Veteran · Entrepreneur · Community Printer
What does it look like when military persistence becomes a business? For the founder of Verdigre PrintWorks, it looks like a commercial print shop that stepped in when Knox County lost its only printer and turned that gap into a thriving local resource. Today, Verdigre PrintWorks offers commercial printing, signage, and UV-printed projects, bringing local, personalized service back to rural Nebraska.
We sat down with the founder to hear his story, his mission, and what he’d tell any veteran thinking about taking the leap into entrepreneurship.
Q: How did your military experience influence your decision to start a business?
“The military taught me that I could do anything I set my mind to, so long as I was persistent. Sometimes owning your own business feels like you’re digging a foxhole with a tablespoon, but military experience teaches you that it is, in fact, possible to dig a foxhole with a tablespoon if you just keep at it. Of course, it’s okay to ask for help because you wouldn’t be digging that foxhole alone.”
Military persistence and a willingness to ask for help — two qualities that now define how he runs his business.
Q: What problem does your business solve or how does it serve your community?
“The county I’m in lost its commercial printer when the local newspaper was sold to a larger operation. My commercial printing company retained those business customers within the county, and added a local solution to small signage and other UV-printed projects. There’s no end to online options when it comes to printing, but you have to design everything yourself, pay and wait for shipping, and hope it works out because you don’t have time before your event or sale to retry. Unless you order in bulk, it can be cost prohibitive. We can help customers figure out what they need and what they want it to look like, which you don’t get elsewhere. We have customers who know what they want and design it themselves in Canva, etc., but send it to us to print because it’s quicker, easier, and usually cheaper. They know they’ll have what they need, how they need it, and when they need it.”
Q: What advice would you give another Veteran thinking about becoming an entrepreneur?
“Don’t be afraid to ask for help. There are a lot of fine, knowledgeable people within VBOC, local and state economic development organizations, the SBA and elsewhere. There’s a lot of information and help out there just for the asking.”
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