From ambitious growth plans to significant, sustained revenue growth

With the right guidance, a clear strategy and the confidence to lead differently, Prime OHS transformed its ambitions into sustained growth. Through its partnership with Grow Business Coaching and the guidance of coach Dineo Mondlane, Managing Director JP Matthee developed the leadership, financial discipline and operational capability to take the business to a new level.

When Prime OHS began its journey with Grow in 2024, it already had the foundations of a strong business: deep technical expertise, a strong understanding of occupational health and safety, and a commitment to protecting the people who keep South Africa’s industries running.

Established in 2017, Prime OHS had built its reputation by helping businesses create safer, healthier and legally compliant workplaces. Its directors brought decades of experience across the petrochemical, manufacturing and mining sectors. They knew their industry, understood their clients and were committed to delivering quality work.

But building a successful service business and running one strategically are two different challenges.

For JP Matthee, Managing Director of Prime OHS, much of his time had been spent on-site, managing operations and ensuring clients received the service they expected. Strategic planning, financial management and long-term business development were less familiar territory.

The opportunity to participate in a Shell enterprise and supplier development programme introduced Prime OHS to Grow Business Coaching. What began as an opportunity to gain business support soon became an important part of the company’s growth journey.

Grow coach Dineo Mondlane recognised a business with considerable potential, but also a leader who needed to develop confidence in his strategic abilities.

“JP was operationally strong, but strategic planning was a challenge. The first step was to break strategy down and help him understand it, while building his confidence to recognise that he was the right person to lead the business forward.”

For JP, coaching opened up a new perspective on what Prime OHS could become. It helped the leadership team better understand the business, its financial performance and the growth potential they had not fully recognised before.

Prime OHS had ambitious growth plans. What it needed was a clearer strategy and the systems to turn that ambition into measurable results.

Working with Dineo, JP and his team introduced Objectives and Key Results (OKRs), breaking broader ambitions into quarterly priorities and measurable actions. Regular financial reviews, active tracking of expenses, income and key performance indicators, and improved cash-flow planning gave the leadership team greater visibility into the business.

For JP, the shift was substantial: “We had plans and what we wanted to achieve, but we didn’t have the means to achieve this. We now have the means to track things and see where things went wrong. We can assess things much more clearly.”

The impact was significant. Prime OHS not only surpassed its original revenue ambitions but went on to achieve substantial and sustained revenue growth across consecutive financial years. 

But the transformation went beyond revenue. Improved financial visibility supported better decision-making, while clearer priorities and more efficient operations created greater capacity to pursue opportunities with confidence.

Prime OHS was no longer simply focused on winning more work. It was developing the structure, leadership and financial discipline required to sustain its growth.

While the business results tell an impressive story, Dineo believes the most important transformation happened in JP himself.

Strategic leadership had initially been unfamiliar and, at times, intimidating. The challenge was not a lack of industry knowledge or commitment, but developing the confidence to make decisions, set direction and lead beyond the day-to-day demands of the business.

Coaching gave JP space to question assumptions, explore new possibilities and take ownership of the company’s future. Dineo did not prescribe the strategy or make decisions on Prime OHS’s behalf. Instead, she challenged his thinking, asked difficult questions and held him accountable to the goals he had set.

“JP’s commitment to coaching was a significant contributor to the transformation. He was open to learning, comfortable with not knowing everything and willing to challenge himself in areas that were previously unfamiliar.”

Over time, JP shifted from being deeply involved in every aspect of operations to creating the conditions for his team to take greater responsibility. Planning and action tracking became part of the business rhythm, while responsibilities became clearer and the leadership team more involved.

Supporting JP, is a business partner, Refilwe Sebothoma who is no stranger to facing and conquering some of the hardest challenges of a growing business. Refilwe, has been a welcome strategic support that has added needed capacity to the team, particularly in the early stages as Prime OHS was entering its next phase of development. 

These changes created something invaluable for JP: the time and capacity to think about the future rather than simply manage the present.

Growth was no longer solely dependent on the founder’s personal effort. Prime OHS was building the people, processes and leadership capacity needed to support its next stage.

As Prime OHS expanded, maintaining quality and efficiency without allowing administrative demands to restrict its capacity became increasingly important.

JP recognised an opportunity to improve how the business worked. Drawing on his vision for digitalisation, Prime OHS developed an application to streamline audits and reporting. The technology improved efficiency, reduced errors and increased the team’s ability to deliver work without compromising service quality.

The application has since expanded to include additional functionality such as timesheets and HR processes, bringing more of the company’s operations into one system.

The innovation reflects an important shift in the business: Prime OHS was no longer simply responding to growth. It was actively redesigning how it operated to make that growth more sustainable.

Dineo’s coaching supported the strategic thinking, prioritisation and execution discipline behind these decisions, while JP and his team brought their own technical expertise, initiative and willingness to innovate.

The relationship between JP and Dineo has been an important part of Prime OHS’s journey.

Effective coaching requires more than frameworks and business tools. It relies on trust: the willingness to be challenged, acknowledge uncertainty and remain open to a different way of thinking.

From the outset, JP embraced the process. Dineo describes her role as an accountability partner, someone who helps leaders clarify their ambitions, challenge their thinking and remain focused on the actions required to make progress.

But the ownership always remains with the client.

That balance of challenge and support enabled JP to develop his strategic capabilities while retaining confidence in his own expertise and judgement. The value extended beyond individual coaching sessions, with Prime OHS developing practical tools, stronger management rhythms and a more cohesive approach to working towards shared goals. 

Today, Prime OHS is operating with greater financial visibility, improved systems and a more confident leadership team.

Its progress reflects the combined impact of technical expertise, operational innovation, strategic discipline and a commitment to continuous improvement.

The growth story is about more than increasing revenue. It is about developing the capabilities, people and processes that allow a business to perform consistently and pursue new opportunities.

For JP, one of the most valuable outcomes of the Grow journey has been the knowledge and confidence to run the business successfully, particularly from a financial and strategic perspective. The technical expertise was already there. What developed through coaching was the ability to bring the different parts of the business together, understand what the numbers were saying and act with greater clarity. 

And the ambition has not disappeared. With a stronger foundation and an increasingly proactive approach to marketing, Prime OHS continues to explore new opportunities.

For Dineo, the lesson from Prime’s journey is clear: strategy begins with ambition, but progress depends on commitment and execution.

Prime OHS set out with ambitious growth plans. It has since significantly expanded its performance, strengthened its operations and developed the confidence and capability to pursue its next chapter.

Perhaps its most significant achievement is what lies behind that growth: a business that has developed not only in size and capability, but also in confidence and its ability to shape its own future.

Because sustainable growth is not just about achieving more. It is about becoming a business capable of doing more, with the people, purpose and confidence to keep moving forward.