Notes: My firm was born today

This is a shamelessly shameful self-plug — without naming names.

Today (2nd February) is the day my firm was born in 1898.

Eighteen ninety-eight.

It’s a tiny little firm and I am its principal equity holder (‘the boss’). The firm was originally my grand uncle’s (grandmother’s brother) and its ownership got shunted around between family members because Grand Uncle died without issue (a.k.a. kids).

You've no idea how much I wanted to say this...

The business is printbroking and financial printing — indeed, it was the first security printer in Hong Kong.

In its heyday, the firm was big enough to have parts divested from it. One part that had been divested in the 1930s became absorbed into the Government Printing Department.

Another part was bought up 50 or 60 years ago by a major bookseller, and today that bookseller has a branch that still occupies my firm’s original address.

Eventually, I got shanghai’d into taking over. I figured I’d run it maybe for five years tops and then pinball it to somebody stupid. It’s been 20 years now and I’ve found nobody stupid enough.

I thought I write down this bit of personal history in case I go stark raving barmy as a result of all the insanity that’s taking hold of our world.

© The Naked Listener’s Weblog, 2012. Image via c4c.