Look, it’s no secret that the construction industry is traditionally male dominated. While there’s been strides of change, a reduction of the gender pay gap from 16% to 7% (as per latest figures), there’s still a way to go. This International Women’s Day serves as a powerful reminder of the strides we’ve made towards gender equality and the work that still lies ahead. In the construction industry, historically dominated by men, the journey towards inclusivity and diversity is tough. At EstimateOne, we’re committed to not just discussing inclusion, but actively embodying it, as highlighted by Zaiga Finnis, our Chief Customer and Commercial Officer:
“In my journey navigating the construction industry from interior designer to my current role at E1, I’ve seen first-hand the importance of supportive workplace communities that empower women. Building networks, seeking mentors and career sponsors, and staying updated on industry activities are crucial for career progression.
It’s vital to offer professional development, mentoring, and opportunities to foster inclusivity for all. With 50% of our senior leadership team and executives being women, we’re not just talking about inclusion, we’re living it.”
Zaiga’s experience stresses the importance of creating environments where women can thrive. At EstimateOne, we understand that empowering women goes beyond hiring; it’s about nurturing their growth, ensuring they have access to the same opportunities as their male counterparts, and recognising their contributions to our industry’s innovation and success.
Let’s use this International Women’s Day to celebrate the achievements of women in construction while acknowledging the road ahead. Together, we can challenge stereotypes, fight bias, and broaden perceptions. Join us in building a construction industry where everyone, regardless of gender, can construct a successful and fulfilling career.
Team member in focus: Siel Bayliss
This week we dive into the life of one of our CSM’s Siel!
Describe your Role at EstimateOne.
I’m a Customer Success Manager – which pretty much describes itself. My main role is to be a strategic and supportive partner for customers at every stage of the buying process. The main focus of my role is building loyalty to create long-term relationships. I do this through walking customers through our product and by being their main port of call if they have any issues, as well as looking for opportunities where we might be able to serve them better. Another key aspect of my role is to advocate for customers within the business to ensure that any key pain points and issues are being addressed.
How do you create value for E1’s customers?
I proactively look for opportunities to improve the customer experience, along with collaborating with other internal partners to get enhancements over the line. I approach all my relationships – both internally and externally – with empathy and curiosity as I believe this approach is key when resolving issues, developing long-term relationships, and ensuring users receive maximum value from our product.
How long have you been with us?
1.5 years, give or take.
Where were you previously?
Events & Recruitment at Defence Force Recruiting. Prior to that, I primarily worked in the Hotel Industry.
What attracted you to E1?
I wanted to work for a company that prioritised work/life balance and empowered its employees to take ownership of their day to day. I also wanted to be in an environment that would value and foster my previous customer service experience, irrespective of whether I had any previous experience in the construction industry.
What are 3 things that you love about working at EstimateOne and why?
- Hybrid work environment – E1 encourages you to work wherever you feel you’re the most productive
- A generous professional development budget – I’m currently completing a UX/UI course to help further my career
- Great colleagues who are awesome at what they do
Why should a candidate consider joining our team?
E1 encourages you to invest in yourself and your career – if you’re someone who’s excited to learn and want to grow your career then E1 is the place to do it.
Team member in focus: Djay Dak
This week we’re stoked to bring you insights from one of our favourite designers at EstimateOne – Djay!
Describe your Role at EstimateOne.
I am the Senior Product Designer in the Subbie team. As a designer, it is essential for me to keep users at the centre of everything and understand their pain points to design better products. I make sure that every design decision made is enhancing our users’ experience.
How do you create value for E1’s customers?
I talk to our customers regularly to get their feedback, which leads to progressive design decisions. Eventually, this helps our customers to increase their productivity & get more return on their investment.
How long have you been with us?
8 Months
Where were you previously?
I worked at a child care management software company as a UI/UX designer
What attracted you to E1?
I love to design and build my own space and usually spend most of my time after ours on home renovations. I am curious about the construction industry, which initially motivated me to apply at E1. As the application went forward, I realised there is much more to this organisation. The values of E1 are extraordinary, which motivated me to put my best foot forward, and this opportunity became my priority.
What are 3 things that you love about working at EstimateOne and why?
- Feedback culture : I appreciate the way this company motivates everyone to provide honest & genuine feedback. My craft is getting better day by day with this feedback culture.
- Work life balance : E1 genuinely wants me to prioritize myself and my family when needed. I am grateful for that.
- Talent : The people around me are the most talented in the industry and I keep learning at every step.
Why should a candidate consider joining our team?
Adding to the three reasons I mentioned before, the company believes that the progress of an individual leads to the overall progress of the company. There is a ‘Personal Development Budget’, which you can use to build your skills.
If this doesn’t convince you, then let me tell you that there is a separate fridge full of drinks in the office, especially for Fridays!
In our last team activity, we literally made pasta from scratch at the office with a professional chef!! I am not kidding. Just check out our LinkedIn.
Press release: May 25 2022
EstimateOne is once again proud to announce its recognition as one of the greatest places to work – this time by gaining ‘Great Place to Work’ certification.
The news comes as EstimateOne continues their good form in 2022 already taking home the prize as almost the best place to work from the AFR and securing $35 million through a capital raise.
“To gain Great Place to Work certification is recognition of the time and effort that each member of our team has invested in creating a great culture at EstimateOne. I couldn’t be more proud that 100% of respondents agree that EstimateOne is a great place to work.” said CEO Chris Dobbyn
“We aim to provide our team members with a career defining experience, and we recognise that each individual comes to EstimateOne with their own unique skills and experience and their own unique career goals and growth expectations.”
There was a survey response rate of over 85% – with all respondents (aka 100%!) saying that EstimateOne is a “great place to work”.
Amongst the answers, EstimateOne scored 100% on whether people are treated fairly regardless of gender and a 96% engagement rate – that being how tuned in and autonomous people feel within their work.
Scores like this aren’t surprising to those who work for EstimateOne, with employees enjoying 5 days of entrepreneurial leave a year, a $5k development budget and tailored growth frameworks for their career paths.
“Our ‘one size does not fit all’ approach enables us to tailor programs and deliver meaningful benefits which engage and delight. From our defined growth frameworks and salary tables to support and guide each individual’s growth and development, our $5000 annual professional development budget that allows each person to determine their own development activities or the 5 days of entrepreneur leave which offers paid leave to team members in order for them to bring a passion project or side hustle, even a future business idea to life.” said EstimateOne Chief People and Culture Officer, Marcus Waterreus.
“It is exciting to see EstimateOne emerging as a real challenger to some of the larger local tech employers when it comes to attracting top talent, The Great Place to Work Certification is one more in a growing list of reasons why candidates should consider us as their next career step.”
The timing of the acknowledgement couldn’t have come at a better time as EstimateOne is going through a hiring blitz!
With 9 roles currently open, and many more on the way, there’s never been a better time to join EstimateOne.
As part of the hiring blitz, EstimateOne is also offering a $3k referral bonus to anyone (whether you work for EstimateOne or not) who can help us find our next superstar.
While stoked to be acknowledged as a great place to work, EstimateOne knows it’s the people that drive the culture and are blessed to have a series of incredible individuals who have gotten the business to where it is today.
Team member in focus: Sophie Hack
Hello, my name is Sophie – I am an Associate Product Manager in the Builder audience team. My team is dedicated to supporting Builders (also known as Head Contractors) through digitalising workflows within commercial construction. Specifically, we support Estimating teams efficiently ‘tender’ construction projects and more recently enabling Contracts teams through smarter procurement once the project has been secured.
My team is made up of engineering, design, and product capability. We set out to understand our customers; their ways of working, and the challenges they face.
We create value by uncovering opportunities and delivering solutions that will make a real impact in the construction industry.
How long have you been with us?
5 years in June!
Where were you previously? & What attracted you to E1?
I previously worked in the Estimating team at Kane Constructions, Brisbane where I plugged away in EstimateOne’s Platform all day, every day.
Although I loved working in construction, I felt like it was the right time to shift gears into the tech space. . I had heard about EstimateOne’s startup success in Melbourne and was particularly impressed by the story behind the venture. Our founders, Mike & Ritchie, were intimately exposed to the inefficiencies within a historically slow-moving construction industry which inspired them to create products that Estimators didn’t even know they needed. We will often speak with customers who can recall life before EstimateOne; when doc control was ineffective and a real headache for everyone involved. Over a decade later, we have a strong presence in the Australian market and are currently expanding our products on offer and regions that we support (yep, we’re expanding globally!).
What are 3 things that you love about working at EstimateOne and why?
Growth opportunities;
There’s plenty opportunity for growth at EstimateOne. I have been lucky enough to build upon my expertise in customer success and expand into the exciting world of product management throughout my time in the company. Professional development is not only supported but encouraged through a generous PD budget and additional leave (Entrepreneurial Leave).I have sought out growth opportunities by taking on courses, attending conferences and filling up my library with stacks of learning resources. Role progression remains in focus through regular review of Growth Frameworks and ongoing support from leaders.
Surrounded and supported by legends;
We have so many exceptionally talented people here at EstimateOne and we’re bringing in more by the day. While everyone is super busy, I often find that the teammates are always generous with their time and don’t hesitate to lend their expertise. Through team collaboration and mentorship, I feel that I am constantly learning from people in the business as well as consultants that we bring into the fold.
We walk the walk; We stand by our company values. I will often hear my teammates play the ‘value’ card in day-to-day interactions; “Cranes before Code” is regularly called upon to ensure that we are building products with the customer in mind. We will often challenge ideas or deliver feedback in the spirit of “Forthright and Frank” to ensure that conversations are constructive and that we are working toward a common goal. These particular values have stood the test of our company’s scale-up which can be attributed to our team living the values.
A healthy work-life balance actually happens at EstimateOne.
We all know that work-life balance stems from a company’s culture.
At EstimateOne, everyone is hard-working and ambitious as well as fun-loving and we value our downtime. Flexible work means that many team members can get their work done on terms that work for them.
Why should a candidate consider joining our team?
(Maybe more than ever) It’s an exciting time to work at EstimateOne. We are a fast-growing team with a strong mission and impactful, far-reaching goals.
Late last year, we secured funding through partnering with investor, Potentia.
Our recent capital raise has enabled us to expand our capability so that we can deliver upon our long-term strategy.
You should really consider joining the team…for the team.
I have seen the EstimateOne’s team triple in size over the last few years…while we have seen a lot of change in that time, the warm and welcoming team culture has been an unwavering constant. Others will agree in saying that EstimateOne is a pretty special place to work..in fact, EstimateOne just ranked within the top three of Australian Financial Review’s 2022 Best Places to Work in the Technology sector!
This award recognises companies that are pioneering new ways of working and pushing the boundaries of when it comes to workplace practices. I believe we are making waves in this space and there’s plenty more to come.
Press release: EstimateOne announced by AFR as not THE best place to work, but ‘pretty damn good’ at #3.
EstimateOne is proud to announce that we were recognised today as a pretty good place to work. We didn’t come first (congratulations to category winner InDebted), but we are super happy (think the Australian Basketball team winning bronze in Tokyo type vibes), and celebrated our near win with drinks, egg & bacon rolls, pastries and fruit skewers in the office today.
We knew it was all over as soon as the awards started. As each category was announced, the winner’s ‘video acceptance’ was played. We looked at each other and questioned – , “were we asked to create a video?” Turns out – no, we weren’t. But we stayed for the long haul, pondering as we went – maybe 3rd or 5th is better than 2nd? At least then we didn’t just miss out?
Our wish was then granted #3 in the Technology sector (ahead of CultureAmp and Seek, thank-you very much). Woo-Hoo!
We like to celebrate the wins and the losses – Failure is only failure in the eye of the beholder, because it’s what you learn along the way that counts. There were no flipping tables, just a lot of screaming at the screen hearing about workplaces that enable their employees to work flexibly, where leaders have a focus on culture and values – ‘but we do that too!!’.
It leads you to wonder, what really makes companies exceptionally great, and what are the ingredients for a distinctive employee experience? Is it a self-help portal for employee benefits? Values like ‘innovative’, ‘customer-led’ and ‘integrity’? A four-day week? Perhaps ‘Thank-you’ leave or COVID Sleep-in vouchers?
As a leader at EstimateOne, I know that creating a truly great place to work is so much more than that. I don’t doubt the process of The AFR to find the winners (well, maybe just a little bit), but it must be so hard to evaluate a winner based on a written application when culture and the experience of a workplace is lived. Like the difference between being told what a roller-coaster’s like versus actually experiencing the ride yourself.
We recognise that we are biased – our own sense of being a great place to work is no doubt highly inflated, but… we also felt the need to acknowledge that number 3 is pretty damn good. We are really proud of our team, who ultimately are the most influential part of our workplace culture. Even though we didn’t get to make a winning acceptance video (this year), there’s some things we’d like you to know about what it’s like to work at the #3 Best place to work in the Tech sector.
Cue the music, it goes like this:
‘“We are so excited and pleased to accept the award for third best workplace in the Tech industry. EstimateOne is not a start-up, we are a scale-up, but over our 14 year journey we have worked hard to retain our start-up principles and values that have persist over time so that they are truly embedded in the business (*there is not a sign or poster that mentions a value anywhere, yet you will hear them referenced everyday). Through the hiring process we talk about the culture, our values and the benefits of working here, but the culture is deeper than words and benefits. There is a legitimate care for our customers and team that creates a unique sense of belonging and purpose for people working here.
We aim to enable people so that they can make an impact – that’s ultimately what makes a career-defining place to work, your ability to make and create impact. For your customers, the industry, your team, and the individual.
We are on a high-growth trajectory, and as such, we are looking for great people to join the business. Why EstimateOne? Well, we were awarded as the #3 best place to work in the Tech Sector….. Need I say more? Yes, in this talent environment, yes.
Join EstimateOne to work with good, smart people. There’s is a no d**k-head policy that makes coming to work each day a pleasant and fulfilling experience. We are market leaders in our category, our founders are awesome, and we recently raised $30m in our first ever capital raise. Our team has grown, and is growing from 75-150, to enable us to scale locally and internationally. We give our team members flexibility, but we also understand that personal growth and development might not look the same for everyone, so we give people a $5,000 annual development budget, and 5 days ‘entrepreneurial leave’ to pursue interests that give you the chance to spend time learning or doing what you choose to spend your time on! In addition to that, we offer flexibility, we are reasonable, and human, so we have empathy and are adaptable to consider life outside of work (in a way that actually can’t be written in a policy).
We would like to thank the AFR, for acknowledging the workplace we have created, but most of all, to the team at EstimateOne – thank you and congratulations”.
(Video ends, rounds of applause).
Oh, and one of our values is ‘forthright and frank’ – we like to say it as it is. You can probably tell.
Employee in focus: Emma!
At EstimateOne, we are a diverse group of people. Together, we share a common goal, to revolutionise the construction space, with the ultimate goal of enabling Builders, Subbies & Suppliers to connect, make better decisions, and have their lives made easier.
We’re proud to introduce you to some of the amazing individuals who have chosen EstimateOne as their next career opportunity and for you to learn more about them and how they contribute to our goal.
Meet Emma…
Here’s a little from Emma herself!
— — —
Hi, I’m Emma and I’m a Senior Product Manager within our Supplier audience team. Suppliers being those organisations that provide goods and materials to be used in completing the construction of a building.
In my role I work closely with the General Manager for Supplier to determine our audience and product strategy, and build out our roadmap and OKRs to achieve this in collaboration with the broader cross-functional Supplier team. I also work really closely with our Engineering Manager and Product Designer to identify the key customer problems we need to solve and how we should best solve these. The value I add for our customers comes from putting ‘cranes before code’, and understanding the needs of our customers and the key problems they’re trying to solve at different levels in their organisation, and how myself and the Supplier team can best solve these.
I joined the EstimateOne team in November 2021, so I’ve been here 4 months so far, but feel a solid part of the team already, very much due to the warm welcome and openness of the team to share their wealth of knowledge about the construction industry with me.
I’ve worked in various product management roles over the last 10 years, my most recent role was as Lead Product Manager at Culture Amp, before that I worked at InspectRealestate and the Alannah and Madeline Foundation, and I started my product career at realestate.com.au where I spent 6 amazing years learning from some of the best in the business.
Why did you choose EstimateOne?
I wasn’t actually looking for a new role at the time, but I had the opportunity to read Nuts and Bolts and I was hooked! Seeing the inspiring vision, clarity of strategy, and values that resonated strongly with me, I HAD to find out more about the organisation and role. I had an amazing recruitment experience, the recruiter was so friendly and responsive in letting me know what was happening, and the leaders that I had my interviews with all gave me positive and constructive feedback at the end of the chat, which I’ve never experienced in any other interview, and found very valuable. An early reflection of the open and transparent feedback culture at E1 that is not just talked about, but actually happens!
The top 3 things I love about working here are:
The Culture – I know it’s cliche but the culture at E1 is really amazing! A group of down to earth, super friendly people, but all very ambitious and passionate about making a difference for our customers, business and the construction industry as a whole. The level of collaboration across functions to make this happen is something I haven’t experienced in previous roles. It makes coming to work everyday a delight!
Leadership – for a small organisation we pack a significant punch with our SLT and Executive team, with their knowledge and expertise from other tech companies and direct construction industry experience. It’s great to have these people to lean on and learn from.
Opportunity – I feel that there is so much opportunity for us in the industry and the value that we can deliver to our customers, we’re only just scratching the surface! It’s really exciting to improve existing features and drive acquisition and retention, but also to experiment and learn with how we can use our wealth of data to assist customers with their strategic and business planning.
My advice to something considering EstimateOne for their next job:
I can’t recommend EstimateOne enough – the amazing culture, the strength of our team and leaders that you can learn and grow with, the values that are lived and breathed every day, the opportunity to have an impact in connecting and delivering value to all involved in the construction industry!
EstimateOne secures $35 million in first capital raising
EstimateOne Secures $35 million from Potentia Capital and Aconex co-founder Leigh Jasper in first capital raising
Melbourne, Australia – 27 January 2022: EstimateOne, Australia’s largest digital procurement platform for commercial construction, has today announced the completion of its first capital raise with a $35 million investment from Potentia Capital and Saniel Ventures. The deal includes $20 million of primary capital and a $15 million secondary investment.
Potentia Capital is a specialist private equity investor focussed on technology and tech-enabled businesses and is helmed by Co-Managing Director’s Tim Reed (President of the Business Council of Australia, and former CEO of MYOB), and Andy Gray (former Managing Director of Archer Capital). Saniel Ventures is a private investment group supporting high growth technology companies, backed by Leigh Jasper, co-founder of Aconex.
The market-leading EstimateOne platform connects commercial builders with subcontractors to deliver seamless, technology-enabled tendering and procurement, reducing cost and risk for the construction industry.
The investment will enable EstimateOne to scale up its product expansion strategy, building on pre-construction tendering into a suite of connected procurement workflows. It will also accelerate EstimateOne’s entry into new markets across Southeast Asia and North America, adding to its current footprint in the UK, Ireland and New Zealand.
EstimateOne was founded in 2008 in Melbourne by Andrew Ritchie and Michael Ashcroft, who set out to digitise commercial construction tendering. They continue to be major shareholders and will remain closely involved in the business as directors.
“Being ‘bootstrapped’ and profitable to date has allowed us to grow our business on our own terms,” Mr Ashcroft said. “As the construction industry is now at a turning point, driven by supply chain issues and labour shortages we recognise more than ever the value our platform offers, and that the business is ready to seek investment to deliver significant scale and growth.
“Procurement problems are very expensive for the industry and process execution and decision-making has not been well supported by technology. We want to change that. Construction technology is at a stage of rapid adoption and we have the insights, data, technology and a growing high-quality team ready to solve many of the problems that the industry faces. We are committed to delivering value through our connected network, helping customers make better decisions, and reducing costs and risks carried by builders, subcontractors and suppliers.”
“In Potentia and Saniel Ventures we’ve found capital partners that are aligned with our vision and are just as excited about the opportunity in construction technology as we are. They have already demonstrated immense value above and beyond just providing capital.”
Michael McNamara, Partner at Potentia Capital, said: “We are delighted to support EstimateOne in its next phase of growth. We’ve been highly impressed by EstimateOne’s founders and management team, the exceptional workplace culture and calibre of talent, the care and thought that has been given to the company’s vision and values, and its strong market position with a deeply engaged network of more than 50,000 builders, subcontractors and suppliers across Australia. We believe the construction sector is on the cusp of significant tech-led innovation, and look forward to supporting EstimateOne grow its leadership position in Australia and offshore.”
Leigh Jasper, formerly CEO of the construction management platform Aconex, who has partnered with Potentia on the deal, said: “EstimateOne streamlines the commercial construction supply chain by connecting contractors and their subbies to deliver better procurement outcomes. The company has strong technology and wide market penetration, providing the leading platform to deliver additional procurement tools and data services to benefit the industry as a whole.”
In early 2021, EstimateOne bolstered its executive team with the appointment of CEO Chris Dobbyn, who led the capital raise process.
Potentia’s Tim Reed and Michael McNamara will join the EstimateOne Board as Directors.
EstimateOne was supported by Adam Shapiro of UTA CFO Advisory and DLA Piper. Johnson, Winter & Slattery, EY and LEK advised Potentia Capital and Saniel Ventures.
Enquiries:
Amy Solomon
Cato & Clive
amy@catoandclive.com
+61 403 339 038
Natalie Feehan
EstimateOne
Chief Customer & Commercial Officer
natalie.feehan@estimateone.com
+61 413 443 355
Benefits of open engagement surveys
Every fortnight I’ll be highlighting areas from EstimateOne‘s Employee Handbook “The Nuts and Bolts”(https://lnkd.in/gA4efBg). This fortnight I wanted to share with you our focus on a unique element of our engagement survey.
Most companies these days run an engagement survey and EstimateOne is no different. We run a whole team engagement survey twice a year and team Health Checks every Cycle (7 weeks). Our most recent survey in June resulted in an overall engagement score of 85% which we were very proud of after a challenging year.
The unique bit is that we offer the whole team the opportunity to put their name to their scores and comments (and over the past 3 surveys 96% have). The reason we offer (and encourage) openness, is that it gives us vital information that allows leaders and the P&C team to have important conversations with anyone who isn’t as engaged as they’d like to be at work. This allows targeted solutions to be created and a far more supportive and ‘Forthright and Frank’ (one of our values) culture to be created.
Supporting team welfare
Every fortnight I’ll be highlighting areas from EstimateOne‘s Employee Handbook “The Nuts and Bolts”(https://lnkd.in/gA4efBg). This fortnight I wanted to share with you our focus on supporting the welfare of others.
As a Sick-torian (Victorian) based company it feels timely to talk about our expectation of EstimateOne team members, to care for each other!
Our evaluation process is a behavioural assessment against 12 expectations that are deeply linked to our values.
One of them is “We support the welfare of others”. Having this type of expectation of all team members who join EstimateOne is incredibly important to us. It means that if you see someone struggling you are obligated to help them or if you don’t feel like you are equipped to help them you need to alert the situation to someone who you think can.
In many organisations, this might not be seen as the responsibility of teammates or leaders, but at EstimateOne we believe that individuals caring for each other plays a huge part in people’s happiness at work. It leads to better relationships with their teammates, higher engagement in the work they do and ultimately, better performance. It’s also just the right thing to do as a human which might be the most important bit.