Whilst there have been quite a few milestones and moments, James’ proudest career moment so far is the takeover and relocation of the company. “Taking over a company is hard enough but adding in finding a new location and actually moving 37 years’ worth of business, within six months of taking over and still trading was a pat on the back moment for sure.” Mastering the Ropes Someone else who entered the sign industry by accident (a common theme) and went on to run the business, is Megan Woodcock, owner and managing director of Firstlite LED Systems UK. Not knowing what she wanted to do as a career, Woodcock started working at Firstlite at the age of 19 in admin and admits she absolutely hated the role! Rather than bidding Woodcock farewell, the company saw her potential and she was quickly moved into sales. “This was where I could flourish and give it my all,” she explains. “I worked really hard on internal sales for five years until I was given the opportunity to work out on the road as a sales rep, which was very much my goal at that time. “I absolutely loved it but quickly learned that if I was going to be successful I seriously needed to improve my admin and organisational skills. I think knowing the benefits that these skills would bring to my sales role meant I was much more able to take on admin tasks more effectively, and this further improved my sales performance.” Woodcock was appointed as sales manager and developed the company’s yearly sales targets and became more involved with the behind the scenes running of the business. Aware that the current owner David Holmes would be looking to sell the business in the next three years, Woodcock set her sights on running the business. “I was extremely fortunate to be given the opportunity to complete a management buyout with the agreement that David Holmes would stay with the company for the first two years to ensure I had all the skills needed for the role of Managing Director. “It was a perfect scenario to essentially be thrown in the deep end of running the company, while still having all the knowledge and experience of David, who had built the company up from scratch, to support me.” Woodcock has used the past two years to soak up as much knowledge and experience as possible and she says she feels she has learned and grown more during this time than ever. For Woodcock, one of the main challenges was learning the fundamentals of accounts which is something that has to be done very quickly and effectively. However, she says she has been very lucky to work with some very talented individuals who took the time to get her up to speed in the time frame required. Looking back at her proudest moment, Woodcock says: “To have worked hard for an established, respected, and successful company for ten years before my 30th birthday and then purchase it is a huge achievement that I will forever be proud of. What made everything so special was to see how happy everyone was around me. “This really meant the world to me, as I couldn’t do it all without such an amazing and supportive team around me (at work and at home).” When asked the question ‘if you could go back to when you started out in your career and give yourself one piece of advice, what would it be?’ all three women gave similar responses. For Woodcock it was:” Learn as much as you possibly can from everyone around you. Also have more confidence in yourself that you can do anything you put your mind to!” James’ piece of advice was simply: “To be more confident in my abilities”. Elabourating, she said: “I have worked alongside some fantastic people in my life so far and I wish I had the same belief in myself that they had in me and to be open to continuous learning. Just because it’s always been done that way, doesn’t mean that change is a bad thing. The world and industry are a changing place.” For Morgan the advice would be: “Don’t be afraid to make mistakes; view them as valuable learning experiences. Invest time in building a diverse skillset and developing a network of mentors and peers who can provide guidance and support. Be patient with yourself and celebrate the small victories along the way.” So as the landscape continues to improve and more women make their mark in the business world, it’s clear the opportunities within the sign and graphic industry are bright and exciting, and there are plenty of skilled and accomplished peers paving the way to turn to for inspiration if those doubts start to creep in. ▲Megan Woodcock, owner and managing director of Firstlite LED Systems UK 51 Issue 251 - February / March 2024 email: news@signlink.co.uk INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY 2024
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