When Jon Gatland took on the General Manager role for Building Services at CMBM Facility Services in Queensland, he had one thing in abundance: work.
CMBM had been operating in Queensland for over 15 years, self-delivering carpentry and building work across commercial fit-outs, refurbishments, school upgrades, and facility maintenance. The team was busy. The revenue looked strong. And Jon was at the centre of it all, managing the jobs, managing the sales, managing everything.
The problem was that none of that busyness was translating into what it should have.
"We had a high revenue," Jon says, "but we just weren't making any profit."
The Challenge
On the surface, CMBM's building division had no shortage of opportunity. The business served a broad client base across South East Queensland, including schools, aged care, hospitality, and commercial sectors. But beneath the activity, the numbers weren't adding up.
Jon and his team were working flat out and burning out. They were chasing every job that came through the door, saying yes to work that looked busy on paper but went nowhere near the bottom line. And Jon himself was stretched across everything, managing operations and sales simultaneously, leaving no room to lift his head and think strategically.
"We were doing a lot of business," he reflects, "but we just weren't seeing any results at the end of the day."
He knew something had to change. He just didn't know exactly what.
The Turning Point
The moment of clarity came at a Master Builders event in Queensland, where Jon first heard Stefan Kazakis speak.
"Everything that you said during the day resonated with us," Jon recalls. "The main thing was we were just doing a lot of business, we had a high revenue, but we just weren't making any profit."
The question Stefan posed that day stuck with him: is your business running on five cylinders, or all cylinders? Jon knew the answer. He signed up with Business Benchmark Group immediately.
"I knew that what we were doing, we couldn't continue doing that forever."
The Solution: Clarity, Processes, and the Right Work
In the first 30 to 90 days with Business Benchmark Group, Jon noticed a shift that surprised him. It wasn't just about learning new things from scratch, though there was plenty of that. It was about having an external perspective for the first time.
"The best thing for me was the fact that we had an external person looking into the business, someone who wasn't involved in the business, didn't know our personalities, anything like that. The feedback that came back about the current systems I was using was good, but it also prompted me to change those systems and implement new things."
The impact on Jon personally was immediate.
"My head became more level. I was a better manager, because I had the processes clarified and was able to show the team exactly what those processes should be and to follow. It calmed me down. And that's what I needed."
The Results
With Business Benchmark Group's guidance, CMBM's building division has delivered consistent, measurable results:
- Financial performance: Double-digit growth since joining BBG, driven by better process implementation and smarter job selection
- Profitability: A complete turnaround from revenue-heavy, profit-light operations to a business with healthy margins and money in the bank
- Leadership: Jon transitioned out of day-to-day operations and sales, freeing him to lead and coach the team more effectively
- Confidence in decisions: Jon now makes calls that would have previously felt too risky, backed by structure, accountability, and support
- Advisor access: Working with BBG advisor Chris Cartwright, Jon has on-demand support through regular meetings and direct access whenever needed
"I can only put the growth down to implementing the correct processes, choosing the right work, and being pushed, or supported, in making decisions that will benefit the business instead of being scared of them."
Advice for Other Business Owners
For anyone sitting on the fence about whether advisory support is worth it, his message is direct.
"The wheel was invented years ago. Business Benchmark Group has shown me that there are certain processes I can utilise. They show me what to do, and then I just need to learn how to use those. It's a very small price to pay for the benefits you're going to get at the end."
And his parting shot, when asked what he'd tell other founders?
"Join Business Benchmark Group. It's changed the way that our business runs. 100%, I know that everybody who has a crack with Business Benchmark Group is going to increase their productivity, revenue, and network as well."
The Bottom Line
Business Benchmark Group helped Jon Gatland make the shift from an overextended operator to a clear-headed, strategic leader, one whose division now grows with structure, selects work with confidence, and performs with consistency.
CMBM's building services arm is no longer just busy. It's profitable, focused, and built to scale.
"It's changed the way our business runs," Jon says simply. And that says it all.
Jon Gatland is the General Manager of Building Services at CMBM Facility Services, a Queensland-based provider of commercial cleaning, asset maintenance, building, and facility management services operating across South East Queensland since 2005.
To learn more about how Business Benchmark Group works with business leaders like Jon, visit businessbenchmarkgroup.com.au