A 22-Year Partnership: Growing Quality Offset Printers from 4 to 36 Employees

The Challenge

In 1988, Mike Bondy started Quality Offset Printers with four employees. Commercial printing is a capital-intensive business: every expansion needs financing, every downturn tests cash flow, and most owners are navigating those decisions without an experienced financial partner in the room.

Mike wanted to grow — but growth meant taking on risk at exactly the moments when banks were most cautious and the margin for error was thinnest.

The Partnership

From the very beginning, Paul Foster — then working as The Business Therapist® — was involved with the whole team, from year-end financials to team-building exercises.

In 1991, when lending was very difficult to obtain, Paul helped Mike secure a substantial operating line with the bank. That access to capital kept the company moving at a critical moment, and it set the pattern for the next two decades: over 22-plus years, the partnership financed three major expansions.

Paul was available during every crisis that came up, and Mike came to rely on his input on whatever the current dilemma was. As Mike puts it, Paul is "the furthest thing from a 'yes' man" — he pushed, questioned, and stayed as passionate about the business as the owner. It felt less like working with a consultant and more like having a partner.

The Results

Over 22 years, Quality Offset Printers grew from 4 employees to 36, with sales approaching $7 million. When it was finally time to transition and sell the business, Paul was there for that stage too — closing out a partnership that had spanned the full life of the company.

In Mike's Words

"I started a company with 4 employees and Paul from The Business Therapist® was there for me right from the start. Over 22 years it grew to 36 employees and nearly $7 million in sales. From helping me secure a substantial operating line when lending was difficult to obtain, interpreting year-end financial statements, team-building exercises to finally transition the business to sell — Paul was there for me for any crisis and felt more like a partner to me than a consultant. I could never thank Paul enough. I don't know if we would have survived the tough times without him."

— Mike Bondy (Retired), Former President, Quality Offset Printers