Developing a winning culture and unparalleled growth – Evologic

Chris Davies is the co-founder of Evologic, a managed IT service provider that delivers fast, effective and reliable support across Geelong, the Surf Coast and Western Melbourne. The company has had a long history of sustained growth but wanted to accelerate and expand their growth. Chris tried a number of options before implementing the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) into Evologic.

Upon implementing EOS, Chris has got what he wants from his business. He is now facing some very different challenges as his company has developed a winning culture and unparalleled growth.

In this episode, Chris describes the challenges of starting and growing a business. He provides insight into his EOS implementation journey and what the future holds for Evologic.

Transcript

Murray Smith: Chris Davies, founder of Evologic, welcome to Gripping Business Tales.

Chris: Thanks for having me, Murray.

Murray: And Dan Williams, your EOS Implementer — welcome.

Dan: Thank you, Murray.

Murray: Chris, we always start with the same two questions. Can you tell us one personal success and one professional success you’ve had recently?

Chris: Personally, as we just discussed, I’ve dropped a few kilos that had been hanging around for a few years — so that’s a win! Professionally, I came out of our recent leadership team town hall on Monday and really noticed the maturity we’ve built over the last couple of years. That was a big moment for me.

Murray: Fantastic. Tell us more about Evologic.

Chris: Evologic is an IT managed services provider headquartered in Geelong. We’ve got a team of 25 and we focus on helping businesses scale through connection — to data, to information, to people. We want their tech to help them push the boundaries of what’s possible.

Murray: If someone’s listening and wants to reach out, how do they get in touch?

Chris: 1300 887 878 or visit evologic.com.au

Murray: You’ve been around for a while?

Chris: Seventeen and a half years. I co-founded the business with a former partner and we’ve had steady growth over time.

Murray: That’s a great achievement, especially when most businesses don’t make it past three years. Now, take us back to before EOS. What were the major challenges you were facing?

Chris: So many. Small business is stressful at the best of times. When we grew past 15 staff, I realised I couldn’t maintain one-to-one relationships with everyone — management by personality just doesn’t scale. Being a tech company, we love systems and processes, and EOS gave us the structure we were desperate for.

Murray: Sounds like a common story — technician turns business owner. Is that how it started?

Chris: Exactly. It was just the two of us in the beginning. I leaned into the management and sales side, but I started as a technician. As we grew, having that one-to-one management style stopped working. Even if people are only 1% misaligned, you end up completely off-course. EOS helped us bring clarity to our direction.

Murray: How much time were you spending working on the business versus in it?

Chris: For almost a decade, I dabbled in various strategies, one-page plans, you name it. But being time-poor, implementation always fell away. The strategy is the easy part — execution is the challenge.

Murray: How did you come across EOS?

Chris: I read Traction — it showed up in a list of recommended books. I listened to it on Audible and thought, “This is it.” I was part of a peer group at the time, and when I met Dan through a mate, he mentioned he was becoming an implementer. I said, “Well, I want to become a client.”

Murray: Tell us about that first day of implementation with Dan — the Focus Day.

Chris: I’m a pretty cynical person, and we’d done vision-building exercises before, so I was sceptical. But EOS had a structured process for teasing out the right information. It’s not just navel-gazing — it’s systematic. That helped a lot, especially in our industry where people often lack soft skills. Over the first 12 months, trust grew, we went through some right-person-right-seat moments, and we ended up with an amazing leadership team.

Murray: What kinds of challenges are you facing now that EOS is implemented?

Chris: The big one is clarity. Everyone used to have their own interpretation of our direction. Now there’s crystal clarity on roles, responsibilities, and outcomes. We’ve gone through some painful but necessary transitions to ensure we have the right people in the business.

Murray: Can you tell us more about that painful period?

Chris: We’ve always had long-term staff and a great environment, but not all change is welcomed. Some people just weren’t the right fit anymore. Those conversations were tough but necessary. The people we had were great — they just weren’t right for where we’re going.

Murray: Did the EOS People Analyzer help?

Chris: It was probably the most powerful tool we implemented. Reviewing people quarterly based on values and whether they “get it, want it, and have the capacity” changed the game. It made difficult conversations more factual and less subjective.

Dan: We establish core values and set a bar. Then, every 90 days, we assess each team member based on whether they exhibit those values most of the time. It feels clunky at first, but becomes powerful — especially when the leadership team models the behaviour. Evologic is now in a place where quarterly sessions are smooth and focused. That’s a good indicator of health.

Murray: Chris, you mentioned it’s been your best year yet. How much of that do you credit to EOS?

Chris: A lot of it. Everyone knows what good looks like now. We’re not doing more with fewer people — we’re doing more with the right people. Slowing down to speed up was key. We created clarity, and now we’re more efficient — even in a service delivery business where that’s tough.

Murray: If listeners take away one piece of advice — besides “use EOS” — what would it be?

Chris: Clarity. Slow down and take stock. We talk about “clarity breaks” in EOS — just getting away with a notepad and clearing your mind. There’s too much noise otherwise.

Murray: You also mentioned Level 10 Meetings — can you explain those?

Chris: They’re weekly, structured meetings for each team. Everyone scores the meeting out of 10 at the end. We aim for 10/10 — meaning everyone got value. Having more meetings actually makes us more efficient, because they’re purposeful and aligned.

Murray: Chris, thanks for sharing your story — and Dan, thanks for joining us. We’ll be watching closely to see what’s next for Evologic. Chris, how can people reach you again?

Chris: evologic.com.au or 1300 887 878.

Murray: That wraps up another episode of Gripping Business Tales. If you’d like to explore EOS further, visit grip6.com.au to book your free 90-minute meeting.