This story was written from the perspectives of Daniel Caruana, Director and CEO, and Wayne Spiteri, COO and Head of Sales, of Danrae Waterproofing.
Our company operates throughout New South Wales, Australia, providing waterproofing and water-related repairs for new construction and remedial buildings in a variety of sectors. Our vision is to become a fully fledged service company with an expansive reach.
We joined Danrae in 2006 to help Lillian and Ron Caruana, the founders of the company, with the workload. It was a great opportunity for us and we were passionate about the business. But the company grew rapidly and there weren’t systems in place to cope with the demand, so it quickly grew beyond our control. We were running out of money and had to let people go because we weren’t making any money either. We tried different coaching programs at first, but those programs only offered quick-fixes—and we didn’t need a quick fix. We needed to get to the root of the problem.
When we finally turned to EMyth and had our first call with our coach, Rick Snyder, there was an instant connection. EMyth was perfect for us because it started with us, what we wanted and the accountability we needed. Our staff wasn’t sure who was responsible for what because we hadn’t clearly communicated with them, and our team wasn’t aware of our vision or the critical numbers of the business. When we brought Rick on as our coach, he recognized the uncertainty about who was really leading the company and where our Leadership Team was going, and he knew how to help.
Working with Daniel, Wayne, Ron and the Leadership Team of Danrae has been an incredible experience for me. I have witnessed each of them face their limitations and trust the coaching process enough to take the risks they needed to take, have the uncomfortable conversations they needed to have and continue to show up as the leaders they truly are. Rick Snyder, EMyth Coach
Rick made us look in the mirror—showing us where we were getting in our own way—and helped us realize that we needed work boundaries. When you’re coming into a family business, it can be daunting because you’re not sure what to expect. It always felt like there was an elephant in the room. You didn’t want to speak out against an employee because that employee is actually a member of your family. You don’t want to do something at work that will have repercussions back at home, so it was hard for people to step up and say things needed to change. Not speaking up was holding us back. Rick helped us to break out of our family dynamic and get clear about our boundaries.
Now, we actually enjoy going to work. Before, we’d get in at 7:30 a.m. and leave at 5 p.m., feeling drained and like nothing was accomplished. But now, we’re clear about our roles and what we’re working towards. We went from laying people off and not having any profit to having an average net profit of 15-20%.
They have more fun, more profit, a stronger cash position, an inspired company culture and a plan to grow to even greater heights in this coming year. Their hunger and motivation makes coaching a joy. Rick Snyder, EMyth Coach
We’re working on bringing in a marketing specialist, breaking out the company into different sections, potentially hiring more staff and improving our delivery this year. Within the next three years, we want to expand into different states across Australia. We are going to be the “go to” company for waterproofing remediation and maintenance in buildings. And beyond that, we hope to create a company that allows its people to achieve their dreams. Through the results of the company, we will give a “line of sight” to where everyone wants to be. Our people have so much potential and we believe our company can unleash it.