Printwear & Promotion The Total Promotional Package
This year sees Custom Planet mark its 10th anniversary, after a decade of successful trading and growth.
The Tyneside-based business was founded in 2008 by university friends Andrew Dark and John Armstrong during their studies. Over the years the business has gone from strength to strength, achieving a recent turnover of £1.2 million. From starting out with just the two founders, the business now the employs 15 full-time staff.
However, despite finding success over the last 10 years, things were tough when the business was first finding its feet.
Co-director Mr Dark said: “We started out selling slogan T shirts on eBay from my mum’s spare room, but they weren’t really that popular. But, we started getting a tonne of requests for custom designs and, as soon as we began advertising that option, business really picked up.
“Custom Planet was started and grown at the peak of a recession, so we’ve definitely faced challenges. At one point we were both working part time jobs and funnelling everything back into the business, and at another we were having to work 16-hour shifts with no days off.”
Thankfully, their persistence paid off and Custom Planet moved into dedicated premises in 2010, with plans to move again in the near future. The company has invested over £200,000 in developing its printing capability, and has been steadily recruiting new staff to cope with the increased demand.
Mr Dark added: “We’ve always aimed to be the best rather than the cheapest. There are some huge companies out there in the industry who will always be able to undercut you. By offering the client a quality product and finish, with fantastic service to match, we’ve been able to punch well above our weight.
“Custom Planet wouldn’t be where it is today without a well-balanced workforce, either. We’ve always known what our weaknesses were and hired people that have made the business stronger. For instance, we hired an internal finance person when we knew numbers weren’t our strength, which allowed myself and John to concentrate on other key areas.”
While Mr Dark and Mr Armstrong are happy to have achieved 10 years in a competitive industry, they’re not resting on their laurels, with big plans for growth in the future.
Mr Dark said: “We’ve got big plans for the next five years. We don’t need to be the largest printwear company, but we do want to create a reputation for being the best. We’ll be investing in new premises, new machinery, and new digital technologies. We want to create a great working atmosphere and provide unshakeable job security for everyone who works here.”
