Lee Taylor, who served in the navy for 23 years and has owned his Minuteman Press franchise for six years, immediately rolled out the free Bounce Back Newport initiative when the pandemic hit.
Part of Bounce Back UK by Minuteman Press International, the service provides free local listings and Covid-19 posters to support local businesses and keep communities safe.
Taylor said his approach for the Newport scheme has been to promote it by sending weekly emails, hard-copy print adverts wherever possible, and highly visible social media posts.
“Bounce Back Newport has been a great initiative, which we have enthusiastically embraced. In simple terms it’s been a great platform to engage existing clients and new prospects. It is straightforward, easy to use and cost-effective.
“I feel at the current time all our existing and potential clients are being bombarded with sellers desperate to stay afloat, so this local community-based message of support has struck the right tone.
“It’s something positive and useful they can engage with, and rather than just me trying to sell them stuff, it shows the wider public that we are genuinely interested in helping them maintain and grow their own business.”
He added: “Especially effective has been the daily thank you emails highlighting the firms that joined that day and tagging them on social media, which in turn allows them to share and increase the visibility further, so it becomes a snowball of goodwill.”
Taylor, who was born in Harrow, Middlesex, made the transition from military to civilian life in 2014. He had enrolled into the Royal Navy at the age of 16 because he wanted to see the world and serve his country.
His military career in the armed forces took Taylor to former Yugoslavia on four occasions in the 1990s and to Iraq during the second Gulf War.
He set up his Minuteman Press franchise after leaving the navy because he was looking to do “something completely different” and wanted to manage his own business.
Taylor said he has received “very positive” support about the Bounce Back Newport initiative and that it has proven to be “a great conversation starter”.
“As well as helping my own customer base, it gives me a good opportunity to speak to them, see how they are and potentially build stronger relationships that will serve all parties well as things improve.”
