GLOBAL CABLING
RELATIONSHIPS: THE KEY TO SUCCESS THE ELECTRICAL AND COMMUNICATIONS INDUSTRY IS WELL KNOWN FOR THE MANY OPPORTUNITIES IT OFFERS. ONE OPPORTUNITY THAT APPEALS TO MANY ELECTRICIANS IS HAVING THEIR OWN BUSINESS. THE CHANCE TO BE THEIR OWN BOSS, HAVE FLEXIBILITY AND REAP THE REWARDS OF THEIR LONG HOURS AND HARD WORK IS AN APPEALING CAREER OPTION. NECA WA was pleased to interview Global Cabling’s Managing Director, Allan O’Grady, to discuss the benefits and challenges of running a contracting business.
The benefits of this have flowed onto our team. We wanted a progressive business culture that enabled everyone to put family first. In achieving this, we’ve created an environment where people want to stay with the business.
that Global Cabling will be there to back them up. As a result, we’ve ended up producing some really great projects.
What have been your business’s main highlights?
It’s all about relationships.
The great thing about Australia is you can start up a business reasonably easily. The challenge is that while you might know your trade, no one teaches you how to run a business.
One of the highlights has been creating a good balance of lifestyle and business. This can be a real challenge for trade-based businesses, when we’re used to the idea that being busy equals making money. We’ve learned to use our time well and work flexibly.
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This extends to our clients, too. We’ve used a partnership approach, working with clients as an extension of our team, rather than the traditional builder/ subcontractor relationship. This helps both clients and our business make better decisions and plans. Our clients have been able to go for jobs, knowing
What sort of challenges have you had to overcome?
We were in a situation where there were no systems in place. We were doing lots of work, but not invoicing it out. Despite being busy all the time,
June 2021