Office World interview: is Office Power too good to be true?
Tim James is the director of Office World in West Sussex, a company he founded in 2003. Tim ended up in the office supplies industry by chance after taking over the family business from his father.
We interviewed Tim ahead of his third anniversary as an Office Power partner to find out how his business has been going and whether partnering with Office Power has made any difference to his life and business. Read the full interview to find out.
OP Tell us about your history in the office supplies industry, Tim?
TJ I ended up in the office supplies industry by accident. In 2001, my father died leaving behind a stationery business. At the time, I was working at IBM in Portsmouth and my instinct was to simply close it. But I didn’t. I stuck with it and continued to manage the retail business from Chichester until 2003, when I took voluntary redundancy from IBM and set up another shop in Selsey.
It was at that point I noticed other local companies were selling direct to business users and I thought I could do that, but better. That’s when Office Stop Direct was born. In 2008, I sold the retail businesses to concentrate on the direct channel and five years later changed the name to Office World, a decision I have never regretted.
OP What were the main challenges of running your own office supplies business on your own?
TJ Like many small businesses, the main challenges I faced were cash flow and credit control. In 2013/14, the business was growing rapidly, but I was struggling to balance this fast growth with the administration and particularly the financial juggling that comes with it. Someone pointed me in the direction of Office Power and I decided to meet them. After telling them my full story and about the areas of the business I needed support with they simply said, ‘we can help’. Those three words changed everything in a single minute and I haven’t looked back since.
OP How have things changed since partnering with Office Power?
TJ After joining Office Power, my cost prices went down overnight and I started building a reputation for delivering office supplies at the best possible prices. I am selling many items at a lower price now than I was in 2013, yet maintaining healthier margins. It’s just incredible.
Our online presence started bringing in an ever-increasing amount of revenue due to our web offering with Office Power. It’s a phenomenal tool for boosting customer numbers and revenue, whilst maintaining better margins than we were in 2013/14, which in today’s economic climate is a challenge. The business is more visible online than ever before and we are gaining 30 – 40 new online customers every month.
OP Have things changed for you personally as well as the business?
Office Power has transformed my life. I sleep for a start, as I don’t have to worry about juggling a million things at once anymore. I can take time out for myself and spend time with my family, which is something I could never do before. Knowing that the business is in good hands when you’re not there is an enormous pressure off my shoulders.
I’ve changed as a person, too. I’m more confident thanks to this amazing group of people: colleagues, who have my back when I need them. It’s not only self-confidence, but also confidence in my business.
I know now that when a customer says, ‘we need this,’ I can say – with confidence – ‘yup, no problem’. For instance, in May this year, I had my largest order ever, which I could never have even thought about chasing or fulfilling before Office Power.
OP Did you have any concerns about partnering with Office Power that didn’t materialise?
TJ Of course, yes. I was concerned how my customers would react to the change. For example, for my local customers, deliveries that I would normally have made personally were now handled by FedEx. This made much more sense financially, but scared me at the time. It turned out not to be a problem for customers at all; as long as they were still getting a high standard of service they were happy. Office Power has a 99.6% successful on-time delivery rate and all orders can be tracked online, so it worked out for the best in the end.
I was also concerned about losing control of ‘my baby’. 10 years of blood, sweat and many tears over the years went into building up what is a good business – was I just handing it over to someone else? This concern didn’t materialise either. I am now more in control of my business than ever. It’s still ‘my baby’, my customers, my brand. I am completely in control of the direction I want to take my business in. The only difference is that I now have a team of experts who always have my back and support me in any area I need.
I was also concerned I would have to change the way I worked, but it didn’t take long to realise that taking a fresh approach to running the business was a good thing. And the financial results showed that it was the right approach. After all, numbers don’t lie.
OP Why did you choose Office Power in the first place?
TJ When I first looked at the Office Power offering, I thought, ‘this is too good to be true, what’s the catch?’ But, in all honesty, there isn’t one. Higher margins, lower costs, better bottom line and less stress to boot. Plus, you have the added bonus of working with some of the nicest people you could ever ask to work with; people who genuinely care about the business doing well.
OP So what next for Office World?
TJ To grow, learn from Office Power and the myriad tools they provide, and continue doing what I do best: selling our offering to customers. It’s also important to continue to embrace change as the office supplies market evolves and technological improvements enhance our offering and customer engagement opportunities. I am really positive about the future of Office World and I know me and my business are in safe hands under the wing of Office Power.
OP: What would your advice be to other dealers who aren’t Office Power partners?
TJ I haven’t seen offerings from any other providers in the market place that can even come close to matching Office Power. I didn’t even know companies like Office Power existed until someone pointed me in the right direction.
My advice to other dealers is to meet with the Office Power team and find out from them directly what they can do for you. Their financial analytics team will provide you with a detailed report and you’ll know exactly how your business will perform with Office Power before you even join.
At the very least it will open your eyes to the possibilities that are available out there and you’ll get to meet some very smart people who know what they’re talking about. Even if you decide that the partnership is not for you, you’ll still walk away with some useful knowledge and insights that you’ll be able to apply in your business. I’d say, don’t hesitate, drop them a line today.
To find out more about Office Power visit www.officepower.net or contact alina.fisher@officepower.net if you have any questions..
