“My business coach is a great driving force in helping my business become more organised and self-sufficient.” – Josh Smith, Managing Director, JDS Electrical
When Josh Smith, the founder and director of JDS Electrical, reached out to Brainiact, his business was facing a number of challenges. Despite strong initial growth in its early years, JDS Electrical started to struggle with cash flow and stagnation in a saturated market. Yet, working with Brainiact not only revived the company but also brought big changes in the way Josh approached business. With such success, Josh has been partnering with his Brainiact coach for over 18 months.
The initial challenges
In its early years, JDS Electrical experienced rapid growth. But, after around five years, a series of challenges like evolving customer needs, a pandemic, and internal management meant they couldn’t reach the next phase of the business.
“We sort of hit a brick wall,” explains Josh. “Our business had grown a bit stagnant because of a combination of external factors, and perhaps, my declining work ethic.”
“I was focusing too much on the day-to-day tasks,” admits Josh. “I needed to look up at the horizon and chase bigger goals. That’s what my Brainiact business coach has been helping me do since I signed up.”
Brainiact’s solutions
Josh’s Brainiact business coach used their analytical thinking and strategic approach to begin reshaping the business. Their first move was to help Josh understand the exact running costs of his business and put contingency plans in place to account for inefficiencies.
“I never used to have plans like that,” says Josh. “I would always quote a job just based on quoting a job. My business coach showed me different pricing structures and justified any price increases I needed to make.”
As they continued to work together, Josh’s business coach continued to create a map for his business. In addition to revamping the pricing model, Josh’s business coach also helped make scheduling more efficient and organise internal and external labour to help Josh manage better.
“We hired an operations manager which has freed up a lot of my time,” says Josh. “And we’re also hiring subcontractors to help make sure project deadlines can be met without overworking the full-time team. This has really reduced project delays and dissatisfied customers.”
Josh’s biggest takeaway from working with Brainiact was how it’s important for him, as the managing director, to spend the bulk of his time in the most valuable areas of his business and delegate the rest to someone else.
“Almost anything can be delegated but you have to work out the strengths of your team and yourself and make sure everyone is working to their strengths,” says Josh.
“Many people think it’s more cost-effective to spend several hours a week doing their own bookkeeping instead of paying a bookkeeper who can knock it out in half that time,” adds Josh. “But you’re just wasting many hours of your time that you could be spending doing something you’re really strong at and growing your business. Sometimes you need someone, like my business coach, to say that to you.”
On another strategic front, Josh and his business coach successfully split JDS Electrical into two segments – solar and electrical.
“It used to just be one profit and loss, but my business coach said we should try and see what part of the business is more profitable,” says Josh. “So, now it’s still one company but we can look at it from two different points.”
Accountability and leadership
Business coaching isn’t just about business systems and structures. One of the standout features of Josh’s Brainiact business coach was how they hold Josh to a high standard. Each week, Josh feels constructive pressure to report progress and take actionable steps, ensuring tasks aren’t just delegated but completed efficiently.
“Knowing that I’ll be meeting my business coach every week and that they’ll question my progress pushes me,” admits Josh. “It’s that nudge I need to actually execute my plans and, in turn, achieve all my goals.”
When asked why Josh has stayed with his Brainiact business coach for so long, he attributed it to the new ideas and accountability to execute these ideas.
“It’s a combination of everything really,” explains Josh. “The ideas, the kick up the butt when I need it, and the constant reminders to focus less on daily operations and more on growth.”
Spotting strengths
One of the key strengths of a Brainiact business coach is recognising and leveraging each client’s innate abilities. Identifying Josh’s talent in sales and client relationship management, his business coach guides him to maximise these skills for business growth.
“It’s helped a lot,” says Josh. “Fighting for new clients, maintaining existing clients, and making sure everyone’s expectations are met or exceeded.”
By focusing on areas where he excels, Josh can now delegate other tasks, ensuring that each team member operates in their zone of strength. This realisation fundamentally changed JDS Electrical’s operational efficiency.
Josh has always been a confident business owner, but his business coach instilled in Josh better qualities of leadership. They helped Josh create some psychological boundaries between employer and employee. He went from a ‘mate’ to a boss. A clearly defined leadership role was crucial for scaling the business.
“I’ve still got a good relationship with my employees and they enjoy working for me,” says Josh. “But my business coach helped me realise I needed to create a boundary if I want to take my $1,000,000 business to $5,000,000 – drawing the line is going to get results and grow my business.”
The outcome
Today, JDS Electrical is a thriving enterprise. With a streamlined team, it has better project management, greater profitability insights, and a focused growth path.
“My business coach is a great driving force to getting my business to become more self-sufficient,” explains Josh. “There are automated processes, extra staff, cheaper labour and we now have a more streamlined business, in general.”
The takeaway from this experience is clear: sometimes, to move forward, businesses need an external perspective to identify strengths, rectify weaknesses, and set a clear, strategic path for the future.
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Our team at Brainiact are delighted to see the continual growth JDS Electrical has seen since joining us over 18 months ago. We look forward to seeing the amazing things Josh and his team achieve in the future.
If you would like to experience the same success and connect with one of our business coaches, enquire today! Alternatively, if you want to take charge and own a Brainiact, contact us now.
