The Entrepreneurial Journey of Outsourcing – with Mathieson Moller of APEX Outsourcing

In this week’s episode of the Outsource Accelerator Podcast, Derek is joined by Mathieson Moller. He is the Founder and Director of APEX Outsourcing. 

They talk about Mathieson’s young start as a director in the outsourcing sphere and the learnings he’s made leading APEX Outsourcing. 

Mathieson’s journey into outsourcing

Mathieson begins by detailing his entrepreneurial journey and how it led to him founding his company.

“I founded APEX Outsourcing and it was related to two main factors; that being growing up I was quite entrepreneurial, and I wanted to stand out [from] the general norm for my age.”

It was during his stint in a laboring job where he experienced managing a team of Filipinos. 

“The one thing that always really stood out [while] working with Filipinos was the work ethic, the showing up early, working extremely hard, [being] the last one to leave, [and] wanting to work every day.”

Eventually he worked his way up to become a project manager in New Zealand’s second largest property developer.  

“There were two big issues. [There were] labor shortages, both on the admin side and [on] the manual side. 

We were [struggling] in finding and securing high-quality talents. There were large turnovers.” 

After expressing this problem to the firm’s directors, a site was opened in Cebu, Philippines. 

“At the peak, we had one-third of the staff in the Philippines.

Basically I had specialized virtual assistants and it meant I could really focus on what I do best and delegate the rest to the Cebu team.” 

He talks of “adapting the Filipino work culture,” which led to him eventually founding APEX.

“I got to experience firsthand what it was like being an employee with an outsourcing team. And all I can say is that it is the most beneficial thing you could have.

It makes the whole thing more efficient. The operations just become way more effective.”

About APEX Outsourcing

APEX Outsourcing focuses on small to medium enterprises. 

Mathieson started the firm after observing cost differences between local providers and outsourced ones. 

“[I was] trying to start a business in New Zealand where just going locally is dramatically more expensive than if I were to go and outsource in the Philippines and India.” 

APEX Outsourcing utilizes Filipino staff, a resource that Mathieson gives high praise to. 

“The cost difference [is] dramatically lower, but you can also find an abundance of staffing talents across there compared to New Zealand as the Philippines has a population of about 112 million and they have a very robust education system.

They speak very good English as well, which is ideal for any Western country.”

He notes that APEX Outsourcing can help solve New Zealand’s current employment issues. 

“I’ve moved up here to Manila, but I’ve been speaking to a few close people back home, and New Zealand is going through a bit of a rough time.

They’re going through a recession, and currently a lot of businesses are quite struggling to save on costs.

And that is where APEX comes in hand.”

Mathieson particularly highlights how much companies can save.

“From my experience, a quote from a developer just to get us a standard website bill can cost tens of thousands. Whereas offshoring into the Philippines can be anything from half the price to even more than that.

We’re talking even up to 70%, which is great for business owners [as] it helps them scale and grow even more.” 

At the same time, he emphasizes the high service quality. 

“I do like to express that we don’t like to be the cheapest. Throughout my experience of doing my own personal outsourcing is that [when] I try to pay for the cheapest, I end up not getting the result I want.

Whereas if I pay just a little bit above the average, in terms of the Philippine salary, I actually get a really good [and] excellent service.” 

Adjusting to new business settings 

Mathieson describes the Philippines as “extremely underrated.”

“It’s almost like a hidden gem in the world. It’s a great place for living, but it’s also a great place for business.” 

He felt it was only right to move to Manila, saying that, “It’s not as credible if I am based in New Zealand and promoting outsourcing [compared] to [being in] the Philippines. 

It has been easier to promote the services in New Zealand, [but] I do want to eventually move into Australia as that is a bigger economy [and] a bigger market.” 

He speaks about further expanding their operations in the Philippines as well. 

“We’re looking at the end of June to have an office facility in Zamboanga, it’s a city in Mindanao, [so] we can diversify, so we’re not just relying on small business owners.”

Mathieson says that he’s currently focusing on two core things.

“The core thing right now is really just settling in, and the second is getting the office facility up and running. 

A lot of this moving here is just for growth and a major learning experience so I can really scale up, make lots of mistakes, and then learn from there and keep going forward.” 

You can contact Mathieson through either his email at [email protected] or his LinkedIn profile. Visit APEX Outsourcing at its website here.