INTERVIEW
James McCraith, Managing Director, officeflow, shares details of his life in print, what he’s learned, and the highs and the lows of our unique and challenging industry My life in print
and stay with the business as a trainee account manager. I grew alongside the business and progressed through the ranks, 25 years later I’m still doing it! PITR: What excites you most about working in print today? JMC: think the thing I enjoy most, which has always been the case, is the relationships with clients. It’s about having that connection, doing a good job for people, and looking after them. I now have relationships that are 25 years strong and still going. That’s what’s appealed to me about the job from day one, building and maintaining those relationships with clients. I think if you do that well, the sale becomes a little bit more of a by-product. PITR: And what are the biggest frustrations or challenges? JMC: I suppose, for us at the moment, the challenge is sustaining growth. We understand the print industry extremely well, so our new business wins are consistent and very strong. You have to be very disciplined and very focused to keep that momentum going, which we are, and it’s working well. Customers also take comfort in the fact that we’re very good at what we do. It’s really about maintaining that focus on growth and not becoming complacent about what we’ve achieved as a business. Just because we haven’t diversified yet doesn’t mean we won’t, but for now the formula is clearly working. Print volumes are declining, so a lot of businesses may see a reduction in their market. We’re very conscious that we don’t want that to happen. If people are printing less, we’re going to have to go out and win more of that business, and it’s as simple as that. PITR: What (or who) do you think has had the greatest impact in the sector in recent years? JMC: I think the biggest impact has been the consolidation and
acquisitive nature of the industry. When a local supplier is acquired by a larger organisation, it can often leave the customer base feeling less connected to the business they’ve traditionally worked with. For us, that creates an opportunity
as customers who have been with that supplier for many years are often more open to considering alternatives.
We’ve been very fortunate in our area over the last five years. It seems that every year there’s another acquisition, and each one opens up a new opportunity for us to approach that market and demonstrate the value we can offer. PITR: If you could speak directly to someone who inspired or challenged you most in your career, what would you want to say to them today? JMC: When I look back over my career, it wasn’t necessarily one individual that had the biggest influence. It was more the experiences I had along the way. EBS provided a very consistent platform for me over a long period and gave me a strong foundation in understanding what customers want from a supplier – transparency, communication and consistency. When EBS was acquired by BBT Group in 2019, it challenged me in a different way. BBT was a larger, more commercially- driven business based in the Midlands, whereas EBS was rooted in Norfolk, where business relationships tend to be more local and relationship- focused. That experience opened my eyes and showed me different ways of approaching business in a more corporate environment. The lessons I took from both organisations have shaped officeflow. I was able to combine the commercial mindset I saw at BBT with the relationship-led approach that was so important at EBS, and blending those two perspectives has worked really well for us.
James McCraith
PrintIT Reseller (PITR): What was your first job in print? James McCraith (JMC): My first job was an Account Manager for Eastern Business Systems. I joined EBS in 2003 when I was just 18 years old and I stayed there until they were acquired in 2019. I’ve never done anything else but print, as after leaving EBS, I set up officeflow with my fellow directors, Tom McCarthy and James Harris. PITR: What led you to enter the sector? Did you choose print by design, or accident? JMC: It was definitely by accident. I was ready and set to go to Uni, when my then girlfriend’s dad asked me to spend a summer door knocking for him. He said: “I think you’d be good at generating some leads,” so I gave it a go. He was right, I found it pretty easy and decided to postpone my course
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