A Genie in the office
Even in a recession, or maybe because of it, the personal touch is an important key to running a small business.
Originally from Athy, Anita always had a yen to work for herself. After a stint in Australia when she left school, she came home and worked in construction for years, mainly in the purchasing and accounts areas.
“I became a bit disillusioned with that and decided to try something on my own. A franchise business that involved going into schools and helping children build up their self-esteem didn’t really work out for me, so I decided to go another route.”
During this franchise period, Anita had become conscious of the amount of office supplies which schools were buying, and she thought she saw another opportunity there. She did some further research, and decided to set up ‘Office Genie’. The name, she adds, was provided by her boyfriend.
“I’ve always believed in the value of networking, and got going just by letting people I knew know what I could offer. From these came referrals, and almost all of my business since I set up has come that way.”
The schools contacts were important, but the years when she had dealt with other companies while working in the construction office also gave her a wide range of places where she needed little introduction. Using contacts means that when Anita calls up to offer her services, she can go direct to the person in charge rather than just getting through to the switch.
“They also know me, and having a face they know at the other end of the phone instead of somebody anonymous at a call centre makes a big difference. They feel that they are getting a personal service, and I back that up with next day deliveries and good value.”
Anita has a catalogue of upwards of 20,000 items available. Her own success has also meant that she has been able to give some extra employment locally.
“For instance, I have a local carpenter who assembles office furniture on site for my customers, and I’ve had to employ somebody to do the accounts because I’m now too busy to do them myself. So there’s a little bit in it for everybody, which is brilliant.”
In recessions, there are sometimes better opportunities for local enterprise. “For a start, I can advise customers on how they can save money on their office supplies, without any drop in quality. Generally, if they show me their current supplies invoices, I can point out where savings can be made, sometimes small ones, but they all mount up.”
There’s also a tendency in times like these for companies to consider ‘going local’ instead of dealing with large multinationals.
“My take on it is to offer a friendly, personal service that is competitive. My overheads are lower, and I know from my long purchasing background how to source things, so I am competitive.”
Anita has been living in Kilcullen for seven years. Though based here, her customer base has already extended through Kildare, Carlow, Dublin, Meath and Westmeath. “And I got my first customer in Cork last week, so it’s moving even further.”
It may be small, but Anita’s story is a refreshingly positive one in the current doom and gloom.
