When Two Worlds Collide: The Rise of Inspec
My trip from tradie to writer and becoming the founder of Inspec Marketing.
“Inspec listens to industrials with an experienced ear, translating complex technical data into ideas, stories, and strategies to engage and drive growth.”
– Jim Robertson
My Journey to Now
I’ve always been captivated by building and running my own business.
I craved the freedom to bring my ideas to life without a hierarchy in the way.
But with a working life defined by two distinct halves and separated like oil and water (or so it seemed), my path forward as an entrepreneur was murky.
Little did I know that fusing these two elements would lead to a breakthrough.
And, like an atomic reaction, my role as the founder of Inspec Marketing was born.
While cooking up a career that combines blue and white-collar ingredients might sound like a recipe for disaster, here we are.
Inspec is the culmination of my experience in the industrial marketing space after putting down the tools and becoming a solopreneur.
With a small and talented team, we now provide tailored marketing solutions to businesses and individuals across the industrial spectrum.
Our hands-on experience provides the understanding and confidence our partners seek while we blend creativity, know-how, and modern techniques into marketing that works.
Inspec listens to industrial teams with a genuine, experienced ear, translating complex technical data into ideas, stories, and strategies that engage and drive business growth.
This is why Inspec exists.
The industrial world has a wealth of knowledge, skill, and passion; it’s time for more of it to make an impact.
"At Inspec, we are committed to building a brighter industrial world for tomorrow".
Jumping from the tools to the laptop, one of my better moves …
⚙ What’s got you interested in Inspec?
Building a marketing asset like a website, social channel or branded resource?
Need to know more about strategic marketing and what’s possible?
Looking for a marketing partner to deliver on your business goals and provide ROI?
Got a question?
From Humble Beginnings…
Starting an apprenticeship at the age of 15 was definitely an eye-opener.
Maybe the definition of ‘chucked in the deep end’, my brain was stretched in ways I’d never thought possible.
It was hard, but I adapted, growing in skill and confidence as the weeks and months passed.
Looking back now, I’m damn proud of that keen kid who would pedal his bike to a humble tin shed, even on the coldest Victorian mornings.
With each new day, as the temperature rose, so did my outlook and a powerful sense of accomplishment.
It’s a feeling that’s hard to explain unless you’ve worked an entirely hands-on job.
It’s about having a tangible product to show for your labour at the end of the day.
And nothing I’ve experienced outside that world has ever matched it.
When the small engine reconditioning shop eventually shut its doors, my path wound through a V8 Supercar team in Melbourne, my dream gig at the time and where I became qualified.
After hearing about the mining boom and big opportunities, I packed my bags, jumped on a plane, and touched down in Perth with nothing but a backpack and a few quickly disappearing dollars.
As you can imagine, living with a bunch of mates during boom-time in the West led to many memorable experiences, some for the wrong reasons.
But I was young, the world was new and exciting, and my work took me to various mines, resource sites, and remote industrial outposts across the state.
I loved life and lived it to the fullest. I couldn’t have asked for more.
WA felt strangely exotic and yet familiar at the same time. And while not the home I was born into, It’s the home I’ve chosen.
The one where I met my wife and life partner of 20 years and where we eventually settled down to raise our kids.
The digital world holds incredible marketing opportunities for those at the industrial forefront.
Seeking a Desert-Change
After a while, always on the hunt for a new challenge, I began seriously considering the world of professional work and taking a break from the only career I’d ever had.
Journalism was the closest thing to an ‘area of interest’ that I could come up with at the time, and after being a real bookworm as a kid.
I could also put pen to paper in a way that people responded to.
It even allowed me to earn a quid copywriting for local businesses.
The fire was in my belly, though, and I wanted to experience working in a busy office or newsroom, where my skills in the written word might translate.
I got my chance at the Centralian Advocate, a local rag in Alice Springs that’s part of NewsCorp’s media network.
⚙ Here are some of the areas we can help you:
Website Development
Visual & Strategic Branding
Custom Marketing Strategies
Collateral, Social & Publications
Creative Services & Content
A Journey to the Heart
I love Alice Springs. It's part of me now, and that will never change.
But it also exists on a different plane from the rest of Australia. Within the same week, I heard it referred to as our spiritual heart and the nation’s dirty little secret.
Both are true.
The Advocate allowed me to see the town through a lens of what was happening now and the issues on people’s lips.
Quite the welcome, indeed.
With so much happening in such a small, isolated, yet diverse town, it is truly a unique place.
Living, working and volunteering with Indigenous kids in Alice was a real privilege and provided me with some of the most profound and sometimes confronting learning experiences of my life.
Later, I worked as a case manager with Territory Families, writing court reports to find workable alternatives to detention for young people who had fallen foul of the law.
In a few years, I’d found a way to utilise a second set of skills to provide a net benefit to people, arguably.
From there, it was time to combine practical and professional career paths into something new. I took my first steps in business as an Industrial copywriter.
After five long, hot summers in Central Australia and with a growing family, we returned home to the shores of Western Australia.
We aim to create a better world for tomorrow’s generation by enabling brighter, more prosperous industries today.
Where Practicality and Creativity Combine
Back in WA, we hunkered down as a family during COVID-19, and I learned how to run a business remotely, land clients, and deliver meaningful services.
While copywriting was my skill, I kept an eye on the bigger picture and the marketing landscape.
To me, marketing strategy is where the money gets made. I expanded the business from individual services to a dedicated marketing agency.
And Inspec was born.
“The Inspec idea was a winner from the get-go. Industrials crave deeper understanding and marketing dedicated to their world.”
Now, more than five years in, we’ve had the pleasure of working alongside many industrial clients who have experienced the difference and become champions of our work.
From creative services like copywriting, graphic design and website development to comprehensive marketing strategies, we design everything to underpin brand performance and provide measurable results.
Today, our business is the culmination of practical shop-floor experience and a passion for creativity, refined through a marketing lens.
We’re here for Industrials and wouldn't have it any other way.
Future Positive – Enabling a Brighter Industrial World
We believe a brighter industrial world inevitably means a better future for everyone.
While trying to predict the future is fraught with danger, we can be sure of this:
To get where we're going, the thinkers, tinkers, designers, engineers and makers must be front and centre.
We may not end up exactly where we anticipated, but with practical, capable people involved, we can execute, measure and adjust to find the path and complete the journey.
Here’s to your success today and to the world we build for the next generation.
Go well! Jim.
Whether you’re building, blasting, measuring, making, consulting or crafting, we can help your business thrive.
