TORONTO—“If you’re going to do the same thing tomorrow that you did today what is the point of getting out of bed?” This was the question Lulu.com founder and CEO Bob Young posed to the audience at his keynote address on the last morning of Print World.



With Young’s infectious optimism it was hard not to see the changes in the industry as glass half-full. “Instead of treating the world like a threat Lulu sees it as full of opportunities,” he said.

Young did not discount the issues plaguing the printing industry, but said there is always money out there for companies who help their clients boost their bottom line. “Customers are always looking for how you can make them more money,” said Young. “Think of who your customer is and how you can make them more money. If you make your customer successful they will be loyal. If you don’t they will print their glossy brochures somewhere else.”

To be successful Young also offered the advice of hiring those with traits opposite to your own and thinking about the big picture. “I think less about making money than about making the world a better place,” he said. “In a free market economy people will pay you for making the world a better place. Improving or accelerating the transfer rate of human knowledge from one generation to the new is the ultimate goal for Lulu.”