However, Dolan’s drive to create a large and profitable print group is no laughing matter (p24). He is deadly serious that with the right leadership, making a decent return in print is eminently feasible.

And that seems to be the crux of the matter: the quality of management. Dolan is not alone in thinking that, in many quarters, the industry is seriously lacking in inno­vative managers, and that’s not to say there aren’t any; there are, but we just need more.

And therein lies the rub. How do we attract first-class managers into what is often perceived as a second-class industry?
Perhaps what we need is a good public relations firm to take on the challenge or, more realistically, we need to focus on developing the untapped talent in the industry. I’m sure that, to a limited extent, great managers and leaders are born,
but that’s not always the case. We can train them too.

But as essential as it is, training and developing the managers of tomorrow isn’t a quick, or cheap for that matter, fix. The challenges of the industry here and now clearly demand more immediate action and to that end we need to consider recruiting leaders from outside the industry.

The hope is that with people like Dolan entering the industry (and there are others), more businessmen will see print as an attractive sector with a level of opportunity unmatched by virtually any other manufacturing sector.

Perhaps then, we’ll be able to ask, how do you make a small fortune in print? And answer, hand on heart, by recruiting and training the best management around.