Paul Johnson discusses swapping a music career for the freight industry and taking over the hot seat of the family business.
When the bright lights of a music career dimmed for Teessider Paul Johnson, he joined his father Bernie in a career move that seemed a million miles away from showbusiness.
Yet the 36-year-old’s switch to the freight world resulted in a formidable father-and-son partnership that has helped grow the business significantly in recent years, with more growth set to come.
Middlesbrough-based freight forwarders Johnson Partners first began life in 2004 with a team of two and now has eight employees to oversee road, sea and airfreight services to list of 100 clients, which is being added to all the time.
The family firm is carrying out huge projects, aiding multi-million pound industry projects for multinationals right around the globe.
A decade after it was established, the firm is targeting more big businesses after recently completing its largest assignment to date – sending two generators worth £2.5m, each weighing 60 tonnes, to China for heavy equipment dealer Finning.
Over time the firm’s strong customer relations ethic has built up a burgeoning list of repeat business and referrals, helping to amass an impressive portfolio of industrial clients including MPI Offshore, LB Foster, Hird Rail and Darchem Engineering, for whom they handle high value and sometimes awkward – or ‘out-of-gauge’ cargo.
High profile contracts include a hydro power station in Madagascar, rail shipments from the USA to Australia. The firm also has a long-standing relationship with world-renowned Middlesbrough-born artist Mackenzie Thorpe for shipments around the world.
Paul’s determination to drive the firm’s continuing success is clear, so it comes as a surprise to learn he initially had his heart set on a career as a professional musician.
When opportunities were scant, however, and teaching music failed to hit the right note for him personally, he soon discovered an aptitude for organisation and enthusiasm for business.
Today Paul is a director at the firm and poised to take over the reins from his father Bernie, 65.
Together, the pair have grown the business by 50% over the last three years, establishing an international network of agents and providing a door-to-door service globally, with turnover predicted to top £2m this financial year.
Yet it could all have turned out very differently had Paul not discovered that he was truly cut out for management.
“I wanted to be in a rock band. It’s the most cliched thing, I know, but I wanted to do music for a living,” he said.
“I went to Barnsley College – the same college where the Arctic Monkeys studied, but not when I was there – and completed a degree in popular music studies.
“This was the late ‘90s so music was a large industry but there weren’t a huge amount of jobs within the industry.”
An accomplished guitarist, flutist, singer and keyboard player, Paul also through teacher training after setting his heart on teaching music classes at college level and above.
However, he eventually taught 11 to 16-year-olds at a Redcar secondary school over a three year period he describes as “challenging”.
Fate then stepped in, in 2005, as his father was looking to expand his business from a team of three.
“I originally started out looking after admin work but after a few months, I moved into a full time role, looking after operations – and since then I have covered pretty much every department up to and including finance. It’s a very mixed role,” he said.
“My father had spent a long time working for other people, but he was encouraged to be in control of his own destiny and build something to leave as a legacy, to have something tangible so he could say ‘I’ve started my own business in my local area’.
“Ten years down the line and we’ve done just that – we’ve created jobs, brought business to the area and are stepping up our own profile.”
Since parking music as a full-time career option Paul has still maintained his interest, playing on mixing desks and keyboards of an evening at the home he shares with his wife Danielle, once their young daughters – Eleanor, five, and Lucy, four – are in bed.
He has now managed to turn this hobby into a second business and several years ago, he and a friend launched Sidetrak Records, a firm marketing itself as a “forward thinking house music record label”.
He said: “The record label brings in a modest amount but being realistic it is a part time project, something we do in our free time which we both really enjoy, and one that provides a creative outlet.
INTERVIEW OF THE WEEK NEW Q&A
Who has inspired you most (could be reallife or public figure)? Kel Dennis – He used to run the Eston Concert Band which I was in as a child and young adult. He wasn’t just an inspiration from a musical perspective either, but the way he made everyone feel important is something that has always stayed with me.
Biggest achievement (personal or professional)? My children
What car do you drive? Ford Mondeo
What’s your favourite restaurant? The Kings Grill in Saltburn
Favourite tipple? A bourbon based cocktail
Favourite book? Lord of the Rings
What’s the last thing you listened to on your iPod? Andrew Weatherall Live at ‘Back To Basics’ in 2013
Who or what makes you laugh? Standup comics and panel shows like ‘Never Mind the Buzzcocks’
What’s your ideal job, other than the one you’ve got? Musician and Film Score Composer
What’s your greatest fear? Being buried alive
What’s the best piece of business advice you have ever received? Be objective rather than taking things personally. It allows for much better decision making!
And the worst? It’s hard to say that business advice can be bad as good advice for one company could be bad for another and vice versa!
What’s your business mantra? Remain calm when dealing with problems.
How much was your first pay packet and what was it for? I used to work for Newboulds taking pork pies out of their baking tins and putting them onto trays. It was for £2 an hour in 1994 and it rarely lasted until Monday!
What’s your biggest extravagance? Musical equipment. Maybe not so much these days but I have acquired a fair amount of gear over the years!
How do you relax and unwind? Watching a ‘box set’ with my wife. Something like The Walking Dead, Sons of Anarchy etc...
Where is your favourite Teesside place? I’d have to say Saltburn! Living there you find all sorts of places off the beaten track!
