Steady as she goes

They may not be big but they are a stable business. Allen Signs prides itself on its slow but steady growth with a wide base of clients built up since the early days back in the 1960s. The current incumbent Allen took over the reins from his father Barry, who started the business in his spare time when working in the coach painting industry.
 
David Allen comments: “My dad did a sign writing course at night school and when he was employed at various places  he would paint the vehicles and they would ask him to do the sign writing on it. In time people knew he did sign writing at weekends, and one thing led to another and when he had the opportunity to strike out on his own he took it. I think he got to the point where he felt he had enough work to keep himself busy and be in charge of his own destiny so to speak.”

Barry Allen passed away last year, but his business ethic and trade secrets have been passed on to his son David and the company as a whole. So what are the secrets that have seen the firm grow from night school to 21st century business? Steady as she goes seems to be the theme.

David says: “We partner with our customers. It’s more than a straight forward transaction. It’s more about getting to know them and working with them on projects, becoming a long-term supplier to them rather than a one off. We still have some customers from the 1970s. And there are some others from when I started in the 80s.”

“With some of the clients we’ve got to know what they like and what they don’t like; how their minds’ work. If they have a new vehicle you’ll know how big they’ll want to see their name on the side of it. It’s that process of getting to know them and being trusted to get on with it. Without the customers you don’t have any work and you don’t have any money.”


David, who started on the Youth Training Scheme at £25 a week, says that training is key to success, which goes back to his idea of long-term growth. He says: “We like the training, the NVQs. With two of our staff going through Walsall at the moment, we’re one of the companies committed to it.”

He does, however, say there is a problem. The sign industry is dominated by one- or two-man outfits meaning it is something of a cottage industry. That tends to leave training way down the agendas for most small firms.

Staff loyalty is another cornerstone of the business with some members of staff clocking up two decades or more of service. Getting through recessions is another key element of survival.




The last one was different says David, so he decided to approach it positively. Fortunately he met Glen Merryweather, who helped to build up the sales network alongside Kevin Brocklesby. Before the recession took hold the duo worked hard in networking and creating a wider client base, which meant even during the downturn the firm saw year-on-year growth.

And that’s it: building long-term client relationships, staying small but manageable, staff training, and sustained sales and networking to ensure a core of solid business. And of course Barry’s resourcefulness. Back in the 70s during the three day week, when electricity was in short supply during a power workers strike, he bought a generator to ensure the company could keep the lights on.

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