These days it’s almost impossible for business owners to keep track of everything by themselves. That fact certainly extends to tradies, who deal with managing labourers, materials and the bevy of logistics that come with them.
These factors have become more difficult to handle as the nation (and world) grapples with skills and material shortages across the board. The Tradie has spoken to a few former tradies and contractors who made the move to Simpro to assist with their own operations.
Fast forward a couple of years and they are now key stakeholders within Simpro and are educating other trade services about the capabilities of job management software.
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BRIAN BURKE
After two decades running electrical-contracting businesses in Sydney and on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, Brian has been an enterprise account executive with Simpro for about eight-and-a-half years. From servicing residential properties to doing streetscapes, business was booming for Brian.
However, a mix of overstretching his reach and issues such as unpaid work caused him to reassess his approach. “We went through some tough times, even after we implemented Simpro,” said Brian. “We had some problems with builders who owed us to the tune of about half-a-million dollars.
“We traded for a bit, but eventually we had to basically reinvent ourselves. But all the way we had the Simpro database intact from five years of trading.” Brian said he’s all too familiar with many of the troubles faced by contractors, including the strains felt by the skills shortage.
“I know how a lot of trades are going, and how they’re about to start feeling. It seems to be a feast for some, but I dare say it’ll turn into a famine before long too,” he said.
His tip for tradies and contractors: understand what you’re good at and what makes you the most money.
“I’ll be honest, that’s exactly what we used Simpro for – it changed the way we looked at that,” he said.
“Rather than working on big projects with a minimum margin, we did a lot more smaller jobs with larger margins and less chance of not being paid.
“When I talk to clients, I make sure they’re using their reporting well to be able to track what’s profitable and what’s not.”
ASH PARROTT
Ash’s journey with Simpro was like many who engage with the software – he wanted to understand how to track the profitable portions of his business. It’s easy to see how there might be a lot to track in the back end for anyone working as an operations manager for a plumbing and electrical business in Sydney.
“Back in the day it was very rare to find new software solutions that provided office-to-field connectivity, eliminated double entry and other forms of error,” Ash said.
“Getting in touch with Simpro came down to wanting to be more efficient, seeing where the money was coming and going from the business and getting job P&Ls (profits and losses).
“When we brought Simpro on board we could see who was and wasn’t making us money. That enabled us to make commercial decisions and take the business in certain directions.”
Ash dealt with many factors involving material supplies. He said having the correct software can help manage what is already an increasingly unforgiving environment.
“I always say when you’re buying into a trade business, you’re buying into two things: materials and labour,” Ash said. “You need to be able to track those with a fine-tooth comb, which is getting harder now with the skills shortage.
“On the material side of things, you see people losing projects or going bust over material prices going up, which has been highlighted even more now. That’s why having good live-catalogue supply integrations to see the actual cost of materials and locking those in is so important.”
STEPHEN HASSETT
Stephen is no stranger to many of the difficulties the trade industry has faced in recent years. He co-owned a plumbing company prior to joining up with Simpro nine months ago. That meant Stephen – like many – felt the strain COVID had on the industry. While many of the issues faced were out of Stephen’s control, he said having flexible software alleviated some stress.
“When I first started, I went with a different brand of software because of the cost involved, however I started to learn there were limitations in that software,” he said.
“Simpro’s software is very customisable. We’ve got everything from recurring jobs through to projects and service-based work.
“To this day, if I don’t think a potential client is going to benefit from Simpro yet, we have no problem in guiding and pointing them in the right direction.”
GARETH MORRIS
Sometimes saying ‘yes’ to every opportunity doesn’t pay off. Gareth found this out the hard way during his time running a security company before joining Simpro 10 years ago. Gareth’s operation had him overseeing security installations and dealing with many contractors on the east coast, all the way up to Port Douglas.
“[I was] getting quotes from contractors and working out who was best to deal with. Not just based on price, but the quality of equipment they’d be installing,” he said.
“I was making sure the jobs were done on time and that customers were happy. It was a really involved service.”
Running such an extensive business unfortunately had Gareth burning the candle at both ends.
“My biggest problem was I couldn’t say no to people. They’d ask if I do something and I’d say ‘yeah’,” he said.
Much of Gareth’s time spent working involved admin that significantly slowed his operation. It’s there he found software like Simpro’s invaluable in managing the many figures flowing in and out of his business.
“One of the things with running such a diverse business was, I had no idea what parts of it were actually making money for me,” he said.
“The business was very profitable, but I couldn’t tell where it came from exactly. As soon as I got my head around Simpro I was like, ‘Wow. I never imagined something like this’.
“I wouldn’t have been working the ridiculous hours I was for starters – I was re-entering things in about three different places. I’d have quotes on Word, then other spreadsheets somewhere else. I always felt like I was two days behind. Simpro would’ve cleared up a lot of those issues.”
JUSTIN BARLOW
As a Builder & Project Manager by trade, Justin Barlow understands first-hand the practical challenges trade and service businesses of all sizes face everyday.
“What started as me utilising my trade to help out a few mates who were short a body or two, on the odd weekend here and there has turned into consistent weekend work and a variety of new projects. The work keeps inflationary pressures at bay for the family, keeps me fit (and sore) and most importantly it keeps me connected to the industry.”
With a commercial background in developing and running teams and budgets across high end residential construction, professional sports, media and digital technology, Justin uses his extensive experience to drive culture, process and continual improvement as a means to achieving results. Justin is the National Sales Manager for Simpro – the leading end to end field management software for the trades industry.
You can find out more about how Simpro can help your business by visiting Simprogroup.com or calling 1300 139 467.