Learnings from a community-minded entrepreneur:
Consider community – keeping employment in the community goes a long way to help feed local families.
Good word travels fast – customers recognise positive business values, and this can be more valuable than any marketing campaign.
Invest in your business when possible – investing in your business can be just as beneficial for current prospects as it is for future growth.
When Joel Griggs took the leap and established JG Earthworx, he always thought of it as a solo operation.
“When I started my business, I thought I was going to be a one-man band,” he says. “I'd just buy a digger and be an owner-operator.”
But through a little hard yakka and making the most of what he had, he’s built something to be proud of.
"From one excavator, I've now got a dozen bits of equipment and over half-a-dozen blokes on the books."
Joel Griggs Owner | JG Earthworx
“The work was there, I found a bit of a niche in the market, and I was able to keep building on that.”
The importance of keeping business local
As someone who hadn't initially planned on becoming an employer, Joel’s had to adapt to his new role along the way.
“Driving the machines and organising the jobs, that's the easy work. One of the biggest challenges is managing the blokes that work for me,” he says.
But leadership has brought its fair share of unexpected benefits.
"I feel pride in providing a good service for our community and keeping not only mates, but local blokes in a good job. That's something I strive towards."
Joel Griggs Owner | JG Earthworx
And good deeds are quickly noticed in a tight-knit town like Braidwood, NSW.
“Word of mouth is the biggest thing round here for any business,” Joel says, and he’s got some pretty simple advice for anyone looking to replicate his success in that direction.
“Just do a good job and do the right thing by everyone.
“You can do all the advertising you like, but without people spreading the word, you’ve got nothing.”
Taking the office out onto the road with MYOB
Admin was another learning experience for Joel. With no one around to walk him through managing a growing workforce, Friday afternoons regularly meant trips back and forth to the office.
"Before I used MYOB, I'd get a phone call from someone and have to fly back to the office to rush around doing things."
Joel Griggs Owner | JG Earthworx
“I used to do payroll with an invoicing book you'd get from the newsagents. I’d fill out the boys’ hours and work out their tax timetable by hand.”
With MYOB now taking the reins when it comes to admin, Joel’s found it far easier to stay on top of his accounts.
“Since getting set up, I can make up a quote, send the quote off and transfer that back to an invoice. All my details are on there and it's all integrated in the software.”
That’s real handy for someone who would rather spend time on the tools, especially as JG Earthworx continues to grow.
“And having this many employees now, the payroll function makes life really easy. I just tap their hours into the payroll function and put in allowances or whatever else they need, hit the button, and they're paid.
“It's all recorded to the ATO and everything's in there. I can just punch it in, and the boys get their pay slips.”
Flexible accounting made possible by the cloud
As Joel is always on the move for work, he’s stoked his software follows him from job to job.
“Being able to use MYOB on the go is great. I can just whip out my phone onsite or while away on holidays and everything’s at my fingertips all the time,” he says.
"You can be anywhere and still run your business."
Joel Griggs Owner | JG Earthworx
“I can be anywhere getting bits and pieces. I'll get a receipt, scan it to my phone — it just gets sent away automatically.
“My accountant doesn't have to chase me up for things anymore. It's all put in there straight away which makes everyone's life easier.”
The importance of investing in yourself
If you’ve recently gotten a business off the ground but aren’t quite sure how to tackle the next steps, Joel singles out a key approach that’s never let him down.
“Invest in your business. That's what I've done, and that’s how I've grown.
“Every bit I've made, I've invested,” he says.
“Whether it's another attachment for a machine, updating a ute or getting new gear to make the boys' lives easier, investing in your business is the biggest thing you can do.”
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