Markham, ON- Onside Media sat down with Laura Ambrozic, owner of Mimic Print. With over 20 years of experience, Laura explains how her business has shifted with the rise of technology and the Covid-19 Pandemic.
Mimic Print Owner, Laura Ambrozic
As a female business owner in the print industry, Laura Ambrozic has faced multiple challenges since purchasing the business in 2002. Starting out as a bookkeeper at a print company in the 90s, Laura then went to work in sales, and eventually purchased her own print company with a partner.
In 2012, Laura became the sole owner of Mimic after buying her partner out after the relationship went “sideways”. This was a very costly move, but it allowed Laura to shape the business in a new way. She decided to change the landscape of the business, shifting from the previous old school mentality to a fresher and more modern business model. Some of these changes included implementing online ordering systems and getting a new front end.
Having an online system helped Mimic capture new clients and allowed them to be rid of old school systems such as driving to the client to pick to pick up a single file.
“We really have a hands-on approach. Even though our clients are able to order products online, we really focus on teaching them how to spend their print dollars wisely. We do a lot of upfront conversations figuring out what their product is, how they want it distributed, and what’s the most cost-effective way to go about that”. -Laura Ambrozic
During Covid-19, Mimic Print lost roughly 50% of its business as a majority of their clients closed. Mimic has a variety of clients, including large banks, education, real estate, and entrepreneurial startups. The paper industry also faces a large problem with receiving paper as many paper mills during the Pandemic converted to making personal protective equipment (PPE).
This reduced the quantity of paper products available and now that businesses have begun opening back up, this has created a shortage. Additionally, services such as fuel prices and delivery are increasing in price which together has resulted in stock being at a premium price. This is not an issue for larger industry players who have the spending power to purchase the products, but for smaller companies such as Mimic, this is an issue.
Due to this, Mimic has had to turn away larger jobs. Laura also notes that most of her time is dedicated to explaining to clients why print costs are increasing while also explaining how they don’t have certain paper because it is not available. As of right now Mimic is printing on whatever paper is available while maintaining close customer relationships.
Over the past two years many industries, including the print industry, have been impacted by the Pandemic. After two years of connecting online, Laura sees how many individuals are starting to have a relationship with physical documents again, as can be seen with the declining trend of e-readers. Overall, Laura’s goal for Mimic is to recover from the Pandemic by continuing to produce high quality products at the most cost effective price for customers.
Author: Kathryn Intini, Content Writer, St.Catharines, Canada. Kathryn is a fourth-year Business Communications student at Brock University. With an interest in big data analytics and a commitment to lifelong learning, she hopes to work in technical sales. She has been recognized for selling over $1 million in products at her summer sales job and her commitment to Autism Speaks Canada. If you have any stories or comments, kindly email: – kathrynintini.theonside@gmail.
