To describe my experience in a letter is harder than I would have thought. The first Discovery was a little eye-opening, but also frustrating to see areas you have failed in a business you take pride in. Our company decided to give it a shot to try and reach and see our full potential. We very soon came to the fact that we had hopes but no plan to get there.

I’m sure a lot of people will relate to the old mentality of just working hard every day, and it will work out. I have a business where the owners are out in the ditches, getting dirty alongside the employees every day. I have a great group of guys who will follow you to the end, no matter what.

My wake-up was that my failure to manage and operate properly could cause hardship on the people who put 100% of their lives in my hands. Through the high-intensity part of the Cogent experience, we covered financials, leadership, and marketing. We set a path to conquer some goals and straighten out our books. Our company saw the benefits and path forward, but to no one’s fault but our own, we didn’t follow through with the plan.

It was obvious that our failure to change stemmed from our stalemate within the company. So we met again and talked about our failures. Cogent was excellent about adjusting the process to achieve our goals. Round two begins with a drive to commit and execute. Cogent sends Zack Al-Mahayni to take over our project. He made us feel positive that we could do it and raise our goals even higher. I felt 100% confident Zack Al-Mahayni was in it with full commitment.

Through the high intensity, we covered more than I could have ever imagined. He covered it again and again until we could teach it to him. We covered topics that had never crossed my mind, such as succession plans, operating agreements, training, and incentives.

The entire Cogent team, more people than you could possibly imagine, were involved every day, helping to get you anything you needed. My conclusion would be that Cogent is one of the best investments any company could make. I can tell you that I’m already more stable with my financial future and operations. I can confidently say one thing for sure: you ask me to describe my experience a year later, and I will show you my books, and you can talk to my employees, and you will see a company that has grown significantly in confidence, financials, and efficiency.

Rodney Carroll
President & CEO
Wray’s Septic