SPIRIT: Rebel with a cause
“I was never a great entrepreneur in terms of money, because money was never my driver.”
Interview: Sue Wilcock | Martine Silkstone
Pictures: Warren Page
Mark Baker talks to Norfolk Director
When we meet Mark Baker, he is every bit the Norfolk businessman – knowledgeable, professional and full of passion for his work. Just what you would expect from the successful entrepreneur who co-founded CIM Signs and Graphics in 2000 and has since grown the business to deliver a wide range of print solutions to both local and national customers.
Talking about CIM, he says proudly: “We are always aiming higher. We want to offer the best service, fast turnaround, great designs and value for money – it’s as simple as that.
“I know that for some people, business is simply transactional, but that’s not me. I was never a great entrepreneur in terms of money because money was never my driver. I believe we win most of our business because clients can see that we truly care about doing a great job for them.”
So far, so professional.
But as we talk further, it becomes clear that underneath that company director exterior, Mark is actually hiding a rather rebellious spirit. In fact, as a child he was always running off to find adventure, whether that was climbing scaffolding, building dens in the woods or starting a fire!
“I even fell through the roof once,” he laughs.
“I was always a bit mischievous, I’d say. It wasn’t out of deliberate naughtiness though, I just had no attention span whatsoever, so rather than sitting quietly, I’d be off finding something to do.
“And we lived in that era where your parents would send you out to play and you just had to be back in time for tea,” he adds. “There were no mobile phones, only four channels on the telly and we got bored, so we’d build a bike ramp, or we’d climb a tree, or we’d go somewhere we shouldn’t really be.
“We grew up in that lovely age of freedom with lots of laughs and lots of scrapes. And I feel lucky that we had that. Kids today don’t know how to be bored, but it’s when you’re bored that you really get creative.”
Where it all began
Mark is Norwich born and bred and when he came along in August 1976, his mum was working at the phone exchange in the city and his dad was a local builder.
He describes them as “grafters” – perhaps where he got his own work ethic – and growing up, he spent a lot of time with his maternal grandparents who lived nearby.
On an interesting side note, his nan, Iris, was one of 16 children and they were all named after flowers as their father was a florist.
But we digress…
Mark says he was already proving to be a bit of a tearaway by the time a younger brother came along at the age of five, and he was forever running away to play on his skateboard or BMX, or to explore the woods nearby. When the family moved into a caravan while his father renovated a house on Fakenham Road, that “wild” behaviour continued, even playing on the dangerous building site – until he was caught. In fact, his only quiet time was spent collecting Star Wars figures (he has seen the films more than 500 times!)
“My little brother was the helpful one, I was always the hindrance,” he smiles. “I was always off on adventures, usually doing what I shouldn’t be doing.”
In his teenage years, that innate spirit was fed by the growing American influences, so skateboarding turned into snowboarding, football turned into basketball, and Mark discovered artists such as Public Enemy, NWA and Tupac, and a style of music that spoke to his subversive nature – rap.
“I liked rap and hip hop because it was rebellious and controversial; I liked it for the energy, going against the system and against normality. And I suppose it was a kind of storytelling.
“In fact, I’m nearly 50 years old and if you leave me alone in the house, I’ll still put old school hip-hop on as my choice. It hasn’t left me. It was a passion and it’s still in there.”
As is his rebellious spirit, perhaps.
Finding his path
Mark remembers his school years as a happy time with great friends, and during that time he also had a paper round and worked a Saturday job in retail, even trapping at clay shoots to fund a new skateboard when required – he was never shy of work.
However, he says he was just “bumbling along” with no real clue about his future career.
So, with no other plan in mind, he took an A level in art and design at Hellesden Sixth Form, finding joy in being creative and even designing a graffiti wall in the common room (with full school permission, of course).
The career path may have been somewhat uncertain, but his talent and interest were clear.
While at Sixth Form, he took a job at McDonalds, where he says he learned about discipline, punctuality and the importance of things being done the brand way. But it was also a learning curve in terms of finding out what he didn’t want to do! Which was also the case when he briefly enrolled at Anglia Ruskin University in Chelmsford, and again when he worked for his dad on building sites – it simply was not for him.
Fortunately, at the age of 18, he landed a role at Signs Express in Norwich, and there he found not only his love of graphic design, but also someone who saw his potential and would finally allow him to experience the creative fulfilment he had been looking for. That person was Andy Graham – the man who would become his mentor and business partner, and who remains a friend to this day.
But we are jumping ahead…
Starting as a trainee, Mark learned from the ground up, going from sweeping floors to creating artwork for a range of products including vehicle graphics and exhibition boards. For three years he was developing his design skills while also gaining a knowledge of business and sales.
He was excited and ambitious, always pushing to do better – but ultimately he felt frustrated. Signs Express was a franchise and while he wanted them to be “the biggest and the best”, the business model didn’t allow for that kind of growth.
“The big bosses were lovely and all really clever individuals, but they were interested in selling franchises, not print,” he explains, “and I didn’t get that till later.
“So, I was growing apart from the business and decided it was time to be bold. I told my parents that I wanted to do things my way and that I was ready to go it alone.
“I thought the hardest thing would be to tell Andy, but he looked me straight in the eyes and said: ‘If you’re going, I’m going with you.’”
It was time for a new era.
Starting a business
Now aged 22 and still living at home, Mark set out to launch a new company alongside his mentor Andy, and another colleague, John Cornwell (though John joined a bit later). Together, they founded CIM Signs and Graphics, working out of a small rental unit in Rackheath.
“It was like pulling teeth to begin with,” Mark remembers. “We’d win some jobs, buy some kit and then just see where we were each month. We were quite lucky that QD used us from day one and then we were just filling the gaps with other work.
“But we always had the mindset of giving people more value,” he adds with passion. “That was really our whole approach from the start: over delivery, over design. Other sign companies were trying to do it as cheaply as they could, but we were trying to do it better.”
A few flyer drops, a little advertising and eventually simple word of mouth led to strong, organic growth. They started to hire staff to cope with the quantity of work coming in and invested any profits back into CIM, buying new vans or equipment.
After three years they were flying – but change was on the horizon.
In 2004, Andy left the business to work with his partner in the restaurant sector.
“It was hard, but to this day we’re still best pals. He was my first role model, my friend, my mentor and almost like my big brother,” Mark says fondly.
Finding his home
Over the next few years CIM moved to new, purpose-built premises in Rackheath as it continued to grow under its two remaining directors.
But while things were going well for him professionally, Mark felt in need of a break. He was lonely and eager for adventure – that restless spirit again – so in 2008 he started to plan a trip to Hong Kong and Australia. Meanwhile, out for drinks in the city one night, he bumped into Claire (who he knew through mutual friends) and it turned out that she too was off to ‘Oz’ for six months, so they arranged to meet up in Brisbane – which they did. In fact, they had such a great time that they were delighted to meet up again in Surfer’s Paradise before Mark flew home.
Months later, when she returned, they got together to chat about their travels over dinner…and the rest, as they say, is history.
They moved into a place in the city and in 2011, they were surprised but delighted to welcome their son, Lennon. Within two years they also had their “pocket rocket” Harlow, and on October 31, 2014 they got married in Mexico. Today the family lives in Rackheath and Mark says that his family is his greatest personal achievement.
“Without Claire’s strength, and the kids, I doubt I would be where I am today. Work had always taken priority, but they gave me real purpose and the drive to create a home.”
Taking charge
With his home life now settled, changes were once again coming for CIM as Mark’s remaining business partner, John, decided to leave for health reasons.
“John was a diamond [he died in 2022],” Mark says fondly. “He was a man full of pride and attention to detail, but as the business grew so did the stress and eventually we had to accept his time with CIM had come to an end.
“But that was OK. I knew I’d keep driving the business forward and actually, I was excited to finally be in full control of decision-making.”
Mark officially completed an MBO in October 2016.
So, how did it go?
“A businessman once said to me: ‘You earn the title on your office door when you have to’. People want to see a leader lead, don’t they? And I still had a lot to learn.”
What were the challenges?
“Employing people is always hard, and one of my biggest weaknesses is that I don’t like confronting a problem.
“For example, I had one guy who had done really well for us in terms of being dependable and good at his job, but he was not very nice with others and wouldn’t let our young people grow. This went on for years and I could see it, but I didn’t want to confront it, which is annoying because when he finally left, it was amazing the difference it made. All of a sudden four or five people just grew in confidence and flourished, and they are now the backbone of the company and what has allowed it to grow. So, I kick myself as if I had addressed it sooner, it may have been better for everyone.
“I’m certainly better at all that now and it’s easier since I’ve started making decisions with good people around me.”
Some of those good people came from a chance introduction to Business Coach, Sam Lindley in 2019. Mark was giving a tour of his premises to a man from the New Anglia LEP who, impressed by what he was doing, suggested that he would benefit from taking part in one of her Mastermind courses.
“That was a game-changer, meeting other like-minded professionals and sharing experience and advice. They helped me look at the overall structure of the business – things like marketing, training and exit planning. But actually, I think the biggest thing I learned was to look at myself, because I kept sending people on management courses hoping to make the business better, but actually it was me that needed to learn new and better skills!”
Coming back after his second Mastermind, Mark could see what needed to be done. He needed a leadership team to help share the load and set about putting one in place. Alongside that important work, and using the downtime of Covid, CIM moved from a handwritten diary of work to a computerised system. They also needed to change accounting software to allow for clearer reporting and cashflow management.
The final piece of the puzzle was to welcome a non-executive director to the team.
“I have accepted that I haven’t got all the skills and therefore I need people around me that can do the bits I’m not very good at, and my non-exec, together with my senior team, have been brilliant. They hold me accountable, and if you hold me accountable, I will deliver to target and beyond.”
Today CIM Signs & Graphics specialises in a wide range of signage, printing and graphic solutions for both local and national customers, with a focus on creativity, high-quality output, reliability and strong customer relationships.
In 2024, they invested over £1 million to expand their premises and upgrade to advanced equipment, increasing capacity and quality while supporting more sustainable printing options.
But it’s not all work.
Having now become a successful Norfolk company, the team also likes to give back to the community through fundraising efforts such as Mark’s Connect 4 Challenge (he became a master of the game by playing in bars in Thailand), golf days and football tournaments, and this year they will be holding darts events to raise awareness and funds for CSF.
So, what’s next?
“We are always looking at ways to grow and will continue to invest in new technologies and equipment to maintain quality and speed which keeps the business buzzing, and ensures we continue to set the standard for service and application in this region.”
And more personally?
“I used to be super high octane – playing football, snowboarding – but nowadays it’s all about the kids’ sports. They keep me busy with all the travelling and coaching. Harlow loves Allstar Cheer and Lennon loves football – he plays for Old Catton football team, which I coach.
“Other than that, I just want to try and find out what contentment is. I struggle with being in the moment and appreciating everything and everybody around me.
“And I simply want the people closest to me to be happy.”
