The idea for Rap Joinery began about four years ago when three close friends – Antoni Falanga, Paul Dente and Ryan Fry – started toying with the idea of opening their own cabinet making business. The three had all been working together at another joinery business so they decided to take the leap and go into business for themselves.
The team first started operating as tenants in a building in Pooraka. In just a few short years, the company’s significant growth has allowed them to purchase the property they were renting, which includes an office space with a warehouse, and all the machinery. They’ve also added employees: one fully qualified cabinet maker, two apprentices and an internal bookkeeper.
Today, the company manufactures and installs all types of cabinetry work, including installations for kitchens, laundries, vanities and more. They complete both private residential projects and jobs for builders, including full house fit outs.
“Sometimes we have 4-5 small jobs on the go at once, and sometimes we’re focused on one large job,” explains Ryan. “It all comes down to the size and timeframe of the project.”
“We had our own personal goals and milestones when we started the business, and we’ve accomplished a lot more than we expected up to this point,” he says.
Challenges during the business journey
With additional work coming through the door, the team had to add more staff quickly, as noted above.
“This rapid growth has been the result of their making sound business decisions, their high quality craftmanship and the development of strong relationships with builders, which has led to their getting repeating and ongoing work,” explains Oreon Manager Nick Green.
“The most challenging thing for us has been making sure we’re on top of everything,” says Ryan. “When you’re starting a business, you sort of know what you’re getting yourself into, but there are always things you never really think about. Just getting our heads around those things has been the toughest part. We’re still learning every day. It’s been a challenge, but we’ve enjoyed every bit of it.”
Keys to success
Ryan says that teamwork has been vital to the company’s growth and prosperity so far.
“With three business partners, we all lean on each other to make sure everything runs smoothly,” he explains. “The way we’ve managed everything together has been a massive part of our success.”
He advises other business owners to keep a healthy work-life balance. “We’re big believers in working hard but also having the right balance with family and friends whilst you can,” he adds. “There are too many business owners out there who just focus on work and put everything else on the back burner. We recommend having the correct balance between your work and your personal life; it certainly pays off in the long run.”
Oreon Partners’ role in the business journey
The three owners became clients of Nick Green’s in April 2020, when they were seeking advice on how to structure their business. Nick and the Oreon team have since assisted with the preparation of quarterly Business Activity Statements (BAS), financial statements and income tax returns, as well as advising the best structure to purchase the warehouse and machinery in order to provide asset protection as well as increase their long term wealth.
“It was great to see them get into a position financially to afford the property and machinery in such a short period of time,” says Nick. “They said from the day they started the business that one of their goals was to own the property and machinery, and it’s a testament to their commitment and the quality of their work that they’ve been able to achieve this.”
“Nick and the Oreon team have dealt with us since the beginning, and they’ve been so easy to work with,” says Ryan. “We would certainly have struggled on the accounting side of things if it wasn’t for them. If we need anything, we just call them up and work it out. They’ve been super for us, and we’ve certainly loved having their support.”
Future of the business
Ryan says that for now, the team hopes to continue running the business with slow and steady growth.
“We’re just looking forward to continuing the way we’re going now,” he says. “We’ve managed to pick up several small builders as clients in the past couple months, which has really helped with our workflow, so we’re looking to keep it going over the next few years.”
To learn more about Rap Joinery, visit their Facebook page.
