Electronics engineer Yatin Patel was confident enough in his technical skills to launch his own test and tag business. He quickly discovered that what he lacked was systems, processes, and business skills.
So when he found Appliance Tagging Services (ATS) he knew he was on to a winner.
Finding himself stretched all ways as a young dad working a 9-5 day as a design engineer, Yatin had leapt into the world of business ownership as a pathway to a more flexible life.
He focused on marketing his test and tag business to other small businesses, but struggled under the weight of creating and employing manual processes. Then Covid hit.
“It stopped everything,” Yatin says “I saw that ATS was looking for subcontractors. Once I go there, I see their systems are pretty good, the equipment is pretty fast.”
He liked the proven business model, the company’s marketing strategy, and the scheduling system.
Great systems and support made ATS the right choice
By December 2023 Yatin had bought an ATS franchise, an existing territory about 40 minutes drive from his home.
“I wanted an established territory because of the existing client base and ongoing revenue,” he explains.
With some experience behind him, and a natural flair for technical skills, Yatin found it easy to slip into the ATS test and tag model.
“On the tech side I was pretty good. The first challenge was how to make a consistent client pipeline, then how to manage admin and marketing with the field work.
“When I started I found it hard to quote; I was using the ATS tools but it still takes time to be confident in this,” he adds.
He also discovered there are seasonal trends in the test and tag business.
“A lot of work is done in winter, summer is very quiet, and it took me a year to learn the seasonal patterns,” he says.
Yatin’s initial goal was to establish a recurring client base to bring in consistent revenue, focusing on high compliance-needs industries like construction and workshops.
He also put high quality customer service, and relationship building with local businesses, at the heart of his business.
Customer service is key to Yatin’s business
“I try to focus on repeat customer base rather than onboarding new customers. If a fire extinguisher or emergency lights are due for a check, I talk with the facility manager, and upsell my services.
“And if the facility manager changes jobs, my services are preferred in the new business,” he says.
His customer-first approach and commitment to quality have paid off. In the first year his revenue was about $150,000; this financial year (his third) it is nearing $500,000.
As client demand grew, Yatin was able to bring on two technicians to help.
“It is easy to bring technicians in; with the ATS tools, scheduling and time management is easy.
“On the tech side, I give them proper training, and they spend at least a month with me on site and I check their tests,” he reveals.
“Scheduling is super easy, it takes one minute.”
He has found the proven systems at ATS invaluable.
“In my own business I was manually creating a quote for a customer, getting customer details, setting them up in the system, completing the job, and then invoicing. With ATS it’s easy to send the quote, customers can onboard by themselves in to the ATS system, and ATS chases payment after they have invoiced the client for me,” he explains.
Independence and support – the perfect combination
Yatin’s long term goals are to keep expanding the business; he can see plenty of growth potential to exploit in his existing territory before thinking of further expansion.
And he’s enjoying the impact his business has on the local community.
“There’s a lot of satisfaction in helping businesses stay safe and compliant,” he says.
“The best thing about being an ATS franchisee is the combination of independence and support. There is a proven model to work on, and the strong brand reputation helps us to manage the business.
“You can schedule according to your lifestyle, and I try to do bookings to my customer needs, but there is still plenty of time for my family now,” he reveals.
Buying into ATS has brought Yatin satisfaction, flexibility – and kept him fit.
“You don’t need to go to the gym when you do this job – test and tag can be quite physical, getting under desks, it’s like doing 100 sit ups every day!” he says.
He’s learned valuable new business-building skills too.
“When I started I lacked business skills, and in my jobs hadn’t dealt with customers. Once I started with ATS I realised communication is a must – so I started communicating more and people responded well – it’s really paid off,” Yatin says.