CLIENT SUCCESS STORY - RICHARDSON PUZZLES & GAMES

INTRODUCING WILL RICHARDSON, FOUNDER OF RICHARDSON PUZZLES & GAMES

Will Richardson

Will Richardson’s career began in publishing at HarperCollins, where he worked his way up to Head of Sales for the UK & Ireland. In 2019, he left the corporate world to start his own company, Richardson Puzzles & Games, publishing puzzle, quiz and activity books.

Since then, he’s grown the business through both challenges and successes, balancing creativity with the realities of running an independent publishing house. Recently we met with Will, where he shared a bit about his journey, the lessons he’s learned, and how Sadler Advisory has supported him along the way.

TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF, YOUR CAREER AND HOW YOU WORKED YOUR WAY TO HEAD OF SALES AT HARPERCOLLINS FOR UK & IRELAND?

I left university with absolutely no idea about what I wanted to do in terms of a career. I applied for a range of jobs in different industries - insurance, finance, IT - perhaps serendipitously I didn’t get the roles, as I’m sure I would have hated them! 

I then had a deep think about what it was that I really loved and hoped I could then work out a direction for myself - I’d always loved reading and books and fortuitously I landed the first job I applied for as a Sales and Marketing Assistant at HarperCollins Publishers. The salary was horrendously low (and I believe generally still is for entry-level publishing jobs) but I just about managed to make it work by living outside London and driving into work, blagging a free parking spot underneath the offices. 

My boss at the time pushed me towards the sales side of the business (which I’m hugely thankful for as it wasn’t naturally where I would have put myself!) and I worked my way up the sales team from there.

AT THE END OF 2019 YOU OFFICIALLY LAUNCHED YOUR OWN PUBLISHING COMPANY, RICHARDSON PUBLISHING. WHAT TYPE OF BOOKS ARE YOU CREATING?

We started out by publishing puzzle books. Since then we’ve expanded into quiz books, colouring books and activity books. As the business grows I hope we’ll move into other areas of non-fiction, fiction and possibly non-book products when we see gaps in the market. 

NOT LONG AFTER YOU LAUNCHED, THE PANDEMIC STARTED WHICH MEANT BOOK STORES WERE CLOSED. DESPITE LOW SALES INITIALLY, YOU REMAINED CONFIDENT YOU HAD A PRODUCT THAT WOULD SELL. HOW DID YOU KNOW FOR SURE?

Fortunately I had been in the publishing industry for a while, and latterly my job at HarperCollins was working with the publishing teams to come up with product ideas that would sell and to be accountable for those sales to retailers and the end consumer. I had an inkling I could do that all myself and had always wanted to start my own business, so I took the jump. 

I knew the pandemic would just be a bump in the road and that things would get back to normal eventually…I just needed to wait it out and ensure I survived!

WHAT’S THE BEST THING ABOUT BEING AN INDEPENDENT BUSINESS OWNER?

Going from being a small cog in the corporate machine to becoming the whole machine is scary but unbelievably exciting. I discovered a freedom I had never had before. It also meant I could spend more time with my young children, which has been invaluable to me.

WHAT ARE YOUR TOP 3 TIPS FOR SOMEONE WHO IS RUNNING THEIR OWN PUBLISHING BUSINESS?

Good question. I think my answers will be applicable to all businesses, not just publishing.

1. Believe in your product (and yourself) - you’ll experience a lot of rejection and naysayers, so make sure you celebrate the successes, however small.

   
   

2. You have to learn to be patient - print publishing businesses sometimes have a 3-4 year period from conception of product to actually receiving payments from customers for that product, so success can be a long time coming…new businesses will often take 3-5 years to become profitable….that’s a long time to keep having to tell your friends and family that you still aren’t paying yourself!

   
   

3. Cash is king (or queen?), and cash flow makes or breaks a business. Make sure you have a good accountant like Sadler Advisory! As well as a good accountant, you personally need to keep on top of your current cash position and pipeline on a daily basis, otherwise you won’t survive.

AND HOPEFULLY WE (SADLER ADVISORY) HAVE HELPED YOU ALONG THE WAY? 😊

Yes, all the team at Sadler Advisory have helped me enormously. In the early days they helped with company set up and forecasting, freeing me up to concentrate on the publishing.

Now, Sadler Advisory do my quarterly VAT claims and end of year accounts, plus they have help me with any ad hoc queries I may have. As a small business it’s enormously helpful to have a trusted company to advise you on complicated issues that you can’t afford to get wrong!