Arthur Piccio, UPrinting Share Clients’ Small Biz Spirit @UPrinting

Arthur Piccio, Public Relations and Small Business Coordinator for UPrinting, said he and the print shop he serves share their clients’ small business spirit…and a certain underdog pluck!

And why not! Our BizSugar Contributor of the Week says the company he works for is a small business itself, having started as a neighborhood print-shop with some e-commerce functionality back in 1997 by founder Ronnie Mesriani.

“The vast majority of our customers are in small or micro businesses—most of them do business in a very main street sort of setting,” Piccio said. “Most of the people in these businesses don’t have any experience at all in graphic design, print-proofing—that sort of thing. But they know quality when they see it. And these people want to look good.”

That small business approach goes right through to the way UPrinting prices and delivers its services.

“We’ve done our very best to make sure they get the best-looking business cards, posters, flyers or whatever print product a microbusiness on a budget might need—a prices that even a kid with a lemonade stand might be able to afford,” Piccio said.

Still the company takes pride in the quality they deliver, impressing larger clients who could easily afford more.

“Art galleries from NYC to LA use us all the time for reproducing works on posters and canvas,” Piccio added. “I still find it incredible that even though we push ourselves as a value-oriented brand, some very big names in the visual art business give us their vote of confidence—even if they could afford anyone else they wanted.”

Their efforts have earned them plenty of notice. From its start as a small print shop, UPrinting has become one of the most competitive online printing companies in the US and is now on Inc.com’s 500/5000 list for 2009 and 2010, he said.

Despite the UPrinting’s success, however, the company’s staff has never forgotten their origins as small business owners, entrepreneurs, and underdogs.

“I guess it’s fair to say my previous entrepreneurial experiences and more importantly, working with UPrinting’s clients have given me, as well as the rest of our very talented team, a few insights with respect to what approaches actually do work for a small business—because we’re one ourselves!” said Piccio.

He added that his company has built a reputation on helping small businesses and organizations realize their full potential and look their best with print projects that exemplify professionalism, and by granting print sponsorship to non-profits that help them collect more donations for their causes.

“And the same thing goes for me,” Piccio said. “I grew up on Negros Island in the Central Philippines. Most of the people in my country’s capital—where over half of the nation’s wealth is—they couldn’t even find my home island on a map. UPrinting’s given me opportunities I wouldn’t have had otherwise. Working for a company like UPrinting.com has been a tremendous experience—especially for someone for whom English is a fourth language.”

Piccio said he’s used BizSugar to promote his company to the community that matters most, those who demonstrate the same spirit of small business entrepreneurialism that UPrinting holds dear.

You can check out other things Piccio has to say on the The Uprinting Small Business Blog and learn more about the company he works for at the UPrinting.com home page.

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