And the winners are....

Great design - design that is eye-catching, that attracts business, that instills confidence in the reader, that represents the business professionally and that works on a commercial level - is intrinsic to ensuring that your marketing works.

As I'm sure you'll know by now, we're very proud of the standard of design service we deliver to our clients.

And to prove that our design is as great as ever, I am very excited to announce that our fabulous in-house designer, Oliver, has for the second year running landed the overall prize in the printing.com Annual Design Awards. 

Pitching his designs against a UK-wide network of over 300 creative businesses, Oliver won the 'Identity' category for his work on Green Directions and the 'Websites' category for his work on Relocation Angels.

Green Directions, Mark Woodward (twitter @GreenSheffield) 

"Working with Oliver on my corporate identity and promotional material was a very rewarding experience. From the start I was impressed by the quality of Oliver’s ideas and the effectiveness of his response to my business needs. By listening well, Oliver gained a good understanding of my business objectives. He then developed some strong ideas that we refined into a powerful identity that represents the values of my business very well. I am equally pleased with the promotional material that he produced for me which uses the identity in imaginative ways to enhance customer impact."

Relocation Angels, Julie Durrans (www.relocation-angels.co.uk)

“Relocation Angels are immensely delighted with the Sheffield team at printing.com.We found the team totally committed to our project. Their approachable and individualistic service was second-to-none, providing attention to detail, on-going guidance and an excellent standard of quality throughout the entire process.The design teams’ efforts in creating our company logo and image were outstanding and Relocation Angels can now launch their new business with great confidence. The team at Relocation Angels would not hesitate in recommending the services at printing.com.”

Remember, design is an investment, not a cost. Investing in design will be one of the best things you ever do for your business and our constant award-winning proves that having us do your design could also be one of the best things you do for your business!

Until next time,
Sarah

Are you compliant?

As I sit at home writing this article, looking at the foot or so of snow in my back garden, I wondered how what is being cited as the coldest winter in 100 years could be linked to global warming. 

With a little Googling, I have found out that if it wasn't for global warming, these cold snaps would actually happen more often. In the 40's & 50's, it was a regular occurance. The reason we are so damn surprised when the weather turns is because it is now so unusual. And that is the problem.

The environment is everyone's responsibility and as a business, we take it very seriously. As a printing company that has undergone the extensive commitment to achieving the environmental standard ISO 14001 and as the only printing company working with the charity Tree Appeal (www.treeappeal.com ) we are doing all we can to lower our impact on the environment.

Closer to home, I recently commissioned the services of Airmaster UK (www.airmasteruk.com). Ian Fisher, the Maintenance Manager at Airmaster, attends my BNI networking group. Ian is a great character, very passionate about what he does and full of mind-boggling facts and figures about the environmental impact that poorly maintained air conditioning can have.

I shamefully failed to have the air conditioning system in our new office serviced for well over a year, despite the fact that it was wracking up a massive electricity bill and doing pretty much nothing in return. Anyway, having pulled my finger out, I got the guys from Airmaster in who have sorted out my problem. We now have a warm office, an efficient system and we are, importantly, compliant with current regulations.

So, are you compliant with F Gas Regulations? 

Did you know that if you operate refrigeration, air conditioning or heat pump equipment in your business you are now legally required to maintain records covering the maintenance of equipment and any refrigerants added to or reclaimed from your systems?

Poorly maintained units run the risk of refrigerant leakage during winter due to higher than usual running pressures. Ian explained to me that with the size of my air conditioning units, a slow undetected leak could result in the same environmental impact as driving a car 28,065 miles!!!

If you want to know how that calculation was worked out or what your environmental impact is, why not speak to Ian at Airmaster yourself? 

Ian has offered a special rate for those people coming through printing.com where you will go straight onto their lowest contract rate of £32/hr & 55p/m (instead of £38.50 & 60p) for any site attendances and 10% off your first maintenance bill if you choose to accept a contract with Airmaster. Just contact Ian at ian@airmaster.uk.com and quote 'printing.com'.

Hopefully I've given you one idea on how you can make an environmental difference in your business - other than using printing.com - and with that, I shall leave you with my favourite video so far to come out of this excess of snow....


Snowboarding on the streets of Sheffield!


Sarah

Inspiring Development in Others....

It's always difficult to know if what one has to say is in the least bit interesting to other people. 

What does seem to be certain though is that when it comes to running a business, the opportunity to tap into others' experiences is hugely important for motivation and direction.

I was recently asked to sit on the panel at an E3 dinner event (www.wearee3.com) held at The Sheffield College (www.sparksrestaurant.co.uk). The topic of conversation and debate was focused on the future for entrepreneurs, in light of the government's new initiatives and The Sheffield College being chosen as one of only three places in the UK by Dragon Peter Jones to set up his National Enterprise Academy.

I've never sat on a panel before and I've done little public speaking (albeit it's an area I wish to develop in) so it was with some trepidation that I agreed to participate!

Thanks go to Jill White of E3 for succinctly capturing some of the key messages that came from each of the three panel members, which I'd like to share with you:

Sarah Simpkins, printing.com (Managing Director of a flagship printing.com store & Territory Franchisee, overseeing eight franchisees):

1. Passion and Personality – she has her own personal brand, is comfortable with it and loves what she does.
2. Taking Action – feeling the fear and doing it anyway. The relocation of the business, although huge, was the right one... and it worked and paid off  financially.
3. Creating Multi Income Streams – the franchise route and the printing.com bolt on package offer routes to passive income. I’m sure she’d be happy to talk to anyone interested in looking at this as an add on to an existing business.

Michael Ord, Frooly (serial entrepreneur and founder of Frooly (www.frooly.com) which allows retailers and service providers the opportunity to set up their own online shop or website without the normal associated costs):

1. Spotting Opportunities – being driven and keeping going whatever. Persistance pays and he is persistant!
2. A 'Can Do' mentality – the business has taken much longer to develop, the revenue stage has continued to be delayed, monies have kept on running out but he continues to find ways to keep on keeping on!
3. Finding and keeping the right support network around him – mentors have played a huge part in his business career (he currently has two), he employs good staff, seeks out like-minded people and of course he’s an active E3 member!

Sophie Maxwell, AW Education (www.aweducation.co.uk - a company set up to strengthen and support the curriculum, helping teenagers to foster independence and motivating reluctant learners through engaging, practical sessions aiding in both personal and social development): 

1. Vision, Vison and more Vision – she knows what she wants and will do whatever it takes to get there. Education system look out! 
2. Drive and Determination – utilising her own experiences and creating opportunities for others from them. Nothing is wasted, hostel living created her enterprising spirit and a spell in hospital has led to a brand new project opportunity for her. 
3. Listening and Learning – again skills she acquired along the way. If you listen, you hear opportunities. You can then respond back with solutions. Problem seeker, problem solver creates great opportunities for all.

As well as being inspired by the stories of those around me, I also discovered that I do have a story which is interesting and inspiring to others. The feedback I've had has been fantastic and has done wonders for my confidence in terms of having something to offer entrepreneurs-to-be and those already running businesses. 

Now I'm on the lookout for the next opportunity to pass on my experiences!

Catch you all soon,
Sarah