Editor’s note: Made in Tarrant is an occasional Q&A series on small businesses started in Tarrant County. Submit your business here.
As new business owners, Mike and Amy LeBaron are seeing rapid success in booming Fort Worth.
In December 2023, the two — ages 51 and 48 — purchased a 35-year-old Fort Worth printing business and converted it into a Minuteman Press location.
The business retained the 10 employees who worked for what was One Stop Printing and, with help from the former owners, the LeBarons learned about the business operations of the printing shop.
Today, they have more than 400 repeat clients. Their hard work garnered them the Minuteman Press International President’s Club recognition for surpassing more than $1 million in gross sales last year.
Now they’re on track to repeat the sales milestone again.
“Business has been great,” Mike LeBaron, a former mortgage banker, said. “Fort Worth is a wonderful place to network. We stay hopping around here.”
Contact information
Address: 2904 Cullen St., Fort Worth
Phone: 817-338-2941
Website: https://minuteman.com/us/locations/tx/fort-worth22/quote
The interview has been edited for length, grammar and clarity.
Eric Garcia: How did you guys decide to become a Minuteman Press?
Mike LeBaron: The previous owners, Wayne and Ginnie Bronner, had One Stop Printing, which had been serving Fort Worth since 1989. They were ready to ride off into the sunset, so they partnered with Minuteman to find a buyer for their store. As part of that deal, we converted it to a Minuteman franchise.
Garcia: Tell me about your million-dollar sales mark.
LeBaron: The criteria to be on the President’s Club list is to exceed $1 million in sales. We did that in 2024. I think less than 10% of Minuteman franchises hit that.
Garcia: What do you attribute your success to?
LeBaron: Really, Wayne and Ginnie built a great business here. We’ve got some wonderful clients that we work with on a lot of different projects. Business in Fort Worth seems to be booming. There’s a lot of investment in the area. There’s a lot to be a part of. Our existing clients that we have tend to come back for more and more business as opposed to staying flat.
Garcia: What kind of things do you print?
LeBaron: From banners and signs to apparel. In fact, we do one banner for Broadway Dallas that’s about 40 feet by 50 feet. We do apparel, any promo items like koozies or pens, squish balls, mugs and cups, all that kind of stuff. Obviously, anything on paper — lots of pads and tablets and notebooks as well as robust mailing services here. We do bulk direct mail. We do presort here and then deliver it to the post office for delivery.
Garcia: How did you and your wife decide to become business owners?
LeBaron: My wife and I were looking for an opportunity to get into business for ourselves. Honestly, we considered things from a restoration service to a roller skating rink. For the print business, my wife has a really creative bent so that appealed to her. As opposed to those businesses, this one being kind of an 8-to-5 job was really appealing.
Garcia: Did you guys take any additional training to learn about the printing business?
LeBaron: Fortunately, the folks that sold us the business stuck around for several months. Minuteman had their staff on-site to help us get up to speed.
Garcia: What do you think is key to your business growth?
LeBaron: One of things that keeps clients coming back is our ability to turn things around very quickly. We have a high attention to detail, and we bend over backwards to make sure the clients needs are met. We turn around projects the same day when needed. Typically, we try to schedule three to five days from the time that a proof gets approved. We have lots of clients who call and say, ‘Hey, it’s Thursday afternoon. I need this Friday morning. Can you get it for me?’ We make it happen. My staff hates when I share that, but it’s the truth. That’s what gives people value.”
Eric E. Garcia is a senior business reporter at the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at eric.garcia@fortworthreport.org.
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