July-August 2016 Oceania Edition

Business View Australia - July - August 2016 107 Supporting Partners Krueger krueger.com.au Progress Printing progressprinting.com.au Facing challenges with great staff Of course, the staff plays a very important role here. Almost everyone working for Freight Assist is closely related to Dean, either through family or friendly bonds. This business requires people who care about what they do and the company that they work for. Everyone is a professional but they also maintain a sense of community. Standards of ethics have to be maintained and everyone is always on the same page to make sure that the business is operating as smoothly as possible without any hiccups that can be easily avoided. After all, the transportation industry already faces enough real challenges without adding any unnecessary complications in the mix. As Dean explains it, the regulations of the trade are often contradictory and hinder progress. For instance, companies are encouraged to employ people yet are also penalized for it with increased taxes such as payroll Tax. Work-cover premium charges at the highest rates for our industry and although there are various fees associated specifically with the freight industry, there’s little aid in helping startup businesses get up and running. Dean commented on the fact that his company was fortunate enough to overcome these obstacles and break through the barriers to be financially sound in a very short time. Growing without compromising As for the future, Dean is adamant that growing the business should not compromise the quality of their services. He wants to continue the company’s growth but not when it could affect their existing customers. “One of the important aspects is growth. For the last two years, there’s been an average of 25% growth which is quite significant. I would like to continue along those lines but I don’t want to go to a point where we compromise our existing business. The objective is to keep growing autonomously”, says Dean. This includes looking after the customers, the staff, and the equipment and, of course introducing new thingsas required. Another aspect according to Dean is generating new leads and introducing new customers without losing current ones who are helpful to the business as a whole. With such clear ideals and well- defined objectives in sight, there’s no doubt that Freight Assist is looking at a bright future indeed objectives in sight, there’s no doubt that Freight Assist is looking at a bright future indeed.