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15-year-old print manager looking to expand business
A teenager who started up his print management company when aged just 14 is looking to expand his business after reporting average sales of £2,000 per month.
LSR Group's owner, the now 15-year-old Sam Roper, started up the business in Calderdale, West Yorkshire, with friend Liam Siddall, who was also 14 at the time, in January 2008.
The pair, both of whom are currently studying for their GCSEs, are planning to recruit more staff in 2009 due to their success so far.
Roper, who also runs local advertising magazine the Calderdale Business Gazette, said: "I taught myself how to buy print and I run the business in the evenings, when I get home from school.
"I've made great contacts with high-profile local printing companies, as well as local councils.
"We're planning a massive push in 2009 and want to have a couple of new staff working for us by December."
Sam's father Greg Roper said: "Print is not the family trade and he's done this all off his own back. We're very proud of him."
LSR Group has also won praise from within the industry.
Andrew Brown, operations director of Lick Group, told PrintWeek: "Sam Roper has been up to visit our business and by all accounts he was very personable and knowledgeable.
"You wouldn't think you were dealing with someone of such a young age."
The Calderdale Business Gazette began as a business studies project by Siddall, who is responsible for the creative side of the business.
Roper, who handles the clients and customers, said that LSR Group was a progression from this.
Both boys plan to continue in full-time education after taking their GCSEs.
Comments
Simon Biltcliffe- Webmart - 03 January 2009
Awesome! If he would ever like to have a look around our offices in WEBMART North then just get in touch. Happy to help in any way we can.
Great to see someone else as seeing print as being the future in 2009
Happy New Year!
Simon Biltcliffe
\(simon.biltcliffe@webmartUK.com to arrange a visit)
The Taxman - 05 January 2009
Well done Sam, keep up the good work, just don't copy WEBMART and drive prices down even further.
Print Spectator - 05 January 2009
To be honest, Sam sounds like he doesn't need any help. He's doing perfectly well on his own and well done to him.
There must be lessons for us here.
A 14 year old can make money out of this business, what does that tell us?
Print Observer - 05 January 2009
Hey Sam, How about we discuss a Lewis Hamilton/Ron Dennis style relationship?
Gary Smith - 05 January 2009
Great to hear this story- PW : how about a more indepth story on this? A glimmer of hope for the future. We should be encouraging this talent - not turning him into a a cynic like some of the aboves who hide behind pseudonyms. Sam - I would take up Simon's offer of a visit, the IT driving the company is well ahead of it's time - the staff incentives / structures he has set up may give you some ideas of your own. ...I would also extend Simon's offer if you want to look around our Publishing Division to give an idea of the 'other side' of the fence. Good luck with it, if you can survive in this climate you should do well! Asides from the odd downbeat [see above again] ...as you're no doubt already finding out there are some great people in this industry. Like you, I started in it at 15 and never looked back and loved the highs and learnt from the lows. My advise to you is join the BPIF they are a great source of information and get in contact with organisations like PERA who can offer you all kinds of help. Gary Smith - Redactive Media Group gary.smith@redactive.co.uk
Penny Pincher - 05 January 2009
Well done! It'll take a bit more than 2k per month to hire staff though and I'd have some reservations myself working for a 15 year old living with his mum...
Maybe contact the job office and get some people in to help at a reduced rate - there are quite a few suffering the effects of the downturn who might find it fun to help out while earning a little cash.
Good luck.
sam roper - 05 January 2009
Thanks everyone so far for the comments and i hope you will contact me
The Mighty wind - 06 January 2009
[quote user="sam roper"]
Thanks everyone so far for the comments and i hope you will contact me
[/quote]
Take the bull by the horns and contact them directly
WJM - 06 January 2009
I wouldn't get too excited - brokering isn't exactly difficult. You need no skills and no investment, just a lot of nerve. Let us know when he buys his first Speedmaster!
Gary Smith - 06 January 2009
...but you would have to agree it takes a certain amount at gumption to achieve what he has at the age of fifteen. Credit where it is due...besides its not just brokering - which isn't easy as you may think, getting and placing a brochure of 150K print run isn't easy at all, when you're up against the likes of all the print managers in the market place, asides from printers direct. He has had to design, web design, make some quite important choices for he's clients. He has also had to set up a company, launched a local advertiser newspaper, which he has got in to Tesco, Sainsbury and other supermarkets, I'd say that's some achievement to be very proud off. Some large publishers would give their right arm off to get their products into these supermarkets. Besides buying a Speedmaster is just about writing a cheque, isn't it! I'm sure he's written some of these already!
We should be nurturing this talent, offering advise and support, you never know, it may intice other like minded young businessmen and women to enter the fray. We shouldn't be portraying us all as a bunch of old cynics! OK, so a year down the line who knows where he will be, at least he is giving it a go not sititng in he's local park with a Tennents Super!
WJM - 06 January 2009
I meant 'buying a Speedmaster' in the greater sense - surrounding it with the necessary infrastructure to make it work. My great hope for 2009 is that the lender cheque writers will be obliterated from the face of the industry. Ultimately they are the root of most of the industries woes.
Gary Smith - 06 January 2009
'buying a Speedmaster' in the greater sense - surrounding it with the necessary infrastructure to make it work. My great hope for 2009 is that the lender cheque writers will be obliterated from the face of the industry. Ultimately they are the root of most of the industries woes.[/quote]
I know... but I agree with you on the Cheque writers. It is very sad when a company goes into adminstration for whatever reason, but in a market which is well reported to have over capacity it will be inevitable some will go under, but they should be allowed too and not be allowed to resurrected for the greater good of the industry.[quote user="William Martin"]I meant
Gary Smith
Bush Whacker - 06 January 2009
Fair play to the lad. Shows more nous and drive than a lot of senior mangers in the sector at the moment.
Kelvin Bell - 06 January 2009
Great storey PW and good luck Sam, take Simon up on his offer. If you need any advice/help on the online/web2print stuff give me a call, be happy to help all i can.
Top tip though, stay away from girls as it all goes horribly wrong 16 onwards!!!!
Kelv - vpress.co.uk
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