Rob Stockdale
In this month’s “Coffee With …” feature, Russell Harrison sat down with Rob Stockdale, part owner and director of Skill Hire, to talk about his amazing career, how he got to where he is today and what he’s learned along the way.
Russell started off by recalling how they met …
You and I have known each other for over 40 years. Way back to the Mt Barker School days. About 25 years ago you came into my office to see if your pottery hobby had become a business. A few years later you were on your way to building a business that you now Chair that employs over 1000 people, has turnover in the tens of millions and operates in three states.
What happened?
I have always had an eye for business opportunity. It started young. To go back to when I was a kid at primary school my mum use to pack oranges and apples with my lunch. I used to sell these on. I figured that because I got them for free, then I could sell and make a profit. Mum found out and was horrified because I was selling for less than what she bought it for from the shop. But for me it was 100% profit.
When I first started out it was mainly with training and manual projects. But with any business I have been involved with I have always focussed on the market point, someone to sell to. With training and what has become Skill Hire, I could see deregulation coming so I built up my business model such that I had a product to offer the market when the market came into existence.
Just how hard were the “early days”?
When we started out we had a very low cost setup as we self-funded. Our bedroom became the main office. We moved our bed upstairs and had a ladder to access as we didn’t have a staircase. The main living room was a shared space and doubled as meeting room, boardroom and lounge.
What part of you has flowed through and has most lead to the growth of your business?
Form a team, develop the team and give them the respect and reward they deserve. This is how I approach all the courses and projects we have taken on.
One of the very first projects I did was with a group of long term unemployed guys in Albany and the manager at CES wanted to see them active and doing something. There was 15 of them and we went down to put walls in at Ellen Cove. I employed a guy, a stone mason, to act as the instructor. I went to get some materials a few days into the job and the instructor went a bit berserk and knocked down all the walls so we had 16 weeks to rebuild the walls before carols by candlelight. The guys who started the jobs worked weekends and late nights because they wanted to work, they had a sense of ownership and pride in what they were doing.
If you were to grow Skill Hire all over again, what would you do differently?
I would borrow money to allow faster expansion. We self funded the expansion and it was too slow. I would also seek aligned partners at an earlier stage of development. My partners Tony and Greg have complimentary skills which has directly lead to the expansion of our business.
How have you attracted key people to your business?
Bit of me finding them and a bit of them finding me. Sometimes my own version of head hunting, through seeking out likely candidates, sharing my vision and really just talking with them. I always look at hiring or employing people who have better skills and different skills than I have. I also made myself visible to attract the right type of people in our workforce.
Also some advice. A lot of small businesses feel hurt when staff move on, they feel a sense of betrayal. My view is that it should be the other way around. You should be proud and happy when people move employer. To me is usually means you have been able to help them grow and have supported them moving towards their goals. Some businesses don’t get that you don’t own your employees.
What are some of the disadvantages of operating a business in the Great Southern?
I am a strong supporter of regional development. In the past I resisted centralisation and moving administration functions to the metro area was to my financial detriment. Our expansion eventually meant we had to have a presence in Perth. The reasons for this is that it created corporate credibility, built up our contacts and simplified growing interstate travel.
If you could offer one piece of advice to someone starting out, what would it be?
Only start a business after you have established a name and have built up a strong net work. This greatly reduces your risk. Also, don’t be afraid to stop and smell the roses. Get time away from your business to think.
