Small firm thinks big on signs

By GEORGINA BOND


The days of being a one-man-band are becoming a distant memory for Brent Roberts, managing director of Orion Signs.

In 14 years, Roberts has taken the company from an owner-operator engraving business - run largely from his home with a single, manual engraving machine - to a specialist shop for the design, production and installation of signs.

Based in Manukau City, Orion Signs employs nine staff and recently won contracts for the local fit-outs of two Australian-based retail chains.

Roberts said the company, named the best small business at this year's Westpac Manukau Business Excellence Awards, had got this far by anticipating customer demand, being adaptable, investing heavily in new technology and being a bit plucky.

He said he saw the potential in the business when he bought it in 1989.

Today, the firm's customer base ranges from small businesses to large companies in the real estate, retail and architecture industries.

With a 38 per cent increase in sales in the past two years, Roberts is forecasting an 80 per cent increase in turnover this year.

Business has already exceeded his two-year turnover and profit goals with six months to spare, leaving Roberts "in limbo" as he adjusts his business plan for the next five years.

He said the company's potential was tremendous and he expected, with good management, the robust growth would continue.

As sales increased, the company was continually being stretched and getting more staff and bigger premises was now a matter of urgency.

Growth had mostly come from identifying and developing new market opportunities, an approach that had in the past four years resulted in the company doing work for 140 local branches of several Australian retail chain stores that had previously imported their signs from Australia.

Roberts said he was not afraid to knock on doors, because "it works".

"They [Australian companies] don't look for New Zealand providers.

"You've got to get out there and dig for the work."

As the business has grown, Roberts has been on a personal growth curve, to adapt from a hands-on solo operator to the leader of a company delivering services to big players in large markets.

Today, his role is still largely hands-on, with a focus on sales and management.

Work stretches well beyond 40 hours each week and, with an average of 10 projects on the go at any one time, the pace is demanding.

Many projects require a 24-hour turnaround and Roberts said meeting deadlines was one of the company's biggest challenges.

He believed achieving great results within a pressurised environment was made possible by empowering and upskilling his staff, which provided them with the motivation to deliver excellence.

Offering a broad range of in-house services and the ability to be innovative provided the company's competitive advantage.

Being small had also meant that it had been able to foster closer customer relations, and provide a more personal and flexible service.

Maximising customer satisfaction was where the company could best compete and this philosophy underpinned its business.

"I try to understand what customers want to achieve, to really listen to what they say, to guide them and to provide a value-added service," he said.

To date, the marketing budget had been minimal and he said 100 per cent of new business had come through customer referrals.

"People know we perform. We've also had to be adaptable. Our customers look to us for new ways of doing things. This means we need to be at the forefront of new technology."