Sam has been working in the Electrical Industry for over 13 years. In that time he’s worked for a number of respected companies gaining direct experience with both Commercial and Residential construction projects. Sam has been responsible for electrical sign-off on residential projects (ie new homes) ranging in size from $300,000 to $4 million. As at August 2021 Kinetic Electrical Wanaka has grown significantly and now employs 5 people.
Why did you make contact with Kinetic?
Towards the end of last year (2017) I had made my mind up that I wanted to go out on my own but bouncing my ideas off another electrician in little old Wanaka was always going to be difficult, and at that stage a tad risky as I was still employed. I had worked with Steve Law (Kinetic Rodney) in a previous life so I made contact with him and Steve put me onto Ken.
Tell us a bit about the whole process
From there Ken made contact and arranged to meet up with me in Wanaka. I think It’s fair to say we hit it off instantly. Ken worked really hard to put forward all the benefits Kinetic could offer and was incredibly patient as we worked though the franchise agreement together.
How has Kinetic helped you get your business going?
To be honest I don’t know where to start. There is a huge amount that goes into setting up your company, not to mention all the systems you need to quote and deal with invoicing and accounting etc. Right from the moment I had signed the Franchise agreement all hands were on deck. Adam Bibbie was helping me put quotes together with lighting plans so I could send these back off quickly to building companies. Darren Bambr who formed the Kinetic group in 2009 was busy helping me work though all the systems. Vicky Bambry was flat out organising uniforms, printing cards and signs. Ken Parsons was putting together clever marketing plans with fantastic posts on Facebook which got a lot of attention.
I also can’t thank Lisa Arrell enough. Once your business starts spending and receiving money you need a really good system to account for this. Having someone like Lisa on your team who knows Xero inside out is invaluable!
What does it mean to have a national brand like Kinetic?
Potential clients really like the look of the complete package. They like to see you are taking your business as seriously as they have taken their own. I have also found builders and building companies like knowing you have a support network and are much more likely to throw you higher spec projects knowing you have the right systems in place to deal with these. I am also starting to get to know the other franchises. They are a really great bunch who are happy to help and share what they have learnt. Having others you can contact and discuss ideas with is key to moving your business in the right direction.
Your business is now up and running. What have the first few weeks/months been like?
They have been a huge learning curve. Watching your business build up momentum is incredibly exciting. It’s also good to know that all the hard work that you need to put in at the start is supported with systems that are tried, tested and more importantly work!
