Aspects of running a bookbinder's supplies company as a family business

Watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynUZozrlMbc

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This summer, we had a chance to visit the headquarters of @Schmedt - The World of Bookbinding -- a well-known German producer and distributor of all things related to book craft!

One of the reasons for our visit was to kickstart a partnership between iBookBinding and Schmedt. From now on, you can buy a selected line of iBookBinding tools in Schmedt's webshop. Specifically printed in the colors the customers of this German company are quite used to! =)

In this video, we discuss the company's history, aspects of running a family business for several generations, finding a balance between selling to artisans and larger companies, and much more!

In the second part of our talk, we continue this discussion and are invited for a tour of Schmedt's showroom and warehouse.

Listen to this episode on:
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/ibookbinding
- iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/nl/podcast/ibookbinding-podcast/id1510257102
- Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5zb3VuZGNsb3VkLmNvbS91c2Vycy9zb3VuZGNsb3VkOnVzZXJzOjgxNTMwMzAwNS9zb3VuZHMucnNz

Brought to you by iBookBinding. Bookbinding resources and tutorials: http://www.iBookBinding.com

You can ask our future guests questions on:
Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/ibookbinding/
Discord — https://discord.gg/TJY5FeS
Facebook — https://www.facebook.com/iBookBinding/

Schmedt: https://schmedt.com/
iBookBinding's tools in Schmedt's webshop: https://schmedt.com/brands/ibookbinding-tools/

00:00 – Beginning
01:22 – How is it all begin - the history of the Schmedt family business
04:06 – Developing of The PräGnant machine - manual blocking press for one-off titles and name embossings
06:03 – Machine building’s part of the Schmedt’s business that started from a little workshop in the former stable
07:59 – Focus on the small bookbinders
09:35 – About trade binderies in Germany and other countries
11:37 – The International side of Schmedt’s business, participation in the printing equipment exhibition in Dusseldorf (The Drupa)
15:18 – The material part of business, starting webshop in 1997
17:20 – Modernization of the web shop nowadays
20:00 – Importance and advantage of personal presence in your own business processes
21:04 – The opportunities offered by the market in united Europe and worldwide
26:10 – Selling in small quantities of materials, the “hobby side” of the bookbinding market
27:34 – Business processes during the pandemic, the start of presenting machines via video calls
34:23 – Changes in perception and expectations from communication between sellers and clients nowadays
40:38 – Schmedt’s Machine’s display space in Hamburg
42:18 – Examples of digitally printed book edges