Family business to celebrate 111 years in business.
Prescott Tuesley says the secret to his family business’
success over more than a century is adaptability. Walter Tuesley, Prescott’s
great-grandfather, started the business in 1904 selling bound record books and
offering printing services. Now Yakima Bindery & Printing also sells art
and office supplies, while maintaining printing and copying services. Tuesley
shares his advice on flexibility and working with family members.
Name: Prescott
Tuesley
Business: Yakima
Bindery & Printing Co.
Employees: 15
Location: Yakima,
Washington
You’ve been president of the company since 2001. What’s the greatest lesson you’ve learned?
You have to be adaptable. You have to be persistent. You have to keep going back and say, “Let’s do this. Let’s do it right. And if it doesn’t work the first time, let’s fix it and make it better.”
This business has passed from your great-grandfather to your grandfather to your father and now to you. What would you say to someone who wants to go into business with family?
Well, that’s a challenge. You have to make sure everyone gets along—that you can agree and, sometimes, agree to disagree. You also have to figure out a balance: Yes, I can work with this person all day long and go home with them at night and leave work behind and have a personal life.
What are the biggest challenges you face today?
I’m in a business that’s really hammered by national box stores. So you’ve got to provide the people in the market with things that are appropriate to them. We’ve got to look at this local market and say, these are the things that my local people want. If someone says, “I want you to carry this product,” or “I like this service,” then you meet those needs.
So what differentiates your business from a chain like Office Depot?
The people here know you. My employees have been here a long time, and they greet people by name. They know who they work for, and they know the types of things people look for. We can help you, and we’ll be here for you next time, too. We can get a personal relationship established.
Where do you see this business evolving in another 100 years?
I want this company to be flexible and adaptable to get through the next 100 years. For instance, I sell a lot of paper nowadays, and that’s declining. I suspect it will decline a lot more in the future. I want us to be adaptable and flexible to accommodate that and say, “OK, now what is the thing that’s replaced paper, and can we meet that need?”
What do you hope to accomplish that you haven’t yet?
I haven’t grown the business as much as I think it’s capable of growing.
What kind of state is Washington for small business?
We’re fighting taxes, and the legislators certainly want to raise them. The governor wants to raise them a whole bunch. The state isn’t very responsive to small businesses, in my opinion. They don’t look at them as a good thing or something to encourage as a revenue source. The only good thing is that we don’t have a personal income tax. Other than that, it’s a marginal place to do business—for a small business, anyways.
Why is it important for your business to be involved with NFIB?
I support the things that the independent community needs and what [NFIB] stands for. The small businesses need voices in Washington, D.C., because a lot of politicians don’t know or don’t care what small businesses are going through and don’t realize that they’re the backbone of this country. There are millions and millions of small businesses out there, and the people of Washington need to be heard.
