will be
working and then talking to the Printing Industries Association of Texas on
Wednesday morning. Then off to Colorado for some work and our last summer
session of 

Power Pricing.

 Hope to see you soon.

Tom and Pamela Crouser on the road again.
***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** *****
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