IN 2006, during a visit to the Hong Kong International Lighting Fair, Neil Craggs recognised the potential for a specialist outdoor lighting service for the residential and commercial markets in Western Australia.
IN 2006, during a visit to the Hong Kong International Lighting Fair, Neil Craggs recognised the potential for a specialist outdoor lighting service for the residential and commercial markets in Western Australia.
Not long after his return to Perth, Mr Craggs established Balcatta-based Lightscape Concepts & Design, and the company began trading in July 2007.
Mr Craggs said it was clear that outdoor lighting was playing an increasingly important role in the alfresco/landscaping sector, and that there was only a limited product selection available.
“These products were all revolved around the outdated 12-volt halogen lighting technology,” Mr Craggs told WA Business News.
Mr Craggs’ research unearthed an Australian company in Sydney that manufactured high-quality light-emitting diode (LED) lighting products designed for Australian conditions.
Lightscape then became the sole distributor in WA for this range of products.
“A combination of the government’s call and the environment’s need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by using the most energy efficient lighting technologies was the reason that Lightscape specialised in cutting-edge LED lighting technology,” Mr Craggs said.
“Our company mission is to educate the public on the use and benefits of environmentally friendly lighting products and steering them towards sustainable energy use.”
However, while educating the public remains a top priority, Mr Craggs and business manager Janett Enke have had to deal with high levels of staff turnover due to the business’s extended periods of downtime each year.
Mr Craggs said the ongoing challenge for Lightscape was the weather, meaning work was seasonal, which put pressure on the business to balance the right number of staff for the most productive parts of the year – summer and spring – while not being overstaffed during the quiet periods.
“We have often experienced up to three months of downtime in a year and our customer base seems to forget their outdoor spaces in the winter. This leads to high levels of turnover and labour requirement between September and May, putting pressure on our company, cash flow and suppliers,” Mr Craggs said.
To overcome this problem, Mr Craggs started using contractors instead of part-time or casual workers, reducing the number of permanently employed staff.
Lightscape now employs three full-time staff and three contractors, although that number can fluctuate depending on the time of year.
This has led to more control over cash flow during downtime, according to Mr Craggs.
“We have implemented a stringent procedure manual to be used by contractors working on our behalf during the busier months,” he said.
“This allows us to maximise our opportunities and still have full control over customer satisfaction and quality.”
Mr Craggs said he planned to implement estimating/scheduling software that will allow him to quote a job, convert it to an invoice and then schedule the work all on the one platform.
“As a company we also recognised that we needed expertise and support in a number of areas,” he said.
“That support has been provided to us through our association with the 10X Coaching Club.”
The 10X Coaching Club offers members support with compliance and accounting work, financial management reporting and other support critical to a small business.
Through the club, Lightscape has also identified opportunities for more custom-designed LED outdoor lighting, particularly for swimming pools, decking and commercial alfresco areas.
“We have outsourced custom steel work for these products locally, giving us full control over quality and availability,” Mr Craggs said.
“Our marketing has identified a constant requirement by homeowners, architects and designers for new and exciting LED lighting products to use in their projects.
“We maintain an active website and regular e-newsletter highlighting our new products and current projects we have worked on.
“We also maintain several static lighting displays of our products and services at various locations around Perth.”
Mr Craggs said the company was now an active member of the Landscape Industries Association, which had helped the business keep abreast of current trends in the market and also identify areas of opportunity in training and education in outdoor lighting design and installation.
By implementing these strategies, Mr Craggs said his company now had better cash-flow control and better monitoring of profit and performance, although the success of the proposed training courses was yet to be evaluated.
