ROB BRUHL, 54, Drug-Safe Workplaces

BANKING EXPERT SWAPS SMALL BUSINESS FOR FRANCHISE SUPPORT

After 25 years working with a major bank, from financial planner up to senior executive level, Rob started up his own financial services business from scratch.

“You don’t have an HR department, you don’t have resources, it’s completely different when you step away from corporate.

“But I’d reached a point where I had lost faith in the direction of the business, the strategy and corporate life. I wanted to control my own destiny.”

Ten years on and he is still running the business, spending about 40 per cent of his time on the admin and back office commitments.

The other 60 per cent (and all the extra mental energy that goes into ideas and innovation) is spent on his Drug-Safe Workplaces franchise.

“I first heard about Drug-Safe on a Qantas flight. I heard founder Michael White interviewed about drugs and alcohol in the community. I did a bit of research on it and discovered he was looking to start up in franchising. I liked the strategic plan, I liked the story, and that kicked me off,” explains Rob.

He had built his finance career on starting at the bottom. He took the same hands-on approach with the franchise.

“In banking I had legacy, I got my hands dirty,” he says. “I’ve still got my hands dirty. I need to know what’s entailed in the job. I’ve sat in dirty factories, knocked on doors.”

Drug and alcohol testing is legislated under workplace health and safety.

Typical clients are businesses in higher risk categories – manufacturing, transport, businesses that work at heights.

There is plenty of growth potential with about 12 per cent of businesses taking action to be compliant with the regulations. Rob acknowledges it will become a more competitive field, but that only makes it more important to separate yourself from the average, he suggests.

And with a national brand, there’s an extra bonus.

“This is where franchising power works. The provider can do checkpoints everywhere in the country. A franchise allows you to get to that level. The brand makes a big difference.

“The founder did research in search engine optimisation (SEO) because the name is there to get you noticed, you need to get that right. That’s what people are looking for.”

Differentiation is crucial and for Rob it’s all about service not cost.

“There’s no point in price cutting to $50 if someone is selling at $49 – what’s the difference?

“Whatever kind of business you’re in, the question is, ‘Why would I deal with you?’”

Rob has worked on adding value in what has been a very transactional industry.

“People do ask how much it will cost for a test but I tell them that’s not my value proposition. I ask a lot more questions about regulatory compliance and win a lot of business that way, because no competitors asked those questions.”

Not afraid to turn away work that doesn’t fit with his business ethos, Rob believes patience is crucial in business.

“You don’t get anything unless you have actions, you have to be well planned to get an outcome. In any business, you have to know what the inputs are to get the outputs. Work out what they are and commit. If you do things, every week, over time good times will follow.”

Rob has picked a business model that allows him to spread the workload so he can lead from the front but not do the transactional work and still get a good return on his investment.

He has big ambitions, planning to take the turnover up towards the million-dollar mark.

And Rob’s hands-on approach means he’s prepared to put in long hours if necessary.

“If I have to start at 5 am and work till 7 pm I will. But I always clock off at 2 pm on Friday and try not to work on weekends.”