Sunday, 01 Jan 2017 18:50 GMT

Signs Express Stoke-on-Trent

Jo Golding speaks to Craig Tiley, owner of Signs Express Stoke-on-Trent, about going from army logistics to sign-making, and what it takes to make that leap into owning your own business

Moving up through the ranks

We all have our passions in life. For many, a passion for sign-making comes from a long history of the craft in the family, for others it is a skill they have developed through working in other industries. For Craig Tiley, it was his passion for being part of the army that led him to now own the Stoke-on-Trent branch of Signs Express.

“I was a sergeant in the Royal Engineers and my role was as a logistics specialist,” Tiley says, adding: “I co-ordinated the logistics for construction builds, anything from a bridge in Afghanistan to a police station in Kenya—anything the army was building.


(Above & below) From restaurant signage to health and safety signs, Signs Express Stoke-on-Trent covers it all



“What I would do was make sure every bit of procurement was done and it was loaded onto the trucks. It was quite a stressful job in terms of being on the front line. Every vehicle loaded had a potential threat from roadside bombs. It had to be very carefully calculated to make sure every vehicle was necessary, every load was necessary, and there wasn’t anything left behind.





“I had a brief term as a sign-maker before I joined the army and I loved it. I spent a lot of time building up a small sign business, making things mainly for the army.

“I spent time learning the software and honing my skills. My future changed and as I was going up the ranks, I decided I wanted to make a change and I wanted to own my own business.”

My future changed and as I was going up the ranks, I decided I wanted to make a change and I wanted to own my own business”


Going down the franchise route has its differences to starting up your own sign business, and as Tiley goes on to address, one of the most useful benefits of becoming a franchisee is the level of support he has received from the renowned franchise network.

He explains: “It was a massive decision to choose to do this and I’m so glad I made the decision to buy a franchise because of the support I’ve received over this last year, it’s been absolutely phenomenal. It’s the best decision I’ve ever made.”

Lay of the land

In the initial stages, Tiley spoke to Craig Brown, the managing director of Signs Express on sign forums and at exhibitions, in order to get to grips with everything that the company had to offer and how they could help him.

Tiley notes that seeing Signs Express’ evident success in the industry was one of the key reasons he decided to become a franchisee. After a resale in his area came up, he jumped at the chance to purchase his own branch and has not looked back since.

He ensures that there are no more challenges becoming part of a franchise than there are when setting up a business of your own, and is glad he did not go it alone due to having all the experience of an entire network at your fingertips.

The company now has a solvent printer, laminator, and plotter, and has invested heavily in keeping up to date with the latest technology. This has involved updating old equipment, computers, software, and the premises. Tiley is also looking to invest further in equipment and plans to speak with suppliers at the Signs Express Convention and take advantage of Signs Express’ preferential rates.


(Above & Below) Signs Express Stoke-on-Trent produces vehicle graphics for a range of companies



The company works with many well-known brands from JCB to Audi, as well as retail stores, schools and colleges, offices, and events. Known as vehicle graphics specialists and sign-makers, the company produces a range of vehicle graphics, window graphics, exhibition displays, health and safety signs, and more.





Tiley adds: “We did some nice signs recently for a company called Whitehouse Foods, cladding over an existing fascia and putting their brand all the way across the sign. Also, we worked on ten fire engines for the winter NHS messages they like to put out.”


Signs Express Stoke-on-Trent produced signage for Whitehouse Foods, showing off their brand identity



Secret to success

With the customer at the core of the company, Signs Express Stoke-on-Trent is doing everything it can to deliver the best service possible—as this, according to Tiley, is the secret behind the company’s success.

“We’ve been successful this year by making sure that our customer service is the best,” Tiley explains, adding: “We work to tight deadlines often and we will bend over backwards to get the right service to our customers. That’s what they pay for, to get everything done when it’s meant to be done and how it’s meant to be done.

“We’ll also talk to the customer and don’t always try to upsell. We give them the product that would be the most useful to them, so when they say ‘we want this’, we’ll say ‘have you thought about this, which could be more cost-effective?’”

We’ve been successful this year by making sure that our customer service is the best”


Looking ahead to the company’s future, Tiley says there is a lot more to be done with many exciting opportunities on the horizon: “In this next year, I am looking at taking on a new person. We’ll be looking at our equipment and seeing where we can cost-effectively grow.

“I’m in it for the long-term. The reason I left the army at the age of 32 was to have a good few years building up a company that I am very proud of.”

So, for anyone else thinking of getting into the sign industry and setting up your own business, there really is nothing stopping you. Choosing a franchise and grabbing the chance to own your own branch is a great way to get a foot in the door and start building up a successful company, just as Tiley has done with Signs Express.

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