q&a
Print.IT Reseller
01732 759725
38
How did Reflex start? Where was
it based? How does the business
compare then and now?
In 1989, at the grand old age of 23, my
colleague Roger Keene and I took a giant
leap of faith. The company we were both
working for had been taken over and it
quickly became evident that the office
automation side of the business wasn’t
important to the new owners. We knew
that we had a loyal customer base and so
we approached them about buying it. They
agreed, and very quickly we set up shop in
my one bedroom apartment!
Within three months we had moved
to proper business premises in Reading.
Then, fourteen years ago we moved to our
current base, which is also in Reading.
The business today is very different to
then: we’ve tactically continued as a local
business servicing customers in the Thames
Valley and Home Counties, but we have
obviously grown and we now have a full-
time staff of ten. We also manage all of our
operations from our Reading office; we’ve
got a showroom, warehousing, workshop
and sales office all onsite.
What’s having the greatest impact
on your business at the moment?
Our 25th anniversary year has prompted
us to refocus and reshape the business,
transforming it into a document
management and services-led organisation.
We are currently working with a team on
business development strategies and on
improving our business process efficiency
and systems, so we’re geared for change
and growth.
As part of this process we recently
refreshed our branding, launched a new
website and created a new strapline, Total
Document Solutions – all moves that are
designed to help us better communicate
our strengths and focus and better engage
with a new audience.
Where do you see the greatest
opportunity for growth?
Historically, we have always serviced the
SME sector and focused on key vertical
markets including education, the legal
25th anniversary year
we haven’t. But the mindset is changing
and our professional consultancy services
division will have a structured fee level
to develop and deliver total document
solutions that are proven to improve
business workflow, increase productivity
and save organisations money.
What’s the best bit of business
advice you’ve been given?
I’ve received some great advice over the
years. But for me, the most pertinent was
to always put your people first. Without
people you have no business and I’m
incredibly proud that over the years we’ve
not lost any of our staff because they’ve
moved on to new jobs; our leavers have
all retired!
Reflex is not just about me (Roger
retired last year), it’s about the team and
right from day one Reflex has been about
teamwork. Our mantra is to strive for inter-
independence, not dependence.
Another golden rule I stick to is to be
consistent in all we do. A colleague once
told me not to choose a path then wander
off it on a whim, and I keep those wise
words in mind when planning for the
future.
What are you most proud of
achieving?
Over the years, we’ve achieved many
things, not least still being here after 25
years!!
We’ve remained a single line dealer,
originally selling machines from Lanier,
which was taken over by NRG and more
recently by Ricoh. We’ve won a number of
achievement awards over the years and
we’ve built a successful business, and that
is what I’m most proud of achieving.
What do you see happening in the
next 25 years with the business?
In the short-term, our five-year plan is
to hit the £3m turnover mark, and we’re
building a more solid, layered team
structure to support us in reaching that
goal.
In the longer-term, my focus is on
continuing to build the business, investing
in both the team and our infrastructure so
that effectively the business will continue
to be a success, especially as further
down the line I, like many of my former
colleagues, will be wanting to retire!
Our focus
now is on
developing
our offer
especially
within
professional
services...
and accountancy professions, healthcare
and commercial printers. But we’re now
winning new business in the corporate
sector and it’s here that we’re targeting
growth.
Our focus now is on developing our
offer especially within professional services,
so we are better positioned to address
the document challenges facing larger
corporate organisations.
We’re looking at increased order
value, new service revenue streams and
we’re also planning to introduce a more
commercial model for consultancy services.
Professionals in the accountancy, legal or
healthcare sectors have always charged
a fee for their advice but in our industry
2014 is Reflex Digital Solutions’ 25th anniversary year.
Print IT Reseller
talks to managing director Derrick Murphy about the
firm’s past, present and future.
