The INKSPIRE Podcast: Recent Episodes
Tharstern
The INKSPIRE Podcast from Tharstern is the newest (and probably best) podcast in the printing industry. In this pod, we'll cover an array of topics and trends that influence the print industry including the latest software technology, best practices, culture and motivation. We are big believers of Being Bionic and we'll be covering the three main components of that - people, technology and process. If you have any questions about the podcast, or anything else, feel free to get in touch with us here at Tharstern using our inkspire@tharstern.com email address.
In this episode of The INKspire Podcast, we’re joined by George Rumball, Owner and Manager of the Kall Kwik City branch. He chats to Ross about his journey into the print industry and how he climbed the ladder to owning his own business.
They also talk openly about the challenges of leadership and working with a mentor to help shape the way to approach both your role and running your business.
Ross also puts a perhaps difficult question to George, “How do you see the future of the print industry?” – but you might not expect the answer!
Read the books that Ross mentions in the episode:
- System Busters - Philip Paul Beyer
- The E-Myth Revisited - Michael E. Gerber
The way print businesses are estimating is changing. Developing technology means you’re more able to adapt your business and improve internal processes, like estimating. But how far can we take this?
Matt Cummins (Operations Director at Elle Media Group) and Chris Smyth (Strategic Performance Director at BCQ) chat to Ross and Andy Strand about the people in their businesses who are estimating, the changes they’ve seen in recent years and the common challenges they’re facing in this area.
Connect with Matt on LinkedIn
Connect with Chris on LinkedIn
Every piece of technology in the print industry needs to be interoperable, speaking the same language for better connectivity, Karl Ciz, Partner Success at Zaikio explains. Karl explains to Ross the work that Zaikio are driving and why print technology needs a base layer that allows everyone to communicate in the same language to make the process of connectivity much faster.
They discuss developing on JDF technology and the value of receiving data in a format that you can use immediately.
Learn more about interoperability in this new episode of The INKspire Podcast.
Del Simmons, Managing Director at Dayfold joins us for an episode of The INKspire Podcast to talk about their work to improve print training in university graphic arts courses across the country.
He chats to Ross about what inspired this initiative, why there’s a need to address the issue of a lack of print education and the interesting work the group have been doing so far.
The initiative is being run by Dayfold, along with representatives from the BPIF, GF Smith, Heidelberg, IPIA, Duplo, HP, Foilco and UEI Falcontec.
Brendan Perring, General Manager at IPIA joins us for an episode to explore why a strong sense of community and networking is still so important in the print, packaging & converting industries today.
Ross asked Brendan about his experience of building meaningful connections and leveraging community to help drive success while in the middle of a digital bubble. He shares with us about the work that the IPIA do in this area, how businesses can find more success through networking and different ways print professionals can connect with others.
Stick around to hear Brendan’s insights on the future of the industry! This episode is a must-listen for anyone looking to build strong relationships and achieve greater success.
Connect with Brendan on LinkedIn here
Find us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram & TikTok using @tharstern!
System reviews often get overlooked once the software is implemented and workflow is set up. But this is where issues can occur, and opportunities for positive change can get overlooked!
Laura Woodward and Andy Strand (Tharstern experts) chat to Ross about why it’s so important for printers and converters to regularly review their systems, and not just your MIS, but the whole workflow. They also discuss the types of personalities you need in your project teams, treating your software like an employee and lots more.
Download the Wheel of Growth that Ross mentions.
Things to ask yourself that Ross mentions in the episode
- Things I wish I knew more about in my system?
- Things I’d like to keep on happening within my system?
- Things I’d like to stop happening within my system?
- Things I’d like to start happening that don’t currently?
- What are our aspirations moving forward?
- What are our challenges?
- If I had a magic wand, what would I wave it to fix?
- Which other systems would we like to integrate with?
Find us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram & TikTok using @tharstern!
In this special episode, Andy Strand takes over as host and chats to Ross about 4 of the standout episodes from The INKspire Podcast this year.
Listen to find out what lessons businesses can take into the New Year and which episode still gives Ross goosebumps when he talks about it.
See you all in 2023!
Capitalize the data in your print MIS with Business Intelligence (BI) tools. There are still huge competitive advantages to using BI dashboards to measure & analyze your data, which Dan McLaughlin and Andy Strand explain in this podcast episode.
They chat to Ross about the value of visual data provided by these tools and how it can take your data analysis to the next level.
Read the blog article mentioned in the episode.
Check out Guy in a Cube for Power BI help and advice
Integrating your MIS software with other best-in-class applications is key for upping your CX game. Anthony Pietrocini, Director of Technology at Bennett Graphics, joins this episode to chat with Ross and our Solution Specialist, Mark Jameson, about the value of integration for print businesses, and the cool things that can be achieved.
Anthony recalls his journey from working in bindery to running Bennett's technology, shares his advice for print business that might not yet have taken their first step with integration, and tells us some of the cool things he's done within the last year.
Listen to the previous integration episode - An introduction to print integration from industry experts.
In this episode, we get insight from three under-30s on an important question – how do we encourage more young people into the print industry?
Tayler Regan (Paragon Customer Communications), Victoria Blackwell (Page Bros) and Elsie Hargate (Bluetree Group) share their experiences with Ross about joining the industry at a young age, what made them want to work in print and what businesses need to do to encourage the next generation of printers into their business. We also pitch them a tough question to finish – How do you see the future of the print industry? You definitely need to hear what they’ve got to say!
All three are also recent winners of The Rising Star Awards run by The Printing Charity, and we’re also joined by Nicola Peacock who explains why they’re so important for this younger generation and the success that Tayler, Victoria and Elsie had from this award.
Listen to the previous episodes that Ross mentions…
Tackling the diversity issues within the print & packaging industries
The power behind 'Are you okay?' and active listening
In this episode, Ross is joined by Tharstern’s own John Murphy (Workflow Specialist) and Dan McLaughlin (Integration Specialist) to chat about the what, why and how of print integration.
They explain what integration is, how it differs from automation, and the best way to get started with an integration project. People play such an important role in your project, and the team chat about why this is, and where they fit into the workflow.
There’s nothing better than real-life examples, so Dan also tells Ross about some awesome integration projects he’s worked on, which might give you some inspiration!
Finally, who’s key takeaway do you find the most valuable?
Content mentioned in the episode
Check out The Integration Lab
Check out The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy
Most businesses have a diversity imbalance, especially in leadership roles, and this is something that largely impacts the print and packaging industries and must be addressed.
Ross is joined by three inspirational women in our industry - Jo Stephenson, MD of PHD Marketing, Karis Copp, Head of Content at FuturePrint, and Amanda Newman, Head of Marketing at Tharstern.
As a group, they open up the conversation about the lack of women in technical/managerial roles and how the industry should be doing more to encourage more women into these roles, building a more diverse decision-making team within business and demonstrating to everyone that your business culture is flexible and understanding of individual circumstances.
Connect with Jo.
Connect with Karis.
Connect with Amanda.
Check out Women in Packaging on LinkedIn.
Books mentioned
5 Voices - Jeremie Kubicek and Steve Cockram
Rebel Thinking - Matthew Syed
Lean In - Sheryl Sandberg
Roger tells us about H&H's decision to streamline their finances and the benefits they've seen from this, and Anthony reflects on how using this new integration has helped lead to improved processes and more strategic business decisions.
Diogo chats to the group about the integration with Tharstern, what it does, and why other businesses should be using this technology to automate these processes, and free up valuable resource for higher value jobs.
Ross is joined by Dominic Harris, Co-Founder of CarbonQuota in this sustainability special. They chat about the importance of sustainability and how businesses should be creating a 10-year plan for reducing their carbon footprint. They also touch on the integration between Tharstern and CarbonQuota, and how the data it produces can help you stand out within the market.
If you'd like to contact Dominic, you can email him at dominic.harris@carbonquota.co.uk.
Jason Rainbird from Flowbird joins Ross to discuss the importance of a CRM in a print business and how you can start with the basics – even just an Excel sheet! They discuss how CRM systems can offer a level of personalisation to your customers and how they can help your sales and marketing teams offer the best customer service. Jason finishes with a great piece of advice for everyone –you'll have to listen to find out what it is.
Anthony Thirlby of Venn Holdings joins Ross for this episode. They discuss all the topics that the INKspire podcast centres around – people, process and technology. Anthony goes into detail about his experience of systemization, his strategy for attracting young talent into the industry and the importance of clarity for your employees. Ross also asks him what his advice to his 18 year old self would be – it’s worth a listen!
Find Anthony on LinkedIn
Subscribe to TharsternTV to be the first to find out when The Systemization Show is released.
Marcus Timson from Futureprint joins Ross for this episode where they discuss the need to be adaptable in business and why you should try one of Trump's strategies when it comes to business storytelling... seriously!
Find the links below to the books mentioned in this episode:
Carmine Gallo - Storytellers Secret
Matthew Syed - Rebel Ideas
Steve Jobs - Think Different
Vicky Penketh, NHS Clinical Psychologist and Nicola Peacock, Relationship Manager at The Printing Charity join Ross for a really inciteful discussion into mental health in the workplace. They cover how important language and listening are when it comes to helping your colleagues and employees with their mental health struggles. Ross and Vicky even give an active listening game a go.
Throughout the podcast, Vicky and Nicola reference a few different useful resources. You can find the list of them below;
Printing Charity
- For individuals to would like support, contact support@theprintingcharity.org.uk
- For business owners or HR leads, contact helpline@theprintingcharity.org.uk
- Sign up to our newsletter at www.theprintingcharity.org.uk
Other resources
- Mental Health First Aid Training - https://mhfaengland.org/
- Compassion Focussed Therapy - https://www.compassionatemind.co.uk/
- Vaughan-Jones H and Barham. L. (2009). Health work challenges and opportunities to 2030. The Work Foundation, London.
- https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/datasets/sicknessabsenceinthelabourmarket
- Video on the 3 emotion systems Using CFT's Three Circles during COVID19
Ross is joined by Amanda Newman, Tharstern's Head of Marketing to discuss bionic businesses and how investing equally in both people and technology can lead your company to success. But where does pasta come into it?
Read the blog articles discussed in this episode:
✅ Why you should treat your technology like an employee
✅ Don't fear intelligent machines, work with them
✅ Questions to ask for potential MIS supplier
Watch the ted talks discussed in this episode:
✅Garry Kasparov - Don't fear intelligent machines, work with them
✅Nadjia Yousif - Why you should treat the tech you use at work like a colleague
Visit the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) website
If you have any questions about The INKspire Podcast from Tharstern, feel free to get in touch by emailing us on - inkspire@tharstern.com.
In this episode Ross is joined by Imogen Rutherford and Karynne Townsend from Colateral to discuss all things retail campaign management. Find out how printers have had to diversify their product range to suit their customers through Covid, how the physical shop experience affects online purchasing and how Colateral can help retailers and print companies work collaboratively to see how their campaigns are performing.
If you'd like to contact Colateral for more information, you can email Karynne or Imogen:
karynne@colateral.io
imogen@colateral.io
In this episode, Ross is joined by the team at SpeedPro, a Canada and US company who have over 150 franchise sites. They discuss why systemizing your business is so important and how working on your business instead of in your business is the best approach to take as a business owner. After a year of working from home, SpeedPro tell us how they have had an increased interest in office branding to both motivate employees to return, and make the office space part of the brand experience.
If you have any questions for the SpeedPro team, you can drop them an email;
Danielle Yuthas – Vice President, Marketing - DanielleY@speedpro.com
Larry Oberly – President/CEO - LarryO@speedpro.com
Paul Brewster – COO – Paulb@speedpro.com
Get in touch with any questions about the podcast, or if you want to be a guest on the drop us an email inkspire@tharstern.com
For this episode, Ross is joined by Graham Lind at CNC, Computer and Network Consultants. They discuss the real meaning of ‘The Cloud’, the reality of being completely cloud-based and the costs associated with cloud solutions. Graham also tells us about the companies he has worked with adapting to the new home-working way of life and some tips on how to get that balance between working from home and relaxing at home.
If you'd like to contact Graham for more information, you can email him - GrahamL@cnc-ltd.co.uk
Ross and Keith McMurtrie, Tharstern CEO are joined by Vpress Sales Director, Kelvin Bell to discuss Industry 4.0. They touch on the benefits of automation in print, the scary thought of ‘where would we be without tech?’ and why analysing user experience data is so important for continuous improvement. This episode was taken from one of our TharsternTV episodes, so if you’d like to watch the whole thing, just drop us an email inkspire@tharstern.com
Aaron Hartley from Delt Shared Services joins Ross to discuss print plants in the public sector, the importance of personalisation in customer service and how print businesses can attract more young talent on to their team.
Aswell as being part of the team at Delt, we think Aaron might be a part of the tourist board at Plymouth Council too.
To connect with Aaron and read his articles mentioned in the podcast, head to his LinkedIn profile.
Web-to-print platforms are becoming more and more popular and the need for e-commerce has increased since the beginning of Covid.
David Whiteley, MD at Flex 4 joins Ross to discuss all things web-to-print and why does it involve the famous line from a famous Kevin Costner film?
Get in touch to ask questions, or let us know if you want to get involved with the podcast inkspire@tharstern.com
2020 was a strange year for everyone. In this episode of INKspire Ross is joined by our Head of Marketing, Amanda Newman, to discuss their favourite books that helped inspire them through a very tricky time.
Amongst others, Amanda talks about a book that helped our Marketing Team zone in on what's needed on our website and the messaging we put out. Give it a go and let us know what you think.
If you have any questions, let us know what booked helped you through 2020 or want to get involved in The INKspire podcast, drop us an email inkspire@tharstern.com
Asif Choudry, Sales and Marketing Director at Resource joins Ross for this epsiode. Asif and his team’s awesome, forward-thinking approach to marketing has made them stand out in the print and communications industries.
Ross and Asif discuss the changing culture of business, the importance of including social media in your sales strategies and Asif tells all about where he gets his inspiration. If your struggling to get your creative marketing juices flowing then Asif has the answers.
If you have any questions about The INKspire Podcast from Tharstern, feel free to get in touch by emailing us on - inkspire@tharstern.com
Tharsterns' first Customer of the Month nomination, Pepper Communications, have embraced new technologies and fostered a shift in their culture.
But where did it all start? Jude Whitford, Managing Director, discusses his journey through Pepper since he took over the company from his father.
They really value their team and make sure they're all getting the support they need both at work and at home. Once support improved, their productivity increased too. Find out how they've done it.
If you have any questions about The INKspire Podcast from Tharstern, feel free to get in touch by emailing us on - inkspire@tharstern.com
Pricing is the most important aspect of a print business - no other lever can have a higher impact on profits, so getting it right is incredibly important.
Which pricing approach do you take? And do you need to change it?
We compare the typical cost-based approach taken by most printers, with a value-based approach, and discuss why pricing that's based on value is recommended by consultants and academics alike.
If you have any questions about The INKspire Podcast from Tharstern, feel free to get in touch by emailing us on - hello@tharstern.com.
It's part 2 of our website performance podcast, Ross is joined again by Jake, Digital Experience Specialist, to talk more about how you can drive traffic to your B2C web-to-print website.
Jake goes into more detail about a different, longer kind of keyword and also talks about link building, the good, the bad and the ugly.
If you have any questions about The INKspire Podcast from Tharstern, feel free to get in touch by emailing us on - inkspire@tharstern.com
Here at Tharstern we are huge believers in goal setting and having a vision for the future, both personally and in business. We'll talk you through and show you how to use the Wheel of Life and the Wheel of Growth to identify the key areas you can work on.
Download the tools at www.tharstern.com/goals and listen to this podcast to help set big, bold visionary goals that are also achievable.
If you have any questions about The INKspire Podcast from Tharstern, feel free to get in touch by emailing us on - inkspire@tharstern.com
This episode is part 1 of 2 episodes where, Ross is joined by digital experience specialist, Jake Oates who joined Tharstern in March of 2018 and has a decade of experience in digital marketing.
Ross and Jake discuss how to make sure your web-to-print site is 'search engine ready' and in the best position possible to start to bring in potential customers and much more. Get some great tips and tricks on how to improve your website and give your customers the experience they want.
If you have any questions about The INKspire Podcast from Tharstern, feel free to get in touch by emailing us on - inkspire@tharstern.com
Marketing is constantly changing, content is king now and it's about providing the customer with the information they need.
Ross Edwards is joined by the Head of Marketing from bakergoodchild, Gunvinder Bhogal and Tharstern's Head of Marketing, Amanda Newman to talk about the communication changes they have seen from their customers, as well as how they have changed their own marketing and communications strategies. Get some inspiration and some new ideas.
If you have any questions about The INKspire Podcast from Tharstern, feel free to get in touch by emailing us on - inkspire@tharstern.com.
'Start with Why' by Simon Sinek is all about working out why you do what your do. Throughout the book Sinek uses Apple as the example, but Keith McMurtrie and Amanda Newman join Ross for this episode to tell us how this book relates to printing companies.
This book includes principles of how to attract talent, build a following of loyal customers and how to define your mission. What's your why? Have a listen to our review, before you read the book and give it a go.
If you have any questions about The INKspire Podcast from Tharstern, feel free to get in touch by emailing us on - inkspire@tharstern.com.
Automating workflow systems is important in print but it's sometimes hard to get people on board. People often have a fear of technology that it's going to take away jobs, but that's not the case. Making businesses more profitable, doesn't mean cutting jobs.
Ross is joined by Keith McMurtrie, Tharstern CEO to to discuss automation and how it helps businesses become faster, smarter and better. But how can you achieve automation?
If you have any questions about the podcast or you would like to get involved, you can email us on - inkspire@tharstern.com.
If you haven't read 'Smarter, Faster, Better' by Charles Duhigg, we highly recommend it. The book covers 8 key concepts on how to be more productive and set goals. Ross is joined by our Head of Marketing, Amanda Newman and Solution Specialist Phil Dodge to discuss their favourite bits of the book and how it's changed how they see each working day.
Have a listen to their take on the book and see if you can use it to improve the way you work, or how your business works.
If you have any questions about The INKspire Podcast from Tharstern, feel free to get in touch by emailing us on - inkspire@tharstern.com
'Integration' - it's everywhere in the print industry but what does it mean and why is it so important? Host Ross Edwards, is joined by workflow expert John Murphy to talk all about it.
John also reveals something you might not expect - how the office layout and location of people makes a difference to the success of an integration project. Find out all about it.
If you have any questions about the podcast or want to get involved, feel free to email us - inkspire@tharstern.com.