Today we’d like to introduce you to Jason Kugler.
Hi Jason, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Copy-It is a family-owned business that was opened by my parents in 1983. When I turned seven years old and my brother turned five years old, my mom decided to start a small business since her kids would be in school during the weekdays. In the 80’s, she used to help my dad get his printing done for work but found the lines at the local shops were long, the service was poor and often the copy shops she used would simply make mistakes on the orders. My dad suggested she open her own printing business so she could do it right. That’s how the idea was born. My mom and a couple other family members were the first employees.
The slogan of Copy-It was “fast & friendly,” and the staff really lived up to it. They always worked hard and listened to what customers asked for. They started the business just offering copy services but then added related services like binding, laminating, and even office supplies. Over the years, it grew to include more printing services, shipping services and much more.
My brother Greg and I used to hang out at the shop when we were young. One funny memory that we still laugh about is how my dad offered to pay us to pull staples out of the carpet. We would get 1 penny per staple, and I remember when we legitimately made $7.00.
My mom ran the business for about 15 years until 1998. At that time, I was graduating from the University of Arizona, and she was ready for a change. That’s when I said, “Hey, maybe I can try running the shop.” I had a lot of ideas and wanted to put my Marketing degree to work. The first year was tough and it took some time to assume the role as Manager, but over time I got better and better.
In 2000, we moved the shop from Lake Murray Blvd to Jackson Drive in La Mesa. From that point, we never stopped growing. We continued to listen to what customers needed and became a respected source for all types of printing, signs and banners, blueprints, promotional products, shipping services and so much more. In addition to helping local small businesses, we grew to do work for larger organizations like healthcare organizations and hospitals, biotech companies, attorneys, universities, sales and marketing departments and more. I personally grew to have a passion for organizing the printing business and all the related business services so that customers could have easy access to ordering the printing that they needed for their organizations. We have a reputation for being fast and making things work. We staff two full-time graphic designers plus about seven others who really know printing well.
When the pandemic hit, and there were a few months of uncertainty, I spent the extra time building an online e-commerce website at Copy-It.com, so customers could order printing online. It’s been a big hit with our customers, and we plan to continue growing the site to include more of our most popular print products. As Copy-It has grown to offer so much more now than it used to, we continue to value our customers and will always remain fast and friendly.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I’ve run the shop for about 22 years now. I believe that a business should constantly be improved so that each day it is better than the day before. Over the last five or so years, many online print shops have popped up, which increased competition. This inspired Copy-It to broaden its online presence in addition to its local San Diego presence. The feedback from our online customers has been incredible. We feel great that we can service customers from many areas. Our staff is amazing. Our equipment is some of the best. Our efficiency allows us to turn orders around quickly, at a great price and maintain excellent quality.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
In addition to common print jobs like business cards, flyers, booklets and postcards, we are great at handling orders that are more complex and adapt as needed to many different types of requests. We routinely work with companies that have us print and ship orders to hundreds of field sales reps with little notice, and sometimes the materials are personalized to each recipient as well. We have other clients that we print books for and fulfill the shipping of those books when they sell. One University uses us routinely to print materials, promotional products and fulfill shipments to it’s students. We are great at fulfilling these orders on time, in an organized fashion, and making the experience great for the organization.
Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
I personally love connecting with like-minded small business owners and interesting people in general. If you’d like to connect with me personally, send me a connection request or message on LinkedIn (linkedin.com/in/jason-kugler). I respond to every one of them.
There wasn’t a neighborhood option for La Mesa, so I chose “Old-Town Mission Valley” since I was required to make a selection. We are definitely not in Old Town or Mission Valley, though. We are in La Mesa 🙂
Contact Info:
- Email: info@copy-it.com
- Website: Copy-It.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/copyitonline
- Facebook: facebook.com/copyitonline
- Twitter: twitter.com/copyit
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/copy-it-san-diego-printing-services-la-mesa
- Other: https://g.page/copyitprinting
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-kugler
- LinkedIn Business Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/copy-it
- Blog: http://jasonkugler.com/
