In this episode, Kane sits down with Angelo, owner of Toptech Electrical, for an honest conversation about what the first couple of years of running a solo electrical business actually looks like.

Angelo started Toptech Electrical in June 2024 after working at Smartfix, and has been building his client base from the ground up through Facebook community pages, school maintenance contracts and referrals. He and Kane get into the real stuff: the moment that pushed Angelo to go out on his own, why he hired an apprentice first and what he wishes he had done differently, the challenge of finding that first tradesman, quoting over the phone vs going to site, what did and did not work for lead generation, and why so many tradies undercharge themselves into trouble before they even get started.

If you are a tradie thinking about going out on your own or you are in the early stages of running your own business, this one is full of honest lessons from someone who is in it right now.

Follow Hypotential:

Website: https://www.hypotential.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hypotential_

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HypotentialCo

Follow Kane:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kanetylersmith_/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KaneTylerSmithWA

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@kanetylersmith

Connect with Angelo:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61559665013673

Website: https://toptechperth.com.au/

In this episode, Kane sits down with Rhys, founder of Oceania Plumbing and Gas, for a straight-talking conversation about what it actually takes to build a trades business from the ground up.

Rhys started his business in 2019, living at home with mum and dad, just as Covid hit. Three months of uncertainty quickly turned into one of the busiest periods he'd ever seen, and from there he scaled to six vehicles and a growing team. He and Kane get into the real stuff: hiring tradies vs apprentices, keeping staff long term, building systems when everything is chaos, customer service, social media, managing vehicles and insurance, and what they both wish someone had told them when they started out.

If you run a trade business or you're thinking about going out on your own, this one is packed with practical lessons from someone who's been in the trenches and figured it out along the way.

Follow Hypotential:

Website: https://www.hypotential.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hypotential_

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HypotentialCo

Follow Kane:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kanetylersmith_/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KaneTylerSmithWA

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@kanetylersmith

Connect with Oceania Plumbing and Gas:

Website: https://oceaniaplumbingandgas.com.au/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oceaniaplumbingandgas/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/oceaniaplumbingandgas/

In this episode, Kane sits down with Jevyn from Men's Talk, a men's health promotion charity based in Western Australia, for a raw and eye-opening conversation about the mental health crisis quietly affecting men across Australia.

They cover the alarming suicide statistics (7 men die every day in Australia), the role isolation, divorce and job loss play as warning signs, why tradies are 9 times more likely to die by suicide than from a workplace accident, and how Men's Talk is doing things differently with non-clinical drop-in centres, free mentoring programs and their one-of-a-kind mobile outreach van "Monty the Man Van."

Whether you're a bloke who's been disconnecting without realising it, or someone who wants to know how to check in on a mate, this one's for you.

Follow Hypotential:

Website: https://www.hypotential.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hypotential_

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HypotentialCo

Follow Kane:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kanetylersmith_/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KaneTylerSmithWA

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@kanetylersmith

Connect with Men's Talk:

Website: https://www.mtalk.com.au/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mens_talk_au/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MensTalkAU

Mitch Suleau moved from Tasmania to Perth two years ago with a carpenter's ticket and nothing else. He started MBS Building Company anyway and is still figuring it out the right way.

Kane and Mitch get into what the early years of a trade business actually look like. Why you have no idea what you want until you are almost there. Why hiring a tradesman as your first employee beats bringing on an apprentice. How to find work through referrals and social media before spending on advertising. What it takes to build a reputation fast in a city where bad tradespeople can hide. And what Kane would do differently if he was starting Smartfix again from year one.

If you are in the first two to three years of running a trade business and figuring it out as you go, this episode is worth your time.

hypotential.com

Perth, Western Australia

Mitch Suleau

MBS Building Company

Mitch Suleau is the founder of MBS Building Company, a Perth-based carpentry and outdoor living business specialising in decking, pergolas, patios, and renovations. Two years in, building the right way with a growing team and a builders ticket on the way.

mbsbuildingcompany.com

facebook.com/mbsbuildingcompany

instagram.com/mbsbuildingcompany

Steve started E-Maintain two years ago with zero residential experience. He is still on the tools, has three staff, and is building something the right way without burning through a Google ads budget to do it.

Kane and Steve cover the real story of starting a small electrical business in Perth with no residential background and figuring it out on the fly. They get into hiring your first apprentice vs your first sparky and why most people get that wrong, how to build consistent work through property managers and commercial relationships instead of chasing leads, why a VA might be your best early hire, and how to get the phones ringing without blowing your budget on advertising.

If you are in the first few years of running a trade business and trying to figure out how to get consistent work without it costing you everything, this one is for you.

hypotential.com

Perth, Western Australia

About Our Guest

Steve is the owner of E-Maintain, a Perth-based electrical business specialising in residential maintenance, property manager work, and commercial service. Two years in, still on the tools, and building a business the right way from the ground up.

Most trade business owners think hiring more people will fix their problems. It does not. It exposes them. And the cost of getting it wrong is bigger than most realise.

Kane Tyler Smith and Anthony Lawler from Nimbus Tech break down what actually happens when a trade business grows without the right processes and structure in place. This is a conversation about the chaos phase of scaling, why profit drops as revenue grows, and what needs to be sorted before you even think about hiring your next person.

If your business feels like it runs through you and only you, this episode is why.

hypotential.com

Perth, Western Australia

About Our Guest

Anthony Lawler is the owner of Nimbus Tech, a WA-based IT services and consulting business supporting trade and service companies with systems, infrastructure, and technology.

linkedin.com/in/anthony-lawlor-67155496

[email protected]

Kane Tyler Smith started Smartfix in 2018 with one ute and zero business training. It grew to 140 staff and $30 million before a near-miss that almost took everything.

In this episode, Kane and Aisha break down the real story behind building Smartfix from the ground up. How they handled Google reviews from day one, why staff retention was always a core value, what scaling too fast actually looks like from the inside, and why trade business coaching in Perth barely existed when they needed it most.

If you are running a trade business in Australia and want real talk from someone still in it, this is where to start.

https://www.hypotential.com

Perth, Western Australia

About Our Guest:

Aisha Derrick is the Marketing and Brand Manager at Smartfix and co-founder of Hypotential. Her perspective comes from being inside real trade businesses and seeing firsthand the gap between technical skill and business capability, and what it actually takes to close it.

Kane Tyler Smith built Smartfix from one ute in 2018 to over $30 million a year and 130 staff. What most people never saw was how messy that actually was.

This is the intro episode of Unlocking Business: Hypotential. Kane breaks down who he is, why he built Hypotential, and the gap he kept seeing in the trade industry. Most tradies are excellent at their trade. Nobody teaches them how to run a business. That is what this podcast is here to fix. Real conversations, real operators, real situations from inside a trade business.

If your business relies on you too much, things feel harder than they should, and the numbers are not adding up; this is where to start.

hypotential.com

Perth, Western Australia