Rodney (Rod) Durbidge Email & Phone Number

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

After owning and operating Bomb Café for almost 10 years - and its successful sale in July 2022 - I withdrew from the workforce for 6 months to study, travel and refocus on my future and overall wellbeingI was successful in progressing through a highly competitive selection process for Round 5 of the Victorian Government’s Digital Jobs Program and recently completed studies in IT Support (Level 1)

Abbotsford, Victoria, Australia

Owned and operated this successful neighborhood café in Abbotsford, MelbourneDeveloped a strong and loyal customer base from a wide range of diverse backgrounds through the provision of consistently high levels of personalised and professional serviceIntroduced and developed a popular catering service into becoming a major revenue stream for the business.Regularly reviewed - and evolved as required - the business’s operations, processes and procedures to meet the changing needs and demands of customers, stakeholders and other external/internal factorsHeavily involved in a hands-on role performing front and back of house duties including: customer service and relationship management, operations management, overseeing and coordinating a small team, development and implementation of processes and procedures, sales and bookings, processing orders and payments, cash and account reconciliation, catering bookings and correspondence, invoice management, supplier and stakeholder management, delivery platform and online order managementManaged all IT requirements of the business including: system hardware and software installations, network installation and email management, upgrades and updates, general maintenance and troubleshooting, design and DIY maintenance of website, installation and management of Square Point of Sale software and hardware with integrated online ordering via website, management of third-party delivery apps and hardware, inhouse production of menus and promotional tools, online presence and SEO

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Operated an online business selling storage covers for mattresses and furniture in personal timeSuccessfully developed a strong online presence and customer base in preparation for planned further expansion into a wider product range and a “bricks and mortar” presence through consignmentPerformed all aspects of the business including: online customer service, sales and marketing, correspondence, inventory control, account management, administration, order receipt and fulfilmentManaged all IT aspects of the business including: website design and DIY content management, management of online store and online marketplace listings, SEO and online presence, software and hardware management, inhouse production of documents and promotional tools

South Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Managed this iconic, well known and extremely successful self-storage facility located in South MelbourneA challenging and rewarding role as the facility had previously been running significantly below its potential Systematically and steadily increased room occupancy and yield levels to the facility’s highest in 25 yearsDramatically improved and streamlined the business’ systems, operations, service levels and public image Directly involved in all aspects of daily operations including: frontline customer service, reception duties, administration and management, development and implementation of processes and procedures, overseeing and coordinating a small team, sales and marketing, customer database and account management, invoicing and payments, gathering data and production of reports, stakeholder relationsManaged and maintained the business’ IT requirements including: system hardware and software installations, network setup and email management, upgrades and updates, general maintenance and troubleshooting, design and DIY maintenance of website, online presence and SEO, CRM software management and maintenance, liaising with third-party hardware and software support

Ballarat, Victoria, Australia

Successfully managed this small property in Ballarat and re-established it as a standalone business in preparation for franchise after it had been operated as a satellite of a larger siteDramatically improved the property’s occupancy, yield, product and profitabilityInstalled and implemented systems, procedures and processes consistent with company policiesDirectly involved in all aspects of daily operations including: frontline customer service, reception duties, general administration and office management, sales and reservations, customer database and account management, installation and implementation of processes and procedures, invoicing and payments, gathering data and producing reports, stakeholder relationship managementManaged all IT aspects of the business including: system hardware and software installations, network and email management, upgrades and updates, general maintenance and troubleshooting, CRM software management and maintenance, liaising with third-party hardware and software support

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Travelled throughout Victoria, NSW and Queensland fulfilling both relief and interim management roles at a wide range of propertiesInterim management roles often entailed undertaking a comprehensive audit of the property’s systems, records and operations to reset and align them with company policies in preparation for incoming managers or franchiseesRelief management roles were very different as they required a complete adaptation to a property’s current systems and procedures so that as little disruption as possible was experienced by the property’s managers, customers, staff, suppliers and other stakeholdersBoth scenarios involved working closely with existing teams onsite and being directly involved in all aspects of the business’ operations