System Buster: The Mystery of the Circle Revealed (Paperback)

Born and raised in Louisiana, Philip's interest in the art and craft of printing began at Tex Lyons' printing establishment in Baton Rouge. At fourteen, and already a budding entrepreneur, Philip was fascinated with his visits to the print shop and watching his brother Billy run presses. He marveled at the workings of the printing industry, and Tex soon offered him a job collating in the bindery department. Being able to work beside his brother, learning such exciting skills, and making fifty cents an hour was, for young Philip, the beginning of a deep appreciation of the printing trade, a life-long calling to a business that had revolutionized the world and changed the very course of history, with the advent of the Gutenberg Printing Press.

Philip entered into this creative industry during one of its most significant changes in half a century. Only a short forty years ago, printing was much different than it is today. It was a craft that found young people working as apprentices for years. Master printers were, and still are, a rare breed. Back then, a lot of printing was done on letter presses, slow by today s standards, but able to produce high quality results. The offset press was fast replacing the letter press, and the industry was changing rapidly.

While attending high school, Philip took a job as an apprentice at Kennedy Print Shop in Baton Rouge, where owner Carl Williamson, a Linotype operator, became one of Philip s most admired role models. During those years, he gained a wealth of knowledge about the trade that would build the foundation for his future.

After graduating from high school, Philip took courses very briefly at Louisiana State University until the lure of yet another powerful interest began to fill his thoughts. He had begun playing music and singing in school. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, music was just about every young man's fantasy, and Philip believed he had found his true calling. Leaving college, he worked all the harder as a printer to be able to afford and pursue his music interests. With this new incentive, he made it a point to learn everything he could about all facets of the printing trade, even keeping up with the latest industry trends. But, music had become his greatest passion.

By 1974, Philip's music was keeping him busy full-time and, although he would not enter the printing trade again for many years, his printing experience was put to good use in promoting his increasingly popular band, Papa Joe & Riverboat, later known as Philip Paul & Patrol. Looking at printing from the other side of the fence taught him lessons that would prove invaluable later as he related to his customers.Eventually, however, the success of Philip's music was the very thing that began to take the greatest toll. He missed his family, and after twenty years on the road, with heavy performance and rehearsal schedules, Philip Paul hung up his microphone.

Philip Paul Beyer returned to a lifestyle he had longed for, instilled by Christian parents whose values and ideals were to become the solid basis for all his future endeavors. He had learned much from being a performer, bandleader and manager of a touring show, discipline, marketing and promotion. He learned how to take care of business, plan and keep schedules, meet payrolls, manage finances, and the importance of well-considered tools and equipment. He also learned about people, and most importantly, about integrity and relationships, where real success begins!

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