Digital Print Ink - April 2019

APR 2019

40 YEARS AND COUNTING

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FROM FIRED TO BUSINESS OWNER I worked my way up the ladder in corporate America for most of my career, and as I took on more executive and leadership roles, my family and I grew accustomed to my schedule and our lifestyle. But as the saying goes, we make plans, and God laughs.

Steve Recounts His Journey to Purchasing Digital Print Ink

really had to tighten down. We had bills to pay, and I was attempting to run a printing business for the first time. When my new peers in the printing business found out I bought Digital Print Ink, they all asked what I was thinking. Their concern centered on another phenomenon happening during this decade. From 2007 to 2009,

More than 12 years ago, the owner of the company I was an executive with told me they were selling the company. In order to make the business look like a lucrative option, they needed to take me off the payroll.

To make a long story short: I was fired.

the internet was coming of age, which meant we were facing challenges on two fronts: the economic crisis and the digital boom. Both could be killers for a printing business.

It wasn’t how I had envisioned I would leave that job, but I didn’t have a choice. To this business owner’s credit, he was very cordial about the situation, and he became a big part of my next venture. I was given more than a few weeks’ notice about my pending termination, and on

During my early years with DPI, we learned a lot. We focused on customizing what we do and making sure our customers were treated in a way they couldn’t be treated online. We wanted to create products they couldn’t get anywhere else, and we diversified what

the suggestion of my former boss, I began looking into businesses I could buy. That’s when I found Digital Print Ink. I knew nothing about printing and the delicate business it can be, but my former boss encouraged me to take a plunge. With his financial and personal support, I bought Digital Print Ink in May 2007.

we were able to offer. Throughout this time, I used my past business experience and leaned on the experts within our company to help me. In fact, I had a stipulation when purchasing Digital Print Ink that Laurie McCulley, our vice president and production manager, had to stay with the company if I purchased it. She was too valuable of an asset for our company to lose, and she continues to be every day. Still, it was challenging. At the end of the day, our success over the past 12 years has been about solving problems and finding ways we can improve our customer experiences. That’s why we have made our foray into signs. It’s one of the products we’re really focusing on in 2019, and we’re looking forward to seeing the ways it can grow.

“I come in early, stay late, dive into projects with my team, and am passionate about continuing to grow this company. ”

Some people will shudder at the mention of that year. Even

417.881.5309 Even after working for decades in various businesses, I still find myself excited by what we can do with Digital Print Ink. I come in early, stay late, dive into projects with my team, and am passionate about continuing to grow this company. I’m grateful for the opportunity to help this 40-year-old company expand for the past 12 years. I would have never imagined getting fired could lead me here, but I’m sure glad it did. –Steve Counts 1

though the Great Recession wasn’t identified until the fall of 2008, experts have determined it began in April 2007. A month later, I became the owner of a printing company I had paid top dollar for. Needless to say, we were hanging on for dear life in the beginning, and we

DIGITALPRINTINK.NET

Peanuts and Cracker Jacks THE BEST OPENING DAYS IN BASEBALL HISTORY

Lou, Combs, and Babe — Oh My!

Baseball’s opening day has been an American holiday of sorts since the Cincinnati Red Stockings threw out the first major league pitch in 1869. To celebrate the start of the 150th season of professional baseball, here are three of the best opening days in baseball history.

Considered one of the best teams in baseball history, the 1927 New York Yankees started their historic run and 25th season by dismantling the Philadelphia Athletics with a score of 8–3. The slugfest was true to form for the 1927 Yankees, whose players would go on to make up baseball’s famous “Murderers’ Row.” With sluggers like Lou Gehrig, Earle Combs, Babe Ruth, Mark Koenig, Bob Meusel, and Tony Lazzeri, it’s no wonder this team went on to win its fifth championship that year. For decades, no one could match George Herman Ruth. The Great Bambino’s all-time home run record seemed like an impossible feat of strength — that is, until Henry “Hammerin’ Hank” Aaron came along. On opening day, April 4, 1974, Aaron smashed his 714th homer, tying Babe Ruth for the most home runs ever hit and extending the Atlanta Braves’ shutout lead over the Cincinnati Reds. A few weeks later, Aaron surpassed Ruth’s record, prompting a standing ovation from the crowd. The Hammer Ties Bambino

A New Beginning

On April 15, 1947, an opening-day game changed the course of Major League Baseball. On this day, Jackie Robinson started for the Brooklyn Dodgers, becoming the first African-American player to start for a major league baseball team. Robinson’s historic showing was lackluster, going 0-for-3 at the plate and making a solid showing on the infield at first base, but his mere presence in a Dodgers uniform had already broken history. Despite his nationally-recognized skills — Robinson was named MVP of the MLB farm team league in 1946 — the backlash that followed his rise to the pros, both from fans and teammates, was palpable. Still, as well-known sportscaster Howard Cosell said, “Suddenly, it was a new beginning.” Explore the sites that inspired “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.” Feel the palpable rush gold-searching forty-niners felt as they traveled west. Prepare for the awe of seeing a free state just across the Mississippi River while standing in a former slave state. SEE THE SHOW-ME STATE

Celebrate 200 Years of Hannibal in 2019

of the country at the time, the town was founded by immigrants who quickly established many trades within the town’s limits.

In 1839, 4-year-old Samuel Clemens moved with his family to Hannibal, paving the way for one of the world’s greatest novels.

You can do all this (and more) without ever leaving Missouri this spring! Celebrate with Hannibal, Missouri, as it honors its 200th birthday in 2019. In addition to its regular yearly events, the town will be hosting special 200th- anniversary events throughout

Better known as Mark Twain, Clemens would go on to pen “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” with details and descriptions pulled straight from the streets, people, and businesses that were part of Hannibal prior to the Civil War. Clemens lived in Hannibal until 1853.

Because of Hannibal’s positioning near Illinois, the town also serves as a poignant reminder of the Civil War, slavery,

and segregation. Hannibal’s battles with slavery, while

the year. In April, attendees can peruse the A Journey Through Time quilt show and contest and learn more at the Senior Expo: Our Story, Our Town. And don’t forget to come back in May when the log cabin construction begins! Celebrating a town’s 200-year anniversary is no small feat, but what makes Hannibal so unique? Read below to find out! Historic Hannibal

neighboring Illinois remained free, provided a painful and important history that the town’s historians at the Huck Finn Freedom Center work to preserve for educational purposes. Don’t miss an opportunity to celebrate one of the Show-Me State’s most historic towns. Learn more about Hannibal’s 200th celebration online at Hannibal2019.com .

Two years before Missouri became a state in 1821, settlers founded Hannibal in the northeastern part of present-day Missouri. Like most

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YOU’VE GOT (PHYSICAL) MAIL 9 Characteristics of Effective Direct Mail Marketing

Welcome New Clients!

Able Coffee & Provisions ACIS Computer AeroCare Agave Mexican Grill Arrow Senior Living Corinth Baptist Church

Fraley Masonry Gardner Capital

Thanks for your referrals!

Jennifer Parnell Joel Hood at Glenstone Square

In a burgeoning digital world, a direct mail campaign can be one of your biggest assets. In fact, 11 percent of Americans do not have internet access, nearly half of all millennials enjoy physical mail, and about 41 percent of consumers use digital and print coupons equally. Those are numbers you cannot afford to ignore.

Opening Day Hamburgers

Since postage and print are an investment, an effective plan for direct mail is essential. Learn more about creating a powerful direct mail campaign with the following tips. 1. Make It Look Good: Your headlines, photos, and introduction paragraph are the hook that will reel your audience into your piece. However you do it, it needs to answer the most pressing question writers face: “Why should I keep reading this?” 2. Make It Sound Good: To keep a person invested in your product or service, explain the valuable aspects of what you’re offering. 3. Don’t Promise The Moon: Avoid making promises you can’t keep. The idea isn’t to make people skeptical; you want them to see your benefits are tangible and valid. 4. Learn More: If you don’t know your product or service, your audience will be able to tell. Be the expert on what you’re writing about. 5. Provide Proof: Even masterful writing can’t hold a candle to the benefit of a client success story. (If you’re not collecting testimonials, you’re missing a huge part of your sales arsenal!) 6. Keep it Simple: Short sentences, to-the-point paragraphs, and easy words are some of the best tools to keeping a reader engaged. You’re writing this for responses, not a Pulitzer Prize. 7. Keep it Clear: Offer an easy way to respond to your campaign and provide simple steps. Toll-free phone numbers and postage-paid envelopes are a great start. 8. Freebies: Who doesn’t love free stuff? Offering a giveaway is a great way to get people interacting with your campaign. 9. Eliminate the Risk: The chance for a response is more likely if your potential customer has nothing to lose. Offer a guarantee, and you will reap huge benefits. These nine steps will help you create a direct mail campaign that will generate results, and we’re here to help you fine-tune your campaign even more. If you’d like a free copy of Steve Counts’ “Seven Secrets to Direct Mail Success” booklet, call 417.881.5309 or email steve@ digitalprintink.net.

With no fancy sauces, no frills, and no cheese,

these All-American burgers are perfect for the start of baseball season.

ingredients

• • • • • • • • •

1 pound ground chuck, 80 percent lean 4 soft, white hamburger buns, split

4 1/4-inch-thick tomato slices

12–16 pickle rounds

4 small leaves iceberg lettuce 4 1/4-inch-thick yellow onion slices

1 teaspoon vegetable oil Salt and pepper, to taste Condiments of your choice

directions

1. Lightly grease a small nonstick skillet with oil. Heat over medium-high. 2. While heating, gently shape meat into four patties 3 1/2 inches in diameter. Be careful to handle the meat as little as possible to prevent tough burgers. Season liberally with salt and pepper. 3. Sear patties on each side, about 1 minute per side. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue cooking until desired doneness, about 1 more minute per side for medium- rare, 2 more per side for medium-well. 4. Let meat rest for a minimum of 3 minutes. 5. To assemble, place patty on bottom bun and top with tomato, pickles, lettuce, and onion (in that order). Spread condiments on top half of bun and place on top of onion. Serve.

Inspired by Saveur magazine

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inside

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How Steve Counts Found DPI

3 Great Opening Days in Baseball Stay in Missouri This Spring

Effective Direct Mail Marketing

Opening Day Hamburgers

Books to Engage the Whole Family

L earning to read opens up a world of possibilities. When your child walks through the back of the wardrobe into Narnia with Lucy Pevensie or rides with Harry Potter on the train to Hogwarts, they connect to something beyond their own experiences. In the U.S., April 23 is World Book Day, and the date commemorates the deaths of legendary authors Cervantes, Shakespeare, and Garcilaso de la Vega, as well as the birth of author Vladimir Nabokov. World Book Day is the perfect time to sit down with your family and let yourself be transported to new worlds. So, here are three great stories to help you take young readers on brand-new adventures. For the Elementary Reader: ‘Song of the Wild: A First Book of Animals’ “Song of the Wild” makes a great read-aloud book for beginner readers because they can get lost in the beautiful artwork while you read the text. Written in prose and rhyming poems, this book showcases sprawling landscapes — savannahs, jungles, and oceans — and features the wildlife living there. It’s worth a read simply

to appreciate the colorful depictions of each animal. This book was written by Nicola Davies and illustrated by Petr Horácek. For the Middle Schooler: ‘The Night Diary’ 12-year-old Nisha navigates her world after the partition of India creates the new country of Pakistan and her family is forced to leave their home. Her mother may be gone, but Nisha finds solace in writing nightly letters to her in her diary as she discovers what the future holds. Based on author Veera Hiranandani’s memories of her own family, this moving tale lets readers experience life through someone else’s eyes. For Teens: ‘Brazen: Rebel Ladies Who Rocked the World’ While some might not think of comics as proper reading, Penelope Bagieu’s graphic novel forces reconsideration. Her clever, colorful artwork and engaging narrative take the reader through the biographies of 30 women, from Bette Davis and Mae Jemison to lesser-known but equally intriguing ladies like Giorgina Reid. All in all, this book provides a great way to get kids excited about history in an entertaining form.

Worlds Within Pages

Books to Engage the Whole Family

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