Aged 30 in 2010, incorporated Employsure to provide much needed workplace relations advice. Got first client in 2011 and now has in excess of 28,000 clients, $200 Million in annual turnover, and 1,050 FTE (Episode 84 - Edward Mallett)
In this episode, I interview Edward Mallett, the Founder and Managing Director of Employsure, a leading specialist workplace relations consultancy based in Australia and New Zealand. Employsure is part of the Peninsula Group of Companies, the largest worldwide provider of employment law consultancy services and related insurance cover to businesses. They work directly alongside businesses, helping them navigate and manage confusing workplace legislation to ensure they remain fair and safe.
Edward incorporated the business in 2010 when he was 30 and got his first client in 2011. They now have 28,000 small to medium size businesses as clients and they support the businesses with customized expert advice, documentation, and solutions across employment relations and work health and safety. From being the only full-time employee in 2011 to now having 1,050 employees, the business now generates $200 Million in annual turnover. Edward says the hardest thing in growing a small business is letting go and that the one thing he would tell himself on day one of starting out in business is, “Give it a crack” The value any small business owner will get from this episode is unmatched, so don’t miss out.
This Cast Covers:
- Helping businesses with their workplace relations issues.
- The importance of small businesses treating their employees fairly.
- Moving away from wanting to be a barrister towards business ownership.
- Building the business on a subscription-based model and disrupting the industry.
- Growing both in Australia and New Zealand from 1 full-time employee to 1,050+ full-time employees, and from $0 to $200 Million in annual turnover.
- Working with over 28,000 small businesses with each paying an average of $500 a month.
- Enjoying more about the business than just making money.
- Changing his view of sales and marketing to scale his business to great heights.
- How they track the happiness of their 28,000 customers
- Bootstrapping from his savings and the experience of looking for investors.
- The great opportunities that are still present in their industry.
- Thriving through the pandemic when other businesses were failing.
- Understanding the value of hiring people who would do the things he could do himself.
- Building a culture around mission and vision that will end up being self-sustaining.
- Why every small business owner must maintain resilience to succeed in business.
- Rising above the noise without ignoring it to ensure it doesn’t suck you down.
- Testing people’s values whenever he is interviewing them for potential hiring.
- Measuring employees’ performance against their company values.
- Understanding the purpose of your small business so you can develop a kickass culture around it.
- Why a small business owner cannot separate their personal life from their business life.
- Delegating to scale by acknowledging that things won’t always be perfect.
- Having the discipline from day one to have a financial reporting framework.
Additional Resources:
Quotes:
“There is no such thing as a good business that doesn’t treat its staff fairly” – Edward Mallett
“You won’t have a business until you understand what your sales and marketing model is” – Edward Mallett
“Hire people to do the things you can already do” – Edward Mallett
“Don’t ignore the noise but rise up above it and don’t let it suck you down” – Edward Mallett
“Your behaviors is your values in action” – Edward Mallett
“Delegate to scale by acknowledging that things won’t always be perfect” – Edward Mallett
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