If you need a print broker business plan template for your own plan, start it in the Toolkit.
Consulting and marketing businesses are easy to start and hard to scale. When it is just you and a handful of clients, the revenue looks good. The moment you try to grow, the model that worked for one person stops working for a team.
This sample plan shows how a successful consulting or marketing firm structures itself for growth, including utilisation rates, client concentration risk, and the systems that let you serve more clients without burning out.
See how R & R Printing positions itself, prices its services, and plans for growth. Use our Business Plan Toolkit to map out your own firm.
Executive Summary
R & R Printing is a new print brokerage firm, formed as a sole proprietorship. The owner has extensive experience in the printing industry as a sales manager. We will offer printing services for a wide range of print media, including business cards, letterhead, envelopes, brochures, booklets, business forms, posters, catalogues and labels. Our goal is to serve all the printing needs for each company we work with, to be a one-stop-shop. While our services, product quality, and prices will be excellent, our marketing strategy focuses on building long-term relationships with our customers. By focusing on its commitment to helping businesses obtain the printing products and services they need, R & R Printing will increase its sales to more than $1.5 million in three years, while improving the gross margin. R & R Printing will distinguish itself by reinforcing reliability and expertise with competitive pricing.
Financial highlights:
| Metric | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $742,600 | $1,094,300 | $1,528,700 |
| Gross margin | 24% | 25% | 27% |
| Net profit / (loss) | $23,700 | $47,800 | $109,400 |
Company Overview
R & R Printing is a print broker operating in Cincinnati, Ohio. The business was established to serve a growing demand for quality, specialist services in this sector, where many customers are underserved by larger, less responsive providers.
Mission: To deliver consistent, high-quality service to every client, building long-term relationships based on trust and results.
Business objectives:
| Period | Target |
|---|---|
| Year 1 | Establish brand, build initial client base, reach monthly break-even |
| Year 2 | Grow revenue by about 47 percent, expand service capacity, hire additional staff |
| Year 3 | Consolidate market position, target new customer segments, achieve strong net margins |
Market & Customer Analysis
Industry context
R & R Printing owns no presses. It sells print jobs to businesses and buys them from outside printers, so most of every invoice is passed straight to a supplier.
That shows in the numbers. In year one, supplier and contractor costs of $564,400 take 76% of $742,600 revenue, leaving a 24% gross margin. A useful rule of thumb for any low-margin reseller is to divide monthly overheads by gross margin: here $12,880 divided by 24% gives the $53,700 a month the plan needs just to break even.
Average year-one sales of about $61,900 a month clear that line by around 15%. Put another way, a drop in sales of about $98,800 would wipe out the $23,700 year-one profit, which is only 3% of revenue. The plan's answer is volume: revenue grows to $1,528,700 by year three, when net profit of $109,400 reaches 7%.
Target customer profile
R & R Printing's primary customers are individuals and businesses in the Cincinnati, Ohio area seeking a reliable, specialist provider in the print broker sector. These customers prioritise reliability and expertise and expect competitive prices.
Competitor analysis:
| Competitor | Strengths | Weaknesses |
|---|---|---|
| Publicis | Established brand, wide market reach | Higher price point, less personalised service |
| WPP | Strong national marketing presence | Generic offering, less specialist focus |
| Interpublic Group | Competitive pricing at entry level | Standardised, less tailored service |
R & R Printing's advantage: Specialist focus, personal service, and deep knowledge of the target customer segment are the primary competitive differentiators.
SWOT analysis:
| Positive | Negative | |
|---|---|---|
| Internal | Strengths: Specialist expertise; experienced founder; strong service quality; clear target market positioning | Weaknesses: Limited brand recognition at launch; single location; reliance on founder capacity in early years |
| External | Opportunities: Growing target market; underserved customer segments; digital marketing reach; referral network growth | Threats: Established competitors with greater resources; economic conditions affecting discretionary spend; potential new market entrants |
Sales & Marketing Plan
R & R Printing reaches its target customers through a combination of digital marketing, referral programmes, and direct outreach. The primary acquisition channels are local search (Google Maps and organic SEO), word-of-mouth referral from satisfied clients, and targeted paid advertising on social media platforms where the target customer is active.
Pricing approach: Pricing is competitive with local print shops, made possible by placing each job with the best-suited supplier. All pricing is transparent and communicated clearly before work begins.
Sales process:
- Enquiry received by phone, email, or website contact form
- Initial consultation or discovery call completed within 24 hours
- Proposal or quote issued within 48 hours
- Contract or agreement signed; deposit collected where applicable
- Service delivered; follow-up contact made within one week of completion
Operating Plan
R & R Printing operates from Cincinnati, Ohio with a lean team focused on service delivery quality over volume. Standard operating procedures cover client onboarding, service delivery, quality review, and client communication.
Staffing plan:
| Role | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Owner / Managing Director | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Print account managers | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Administration / support | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Key suppliers and partnerships: R & R Printing maintains relationships with a small number of trusted suppliers and subcontractors to ensure consistent service quality and the ability to manage periods of high demand.
Management Team
The owner of R & R Printing brings relevant industry experience and a clear understanding of the target market. The owner worked as a sales manager in the printing industry prior to starting the business and brings both technical expertise and commercial knowledge to the leadership of the organisation.
Hiring plan: As the business grows, the priority is to hire people who share the company's commitment to quality and client service. The business will promote from within where possible and invest in staff development to reduce turnover.
Financial Plan
3-year profit and loss projection:
| Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $742,600 | $1,094,300 | $1,528,700 |
| Direct labour and contractor costs | $564,400 | $820,700 | $1,116,000 |
| Gross profit | $178,200 | $273,600 | $412,700 |
| Gross margin | 24% | 25% | 27% |
| Salaries and wages | $104,800 | $163,900 | $228,400 |
| Marketing and advertising | $14,300 | $18,700 | $23,400 |
| Rent and utilities | $13,800 | $14,300 | $14,800 |
| Other operating costs | $21,600 | $28,900 | $36,700 |
| Total operating expenses | $154,500 | $225,800 | $303,300 |
| Net profit / (loss) | $23,700 | $47,800 | $109,400 |
Break-even analysis:
- Estimated monthly fixed costs: $12,880
- Monthly revenue required to break even: $53,700
- Break-even is projected within the first year of trading.
That is the example. For your own business, the print broker business plan template walks you through each section.