CIA Officer, Banker and UPS Store Owner, Keith Sides
Birmingham Christian Family recently sat down with Birmingham business owner Keith Sides who shared with us how God is using his life experiences to better serve others in his new role as owner of the UPS Store located at the intersection of Valleydale and Caldwell Mill Road.
Q. Does your experience as a CIA Officer, banker and now UPS Store business owner, allow you to better understand your customer needs, particularly the needs of small business owners?
A. Every step along the way has been a learning experience. From the CIA, I learned about dedication to duty, honor, and integrity, and the importance of disciplined thinking. From 27 years in banking I learned to work with a variety of people in a variety of industries to help them succeed financially as it related to their business. As a small business owner now myself, I can draw on those experiences to remember that the reason my business exists ultimately is to serve others, to use my experience to creatively help them find ways to succeed through the resources I have available to me.
Q. How does your faith impact how you run your business?
A. Jesus commands us to serve others and go the extra mile in that service. He set the example, not specifically in business but in every-day life. That is the key I want to remember and live out each day and I want my employees to do so as well.
Q. What is the most rewarding aspect of the business to you?
A. I think the most rewarding aspect is the challenge of learning something new .I hope I can be an example of the truism that “old dogs can learn new tricks.”
Q. What are some of the services that our readers may not realize that you provide that could be helpful to them in running their business and/or running their home?
A. When you think UPS, of course you think shipping. And that’s true about our UPS store. More importantly and more broadly I want people to think “business services,” specifically geared to small businesses, whether operating from the home or a more typical business location. Digital printing is by far the largest part of our business. We print everything from business cards to banners, flyers, brochures, stationary, and bound binders and booklets. Have your own art work- we’ll print it. Have just an idea – we have graphic artists that can turn ideas into reality. We cut documents to size, fold brochures, and drill documents for inserting into ring binders. One of the more significant benefits for small business owners operating out of a home is our mailbox service which provides an actual street address as an alternative to using a personal home address for business. We also provide shredding and notary services. We are all about a full range of business services.
Q. One of your slogans is, “Ask us about printing. Let us know your story.” Could you share a few of the ways services you offer help customers tell their story?
A. Our goal is to work with customers to identify their needs. Our clients may bring in print ready artwork with a specific product in mind – and that is fine. Other times their first need is not necessarily to print – their need is to communicate who they are and the benefits of the products or services they offer and that can be communicated in a variety of printed ways. We bring a wealth of friendly and experienced personnel to the table to work with our clients in determining the best means to that end that is both efficient and cost effective. Then we print!
Visit Keith and his staff at 5184 Caldwell Mill Road in the Publix Shopping Center, 35244 or give them a call at 205-980-8180 to start a conversation about how they can help you, https://hoover-al-2389.theupsstorelocal.com/
