Having left school at 16 and founded his own company by the age of 20, it comes as no surprise to discover that Turner, now 22, has been short-listed for a young entrepreneur of the year award.
Not content to rest on his laurels, Turner (pictured) aims to launch 11 compatible Pod-branded businesses over the next five years. The fact that he’s launched six of those already, gives some idea of his approach to deadlines.
Annual print spend for the group currently stands at just £200,000, although Turner’s approach to print buying is focused more on service and quality than the bottom dollar. “Getting a good price is a bonus,” he explains.
Among the work Creative Pod produces is the Flip Mat, an ultra-lightweight, double-sided mouse mat. Used as a DM tool, Turner says that one big advantage of the Flip Mat, which features a patented non-slip backing and can be four-colour printed on both sides, is that it doesn’t add to postage costs.
Turner invariably goes the extra mile on behalf of his clients and he expects nothing less from his suppliers.
“I won’t work with someone who’s not singing off the same hymnsheet as me,” he says. “Luckily there are printers who are, and they’re the ones who are doing well.”
Five of Turner’s seven-strong print choir are UK based, including Cathedral Printing, Claremont Press and Lingfield Press. However, he has started investigating overseas printers and, with two Spanish printers subsequently joining his roster, it’s fair to say he’s been impressed.
“I found that foreign printers are able to despatch nearly as quickly as UK ones, so the next few years are going to be tough for UK printers to keep up with foreign rivals,” he says.
CREATIVE POD IN NUMBERS
Established 2005
Staff 5
Annual print spend £200,000
Print produced DM, POS, brochures, reports, packaging
Print suppliers 7
Key UK suppliers Cathedral Printing, Claremont Press, Lingfield Press
Source: Creative Pod
