Dream is becoming a reality for Kevin with sign business
By Maurice Garvey
STARTING out his business in his parents shed at the age of 19, Walkinstown man Kevin Brady had a dream of making signs for commercial businesses.
Armed only with his own desire, a loan from his father, and feet to visit premises and tout for clients, that vision may have seemed a tall order at the time.
“It started at 9am that morning in the shed, I went out and by the time I returned that night, I had a client,” said Kevin.
Fast forward 16 years, and the dream is a reality. Kevin’s businesses Baseline Signs now employs six people, has expanded it’s Greenhills Industrial Estate premises, and among his many clients, are the massive coffee chain Insomnia.
“We’re the main contractor for Insomnia, last year we did four in the UK, this year we will do seven, they have 140 stores in Ireland,” said Kevin.
Finding clients has never been a problem, but one major challenge, which affects nearly every business out there, is getting paid.
“The only thing stopping me during the recession was people not paying me for work done,” he said.
“You can be a busy fool. People not paying is something that is still happening today. The easy part is making signs, the hard part is getting paid.”
Kevin studied computer electrical engineering in Blanchardstown IT, and tried his hand at being an electrician after college.
“I worked as an electrician for a few months but I didn’t like it. I just thought about setting up my own business, went out and got a machine, and after time, got another machine and another, that was it.”
Baseline Signs cover all aspects of the signage industry, including plaques, digital printing, vehicle branding, window graphics, illuminated signs, banners and pavement signs.
Their clients are based all over the country and in the UK.
Kevin continued: “One of my first jobs was Newspark in Clondalkin, and we are in the process of doing up a new sign for them at the moment.
“We are constantly taking on new clients, the website brings in new customers all the time. The trick is that once the work is 100 per cent and the service is good, you will always get more work.”
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