These profound words of Sidney Bobb, chairman of the British Association of Printing and Communication (BAPC), have stayed with me since I represented SignLink as a delegate at the trade body’s’ annual conference this month: “Life today is lived at a very fast rate and for people to stop for a weekend to improve themselves, improve their business, must be commended. They are in business, not just in production. Run your business, do not work in your business. Run it and make profit.”

This advice is one which many in the sign industry could take on board. Long-term, it is only possible to expand your business and make more profit if you spend less time doing hands on-work and more time developing its infrastructure, products, services and customer base.

A bridge too far you say? Well, that is why organisations such as the BAPC exist. Originally set up to service the commercial print sector, it opened its doors earlier this year to any business involved in producing or buying in wide-format print—now the vast majority of sign-makers.

Bobb highlights the BAPC’s key goal is to help support its members with everything from obtaining business finance, to organising buying networks to reduce the price of materials and consumables.

It is my view that becoming an active part of such an organisation is necessary, now more than ever. The wide-format print market may be growing, but there is trouble ahead. The conference highlighted one third of all commercial print houses now have wide-format capability, with two thirds expecting it to become a much bigger ration of their business over the next two years. This means the days of bountiful work and low competition are coming to a close. Not just joining, but supporting a trade body, is worth some serious consideration as it could help your business weather the coming winds of change.