Owning a business has always been one of David Chimenti's professional goals. He has now reached that milestone, as he and his wife are the proud co-owners of apparel branding and advertising specialties company Instant Imprints. Along the journey to ownership, he's learned some valuable lessons about business and leadership. BIC Magazine recently sat down with Chimenti to learn more about his company's growth and his best management tactics.
Q: What led to your position at Instant Imprints?
A: It has been a lifelong dream for my wife and I, separately and together, to own and operate our own business or businesses. After many years of working for employers, we reached the point in our lives where we felt we were ready to make the leap from the corporate world to that of small business owners. We chose to buy into the proven system of a franchise, rather than start from scratch. After looking over many different types of businesses and companies, we decided Instant Imprints matched our criteria closest and we joined the growing franchise as owners as well as area developers.
Q: What is the biggest news at Instant Imprints right now?
A: 2019 was our second full year in business, and it was a very good year for us with record growth. As a result, we are starting the process of finding a location to open our second office, and our plan is to open that location later this year.
We're also very excited about joining the BIC Alliance network and expanding our presence in the industrial markets represented there. In a very short amount of time, we have added a couple of industrial services businesses through BIC-sponsored networking opportunities. We have provided branded safety shirts, branded baseball caps, vehicle signage and trade show display walls, not to mention several orders of business cards.
Q: Are you looking to grow in new markets or expand in current ones?
A: As the licensed area developers for Instant Imprints, one of our primary goals is to expand into the Houston market and its surrounding markets. Our franchise model is based upon small brick-and-mortar locations servicing their surrounding local communities. We plan to expand through opening locations ourselves and selling franchise opportunities to qualified candidates.
Q: What is your best management tactic?
A: As cliche as it may sound, I feel that my best management tactic has been following the "Golden Rule" by treating others the way I want to be treated. When you treat people with respect, integrity and dignity, they produce at a much higher level and will follow your leadership willingly. I believe it is critically important to create a company culture that incorporates these values and to quickly eliminate anything that threatens to destroy that culture.
Q: How do you maintain a good work/home life balance?
A: It's all about time. To be specific, it's all about time management. I am sure most people have heard the expression, "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail." This couldn't be more true when it comes to finding and maintaining a good work/home life balance. Without a plan, all the "squirrels" and "shiny nickels" that cross your path every day will distract you from the truly important things in your life. Everyone's values are unique to themselves, so each person must take time to determine what is truly important to them and then make a plan that maximizes their time for achieving those goals.
For more information visit instantimprints.com or call (832) 240-4256.
