FINDING SOLUTIONS FOR RAPID GROWTH SPELLS SUCCESS FOR QUEENSLAND-BASED HIGH-END ELECTRONICS FIRM
Michael Sciberras and his brother, Paul, own and operate Sci-Blue Integrated Systems, a specialist integration company founded in Queensland in 2005. Among the services their company provides are the installation, maintenance, and servicing of high-end security systems and CCTV systems for customers throughout Australia.
“WHETHER IT’S CCTV ACCESS CONTROL, duress systems, intercoms or nurse-call systems, Sci-Blue offers our clients products and systems that for a budget and meet required outcomes, Michael says, “We’re also able to integrate many types of electronic systems so they work together and provide multiple outcomes for our clients.”
BROTHERS IN DIFFERENT INDUSTRIES ASK, “WHAT’S NEXT?”
Sci-Blue’s origins grew out of a unique twist of fate. In 2005, Michael and Paul – while working as managers in different industries- found themselves in positions where the businesses they served had been sold and taken over by new owners. Each of them faced a tough decision.
“I mentioned to Paul that I was likely to resign and look for a new employer,” Michael recalls. “To my surprise, he announced he was going to do the same. The obvious question for both of us was, “What’s next?’ We’d always spoken of having our own business and in a short time we decided that we’d join together and start a new electronic security business in Brisbane.”
As time passed, the business steadily grew and now offers high-quality products that primarily relate to the protection of property and people. Over the past three years, the range of offerings has expanded to include nurse-call products as well.
“First and foremost, the burning issue was coping with growth–in sales, target audience, geographic coverage, employee numbers, and cash flow issues. Any business that goes through growth needs to learn how to work smarter, not just harder. We decided that joining with other business owners who faced similar challenges would help us create a more direct, defined pathway to the outcomes we were looking for,”
TAB has proved helpful in other ways, too
“There have been situations where Paul and I haven’t seen eye to eye on key business decisions,” Michael acknowledges candidly. “Claire Wilson (owner of the Alternative Board Australia and Brisbane Bayside) has helped us look at these situations with a fresh perspective and assisted us in reaching decisions through a defined process. Sometimes, having a third party impartial perspective can make all the difference.”
WHAT DOES MICHAEL SAY TO OTHER OWNERS CONSIDERING TAB?
“If you’re reaching out for something like this, then you clearly have a reason to do so, and I recommend that you just go ahead and do it,” he says. “We’ve been with TAB for more that two years now, we’ve seen our company dramatically evolve in many ways.”