From Posters to Pinball: Meet Steve Webb

Sixteen years ago, Steve Webb was a promoter unhappy with Victoria’s dysfunctional 
postering system. Today, Steve owns and operates Metropol Industries, one of the city’s 
largest digital print producers. How did he find success?

“I don’t have a background in print,” says Steve. “The only thing I really have a background 
in is business.” In offering to regulate the city of Victoria’s messy poster advertising scene all
those years ago, Steve unearthed a wealth of business opportunity. 

“I really wasn’t looking very far ahead at all,” says Steve. “I thought that I’d get the postering
under control and then use that as an avenue to get into being a designer.” Over the course 
of several years, Metropol’s humble beginning as a one-man event postering service
eventually grew to fulfill the expanding needs of its customers. From custom graphic design 
to large format printing, the company now offers top quality products, fast-paced turnaround 
times, and service with a smile. 

“A lot of our business comes from companies that want to print on the island,” says Steve. 
“We are an island-owned and operated business, and that means something.” Being a local 
business has proven to be a big part of Metropol’s brand, and Steve takes pride in his 
company’s dedication to customer service. In a world over-saturated with faceless, online 
print providers, face-to-face guidance and tangible proofs could be considered as 
increasingly valuable. 

Apart from Metropol, Steve has also started his own arcade, featuring elaborate pinball 
machines and classic arcade games. His second brainchild, lovingly named ‘Quasar’s 
Arcade’, opened three months ago in the sub-level of Trounce Alley. Since its opening, 
business has been booming thanks to hardcore fans, nostalgia-chasers, and newcomers 
alike. Steve’s success in starting his own businesses seems to paint a happy picture for 
those looking to start their own entrepreneurial adventures. His advice to budding 
entrepreneurs?


“Keep it small, do what you like, market yourself and become that business.”

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Journalism isn't Dying, it's being Reborn

Journalism, by definition, is to empower citizens with information so that they can make the best possible decisions about their lives. Furthermore, a true and professional journalist identifies, verifies, contextualizes, and gives narrative to information for the sake of public awareness. In short, journalism pursues the truth, and the truth will never not be integral. Why then the meta articles reporting on the death of journalism ? Why then the rising mistrust towards journalists in online spaces? Because traditional news media is being disrupted, and because much of the news content circulating social media has more to do with monetization and propaganda than it does with the truth. To start, journalism is more than securing interviews or meeting print deadlines. As aforementioned, it is the pursuit of truth in service of the public good. This core concept will not be murdered by a disruption in traditional business models. Yes, traditional journalism platforms such as ne...
Read more

Free Tuition

According to Statistics Canada , the average post-secondary student in British Columbia pays almost nine thousand dollars in annual tuitions fees. This, on top of living costs,  gate-keeps our educated workforce and prevents students from fully contributing to the  economy. Because of this, discussing free (or further subsidized) post-secondary tuition  has become topical in academic spaces. A particularly strong extension of this proposition  is tuition reimbursement. However, any form of tuition negation would be beneficial because  it would reduce student debt, provide an economic boost, and increase post-secondary  accessibility without devaluing higher education. Here’s how. To start, free tuition would reduce student debt, which would in turn fuel the economy. In  a Global News article , UVic student Janessa Tom explains that “a full course load...takes up  the equivalent amount of time as a full-time job.” This is to say that m...
Read more