Cowanna Almond Harvesting - From "We Didn't Know What We Didn't Know" to Building a Business Ready for the Next Generation

The Challenge

When Debbie and Neil Bennett started Cowanna Almond Harvesting, they knew their industry inside out.

Neil had spent his career in farming. Debbie came from a teaching background. Together, they built a successful business supplying specialised harvesting machinery, spare parts and servicing to Australia's almond and pistachio industries.

What they hadn't been taught was how to build and lead a growing business.

"We didn't know what we didn't know," Debbie says.

"As our team grew, we knew there was something that wasn't quite right. We just couldn't put our finger on it.

 

Like many growing businesses, they had reached the point where experience and hard work alone were no longer enough. The business had outgrown the systems that had helped get it started.

"We were very reactive," Debbie explains. "It felt like we were making policy on the run."

As more people joined the business, the Bennetts found themselves asking bigger questions.

Were they making the right decisions?

Were they building the business properly?

Were they creating something that could continue to grow beyond them?

They weren't looking for someone to run the business.

They were looking for direction.

"I think what we were hoping for was sanity."

 

The Turning Point

Debbie and Neil first came across Business Benchmark Group after attending a seminar in Mildura.

By that stage, the business was growing quickly, but growth had started to feel uncomfortable rather than exciting.

"We'd grown, and we felt like we were a little bit out of control," Debbie says.

"What we heard really resonated with us."

 

Business Benchmark Group didn't promise a quick fix.

Instead, they introduced a framework for building a business that could continue to grow without relying solely on instinct.

The early focus was simple but powerful: documenting processes, understanding financial performance, clarifying roles and responsibilities, and introducing accountability into the business.

One message has stayed with Debbie ever since.

"If it's not written down, it's not real."

 

"It sounds simple," she says, "but that one idea changed the way we approached almost everything."

Building a Business, Not Just Running One

Looking back, Debbie doesn't remember one defining breakthrough.

Instead, she describes the experience as a series of small shifts that gradually changed the way they thought about the business.

"There were lots of lightbulb moments," she says.

"But it wasn't one big bang. It was more like someone kept flicking the lights on so we could actually see."

As the business matured, so did the conversations.

Instead of simply solving today's problems, they began thinking about the business's future.

Organisational structure.

Leadership.

Financial visibility.

Succession planning.

One conversation particularly changed their perspective.

"I remember Damien saying, 'You've got a big business now. You need to start treating it like a sizeable business instead of a backyard operation.'"

That comment prompted them to stop seeing themselves as owners of a small family business and start leading a growing organisation.

As their business evolved, so too did the support they received. Moving into one-on-one business advisory allowed Debbie and Neil to focus on the unique challenges facing Cowanna Almond Harvesting as it continued to grow.

"Having someone independent looking into the business was incredibly valuable," Debbie says.

"Sometimes we were too close to the situation. We'd be caught up in the emotion, and then someone would ask one simple question that completely changed the way we looked at it."

 

It wasn't about making decisions for them.

It was about giving them the confidence to make better decisions themselves.

The Results

Today, Cowanna Almond Harvesting looks very different to the business Debbie and Neil started.

The team has grown from around 10 people to more than 30.

The business now operates from two locations and is investigating a third.

Processes are documented.

Roles are clearly defined.

Performance is measured.

Decisions are made with greater confidence.

Perhaps the biggest transformation, however, has been in the way Debbie and Neil lead.

Debbie says she spent years undervaluing the role she played in the business.

"I always undervalued my contribution."

"Business Benchmark Group encouraged me to step into leadership and recognise the value I brought."

 

For Neil, the biggest lesson was learning to let go.

"As the business gets bigger, you have to trust people."

"If you've built the right culture and people understand your values, they'll make good decisions."

 

That mindset is now helping guide the next phase of the business as they focus on succession planning and preparing future leaders.

Advice to Other Business Owners

Debbie believes one of the biggest mistakes business owners make is investing in everyone except themselves.

"If we've got accounting problems, we go to an accountant."

"If we've got financial problems, we go to the bank."

"So why wouldn't you get someone to help you become a better business owner?"

Neil agrees.

"Business is always changing."

"What you know today won't necessarily be what you need to know tomorrow."