Deakin Business Development Clinic’s Impact

Oh Crap, a company that sells compostable dog poop bags, made the AFR Fast Starters List in 2021. They attribute their growing success to the Deakin Business Development Clinic.
‘Our mission is to help reduce the 4% of landfill that is dog poop. We want to make a difference in the world – one poop at a time,’ explains Oh Crap CEO, Henry Reith. ‘The students turned up with a nine-page report that was a full-blown analysis of one of our business model and profit drivers. I was really, really impressed.’Student consultants recommended a sophisticated and automated referral program, they provided ideas for the referral incentives and suggested other tools the company could use.
‘They really broke down everything: from this is why you want it, this is the potential results based on going out there, and looking at some success stories that they found,’ Henry says.
‘They made it easy because I think it’s a combination of the 7 Levers. It’s not one of those scary situations where you look to grow the business and you think there’s a million things you can do. It just hones down on the simple bits.’

The referral program initiated by the students is still going strong. Oh Crap still use the 7 Levers Framework and have seen continued revenue growth as a result.

‘We’ve had two of our best years ever. It (the 7 Levers) is part of the reason we made it onto the Australian Financial Review Fast Starters list.’

The AFR Fast Starters list acknowledges the fastest growing start-ups in Australia and inclusion was a real coup for Oh Crap.

‘It’s really cool that we got the AFR Fast Starters award, and we were recognised for that, and hopefully we’ll be in it this year,’ says Henry.

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The Hope Factory, a digital web development agency. Our student consultants conducted a thorough analysis of the agency’s operations and identified the wage bill as the primary expense influencing the company’s profitability. A deeper dive revealed a compelling opportunity: by enhancing staff productivity to complete just one additional project each quarter, the agency could significantly increase its revenue, with these additional earnings directly bolstering profit margins.Armed with this insight, the consultants devised a multifaceted strategy aimed at elevating staff engagement and efficiency. Central to their proposal was the implementation of a staff leave reduction reward program designed to boost morale and reduce turnover. Complementing this initiative, they recommended a tailored training program to sharpen staff skills and efficiency, ensuring each team member could contribute to the agency’s increased project output. Additional auxiliary initiatives were also suggested to foster a more productive and engaging work environment.

Reflecting on the benefits of this strategic partnership, The Hope Factory’s CEO noted, “The collaboration with the Deakin Business Development Clinic marked a turning point for our agency. The consultants’ strategic insights into improving our team’s engagement and efficiency unlocked new levels of productivity and profitability for our business. Their comprehensive approach not only enhanced our operational dynamics but also significantly improved our Margins, driving our financial goals.”

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In another notable project, our consultants collaborated with a Software as a Service (SaaS) client, Op Central, known for their robust client acquisition and onboarding processes. Despite their success in these areas, the client faced a challenge: they were not fully leveraging their suite of features and solutions post-onboarding. Initially, customers were introduced to one or two key tools that addressed their immediate needs, leaving a wealth of additional features untapped and potential revenues unexplored.With the Health Check uncovering this opportunity, our consultants devised a strategic initiative aimed at enhancing the client’s ‘Items Per Sale’ metric. They developed a comprehensive plan to systematically introduce onboarded clients to additional tools and features, thereby not only increasing the value delivered to each client but also significantly boosting the client’s revenue potential.

Reflecting on the impact of the collaboration, the founder Josh Cairns shared, “Working with the Deakin Business Clinic was a transformative experience for our business. It allowed us to shift our perspective and truly ‘see the forest for the trees.’ Their strategic guidance was instrumental in uncovering significant untapped revenue streams, directly contributing to our business achieving an eight-figure valuation upon exit last year.”

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