20-21_Grid 11/08/2017 12:18 Page 2
OVER THE COUNTER
Ringing In
My Ears... Independent card and gift retailer, David Robertson, co-owner of JP Pozzi in Scotland, talks about cutting through the noise and visualising on your goals. A low hum... a feeling that there is always something constantly on in the background, that is what I have been experiencing these last few months. I put it down to lots of things, going to concerts maybe, but suffice to say it is tinnitus. You don't really notice it at first, especially if there is chat or a TV on in the background, but when there is silence it is unmistakable. My ears are also ringing with the huge amount of noise that is engulfing us in our industry at the minute. I haven’t mentioned cards much lately in my column. This is real a shame, as despite the economy, Brexit, the dollar’s rate and all that other ‘noise’, I think our creative industries have never been stronger. I haven’t mentioned the amazing new Wendy Jones-Blackett Bijou range or that my pal over at Bexy Boo now has her cards in Paperchase. I haven't mentioned the 30 years of quirky product that Really Good has contributed to our industry or the fact that Second Nature has redesigned its everpopular Pop Up range. I haven’t mentioned the spin on Clintons’ retails figures and the company’s supposed new direction (again), or The Art File going all royal on us, or UKG going all environmentally green on us, or in fact that the king of wholesale, Simon Elvin, has created a whole new range of premium 'in stock' wholesale cards. I haven’t mentioned The Henries’ Most Promising Designer award being renamed as The Lynn Tait Most Promising Young Designer 20
PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE
Above: American jazz musician, Chet Baker. Left: A The Bright Side design from Really Good, a company offering quirky product for over 30 years. Below: Visualisation is key when reaching your goals.
or Artist Award (brilliant and so right) and the huge amount of artists who previously worked for large publishing group breaking out on their own and succeeding; Louise Tiler, Louise Mulgrew and Sarah Knight to note a few. In among all this ‘noise’, this constant industry hum, I also want to highlight what should be the loud crash of The Light Fund. This charity, set up by the people behind this very magazine, has now raised well over a £million for lots of charities and groups that are perhaps not as well-known. That is a noise worth shouting about! Now we also have PG Buzz, which creates an even louder twice weekly hum in this already noisy world of paper and flitter. However, the simple fact is that we can’t be distracted with all this background noise. Us retailers need to focus on our business and our four shop walls, not to the point of ignorance but just purely as a matter of importance. I don’t know about you but I feel swamped. Swamped with information. Swamped with challenges.
Swamped with a list of things to do that never gets shorter. Business is tough and it seems that we just keep getting new challenges thrown our way. The noises screaming for our attention just keep getting louder: increases in the living wage, rates, pension schemes, and so many other new costs, along with the continued struggle for high street footfall, has put us under even more pressure. Life and work are so busy for me in fact, that I often hear the same phrase from staff, customers and friends, “I have No idea how you cope.” It got me thinking. I was so busy doing. So busy reacting. So busy reading. So busy working that I had forgotten to look at what has happened over the last few years. To look back on my journey... but then who really has time for that? Receiving a Retas award last month is always a nice reminder of how you are thought of in the industry, but although people say to me all the time ‘look what you have achieved’, somehow I can’t quite get my head around it. So just how have I ended up here? What was my aim? Well, the answer to that has always been for me to be the best that I can be. I am sure your answer will be similar. Being successful of course brings other perks, whether it be the feeling of self achievement, cold hard cash, the opportunity to create jobs, and even to