The Minuteman Press marketing and printing franchise in Epsom has been nominated for Best New Business and Best Business for Customer Service for the Epsom & Ewell Business Awards.

These awards recognise excellence for local businesses across all different industries.

For Best New Business, the criteria for this award is being a new business that demonstrates potential for future significant growth. Other factors are innovation, filling a gap in the market, or offering an established product with a twist. Minuteman Press Epsom is one of three businesses nominated.

For Best Business in Customer Service, the criteria here is the ability to go above and beyond to attract and retain customers as well as demonstrating how customer service has benefited the business. Minuteman Press Epsom is also one of three nominees shortlisted for this award.

Minuteman Press Epsom is an independently owned and operated local design, marketing, and printing franchise. Products and services offered include customised printing essentials, promotional products, apparel, graphic design, wide format printing, and more.

Owners Jonnie Conibeer and Margaux Evans are seasoned business professionals who pride themselves on helping other businesses grow. Together, along with their Designer and Production Manager Lili Hernandez, they bring stellar customer service to their B2B clients. Margaux says, “We are friendly, respectful, honest and always offering a fair deal. We treat every customer (no matter how big or small) and every order they place as if they are our most important customer. We want to see them back in our centre.”

Because they care about their community, non-for-profit organisations feel at home trusting Minuteman Press in Epsom. They design and print quarterly booklets, newsletters, workbooks and flyers for one in particular. “Our current top clients are non-for-profit organisations – we work with our local Residents Association, the local branch of The Samaritans, and a neighbouring Parish Council.”

There is depth to the statements Jonnie and Margaux make about customer care and leading with the truth is their first rule. Margaux says, “We’ll always be upfront and honest about managing expectations, but once we’ve committed to a job we do whatever it takes to get it over the line, to meet deadlines and quoted cost, no matter what.” Jonnie adds, “It can’t always be about profit, if it’s just about the bottom line our customers go shop online. What they’re looking for is a local business, the personal support, advice and quality they get at a price suited to their budget.”

Prior to partnering up together with Minuteman Press in Epsom, Jonnie earned his degree in Graphic Design and Video at Farnham University for the Creative Arts and worked for the BBC in post-production for six years. Margaux came to the UK from South Africa fifteen years ago and worked for a FTSE 60 property developer in Central London as an HR Business Partner for ten years.

“The beauty of running a Minuteman Press franchise is that you have all the support and structure you need whilst being able to make the business suit you and your style of working,” according to Jonnie. Margaux adds, “There is a lot of flexibility to work within the structure of a franchise and still feel like my store is unique from every other Minuteman Press even though it has the same integral building blocks and commitment to quality.”

“I’d like to congratulate Margaux and Jonnie as well as Lili for being nominated for Best New Business and Best Business for Customer Service,” says Mark Jones, Minuteman Press International Area Manager, UK North. He adds, “They form a great partnership with skill sets that really complement each other.”