Revenue: $5.15 million
Growth: 59%
Founders: Sky Stephens, 28; Russ Stephens, 58
Head Office: Brisbane, Queensland
Employees: 17
Industry: Professional services
Website: https://associationofprofessionalbuilders.com/
Year Founded: 2014
How it started
Father-daughter duo Russ and Sky Stephens started their business aiming to help construction industry professionals with sales and marketing, but quickly realised many would need more help to be truly profitable.
Now, Association of Professional Builders (APB) provides a range of coaching and training services covering business operations, financials, marketing, sales, self-improvement and more, all designed for residential construction companies.
Growth
Despite a strong record of success with its client base, APB initially struggled to generate referrals or testimonials — both crucial in an industry where reputation is everything.
The Stephens say many businesses were reluctant to tip off competitors about the advantage APB brought, so they worked hard to point out that everyone wins when no one is getting undercut.
As word spread, so did the company, which has grown 59% in the past 12 months to reach revenues of $5.15 million.
Where to next?
After hosting seven successful in-person networking events in 2022, APB is planning on more than doubling that, with 16 already on the calendar for 2023.
As for long-term plans, Sky is set to run the company when Russ exits, and they are already making moves to promote employees, giving Sky the space to step back from day-to-day operations and into a high-level general management role.