The post: Managing Director, The Flat Pack Guy Northern Ireland
The post holder: Chris Craig
Chris turned his love of construction and problem solving into a successful business. Read all about his career journey
Give a brief outline of your career to date.
It’s been colourful! My first job was on a milk float, before taking a sales position in a camping shop. I then did a joinery apprenticeship and stayed in the job for seven years. I left joinery and joined the army, but my career there was cut short due to an injury picked up in training. On leaving the army, I joined Wrightbus in Ballymena, doing a variety of roles, before moving on to an electronics role across different Google data centres. In the background, I started building flat pack furniture as a side hustle and as demand grew, I turned it into a business. I’ve been full time with my business now for four very happy years.
What was your favourite subject at school?
Technology. Not just because I loved the subject, but also because I really got on with my teacher. I got on really well with all my teachers and loved my time at Slemish College in Ballymena.
Did you go on to further/ higher education, if so what did you study and where?
I have an NVQ in Wood Occupations, which is a fancy phrase for joinery, from Northern Regional College in Ballymena.
How did you get into your area of work?
I’ve always been interested in building things, both personally and professionally. I got my first construction set when I was five years old, which involved tapping nails into a peg board. The obsession with hammers and nails hasn’t stopped since then!
Is this what you always wanted to do?
When I was really young, I wanted to be a digger driver. Something to aim for when I’ve retired, perhaps.
Were there any particular essential qualifications or experience needed?
There are no qualifications for what I do. I’ve looked into it many times, but nothing exists at the moment. More than anything else, it’s a state of mind. Having the ability to look at a problem, understand the logic and ideas behind it, and how to solve that problem. You need the diligence to do the job to the very best of your ability.
Are there alternative routes into the job?
There are a thousand different ways into this job but you have to have the right mindset. For example – opening a box of IKEA furniture and finding the instructions are missing might sound like hell to some people, but I love situations like that. I love the challenges my job presents. It’s always interesting.
What are the main personal skills your job requires?
Being able to have a good customer manner. You have to be able to interact with people in a positive way, always.
What does a typical day entail?
I’ll get up around 8am and have breakfast, where I’ll look at the calendar to see which area of the country we’ll be in that day. We could be anywhere in Northern Ireland, doing any job, until late in the evening. Customers typically don’t want people in their homes early in the morning, so my role sees me working later nights as opposed to early mornings. We keep going until it’s done.
What are the best and most challenging aspects of the job?
The best part of my job is the happy look on a customer’s face when they see the furniture that we’ve built for them. It’s a great feeling to know that something we’ve built for them is going to last for many years and make them happy. Nothing about my job is a major challenge but packaging can cause issues. Customers will often ask us to take it away, but recycling centres don’t allow us to recycle it with them. This can be a real problem for elderly customers, who simply have no means of getting their cardboard packaging to a recycling centre. It’s a disappointment for me personally as we’d love to help them, but we can’t.
Why is what you do important?
I know this is a cliché, but The Flat Pack Guy NI definitely stops tension building between couples who argue about building furniture!
How has Covid-19 impacted your business/ role?
It’s given us a challenge because deliveries can sometimes not arrive when they’re supposed to. We’re often four weeks booked in advance, so a late delivery can play havoc with our timings. Covid-19 has also caused half deliveries to arrive often, which is frustrating for customers, as it means we can’t build everything in one go.
What advice would you give anyone looking to follow a similar career path?
If you’re thinking ‘can I do it?’ or ‘should I do it?’ then stop thinking about the negatives and focus on the positives. Just go for it. The worst-case scenario is you fail, and you learn.
If you weren’t doing this what would you like to do?
I’d be an outdoor pursuits instructor – like a mountain tour guide. They’re jobs of love and aren’t well paid, but the chance to do something like that really appeals to me.
What is the one piece of advice you would give to yourself on your first day?
Go full-time much quicker. In the beginning, I didn’t think this would be a full-time job. Seven years later, it’s a full-time job and I have employees.
Describe your ideal day off.
Watching the sun rise on top of a mountain in the Mournes or packing my bags and going climbing on the rock-face at Fairhead in Ballycastle. Anything involving the outdoors.
And finally, what’s the key to any successful job search?
Honesty. There’s nobody out there who hasn’t made a mistake. Just be honest when you’re being interviewed – admit to the things you can’t do and tell people you’re willing to learn.
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