Celebrating 20 Years: Relationships Make the Difference

“What’s your twenty?”

That’s another way of saying, “Where are you?” And it’s a great question to ask as we celebrate our “twenty” – the 20th Anniversary of Creative Source.

We’ve come a long way in 20 years. Dave Hess and I started the company with three other associates in 1996. We had previously worked together in the marketing department at Camelot Music, once one of the world’s largest music retailers. Based in North Canton, Camelot and other retail music chains began to disappear in the 1990s as the industry scrambled to keep up with the digital age. Seeing the handwriting on the wall, a group of us struck out on our own to form Creative Source.

Since then, the world has been turned on its head by technology. When we opened our doors, the Internet was still a novelty. Most people didn’t own home computers to connect to it, let alone enjoy the convenience of smart phones and other mobile devices we take for granted today.

The music industry had experienced rapid change in the 1970s and '80s. Record albums and 45s gave way to 8-track tapes, then cassettes, and then CDs. Movies and TV shows moved from VHS tapes to Laser Discs to DVDs and Blu-ray. Today, it’s all about the Internet and apps.

In the sign industry, similar changes have occurred. I recall when we were at Camelot and desktop computing technology became available. We were told that we could have one computer for a department of five graphic artists. (Our IT department thought they were being generous when they gave us 2GB of server space!) The breakthrough came when we finally got five computers (one for each artist), each with 560MB of storage, along with a scanner and a black-and-white printer—all for $50,000. Systems that are infinitely more powerful today can be purchased for a fraction of that cost.

Over time that computer technology, combined with the speed of delivery available over the World Wide Web, reduced production times from weeks or even months to just days, and sometimes even hours.

(An early version of our logo)

Even as we’ve witnessed breathtaking technological progress over these past 20 years, we’ve been reminded that some things are timeless. I remember Paul David, the founder of Camelot, saying, “Success in business comes from offering a great product, providing outstanding service, and building strong relationships.”

Maybe that’s why our company is built as much on relationships as anything else. Sure, we’re experts in producing signs, banners, displays and large format printing for businesses of all sizes. But, more than that, we strive to be a unique and innovative resource center for good ideas. We get to know our customers and help them develop cost-effective marketing solutions. It’s a formula that has served us well.

As we celebrate 20 years in business, I want to extend my personal thanks to all those who have been a part of the journey. What began out of necessity has developed into a small but powerful example of the American Dream. We’re honored to be a part of the community and hope you’ll join us in 2016 as we celebrate this important milestone in our company’s history.

Mike Boyd is the president of Creative Source, a Canton, Ohio sign company.

A Tale of Two Mikes

I started my career in the graphics industry working at a small print shop in Canton, Ohio called Edwards Printing. I was a jack of all trades, doing everything from working in the bindery to making deliveries to customers. But I worked hard and constantly looked for opportunities to learn and make myself more valuable. Eventually one of our largest customers noticed, and offered me a job. That customer was Camelot Music.

Camelot was one of the biggest names in the music retailing business. I went to work in their creative department and thought I had it made. We had stores across the country, and business was booming. The biggest names in the music business came to our offices. I met Phil Collins, George Michael, Cyndi Lauper, The Judds, Clint Black, Celine Dion and countless other artists.

It was pretty cool. I was content in my little niche, and thought I’d be there forever, or at least for a long, long time. Of course, this was before the Internet. People still went to stores to buy music instead of sharing it online. We saw the cassette replace the 8-track, the CD replace vinyl albums, and DVDs replace VHS tapes. Gradually, chains like Camelot began losing business to the Walmarts, Borders and Best Buys of the world, who began to aggressively sell music and videos at a discount.

The ride came to an abrupt end for us in the mid-1990s. Camelot filed for bankruptcy, and was eventually sold. Many of us found ourselves on the outside looking in.

The story turns out okay—Dave Hess and I took our experience at Camelot and started Creative Source, which we operate to this day.

But as I look back, I realize there were two different Mikes in that story. One took a little job at a small mom-and-pop business and turned it into something much bigger and better. The other took something big, and was happy to just keep things the way they were.

One stood out. The other one blended in.

That’s why I talk so much about standing out, in business and in life. When I think about the big-name artists, agents, marketing executives and music promoters I rubbed shoulders with at Camelot, I just shake my head. Who knows what opportunities might have been out there for me, if I had done just a few things here and there that would have made me stand out?

Instead, I was comfortable with the status quo.

It’s a lesson I try not to forget. At Creative Source, we strive to stand out from the competition in everything we do. And we counsel our clients to do the same.

How about you? Are you letting opportunities pass you by? Or are you paying attention to detail and doing the little things that will get you noticed?

It’s all about standout performance. And it can mean the difference between success or failure, in business and in life.

MIKE BOYD is president of Creative Source,

a marketing solutions company in Canton, Ohio. Click here to visit them online.