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Monthly Archives: March 2018

Speedpro Imaging Highlights Bob Kelleher’s Successful Game Plan To Team Up With Local Colleges And Universities

March 23, 2018

Success as a business owner is far from a slam dunk. Being successful takes hard-work, discipline, tenacity and strategy, all traits that lie within Bob Kelleher, the owner of SpeedPro Central New York. The location is what affords Kelleher to thrive. He is strategically situated within driving distance of several key universities in Central New York, including Cazenovia CollegeIthaca CollegeSt. John Fisher CollegeSUNY Oswego,SUNY CortlandCornell UniversitySyracuse University and Binghamton University.

The college and university systems in Central New York are vital to the area. “Binghamton University is one of the largest employers in Binghamton, and the same can be said for Syracuse,” says Kelleher. “The good news for me is I have had the opportunity to work with most of them.”

Successful 1This April will mark Kelleher’s eighth year as a SpeedPro studio owner. He became an entrepreneur following a productive career in electrical engineering and sales management. “I was managing sales people across North America,” says Kelleher. “I was at an executive level and I felt like my own boss, even though I wasn’t. When I left, I decided I actually wanted to be my own boss.”

That sales experience helped Kelleher make the transition into the world of entrepreneurship. “For 30 years, the job market was extremely cyclical; there would be some ups and downs,” Kelleher says. “I escaped unscathed during two down cycles. When the last one hit in 2009, I wasn’t in the mood to ride it out. I looked at it as an opportunity to move on.” Kelleher consulted with some old co-workers who were experimenting with business ownership, and one put him in touch with a franchise broker.

“I was considering home health care franchises and a few painting firms, as well as flooring businesses,” Kelleher said. “None of them seemed like fun, except for SpeedPro.”

Now, Kelleher is enjoying the opportunity to work with clients of many shapes and sizes, including his deep roster of colleges and universities. “What makes college campuses great is that there isn’t simply one point-person you deal with. Each department is responsible for its own purchasing. That provides ample opportunities to make an impression. All it takes is one great job, and I’ll get referrals from all over the campus.”

Kelleher has helped the famed Carrier Dome on Syracuse University transition from football to basketball and now lacrosse seasons with big, vivid action banners that hang in the locker room.

undefinedBinghamton University is one campus where you’ll find Kelleher’s fingerprints in both academic and athletic facilities. That includes a timeline of the school’s history that spans the length of two walls in a main campus building.

Kelleher was also instrumental when Binghamton made the decision to overhaul the arena’s men’s basketball locker room. “It’s one of the things that we’re most proud of on campus,” says Kelleher. “The university wanted to up its game as it looks to recruit players. Part of the recruiting involved dressing up the locker room. The athletic department called me in, told me, ‘here’s what we need.’ I gave them some ideas, then they signed off and told me I had two weeks to complete it.”

As teams vying to be crowned champion continue their march, Kelleher says he can draw a lesson from the unpredictability of the tournament. “You don’t know how things are going to turn out, whether it’s on the basketball court, or in a boardroom,” he says. “There is a lot of luck involved. However, it seems like the harder you work, the luckier you get. As I first started this business, I had nothing else to do than sales. I made it a point to stop at every likely target and sell my new business to potential customers. Now some of those business remain some of my best customers.”

successful 2Including the colleges and universities. “A lot of people who work at colleges tend to move to other campuses,” Kelleher says. “The good news is that they often remember my work, give me a call and introduce me to new clientele.”

If you’re tired of the madness and want to take better control of your life, just like Bob Kelleher, consider joining the SpeedPro team. For more information on the SpeedPro franchise opportunity and what it takes to be a successful franchise owner like Bob, visit speedprofranchising.com.

The fighting irish: speedpro imaging celebrates st. patrick’s day with studio owners patrick and susan mcginnis

March 16, 2018

Dictionary.com defines Irish as “of, relating to, or characteristic of Ireland, its inhabitants, or their language.” What is lacking are the intangibles that define the Irish-American spirit: tenacity, perseverance and a fight to never give up until the job is done.

James McGinnis encapsulates the Irish-American spirit that will be celebrated across the country this weekend on St. Patrick’s Day. James is the son of Patrick and Susan McGinnis, the proud owners of SpeedPro of Lenexa-Overland Park in the suburbs of Kansas City.

The McGinnis family will be active participants during the 46th annual Kansas City St. Patrick’s Day Parade. James will be featured on one of the participating floats in the parade. Patrick and Susan will be marching by the float’s side. The honor comes courtesy of a client of the McGinnis family’s SpeedPro studio.

Patrick and Susan McGinnis first joined on with SpeedProthe nation’s leading large format graphics franchise, 12 years ago. Patrick was in management. Susan had experience with pharmaceutical sales before giving birth to her daughter, Megan, and then James four years later. When the children grew a little older, Susan took a job at a pre-school.

Patrick’s transition into entrepreneurship became clearer during an emotional conversation he had with a young Megan. “I remember she asked me if I liked James’ events better than I liked hers,” Patrick recalls. “She asked because my job had me on the road during the week. I would miss her events, but I was able to make James’ events on the weekends.”

That exchange laid the groundwork for major changes for Patrick and Susan. “I resigned shortly afterwards and gave myself six months to start a business,” Patrick said. “If it didn’t work out, I was going to get back in the corporate world.”

The pair chose SpeedPro because of the business-to-business, recession proof model and the flexible hours.

For the first six months of their business, Susan found herself working at her preschool during the day and at her SpeedPro studio during the afternoon. She found similarities between the two industries.

“When we first started out in 2006, many people weren’t educated on digital printing,” Susan says. “I found myself doing a lot of hand holding, teaching clients about the services we could provide.”

The pair says it took about two years of hard work to get their business on stable ground. “Networking and sales were a top priority during our launch,” says Susan.

“Our philosophy is that we don’t want the customer just for the first order,” says Patrick. “I want the second, third and fourth order. It’s harder to get a new customer than retain a new one. If you treat them right and live up to their quality of expectations, they’ll become the best sales person for your business.”

“A happy customer is the best sales rep you can have,” adds Susan.

Patrick and Susan say they have a great working relationship, in part because they rarely see one another during the day. “We’ve always been close, and we can resolve isSusans,” says Patrick, before quickly adding, “The main thing is to not share an office.”

“We have separate offices because he can’t handle the fact that I’m a talker,” Susan adds. “I talk to myself, I talk to the computer, I have cordial conversations with our clients. We know our differences and appreciate them.”

Patrick and Susan appreciate how being business owners gives them the ability to set their own schedules. That would never be more evident than in the fall of 2014. James suffered a traumatic brain injury during a high school football game. James spent months in a hospital in Lincoln, Nebraska, three and a half hours away from home. At least one parent was always by his side during that painstaking period.

“I look at the injury with our son, and it was a blessing we had our own business,” Patrick says. “Where we were, it allowed us flexibility that I wouldn’t have been afforded if I had been in a corporate environment.”

“My ability to be with James wouldn’t have happened without being a SpeedPro studio owner,” says Susan. “Even now during his physical therapy, I can go back and forth between working and being with James.”

The recovery for James continues today. He is enrolled in school classes, and earned a spot on the honor roll during the most recent semester. You’ll also find James joining Susan when she is making deliveries or hanging out at the SpeedPro studio, bringing his trademark smile and jokes to the office.

“I feel like the Irish spirit is to never give up, and that heritage lives strong in James,” says Patrick. “When the Irish first came to America, they were faced with several setbacks. They persevered. You’re going to be dealt with setbacks. But, we never step away from a fight. That’s the spirit I see in James. He never backs away from a fight. Not when he was growing up. Now we see it in his fight to regain normalcy. Failure is not an option.”

The fighting spirit that James displays is the same attitude Patrick and Susan apply to their business. “You have to put the work into it,” says Patrick. “It’s not a business you buy and sit back and collect a paycheck. You have to work.”

Connections forged through their SpeedPro studio have helped the recovery process. James has received V.I.P. status from the operators of the local NASCAR venue, the local professional hockey team, and the company playing host this St. Patrick’s Day.

Patrick and Susan work hard for themselves as well as their family. They’re in the process of writing a book with James, with the eventual goal of landing him on the speaking circuit. You can follow James’ journey as he educates and brings awareness to traumatic brain injuries on Facebook or his YouTube channel.

For more information on the SpeedPro franchise opportunity and what it takes to be a successful franchise owner like Patrick and Susan, please visit speedprofranchising.com.