Mr. Brad Horton is a member of the church I go to and who has a family owned printing business that got started in the late 60's. I was fortunate enough that I got to talk to him about how they got started and all the recent ventures he has going on today. For their main printing business, his father and uncle started it as a side job with a 10x15 Multilith printing press that they got from Central High School while working full time jobs. They invested more time in the business as their clientele grew and eventually were able to hire 2 full-time employees in order to keep up with the business. One of the things I learned from Mr. Horton was the way they had to change the direction of the business as printers became more affordable and a common household item. He told me that when that happened they took up the more custom print jobs (things that couldn't be printed at home) like banners and book binding. Mr. Horton also told me that apart from working in the printing business, he started up his own business called Rockstar Passes which specializes in making custom passes for concerts, festivals and the like, and he told me of his failed business ideas. The one that stuck with me the most was his idea in making custom signs. Like in Rockstar Passes, he wanted to take his printing experience and put it in another business venture, however, in the case of the signs it didn't work out. Mr. Horton is aware that with technological advancements, his business can become obsolete if he doesn't work at keeping it current and identifying ways in which his printing business can do things that personal printers cannot do or cannot do at the same quality. I also learned that in order to make a business successful you have to invest a lot of time and be committed to wait for awhile in order to let it grow and show profit. Attached are some of the old passes Mr. Horton gave me to let me see examples of some of their old orders.
I hope to learn how to think like an Entrepreneur and identify potential ideas that could become an actual investment. I also hope to learn how to tell if those ideas are actually feasible and if for some reason it isn't, I hope to learn how I may change that.
Hi Katia,
ReplyDeleteThe opportunity to learn from Mr. Horton is incredible. His small business allows him to understand the different aspects of entrepreneurship like trail and error, risks, and understand client base. His products are very customizable and detailed. In his case, there is a cost analysis with the benefits of marketing one's company with the cost. It is unfortunate Mr. Horton cannot gain more leverage with his speciality; however, it is nice to see how understanding and content he is with his family business. Thanks for sharing!!
Christina
Hi Katia,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your post! Being able to learn from others is very important. The way you formed a personal relationship with Mr. Horton and learned to further yourself from him is amazing. His printing business is very cool and it seems like you were able to learn how to think like an entrepreneur through him. Good job!
Hello Katia, This was a super interesting story about Mr. Horton and seemed like a great opportunity to meet a successful entrepreneur and learn from him. He seemed to have many valuable stories and be a great mentor to anyone who wanted to get into this type of business. The festival pass printing business seems super cool and was a great business for him to start in an area that definitely has a need in today's economy.
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