Collinder: switched on tech that meets family needs

Brad Collinder’s family-run electrics business has undergone a high-tech transformation, resulting in a tripling of turnover and broadening its scope and size in five years.

The business, Collinder, a tech-focused electrics operation based in Hoppers Crossing, specialises in automatic and integrated technology for modern homes.

Back in 2013, Collinder was already a successful small business employing five people.

These days, this Wyndham success story employs more than 25 full-time electricians – and that number is growing.

So how did Brad do it?

“We are domestic electricians first and foremost,” he says.

“However, over the years we saw an increasing need for integration and home automation.

“We saw the need, educated ourselves, updated our management systems to keep up with the pace of this new technology, then went for it.”

Brad says when dealing with families who want this level of sophistication in their houses, tech-savvy systems in his business are vital.

“We use MYOB Essentials, which is a cloud-based accounting software that enables you to send out quotes remotely and quickly,” he says.

“We’ve found that families seeking this kind of next-generation electrical work – such as remote lighting, integrated heating and cooling or integrated entertainment – like an easy and fast quoting system and they want to leave the job in your hands.

“They are happy to pay for the service, but equally are not backwards in coming forwards if you get it wrong. So you need to be incredibly disciplined, systematic and professional in your approach.

“MYOB Essentials allows for this seamless service. Often it is the difference between winning a quote and losing one – and we’re securing a lot of new work thanks to our new approach.”

Brad says the key to success is do your homework; make a decision on a direction and – once you’re confident your choice in direction is the right one – go for it.

“I believe this is the true key to success,” he says.

“Successful people are confident and decisive – so that’s how you should operate.”