Pipe Tek’s Taddam Farrant spoke with Phil Woodhouse of Sonder Productions about how Pipe Tek began, his tips for building a business, and the importance of surrounding yourself with the right people.
Pipe Tek Chief Operating Officer Taddam Farrant and his business partner Myles Brannelly started Pipe Tek around 10 years ago.
Brannelly had a lot of experience in the industry, with his father starting Australian Tank Calibrators in 1954, and then taking over the business in 1992.
“Myles and I have been friends for 15-16 years,” Farrant said.
“Through our time working together in pipelines…we saw a gap in the market that no one else could fill. We thought we could be those people to fill that gap and bring something new to the industry.”
According to Farrant, there was no “real” business plan written down.
“It was just two mates trying to change the world,” he said.
“We had a conversation around what was missing and what we thought we could bring (to the industry); which was a turnkey solution.
“Rather than going out to different vendors, we wanted to put a company on the market that gave clients a one-stop-shop for integrity and maintenance.”
He also said the company knew they wanted to align with industry leaders such as its global partner, Enduro Pipeline Services.
It begins with sandbags
Before the business came to be what it is today, Farrant started off his career filling sandbags on a pipeline, before moving his way to “throwing skids, stringing, working with the vendors, and welding”.
“I was fortunate enough to get onto a hydrotesting crew. I stayed with that crew for many years, learning skills and working with some fantastic men,” Farrant said.
Farrant said he learnt pigging, cleaning and gauging and how to commission a pipeline.
“After learning these skills, I wanted to go out on my own and implement something different.”
The path to partnering with Enduro
Farrant explained that partnering with Enduro didn’t happen overnight. As an established pipeline integrity product manufacturer with a focus on quality, Enduro is particular about who they partnered with.
“We sent emails with no response, so Myles and I flew there and said we want to take the brand to Australia,” Farrant said.
“We said: ‘We want to promote it. We think it’s the best. They’re great units. They’re fantastic inside the line. They last. And we want to keep Pipe Tek associated with quality, so Enduro was the only fit for us.’
“We’re now the first company to take Enduro around the world.”
Bumps in the road
Farrant admitted it hasn’t all been smooth sailing.
“In the beginning, we thought (success) was going to happen overnight. It didn’t. It’s taken a long time to get to where we are,” he said.
“There’s been some dark days. You think you’ve got it all mapped out, and then something changes on a job, or transport, logistics, men, equipment, implementing new people into your team.”
Farrant said it’s important to adapt, grow and learn from the bad days, and move past them.
“Working with the right people, having the right crew around you, I’ve found that makes the biggest difference,” he said.
Mentor support
Farrant said that he’s lucky to have some great industry mentors, one being his business partner Brannelly.
“Myles is probably one of my biggest mentors. The business doesn’t stand without him and I, we do a great job together. My partner, Rebecca, is also instrumental in what we do,” he said.
“Dwane Laymon, the owner of Enduro, has also done so much for our brand in Australia. He took a chance on us. He started Enduro from his garage 35 years ago – just like we started in our garage. It’s great having his brand-building experience in the background.”
Farrant also appreciates the generosity of people in the pipeline industry for advice.
“It’s great to have other senior people in the industry that I can reach out to for opinions: ‘What do you think? Am I making the right decision? Have I done something wrong?
Can I do something better?’,” he said.
Tips for starting a business
Farrant has four pieces of advice for pipeliners looking to start their own company:
Understand what you’re getting yourself into: “We didn’t start where we are now. It wasn’t easy in the beginning. It was very hard. There’s a lot of effort that goes into building a company.”
Make sure you’ve got the right people around you, with the right morals and mindset: “People that can help you get your dream going, they’re the people you need around.”
Take your time: “Don’t try and build it overnight. If you think you’ve got a brand and a product that holds true to you, build it organically and don’t rush.”
Take chances: “You’ve got to take plenty of them to get to the top. Just make sure that you remember where you come from.”
This interview has been adapted from Sonder Productions’ Meet the Entrepreneur video series. The full video is available to view on the Phil Woodhouse – Sonder Productions’ YouTube channel.
This feature also appears in the July edition of The Australian Pipeliner.