This month Pam and Tayla had a zoom chat with Charles Hill and Steve Richardson from Raptor Group. Initially starting their forestry land clearing business in March 2018, they are now Albany’s largest family owned and operated machine hire company. The Hill family has lived in Albany for 18 years and had always wanted to start a family business to provide support for the family and ensure employment for future generations.

Their success stems from their ability to adapt swiftly to market challenges and opportunities, a remarkable skill for any business.

What inspired you to start your business?

We had some experience in the forestry industry and recognised the need for a more cost effective and sustainable way to remove stumps after clearing. For about 12 months Charles investigated and researched methods worldwide. We found a solution from the US and purchased a stump puller. There was a 6 month wait on these machines and during this time another opportunity came along when a local bench saw business came up for sale. It was a well-established business in a run-down state, but this was enough for us to get started. March was a good time to start with bench saws, as it was the beginning of firewood season.

What significant changes have you made in your business since you started?

In the beginning we focused on the clearing of land and there was a lot of trial and error with the stump puller as it hadn’t been tried in Australian conditions or with our trees. We took a dive into the unknown to take it on, though overall, we have been successful in getting the machine to work for us.

As the business matured, we diversified into hire equipment and we now use subcontractors to operate hire machinery for local industries and for farmers. We had always wanted to be in the hire industry and this move has been good from a management perspective and it has also been a good return on investment.

Not only do we hire, we also stock and sell equipment such as bench saws and log splitters.

What industries do you service?

We service a range of industries from forestry, agriculture, mining and construction to machine hire. We are currently involved with putting a tender together for the Link Road project.

What challenges or opportunities does being located in the Great Southern create?

Our location isn’t a problem, the opportunity was here. We always wanted something locally sustainable and we don’t see this as a challenge, but as an opportunity. Being able to be in contact is key and using zoom for the last 2 years to do this has been great. For example, we hire machines to businesses in the Pilbara, the companies don’t care about our location just our offering. It’s what you make of it, make use of the opportunities that are there. Some people think being in a regional area has cost challenges like freight, but if you offset this against rent as an example, it all works out.

This year with Covid has been challenging for some businesses. Has your business been affected or benefitted in anyway?

There were a couple of downsides and things we have had to change but we’d say it has opened opportunities for our business four-fold. Everyone went into their shell for a few weeks and we have been lucky to be isolated in WA. From a business point of view everyone seems busier than ever.

If you had the chance to start your business over again, would you do anything differently?

Not really, but the answer would always be yes, when you are starting out you are finding your feet. If you had the opportunity to start again, you would bring with you the experience of the first time. Reacting quickly to change was our strategy and this was very successful.

When opportunities changed, we adapted with market challenges and shifts. The biggest help was from the consultants we worked with. Most start ups might see this as an unnecessary cost but for us having regular strategy and budget meetings with Craig meant we were able to shift quickly when something wasn’t performing as it should. This allowed us to be agile and change focus if we needed to.

If you could offer one piece of advice to a young person wishing to start a business what would that be?

Just start! Nothing will happen if you leave it and you don’t need to know everything. You can’t get anywhere sitting on your hands. You will make mistakes, it’s part of the fun.

Surround yourself with people with experience and in the know. Experience is key, consultants can help. You won’t get anywhere unless you ask, and you won’t get anywhere unless you act.

Raptor Group