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DEALER PROFILE
44
Matt Dawson
and Chris Sample
Co-directors Chris Sample and
Matt Dawson have been friends for
over 15 years. The two have a very
different skillset, Sample has carved
out a stellar career working for a
number of large print dealerships
while Dawson has racked up many
years’ expertise within the IT arena.
Just over a year ago when Sample
left his former job he was toying with the
idea of going it alone and setting up a
new business. “I’d got a relationship with
UTAX, I’d worked with them in a previous
role and we had a chat about their partner
programme,” he explained. “It ticked all
the boxes for me, among other things, as
a reseller we could tap into their service
infrastructure and have access to a leasing
solution, which as a start-up, meant that
very little upfront investment was needed.”
Print & IT
It was only when talking through a few
ideas with Dawson, who had already
taken the plunge and set up a small
business providing IT consultancy services
to businesses, that they realised the two
services - print and IT went hand in hand.
“These days there are a lot of IT companies
that don’t really understand print and
print dealerships that are merely dipping
their toe into the IT arena,” Sample said.
“We both realised that there was a real
opportunity to differentiate by combining
both our skillsets to offer a comprehensive
service to clients and so we agreed to
partner up and launch GoServe.”
The company name GoServe came
about as the duo wanted to ensure they
could over time, introduce a portfolio of
services all of which would sit under the
corporate brand. “As part of our current
offer we provide clients with a fully
managed cloud back-up service, whereby
we can restore all their files and data
in the event of a disaster. We call this
GoBack-up,” Sample explained. “What we
want to do in the future is have a series
of spin-off products and services that fit
within the company name.”
This month marks the firm’s first full
year in business. “We got off to a really
good start,” Sample said, which he
attributes to a ‘bit of luck and a lot of hard
work’.
“We literally started out working from
home. We got some good IT business on
the back of Matt’s contacts very early on
and we then approached them to talk
about print and how we could help.”
After many years in the print industry
Sample had built up a strong network of
contacts. “I had a good contact base and I
hit the phones and knocked on doors,” he
said. “We managed to win some business
and brought a number of SMEs on board,
we then went to talk to them about
their IT requirements and it has gained
momentum from there. The two disciplines
really do go hand in hand and we’ve found
that pooling our expertise has proven to be
a winning formula,” he added.
GoServe has worked extensively with
PVI Group. “They’re a support group for all
The two directors of the Bromsgrove-based UTAX reseller have created a flexible business
model that leverages their strengths within both the print and IT sectors
GoServe celebrates
one year in business
privately owned nurseries in Birmingham
who fight for better funding,” Sample
explained. “We have done a lot of work with
them and are now an approved supplier
via UTAX. We’ve analysed their spend and
helped them reduce their printing costs, it’s
been quite a successful partnership.”
The company moved into a small office
at the end of November and in its first
year of trading, recorded a turnover of
£100,000. “We’ve done really well and
we’re very proud of how much we’ve
achieved in our first year,” he said.
“We’ve tapped into the right market,” he
added. “Our ethos is that we understand
no two organisations are the same and
we offer a different perspective. We have a
different way of looking at things, we are
approachable and always prepared to go
the extra mile.”
Keeping costs down
For Sample, the biggest plus has been
the ability to keep costs down. “We use
UTAX for service which means we haven’t
had to invest in training, engineers, cars,
spares and storage space,” he said. “We’ve
been able to keep it simple and focus on
winning new business. And of course,
service gives us a revenue stream.”
One other key advantage of the UTAX
partnership according to Sample is the fact
the customers really like the link. “Clients
really like the fact that their servicing is
conducted by the direct service operation
who are specialists in the UTAX brand, the
response times are really good and first-
time fix rates even better as the engineers
almost always have the right parts with
them,” he added.
Looking ahead to the future, Sample
said the focus is firmly on growth. “We
want to win more business and boost
our profile within the local community,”
he said. The strategy is to keep it
‘geographically tight’. “We want to be
recognised for delivering outstanding
service locally and being on the doorstep
will enable us to be that. It’s important
for us to retain our local focus so that we
deliver the very best experience.”
These days
there are
a lot of IT
companies that
don’t really
understand
print and print
dealerships
that are merely
dipping their
toe into the IT
arena
