Focus on Wide Format Printing Adaptingto a changing market
Times are a changing. It doesn’t matter what market you operate in, working conditions or practices will not be the same. Here Alex Liggett, of the Vinyl Guys, explains how he has refocused to meet changing demands.
Alex Liggett of The Vinyl Guys hosting a workshop I
went full-time with my business The Vinyl Guys just last summer, but these past few weeks I have quickly had to refocus to meet the changing demands. The Vinyl Guys began life in my spare bedroom in my free time, where I gradually built up my customer base until I could move into my own premises and invest in new equipment. Up to mid-2019 I was still working full-time in the public sector in the West Midlands, working 12- hour shifts followed by six or seven hours of printing, until my graphics business was ready to go as a fully- fledged operation.
Until this spring, 80% of The Vinyl Guys' business was vehicle wraps and retail signage, work now on hold as the UK follows the government's guidance on social distancing to control the spread of COVID-19. I have therefore had to adjust my service offering to meet my existing customers’ new demands – and that means going smaller. When I saw the beginnings of the impact early this year, I launched offers for smaller items, labels, stickers and banners, in short runs. Many of my customers are electrical and heating engineers who have been furloughed and are taking the opportunity provided by this quieter work period to rebrand and
| 50 | July 2020
address their promotion. It's something many professionals have wanted to do and are finding that now is the time to put those ideas into practice.
Diversification and add-ons Although we specialise in larger signage and vehicle wraps, I learned
early on how diversification and add-on products add value for my customers and of course, profits towards the future development of the business. As such, our Roland TrueVIS SG-540 printer/cutter has had its colour-matching and cutting accuracy capabilities put to the test on every scale imaginable. We've relied on the TrueVIS for several years, benefiting from its versatility. One minute you can be printing banners, the next minute vehicle wraps, then stickers, without changing much of the set-up. In my frequent updates via The Vinyl Guys’ social media accounts, I have often expressed my gratitude to those who helped me on my way to having a successful print business. Having received a great deal of support and advice while setting up The Vinyl Guys, I am keen to give back to the industry with free-to-attend workshops. During these business growth events I tell my own story and explain what I needed when I started out. The simple, matter-of-fact workshops are designed to inspire other people to expand their side-lines into fully fledged careers. My biggest ever workshop was in January with Signmaster Systems and I have also shared my advice as a guest of Roland's at several industry exhibitions. I'm looking at ways to continue supporting and inspiring other new businesses during the current period and will be back with more interactive workshops at the right time.
Some of the smaller stickers that The Vinyl Guys has now produced
www.printwearandpromotion.co.uk
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