38 email: news@printmonthly.co.uk November / December 2023 - Issue 345 ▲ [L to R] Jake Adams, Michael Harvey, and Reece Gray exhibiting at Sign & Digital UK years but has enabled him to get a strong grasp on what is a particulary technical area of the industry. On this, Adams adds that his “trial and error budget” grows every year. This budget covers designing and implementing bespoke management systems with the company having to adapt systems to meet its own needs. “There is no off-the-shelf management system for embroidery so everything we use has been built and designed for us," Adams explains. "The systems we’re using today didn’t exist two years ago. We’ve had to build a new backend site and CRM for management systems.” According to Adams, customers tend to outsource until they have the resources to bring embroidery in-house but often, they will continue to outsource as it saves hassle and time. In order to expand and grow, Adams recommends print service providers bolt branding onto their offering by using Trade Embroidery. “You do what you’re good at and leave us to take care of the embroidery products and price it so it is viable and competitive,” he says. Integrity And Education The verification process to open an account with Trade Embroidery is strict, but this enables the company to maintain its integrity as a trade-only supplier. The company also offers a ‘try before you buy’ service to get customers used to the process during onboarding. “Customers need to believe we won’t pick up the phone and poach their customers,” Adams explains. To maintain this trust, Trade Embroidery welcomes its customers and clients to its premises to enable them to see how things work, which in turn makes it easier for them to sell the products to their own customers. Another big part of enabling customers to succeed is education with designs needing to be digitalised and formatted with a lot of time spent educating customers on what works and what doesn’t, and why. “This is often done during the onboarding process so new customers understand what’s best for their needs which saves time and going back and forth later down the line,” Adams says. For Trade Embroidery, industry events are beneficial for sharing these education pieces with the company having had a presence at Printwear & Promotion LIVE!, Sign and Digital UK, and The Print Show over the past year alone. This is because you can get in front of customers face-to-face and explain any issues that aren’t clear and answer any questions they may have, with the product in front of you to refer to if needed. At the recently wrapped Print Show 2023, the company had a busy three days with the stand swept off its feet with sign-ups as the business promoted its DTF gang sheet offering and embroidery services. Adams also took part in a FESPA UK Next Generation Committee Panel discussion at the event’s Knowledge Zone to talk about how he set up the company from a young age. Representation Within Print Being such a young managing director and having come into the industry from scratch, Adams is somewhat of an anomaly in the industry. Despite being a humble and unassuming character, Adams has attracted well-deserved recognition from the wider community and was awarded a BIBAS Most Inspirational Young Person Award. However, in true Adams style, he is quick to note that he would prefer to be recognised for his work within the industry, and not just categorised as a ‘young person within the industry’. However, it hasn’t been easy launching a business as a young person with Adams having felt pressure to prove himself. “When you’re 18, it’s hard to sell to older people. You need to know your stuff. Lots of people assume it’s your Dad’s business when you’re starting out at a young age,” he says. However the support of Adams' family meant he had the drive to continue to push on and as a result, He has grown a successful business from the ground up. Adams also has good relationships with other industry members such as Tradeprint, Venture Banners, VB Media, and The Online Print Coach and says collaboration is an important part of growing and succeeding as a business as it enables you to lean on the strengths of those excelling in their particular area. When you hear the story of Adams’ entry into the industry as well as the history and growth of Trade Embroidery in such a short time, it is undeniable that he has achieved a huge amount starting out from a young age with little to no expertise or guidance from those experienced within the sector, and that has to be commended. Adams is also doing a stellar job at showing other young people coming into the industry that there are opportunities within any level of a business within the industry and that managerial roles and senior-level roles are possible. COMPANY SPOTLIGHT / TRADE EMBROIDERY ▼ Adams uses trade shows to educate the industry on the intimacies of embroidery and meet new clients
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjM0NDIxOA==