Sometimes you look at an industry and think: "This deserves so much better." 🤔

That's what was going through my mind when looking at mining software in 2020. Same clunky systems as 2000. Geos drowning in spreadsheets instead of doing geology. Drilling contractors completely ignored. Customer experience was… well, let’s just say there was room for improvement.

Alex Goulios had built Springtech to solve these problem with a vision to digitise the industry, tackling challenges in mining and exploration.

When I joined I talked to anyone and everyone in #miningandmetals to understand what was really going on. And then it hit me. We HAD to reposition and rebrand the company to CorePlan with a focus on solving for the root cause; the drilling contractors; and thereby saving the geos from excel (bit like ‘save the cheerleader, save the world’ from the show, Heroes)

The product needed to become the heart of what we were building. But honestly, the real challenge wasn’t technical. It was cultural. How do you create modern experiences in an industry that’s been burned by software for decades?

This meant rethinking everything (I got a bit obsessed with the details): from how we talk to customers to how we onboard them, from our brand (👋 Emmanuel!) to the type of people we bring into our company. Making presentations that broke industry convention – memes on presos and investor decks lol – to company parties that became absolute legendary, rave caves and all!. (This proved that serious business impact and genuine fun aren’t mutually exclusive).

The early days were a blur. figuring out GTM across Contractors vs Geos; mid market vs enterprise. Most days felt like controlled chaos, but the good kind. And this a silly line I wrote at the time is now the mission statement “help people in mining, work better together in the modern age”.

But the real story of CorePlan is about the incredible community that embraced the movement; the people.

I’m extremely proud of the teams we assembled; a crew of eager, smart, and quirky individuals who unusually passionate about the business and the industry and said, let’s f’in go!

Together, we built a global business and a movement from teeny tiny Perth thats now used by Tier 1 Mining and Drilling contractors and counteless SMBs, globally. Right now where ever there’s drilling in Australia there’s most likely CorePlan.

But this chapter has an ending. After this incredible journey, I’ve transitioned from my role as Chief Operating Officer. It’s bittersweet, but I’m excited about what comes next.

For now, I’m taking some time to catch up with family and friends, get on the chooks, and figure out what mountain to climb next.

Thank you to Alex for the journey, to our amazing team for your dedication, and to every customer, friend, and supporter who championed this mission.

The #miningindustry is changing, and that momentum isn’t stopping here.

Sachee

Made with ❤️ in WA, a few grey hairs, and endless gratitude.

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