Owned and led by Cheyne Hall, Hall Group & Co. is a rapidly growing national residential and commercial construction company with teams currently operating in New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland. Dedicated to exceptional craftsmanship and service, they specialise in turnkey project management services for installing access lifts for homes and businesses around Australia. They also offer concept-to-completion construction and joinery services.
The Challenge
When Cheyne first approached Anthea and her team at Intelligent Directions for assistance in 2018, the business was nothing like it is today. It operated out of a shared office and was run by Cheyne, an office/finance manager and two other employees. Work was a mix of residential and commercial building projects, with a primary focus on lift installations.
With a vision of expanding nationally, Cheyne was about to open a Melbourne office for Hall Group & Co. and wanted to better understand how he could systemise the business to scale, replicate and run without him. At the time, the company lacked the systems, processes and clearly defined roles and responsibilities for this to happen.
The Solution
Cheyne was familiar with Intelligent Direction’s work and the outcomes produced for clients. He also knew Anthea was well-respected in their mutual network of business owners and leaders and was aware of the services she and her team provided. Sharing similar values to Anthea, he felt confident they would have a good working relationship.
After assessing Cheyne’s business and team and listening to his vision for the company, Anthea recommended Intelligent Direction’s Business Booster Program. The holistic program supplies and implements the right systems and processes and offers ongoing support and accountability over a 12-month period.
Fully documented policies and procedures and a management system were implemented to ensure every staff member understood their roles and responsibilities as quickly as possible, particularly for the Melbourne division to run with minimal input from Cheyne.
Cheyne and his team found working with Intelligent Directions highly effective and efficient. They appreciated their direct, honest and pragmatic approach and that they delivered what they said they would. ‘They were always straight to the point – even if I didn’t want to hear it,’ says Cheyne.
The Outcome
The systemisation of the business and establishment of a solid foundation allowed Hall Group & Co. to scale, introduce new services and expand into other states. Everything developed by Intelligent Directions for the Sydney office was repeatable across each new location. They were able to onboard new equity partners in a structured manner who then were able to follow the Hall Group & Co. approach.
Intelligent Direction’s hiring and staff management processes enabled Cheyne to manage his teams more effectively by implementing a sound structure and hierarchy with clearly defined roles and responsibilities. With all systems, processes, policies and procedures fully documented, every staff member can work to consistent standards, enabling efficiencies and smooth operations across the board.
As a result of working with Anthea and her team, Cheyne has now achieved his vision of national expansion. The business has a management system in place that effectively runs the organisation, as opposed to Cheyne having to do everything.
‘We have removed risk from the business because our system documents how everything should be done, leaving nothing to chance, no ambiguity or licence for people to make things up as they go,’ says Anthea.
Since working with Intelligent Directions, the following deliverables have been achieved:
Revenue has increased by a factor of 60 through the company’s expansion into Victoria and Queensland.
They have registered building operations in five states and territories, including the ACT and Tasmania.
They have moved into a larger Sydney office with a factory.
Four separate business divisions have been established: Commercial Construction, Residential Construction, Lift Installation and Joinery and Installation.
The company now employs 60 staff, including a Marketing Manager, Project Estimator, Quantity Surveyor and Architectural Building Designer.
They have increased their annual output from 20 small projects to more than 60 large projects.
A significant increase in profit margins through company efficiencies.
For Cheyne, the outcome has been profound. His management skills have improved considerably. He is now confident in his ability to scale the business and use his management system to help him and the team react to and pre-empt external forces. ‘If anyone asks me what I did to get to where I am, I tell them to invest in a good business management system and someone to help them set it up correctly’, says Cheyne.
If you are experiencing similar challenges to those faced by Cheyne or are curious to know how Anthea and her team at Intelligent Directions could support you, contact Anthea here.
