FROM CORPORATE EXPERT TO ACCIDENTAL FOUNDER
Gilbert Services Group didn’t begin with a business plan. Tanya had built a successful career in workplace health, safety and environment across high-risk industries, including mining. She loved the work, but the rigidity of corporate life made it increasingly difficult to balance with starting a family.
“Working in a large company and balancing a family at the same time just didn’t have the flexibility.”
When Tanya stepped away to focus on her family, former colleagues and industry contacts began reaching out for help. What started as a few hours a day, fitting work around naps and family life, quickly grew through word of mouth.
“It really just started as a hobby.”
GROWING WITHOUT A BUSINESS PLAYBOOK
As demand increased, Tanya found herself running a business without ever intending to start one. While the technical work came naturally, the commercial side did not.
“I knew how to do the work, but I had no idea how to run a business.”
Pricing, cashflow, contracts, employment structures - Tanya was learning everything in real time, often relying on internet research and trial and error. The business was growing, but without benchmarks, it was difficult to know what “good” even looked like.
THE MOMENT EVERYTHING CHANGED
The real turning point came when Tanya hired full-time employees.
“People’s livelihoods depended on this business working.”
What had once been just Tanya’s responsibility was now something much bigger. At the same time, Gilbert Services Group began winning larger, more complex clients, including organisations that didn’t know Tanya personally.
That shift made one thing clear: the business needed to be run properly, with systems, consistency and structure.
FINDING CLARITY, STRUCTURE AND SUPPORT
After years of trying to piece together advice from free programs, networking events and online seminars, Tanya discovered The Entourage, and finally found everything she’d been searching for in one place.
“They were speaking the language I’d been hunting for everywhere else.”
Joining The Entourage’s Elevate Program gave Tanya access to business structure, financial clarity and a community of founders who understood the realities of growth. Importantly, it also helped her rebalance life and business.
“I was getting my business right, but not myself.”
A BUSINESS THAT ACTUALLY MAKES MONEY
With clearer systems and stronger financial discipline in place, the business transformed.
Since joining The Entourage:
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Revenue has grown from under $300,000 to $1.5 million
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The business has 5× its revenue
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Profit margins increased from 3% to 30%
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Gilbert Services Group secured its first large, multi-year international contract
“Securing that international contract changed everything for us.”
Competing against global consultancies with thousands of staff, a small Australian team proved they could operate at the highest level... and win.
LEADING WITH INTENTION, NOT EXHAUSTION
Perhaps the most important shift for Tanya wasn’t financial - it was mindset.
“My business was running me. Now I run my business.”
Today, Tanya leads with intention. She chooses clients that align with the company’s values, says no when something doesn’t fit, and focuses energy on what truly moves the business forward - rather than being pulled in every direction.
LOOKING AHEAD
The next chapter for Gilbert Services Group is about sustainable expansion: growing the team, building consistent systems, and intentionally developing marketing and sales capabilities for the first time.
For Tanya, success is no longer just about growth - it’s about building a consultancy that genuinely cares, delivers meaningful impact, and allows her to live the life she set out to create.
“Running a business intentionally changes everything.”
