AddressThe Fit-Out Kings Company
The Fit-out King has been under the radar for over two decades, not needing to advertise or market for work or staff due to his extensive clientele and fantastic reputation around town.
Over 25 years as the leader of this hidden kingdom, he has accumulated some of the most significant accounts for the largest pubs and clubs in South Australia.
If you like beer and a pub meal, no doubt you’ve been to one of his excellent beer garden fit-outs.
If you like wine and a fancy meal, no doubt you’ve been to one of his classy dining room fit-outs.
If you like poking and free games spin, no doubt you have been to one of his exciting pokie room fit outs.
Whichever one it is, you can count on it being world-class and done right for the right first time and, most notably for him, on time!
Turning over $10 million a year and, at its peak, over $20 million. He’s looking to pump those current rookie numbers back up to the top professional numbers of the past, but he knows he can’t do that without two leaders who treat the job and business as seriously as he does.
A construction manager running the office, and an operations manager running the sites.
The Fit-Out King's Passion
Upon meeting the FOK, I immediately saw his passion and energy!
While sipping his coffee, the FOK explained his passion for fit-out, the hospitality niche, clients, creativity, craft, unique selling points, and employer value proposition.
The FOK reminisced about the stories of his past projects like a father would his son’s first steps.
The FOK explained his business model, values, principles, and vision.
This, in a nutshell, was very inspiring, as, without a Captain at the helm like him, his business would never have sailed the proverbial seven seas of the South Australian hospitality game as it has over the past three decades.
At its peak, his ship was full of hard-working sailors willing to do anything for their Captain.
He gave them whatever they needed to fit out the cave of treasures and helped them get back on the ship, recharged, and ready to attack the next one with the ferocity they had done the first.
The Fit-out Kings Reach Out
The FOK heard from a few of his colleagues that I was known for finding the best construction people in the market when a client took the time to give me the correct information, personally and professionally.
See my reviews below for more about me and the CTA Group.
After a two-hour meeting, he agreed I was the man for the job and that his two critical leadership positions were in great hands.
Once found, this would allow his business to rise into the new-age world of construction that our great city has been developing over the past few years post-COVID.
The two key positions are Senior Project Manager to one-day Construction Manager and Senior Site Manager to one-day Operations Manager.
The Fit-Out Kings Frustrations
Once we got onto his staff, I immediately saw how stressed and deflated he was.
His glow and excitement went to sadness and regret.
He explained that both positions require a lot of trust, autonomy, and accountability from the leader, and these freedoms have been exploited instead of respected by his past employees.
The FOK started to share his disappointment in his staff for taking liberties by mistaking his kindness for weakness over the years.
This meant his culture and kingdom were in jeopardy if he didn’t boulder the ranks with New-Age A-Level Leaders and let go of the B, C, and D-Level Old-Age Followers he’s sadly given several chances to lead over the past few years.
As none of them genuinely stepped up to the plate, he had let go of all the dead wood in the current crew, which took him years, mind you.
As you can imagine, it's not easy to say goodbye to people you have been given many chances but couldn’t level up.
Still, he did it because he knew he needed to make way for new blood, ready to join him in rebuilding his empire. If you feel this advert has all your hallmarks and traits, it could be you.
The Fit-out Kings Site Manager
The FOK started to describe what he was looking for in his right hand, and he continued to explain the personal traits, professional responsibilities, and career opportunities this Site Manager would need and receive if given the position. Let’s go through them…
Personal Traits
- Someone who cares about the client outcomes more than the bottom line. The FOK's reputation has been built over the decades by being about deliverability, not profitability. Which in turn gave him repeat business and made him more profitable!
- Someone who is excellent with people and likes working on live sites. You’d be a roaming Site Manager on multiple fit-out sites, so this leader would require someone who can navigate the terrain of various stakeholders, suppliers, subbies, and clients throughout the day.
- Someone who can constantly communicate with The FOK throughout the week by being the eyes and ears of the business outside the office.
Professional Traits
- Someone in the fit-out and refurbishment game for over 5 years in the South Australian market within a Head Contractor is a great start. It doesn’t matter what type of project exactly, but it would naturally be advantageous if you’ve completed some hospitality projects.
- You’ve got a carpentry background or similar trade and worked it for 3-4 years out of your apprenticeship. The reason is your natural steps would have been leading hand, then site supervisor, and then Site Manager. He’s not looking for someone who’s just left their trade a year or two ago, just someone a bit more experienced than that, as it’s a leadership position over people with that level of experience.
- You understand programming, scheduling, and sequencing of fit-out and refurbishment projects at a high level. You are the company's representative, and the buck stops with you, so it’s not a job for someone wanting to learn the trade but for someone already an expert in their field.
Career Opportunities
- If this individual shows the leadership traits that accompany this position, progressing to the Operations Manager position within the business would potentially await them.
- More significant projects are on the way, so the more accountability, trust, and responsibility you can show the FOK early on, the quicker he can unlock his client's Pandora's box of future blue-chip opportunities.
- Naturally, the salary is dictated by your background and experience, but rest assured, it’s more than competitive, and as you progress, it will increase significantly over time.
CTA Thoughts
This business has the potential to grow significantly with the right people in the top leadership positions. He has a long list of blue-chip repeat clients awaiting his call to give him work and projects you’d never think existed as they don’t need to be tendered on or competed for.
Unlike larger organisations, this business doesn’t have layers of reporting or a structure of unrealistic KPIs that must be met. Instead, the client and the FOK will assess your performance more based on the project's success through the metrics they consider valuable.
So, I’m sure after two or three projects, you’d get a feel for how things are done at the FOKs and how you’d excel in the position, knowing that in the future, both from a leadership and management perspective.
CTA Agent
I’ve been recruiting and headhunting for 10 years this month as a Construction Talent Authority at The CTA Group, hence the name.
So, feel free to do your due diligence on me by clicking the Sourcr link below. It will give you over 100+ reviews from top talent and employers throughout SA who have reviewed my consulting expertise over the years.
Which has awarded me SA Recruiter of the Year in 2022, 2023, and hopefully in 2 weeks, 2024. So, you can apply or call me confidently, knowing you’ll be given the best service in SA regarding construction consulting and recruitment, helping you find the most sought-after roles in the market based on your background and experience.
While having a lot of fun doing it, I assure you that.
I look forward to speaking with you soon.
Have a great day!
David – CTA
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