London
I began my journey in the print industry in 1966 when I joined a London company specialising in high end print products and publishing greeting cards. After finishing at print college I had to change direction and finish a hotel management course to fit in with plans made by my parents who were running a hotel with a pub restaurant convincing me to become involved. Within 18 months my love for print just took over & I went back to London to get back into print. By 1977 I was ready to set up my own business while working as a graphic artist & print minder for a small company.
To Birmingham
In 1982 I boldly setup a printing business in Birmingham with my newly wed wife by negotiating with a principal of a Bible College to print their requirements using their machines, located in a greenhouse, using income from commercial printing as a back to back financial arrangement. Work flowed in and it wasn’t long before I had to employ someone.
In 1984 I had to move to a 2 storey building, invest in larger equipment and by 1988 employed up to 5 people.
A financial bank crisis in 1991 that led to the closure of over 124 banks precipitated a credit squeeze on my business when they called in my overdraft which in effect brought the shutters down on my business.
But here I am over 30 years later still doing the work I love the most.