Nation’s Leading Printing and Graphics Franchise Monthly Franchisee Series Focuses on Studio Owner Steve Moran-Cassese’s Winning Business Spirit
You know the feeling. The premonition that, professionally, maybe it’s time for something new in your life. That’s what led Steve Moran-Cassese to join the nation’s leading printing and graphics franchise and launch what is now his very successful and highly publicizedSpeedPro-Marin studio in the San Francisco Bay area.
For Moran-Cassese, the moment of clarity happened around a decade ago. “I had just returned from living overseas for two years,” he says. “It was percolating over time. I wanted to make a change.”
That change involved leaving the agency industry that helped Moran-Cassese see the world.
“It was an incredible experience,” says Moran-Cassese. Part of his job meant working on five Olympic games, beginning in 1998 all the way until 2006. “I traveled the world on business. I got to go to a lot of places – New Zealand, most of Europe, and Salt Lake City here in the states. I was exposed to and dealt with plenty of high-end clients, including several Fortune 500 companies.”
Moran-Cassese spent 17 years producing action-based television programming and executing event marketing. After moving back to the San Francisco Bay area, life was going well, but something needed to change. “I needed a fresh start. I was in my 40s and had reached a point where the status quo was no longer acceptable. I needed to decompress. That’s when I decided to take a sabbatical.”
That sabbatical sent him back overseas, this time to Africa to volunteer on a game reserve for six weeks assisting in animal research.
“There’s nothing like hearing hyenas cackle in the middle of the night or waking up and seeing a giraffe in the distance,” says Moran-Cassese. “It was great being disengaged from everyday life.”
While life was going well overseas, a big decision was awaiting him when he returned to the Bay area. How was he going to make a living?
Moran-Cassese found the answer through research. While embarking on the trip of a lifetime, Moran-Cassese was also engaged with what was the next step in his life. When he returned home, that research only intensified. With the help of a franchise consultant, Moran-Cassese narrowed his potential suitors to a few options. It was between SpeedPro and a few food-focused franchises.
“I considered getting into the food franchising industry, specifically the new fast/casual sector,” says Steve. “There were a lot of new franchises in the organic food market that I liked. However, the more I learned, the more I saw that this type of business would require having a lot of staff, long hours, having to work seven days a week, etc. I didn’t want to have to deal with staff turnover, the operating hours and all of the additional headaches.”
SpeedPro’s business model – with its client-based services and network of business professionals, paired with normal work hours and less overhead – stood out to Moran-Cassese and proved to be the deciding factor. In 2011, he signed on with SpeedPro to open a new studio in the San Francisco Bay area.
“I’ve always been an entrepreneur,” says Moran-Cassese. “When I was younger, I invented a product and applied for a patent. I also produced and sold t-shirts in college to make some extra money. Being a business owner has always been inside me.”
Moran-Cassese says his past experiences within the agency industry prepared him for his SpeedPro business. He adds that the SpeedPro business model is appealing to some of America’s most influential companies in his territory.
“I understood customer service, B2B clients, and project management. When I was managing large, complex events around the Olympics and televised sports programs, there were lots of fast-moving parts that needed constant attention. Here at SpeedPro, that ability to manage multiple projects at once is important. When clients come to us, they’re expecting our input and expertise to help them discover the graphic solutions that best fit their needs. We work with many national agencies, as well as large brands like Clif Bar and Facebook; we know what they’re looking for. They want professional service, dependability and a quality product. They have other important things to do than worry about their printing project. That’s why they hire us.”
Moran-Cassese’s efforts are getting noticed. His wall murals received praise and recognition recently in several articles. As he sees it, working on projects – such as thesemesmerizing graphics – are a no-brainer. “The research is out there – environmental/interior graphics is the fastest-growing market segment. We see that as a big opportunity and thus, we’ve put a lot of effort into the environmental graphics space. It’s a top priority for us.”
From business ownership to bottom-line growth, Moran-Cassese is always thinking about what’s next. And ever since he’s joined SpeedPro, that future-focused train of thought has paid off – big time.
For more information on the SpeedPro franchise opportunity and what it takes to be a successful franchise owner, like Steve, please visit speedprofranchising.com.