September 2009

MEET JIM OWENS - Featured member for September 2009

Title - Owner

How do you describe your business?

Our job is provide you with pages of thoughts lets call'm books of all types, ages, condition, rare & unusual To ignite your desire, imagination or just, to chill or relax In a form that will do it for you, be it Milton or Dykes, Harris or Flood So we hunt, track & acquire books of your want, or that you require For the infinite possibilities that you are, & can be So with aim straight & true we'll do it for you.

How did you come to be in your business?

Accident really I have tried to do a thousand and one other businesses on reflection the only other thing to try was to sell some of those books that I had collected on so many subjects. But it was a hobby that finally made it happen. A great stroke of luck.

What are the three best things about doing the work that you do?

1. People

2. People

3. People

I have been so lucky meeting so many diverse people they have been so good sharing their knowledge, life stories good & also bad but it is the people that are main attraction by far plus getting to learn about other things.

What has been your biggest frustration in creating your business?

I tend to see things in a very simple manner almost wire frame in concept, my imagination paints the boxes in detail, but really I just dream it so the frustration is turning all of those dream wire frame boxes into detailed finished components part of a whole working project.

How do you view the question of spending time working on your business... as distinct from working in the business?

As time goes on I find that I have to spend more time working on my business than in it. This has some benefits I lets me look at other things observe other people how they handle some of the tasks. But I also miss the daily contact, buzz if you will of the day, the stories the fun.

What has been the biggest change that you've seen in your market since you started your business?

More bookshops going online, ordinary paperbacks & hardcovers books are cheaper, rare & collectible used books are more challenging to attract & become more valuable.

Where do you see the trends for your line of business in the next 5 years, and what do you foresee as opportunities and threats?

I think that the online will grow but I foresee the reduction of dealers or that they will become larger I think when I started the average dealers had about 4,000 to 5,000 books online. I think as time goes on. I think to even get into this market in the future you will need at least 30,000 to 50,000 books on the net or you will have to be very specialized dealer.

Who has been your greatest role model, and what lessons have you learned from them that you've taken into the way you do business?

Every bookseller that has written a book about his life in rare, used & collectible books. They have given me so much. When I first got the idea to sell books I found that I instinctively just found books that taught me what I needed to know.

1 listen to what people say.

2 listen to my inner self

3 create a record of everything

You never know who will walk in your shop, & how the littlest detail can open up another door for you.

As Sir Winston Churchill said he knew it was his destiny to be involved in history of the world In a small way this is what has happened to me.

What is it that you believe, sets you and your business apart from others in your industry?

Willing to go the extra mile.

If there were one thing that customers believed about your business, what would you most like it to be?

No BS just great service.

Where else can our Team members find you?

LinkedIn
Twitter OzzBooks
Twitter AgnesBooks

Goodreads