BRUCE Baylis has always known he had no future working in someone else’s employ. But identifying a venture to which he could commit himself over the long term has been some time in coming.

He finally hit on it in 2006, opening the doors to Book Empire Limited — manufacturers and distributors of the SEEK brand of exercise books — while building on his family’s years of work in the sector.

“I grew up seeing my grandfather and father working at Stationery Manufacturers, located then off Bell Road in Kingston. They were in the business of manufacturing exercise books. My parents then branched off and opened their own business called Writing Papers Limited,” he recalled. “It was there that I began working in the business at the age of 16… and I grew to love the business.”

But Baylis migrated to the United States in 1983 and spent the next eight years there, performing a raft of different jobs — from gas station pump attendant to lawn and pool service provider as well as supermarket worker — before returning to Jamaica in 1991.

When he did finally return to his island home, it was to join his father working at Prestige Graphics. But all the while, he was conceptualising a brand that would allow them to legally own the pattern of exercise books they had produced for more than two decades.

The now 49-year-old Baylis came up with the brand SEEK and created a logo to go with it. That done, he registered his business and began operations. It was the realisation of a long-held dream.

“I tried many different things, but my destiny was to come back to Jamaica and start my own manufacturing business,” the father of four told Career & Education.

Still, getting the new venture off the ground was not easy and the challenges remain. Those challenges, he said, include the inability to maintain a competitive edge on the basis of pricing, especially given the reality of piracy and the refusal of some to support local manufacturers.

“Globalisation has changed the playing field and this is the major challenge that I now face in the business. In today’s world, my clients have become my competitors. They import the same products that I manufacture from places as far (away) as China, Indonesia, and Vietnam,” Baylis said.

“Seventy per cent of the books that are sold downtown (are sold to) Chinese from China. Seventy per cent of my fellow Jamaicans who own companies are buying books from China, Trinidad and Indonesia. They don’t support their own. It comes back to the (fact) that my customers are also my competitors,” he added.

Baylis has attempted to get over this hurdle by marketing his offerings — ranging from 20-sheet single-line books to double-line exercise books and 40- and 100-sheet composition books for high schools — through the use of images of popular Jamaicans, notably sports star Usain Bolt and reggae icon Bob Marley, complete with the slogan ‘Made in Jamaica by Jamaicans for Jamaicans’.

At the same time, he has not been afraid of making changes to his operations and offerings, with the result that he has been able to turn a profit since going into business.

“We have the ability to change. I have changed so many things in this market. I changed from paper cover into flexy cover. I changed the exercise books into a cross between the exercise book and the text book,” said the man who performs many roles in his company, including marketing, accounting, production and delivery.

Baylis is undaunted by the challenges of the future, in pursuit of success for his company which employs 15 people.

“It is better to start and fail than to fail to start,” he told Career & Education, quoting his personal philosophy. “I know a lot about failure, but it never stopped me from trying.”

Besides, he’s determined to continue the legacy of his family in the book manufacturing business, which dates back to the 1950s when his grandfather made books from recycled paper.

On top of that, he loves what he does and the people in his employ.

“I love the camaraderie with the staff and customers. Sometimes I don’t feel like it’s a job, but a way of life. This company is a Jamaican brand. I am passionate about keeping my company up (and running) and have Jamaicans working,” he said.

Baylis’ tips for prospective entrepreneurs

* Believe that you can succeed

* Know that it is better to start and fail than to have never tried

* Never undercapitalise or take short cuts

* Know that sometimes the negative things in life are what you need to show the positive results

* Embrace change