When Dimitri Markakis launched Titan Electrical Group four years ago, he faced a challenge familiar to many tradespeople: transitioning from technical expertise to business ownership. With a new baby at home and COVID-19 reshaping the business landscape, the stakes couldn’t have been higher.
The Breaking Point: “Everything Was Just Verbal”
“It was actually like a major shock to the system,” Dimitri recalls, describing his transition from commercial electrical work to running his own residential service business. Despite his extensive experience with defense and government contracts, he found himself in uncharted territory.
In the early days, Titan Electrical Group operated like many trade businesses with no documented processes, verbal instructions only, no structured system for client communication, and heavy reliance on the owner’s presence.
The Turning Point: Discovering Systems Thinking
The wake-up call came when Dimitri considered hiring a virtual assistant. During a conversation with another local business owner, Tom Martin from Watertight, a crucial question emerged: “What kind of systems have you got in place?”
“I looked at it with a blank face,” Dimitri admits. “I’ve got a few things written down, but majority of the stuff was just in my head.”
Building the Foundation: The SYSTEMology Journey
Dimitri’s systematic transformation began with a simple yet powerful approach:
- Starting Small: Documenting one system at a time, beginning with client onboarding
- Leveraging Technology: Using systemHUB to store and organize all processes
- Team Involvement: Engaging his tech-savvy 18-year-old apprentice in system documentation
- Process Refinement: Creating detailed flowcharts for each new task encountered
The Game-Changing Results
The implementation of systematic processes yielded immediate benefits:
Operational Improvements
Team members could work independently with minimal supervision, reducing administrative bottlenecks. Client communication became streamlined, and service delivery became more consistent.
Financial Impact
A standout success came from systematizing invoice follow-ups. “As soon as we started calling clients a couple of days before the due date as a gentle reminder,” Dimitri explains, “we saw a dramatic improvement in payment times.”
Team Development
Perhaps the most surprising outcome was how the systems approach transformed team training. Dimitri’s young apprentice became instrumental in documenting workflows, helping create flowcharts and visual guides for various procedures.
Key Lessons for Trade Business Owners
Dimitri’s experience offers valuable insights for other trade business owners:
- Start Early: “Make a start sooner rather than later; the return on investment is literally invaluable later on.”
- Think Long-Term: “If someone’s got a similar kind of goal that you want to be able to walk away from your team and then have everything running smoothly, there’s no way you’re going to be able to do that without systems in place.”
- Hire for Systems Potential: Look for team members who are teachable and driven, with characteristics “that you can’t teach somebody.”
Building for the Future
Today, Titan Electrical Group stands as a testament to the power of systematic business transformation. What started as a one-man operation has evolved into a well-structured team, capable of delivering consistent, high-quality electrical services across Canberra and surrounding regions.
For trade business owners looking to follow in Dimitri’s footsteps, the message is clear: systematization isn’t just about creating documents and flowcharts – it’s about building a business that can thrive without constant owner involvement.
Want to implement the same systems approach that helped Dimitri improve Titan Electrical Group? The SYSTEMology book provides the exact framework you need to extract critical processes from your head and build a business that runs smoothly without constant oversight. Get your copy here and learn how to document your client onboarding process, create effective job workflows, and implement invoice follow-up systems that improve cash flow.
