Meet Percy

Percy is one of Inspiring the Future volunteer’s. We asked Percy a few questions about his experiences volunteering with Inspiring the Future:

How long have you been an Inspiring the future volunteer?

Since April 2018

What made you want to sign up to volunteer with Inspiring the Future?

I’m at an age where I’ve started to think about giving back to younger generations.  I figure it would also expand my scope to enjoy interactions with positive people, and my networking opportunities for business.  And it has.

What is it about volunteering with Inspiring the Future that you really enjoy?

I enjoy seeing youngsters get encouraged and excited. It’s also fun to show them novelty innovative items I produce.

Has your career journey taken the path you imagined it would?

Yes, a digital age seemed to generate more rather than less printing at first. But as digital has replaced some forms of print, I’ve been challenged to educate clients and especially the next generation, on general relevance of print and I’ve needed to switch much of my marketing from previously very common forms of commercial printing, to packaging and display materials which still have high demand.  Cost and effort of acquiring the right machinery and trained staff for this shift has been a key challenge over the last 7 years. The COVID 19 Emergency has hurt client demand but I have pivoted by inventing an economical light weight hands free sanitizer from recyclable printed materials, which allows customized branding but requires no power, sensors, batteries or wall mounting. It has been granted a Provisional Patent.

What is something about your career journey that has surprised you?

How tough it can be to deal with onerous legal and regulatory requirements and their mis-use. Small business owners are largely the forgotten people between the elites/big corporations and your average worker. Yet, small businesses are Australia’s biggest employer and so are vital.

What is one piece of advice that you would share with young people today?

Head towards where your heart is but don’t forget the importance of hard work of all sorts along the way. And you will still have to work hard once you get there.