Business

Every company would like to be more creative, which is why there is no shortage of books offering advice on the topic. Yet too many managing directors aren’t sure how to ignite the creative spark in their businesses. But in a rapidly changing, digitally driven, economy we need to get used to the idea that ‘no normal’ is the ‘new normal’ and behave accordingly. 

Nicole Spencer, operations director at trade house RMC Digital Print in Hull, became president of the Fespa UK Association last autumn - the first woman to do so. In the run up to Fespa Global 2020 we met up to discuss her plans for an association in transition.

This is the rallying call of Leach MD James Lavin. Read on and you’ll find out what he’s talking about…

The PanaWrap global licensing programme is bubbling up very nicely for its developer. So should you be drinking from that fountain? 

Organisers of Sign and Digital UK (SDUK) are promising “an all new show in a new hall” when it takes place  on 28 - 30 April, 2020.  A new team has been put in place to deliver what they promise will be “a fresh show with a new website, new layout, new features and new stand options”. But is so much change code for “panic, we’re in trouble”? I met up with new event director Jenny Matthew to get her strategic take on developments.

By Lesley Simpson

As mental health issues mount, the Printing Charity is rolling-out a 24-hour helpline. Chief executive Neil Lovell explains.

What’s in a name? Psycho Peacock’s MD thinks there’s a whole lot, which is why he’s thrown everything at the company’s whacky rebrand. Could your business benefit from a similar approach?

There’s no denying it - selling has become more difficult. Suddenly the marketing term ABM (account based marketing) has replaced ‘content marketing’ as the most effective outreach. No doubt a new term will be coined over the next 18-24 months, but the principles will effectively remain the same. So here’s how to get the most out of it according to Charlotte Graham-Cumming, MD at marketing agency Ice Blue Sky.

In 2011 long-time graphic designer David Hyams founded Talking Print - a company that provides audio and video implanted print services. Image Reports interviewed him a couple of years later, excited about the dynamism his services could bring to print and how they could stimulate new opportunities. Over the years Talking Print has grown significantly, with David now employing another two staff and turning over £900,000.  But he’s still to crack large-format print. Why?

By Lesley Simpson

Want to be able to transform customers’ 2D images into photorealistic 3D display products? Then maybe you should talk to StackaWraps

How much is your company worth? In the 1970s and 1980s, valuing a business was relatively straightforward. You estimated the worth of your key tangible assets, totted these figures up and, if the company was being sold as a going concern, added in a little something for goodwill. That traditional yardstick is still reflected in most PSP’s financial statements. It is still the way most accountants like to work. But there are there other considerations.

The print industry - and the large-format sector specifically - has bemoaned the lack of women running businesses for as long as I can remember. Signs Express is witnessing an increase in female franchisees - up 40% in the last 20 months. So I went to talk with the Sara Jeffery, the network’s head of brand and recruitment, to ask: “Is franchising the route to getting women into print management?”

By Lesley Simpson

Imagine making 50% margins on your inkjet printed products! Well, there’s a design company in Sawtry, Cambridgeshire, that thinks it can do just that.

Employee engagement and morale are frequently dismissed as functions of HR and dealt with via team building days or by putting a ping pong table onsite. But is that the best way of getting the best from you people? Apparently not. Here are some pointers to achieving more beneficial results.