Melbourne print owner buys rival company after being homeless

A large format digital print shop said it had boosted revenue by 40% and gained access to 1,000 potential new customers after buying a rival's database.

Brand Print Australia (BPA) expects the deal to add $400,000 to its existing turnover of $1 million, according to owner Stacey Currie.

She told ProPrint it had come about by accident after she heard through a third party that fellow Melbourne firm Visibility Event Signage was on the market.

The acquisition made sense because the two companies were in the same market yet had minimal client overlap, she said.

The deal, which was finalised a month ago, also included a Mimaki JV33-160. The inkjet printer will now sit alongside BPA's three main machines: an Océ Arizona 350GT, Roland DG SJ-640 and Roland DG SJ-1000.

Currie wouldn't reveal how much the acquisition was worth, but said BPA had paid cash.

She told ProPrint that the eight-staff outfit would continue making bold decisions so it could keep growing in the face of a challenging market.

"You've got to take risks in business. You can't take huge, stupid risks. You've got to know you can back it up. Doing nothing is more risky than doing something. Every risk we've taken has been successful."

BPA is forecast to grow 20% this financial year after increasing its turnover by the same amount last year, according to Currie.

Part of the reason for last year's growth was a $100,000 contract the company won in December, she said.

BPA used its Océ flatbed to produce 4,000sqm of point-of-sale printing for a retail client, she added.

The Carrum Downs company, which was formerly known as Signs 'n Banners, has been built into a success "against all odds", said Currie.

"I had no mum growing up, lived in housing commission with my dad, was sexually abused aged nine, living in a shed aged 14, pregnant aged 15, homeless with two babies aged 19 and living in a domestic violent relationship with my three children [two years later]," she said.

Currie was recently nominated for the Pride of Australia Community Spirit medal.

Click here to watch a video on her inspiring story.