I'm The Gaffer

Welcome to a new episode of I'm The Gaffer

When you've been doing the same job for years, does experience make you safer, or can it make you complacent?

In this episode, Gavin Coyle welcomes John Egan, Executive for Safety, Health and Skills at the Construction Industry Federation (CIF), as the podcast returns to the studio.

John discusses some of the biggest challenges facing construction safety in Ireland, from workforce competence and the loss of experienced workers to the dangers of complacency and the importance of speaking up on site.

With concerning figures surrounding construction fatalities, Gavin and John explore why experience alone doesn't guarantee safety, why procedures and paperwork can only go so far, and how stronger leadership, open communication, and a willingness to challenge one another can make a real difference.

The conversation also highlights CIF's 2026 Construction Safety Campaign, encouraging the industry to get back to the fundamentals of keeping people safe at work.

You'll Learn:

• Why complacency can become a risk for even the most experienced construction workers
• What construction fatality figures reveal about age, experience, and workplace safety
• Why competence involves more than training certificates and qualifications
• How mentoring can help preserve the knowledge of experienced construction professionals
• Why speaking up, challenging unsafe practices, and improving communication matter on site
• How CIF's Back to Basics campaign encourages the industry to look beyond compliance

Episode Highlights / Timestamps

00:00 Coming Up

00:57 Meet John Egan – The Role of CIF

10:53 Workforce Challenges, Competence and Leadership

22:36 CIF's 2026 Construction Safety Campaign – Back to Basics

24:08 Construction Fatalities in Ireland

26:35 Experience, Risk Perception and Complacency

28:02 Speaking Up and Challenging Unsafe Practices

31:48 Leadership, Communication and Safety Culture

Connect with John Egan

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-egan-05191a21/

Construction Industry Federation: https://cif.ie/

About CIF's Construction Safety Campaign 2026

The Construction Industry Federation (CIF) is running its annual Construction Safety Campaign from 12th–23rd October 2026, under the theme “Back to Basics.” The campaign encourages construction companies and workers to refocus on essential safety practices, promote open communication, and strengthen shared responsibility for keeping everyone safe on site.

Learn more and access campaign resources: https://cif.ie/safetycampaign/

About Coyle Group

Coyle Group provides safety outsourcing and managed services for high-impact projects across wind, utilities, power generation, engineering, and construction.

With over 25 years of experience, 100+ safety professionals, and more than 1 million safety hours completed, Coyle Group helps organisations deliver projects safely and compliantly.

Learn more: https://coyle-group.com/

About the Podcast

I'm The Gaffer, hosted by Gavin Coyle, features conversations with industry leaders, entrepreneurs, and subject matter experts covering construction, engineering, leadership, business growth, safety, procurement, project delivery, and workplace culture.

Listen on:

Apple Podcasts: https://bit.ly/ImTheGaffer

Spotify: https://bit.ly/ImTheGafferSpotify

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ImTheGafferPodcast

Website: https://www.imthegaffer.com

Subscribe for more conversations on leadership, construction, business growth, workplace culture, employee engagement, engineering, manufacturing, and entrepreneurship.

#ImTheGaffer #CIFSafety26 #BackToBasics #ConstructionSafety #SafetyCulture

Welcome to a new episode of I'm The Gaffer

If you have ever watched a lift sit waiting till half ten while the paperwork gets finished, or wondered why so many good crane people freeze at the thought of the appointed person course, this episode is for you.

In this episode, Kevin Bennison joins Gavin Coyle. Kevin is the founder of InspHigher, a lifting operations trainer, former soldier and lifelong learner with over 25 years across the lifting industry. He joined the Army in 1995 as a plant operator in the Royal Engineers and earned his wings as an airborne soldier, then spent 10 years on mobile cranes, became an appointed person in 2005, self-funded his way into training in 2010 and started InspHigher in 2020. Today most of his work is non-accredited training built around what organisations and their people actually need: advanced AP, management of lifting operations, and helping supervisors pass knowledge on to their teams.

You'll learn:

- The maths reassurance: if you can work out your weekly wage with overtime, you can do the AP course

- The VARK learning styles, and why site teams keep getting trained the wrong way for how they actually learn

- The paperwork problem: lifts starting at 10:30 instead of 8:30

- The 10-year-old and the crane: stopping a load strike is trained behaviour, not a document

- Start with supervision, get that right and everything else gets easier

- 85-90 hour weeks, no freedom, and "don't let the story stop you"

Episode Highlights / Timestamps (54:56 total)

· 00:00 Coming up

· 00:51 Welcome Kevin

· 03:49 Joining the Army

· 05:36 Starting InspHigher

· 09:37 Is the AP course really that tough

· 13:13 "If you can calculate your weekly wage..."

· 15:42 The VARK model

· 17:58 What an AP earns

· 21:10 85-90 hour weeks

· 22:18 "The outer voice becomes the inner dialogue"

· 24:23 Crane companies questioned on lift plans

· 33:39 Lifts starting at 10:30 instead of 8:30

· 35:59 The 10-year-old who could stop the crane

· 39:12 Devil's advocate: pay and agency labour

· 46:49 Start with supervision

· 51:04 Favourite books

· 53:11 Where to find Kevin

· 54:14 Wrap

Connect with Kevin Bennison

- LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kevinbennison

- InspHigher: insphigher.co.uk

- InspHigher YouTube: youtube.com/@InspHigher

Mentioned: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Covey), The Way of the Hermit (Ken Smith), the VARK model, CPCS/NPORS

Coyle Group provides safety outsourcing and managed services for high-impact projects across wind, utilities, power generation, engineering, and construction.

With over 25 years of experience, 100+ safety professionals, and more than 1 million safety hours completed, Coyle Group helps organisations deliver projects safely and compliantly.

Learn more:

https://coyle-group.com/

I'm The Gaffer, hosted by Gavin Coyle, features conversations with industry leaders, entrepreneurs, and subject matter experts covering construction, engineering, leadership, business growth, safety, procurement, project delivery, and workplace culture.

Listen on:

Apple Podcasts

https://bit.ly/ImTheGaffer

Spotify

https://bit.ly/ImTheGafferSpotify

YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/@ImTheGafferPodcast

Website

https://www.imthegaffer.com

Subscribe for more conversations on leadership, construction, business growth, workplace culture, employee engagement, engineering, manufacturing, and entrepreneurship.

Welcome to a new episode of I'm The Gaffer

If you have ever sent a man 200 miles in a van with two ladders on the roof rack and wondered why he didn't "work safely," this episode is about why falls from height are still the number one killer on site, and what 45 years at the sharp end of the access industry says actually fixes it.

Peter Bennett OBE joins Gavin Coyle. Peter is managing director of PASMA, executive director of the Ladder Association, chair of the No Falls Foundation and a past president of IPAF, 45 years in access, from a Glasgow scaffolding yard with Stevens & Carter to writing the standards the industry works to today. Fresh HSE fatality statistics had been released the very morning of the recording, and Peter walks through what they really mean.

You'll learn:

• The numbers: 35 killed in falls last year, 361 in a decade, 44,000 non-fatal falls a year in GB

• Why non-fatal falls are just as serious, life-changing injuries, not just fatalities

• The fatality Peter's carried for decades, and why nobody got counselling

• The two most dangerous people on site: the novice, and the over-55 who's "forgotten" the danger

• Why banning ladders backfires, train risk assessment instead of prescribing everything

• The two-ladders-on-a-roof-rack test for pricing work at height into a job

Episode Highlights / Timestamps

01:09 Welcome: Peter Bennett OBE

09:56 Fresh HSE stats: 35 deaths, 361 in a decade

14:13 The ripple effect

16:40 The fatality Peter can't forget

19:50 Over-55s: "you don't bounce as well"

27:41 Advance guardrails

32:04 "Ladders are banned"

37:44 Two ladders on a roof rack

44:49 Fatal accident inquiry: six deaths

49:29 Retirement, succession

53:00 Favourite books

Connect with Peter Bennett OBE

• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/peter-bennett-obe-b3884a13

• No Falls Foundation: nofallsfoundation.org

• PASMA: pasma.co.uk

• Ladder Association: ladderassociation.org.uk

• Email: [email protected]

• Sign up for No Falls Week: https://nofallsweek.org/

Coyle Group provides safety outsourcing and managed services for high-impact projects across wind, utilities, power generation, engineering, and construction.

With over 25 years of experience, 100+ safety professionals, and more than 1 million safety hours completed, Coyle Group helps organisations deliver projects safely and compliantly.

Learn more:

https://coyle-group.com/

I'm The Gaffer, hosted by Gavin Coyle, features conversations with industry leaders, entrepreneurs, and subject matter experts covering construction, engineering, leadership, business growth, safety, procurement, project delivery, and workplace culture.

Listen on:

Apple Podcasts

https://bit.ly/ImTheGaffer

Spotify

https://bit.ly/ImTheGafferSpotify

YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/@ImTheGafferPodcast

Website

https://www.imthegaffer.com

Subscribe for more conversations on leadership, construction, business growth, workplace culture, employee engagement, engineering, manufacturing, and entrepreneurship.

If you've ever finished a package and quietly wondered whether you made or lost money on it, and had no way to find out, this episode is about the part of construction where the margin's really won and lost, and why almost nobody's systemised it.

Alastair Blenkin joins Gavin Coyle. He's co-founder and CEO of ProcurePro, a construction procurement platform used by 300-odd contractors globally with around 150bn of construction value running through it. He was a lawyer "for about five minutes," quit at 25, launched a month before COVID, rebuilt from scratch when the market vanished, and has scaled to 100 staff across ANZ, UK & Ireland and the Middle East, with the US next.

You'll learn:

• Why procurement is a 15-20 step process most contractors run on sticky tape and Excel

• "If I can't see my risk, I can't manage it"

• Removing friction so subs quote how they want, AI normalises the comparison

• AI and headcount honestly: not mass redundancy, "two QAs become one"

• Making lessons learned mandatory: capture went from ~5 a week to 50

• The vision: a live, consented cost library for the whole industry

• The "I've already got an ERP" objection, and the one image that answers it

• Handling "you're cost prohibitive" with the scope-gap question

• Why UK/Ireland are conservative buyers and what it takes to win there

• Curveballs: sliding down a 6,000m ice volcano, and why he makes people read The Lean Startup first

• 01:05 Welcome: Alastair Blenkin, ProcurePro
• 03:38 Why procurement is 15-20 steps held together by sticky tape
• 08:21 "If I can't see my risk, I can't manage it"
• 11:34 "Subs, quote how you want", AI normalises the comparison
• 14:49 AI and headcount: two QAs become one
• 22:27 "I've already got an ERP", the one image that answers it
• 24:17 A lawyer for five minutes, quits at 25
• 26:35 Make lessons learned mandatory: 5 a week to 50
• 28:12 Nirvana: a live, consented cost library
• 33:41 Why UK and Ireland are conservative buyers
• 42:05 The scope-gap question, handling the price objection
• 46:35 Curveball: sliding down an ice volcano
• 47:49 Favourite book: The Lean Startup

Connect with Alastair Blenkin

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/alastairblenkin

ProcurePro: procurepro.co

Coyle Group provides safety outsourcing and managed services for high-impact projects across wind, utilities, power generation, engineering, and construction.

With over 25 years of experience, 100+ safety professionals, and more than 1 million safety hours completed, Coyle Group helps organisations deliver projects safely and compliantly.

Learn more:

https://coyle-group.com/

I'm The Gaffer, hosted by Gavin Coyle, features conversations with industry leaders, entrepreneurs, and subject matter experts covering construction, engineering, leadership, business growth, safety, procurement, project delivery, and workplace culture.

Listen on:

Apple Podcasts

https://bit.ly/ImTheGaffer

Spotify

https://bit.ly/ImTheGafferSpotify

YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/@ImTheGafferPodcast

Website

https://www.imthegaffer.com

Subscribe for more conversations on leadership, construction, business growth, workplace culture, employee engagement, engineering, manufacturing, and entrepreneurship.

If you have ever hopped into a site truck because your trousers were too tight to climb, tucked your glasses under your hard hat to keep them on, or been asked "is that your dad's coat?" this episode is about why that was never good enough, and the new British Standard that says so.

Jane Middleton joins Gavin Coyle. She's a senior asset management consultant at AtkinsRéalis and a chartered geologist, shortlisted for an Inspiring Women in Construction and Engineering award in 2023. She started out supervising drilling rigs on the Heathrow expansion project, in PPE that didn't fit, and ended up helping write the new British Standard for inclusive PPE and workwear, launched October 2025 with a parliamentary launch behind it, legislation and European adoption now in progress.

• What AtkinsRéalis does and how Jane's career led from geology to asset management
• How a simple struggle with PPE sparked a mission for change
• Why the "average man" became the default design standard for workwear and PPE
• How Jane helped transform her company's PPE catalogue with more inclusive options
• The impact of properly fitting PPE on safety, confidence, and belonging
• Menopause, modesty wear, disability access, and other overlooked workplace needs
• The story behind the British Standard for inclusive PPE
• Why 82% of female firefighters reported that their gloves don't fit
• The business case for inclusive PPE and attracting future talent
• How one wheelchair-using project manager challenged manufacturers to think differently
• What's next for PPE standards in the UK and Europe
• Jane's personal passions, lessons learned, and advice to her younger self

• 00:00 82% of female firefighters said their gloves don't fit
• 01:02 Meet Jane Middleton
• 06:41 From geology to asset management
• 13:40 The PPE problem begins
• 14:40 The Hilux moment
• 16:51 The "average man" template
• 17:37 Transforming the PPE catalogue
• 24:41 Bold as Brass
• 26:23 Writing the British Standard
• 28:09 The firefighter glove survey
• 33:28 Accessibility and PPE
• 37:26 The first women's safety Wellington
• 39:08 Taking the standard to Parliament and Europe
• 44:45 What would Jane do differently?
• 50:06 How to connect with Jane

Connect with Jane Middleton

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janekelsey/

AtkinsRéalis: https://www.atkinsrealis.com

The British Standard (launched October 2025) is free to download, send it to your boss

Coyle Group provides safety outsourcing and managed services for high-impact projects across wind, utilities, power generation, engineering, and construction.

With over 25 years of experience, 100+ safety professionals, and more than 1 million safety hours completed, Coyle Group helps organisations deliver projects safely and compliantly.

Learn more:

https://coyle-group.com/

I'm The Gaffer, hosted by Gavin Coyle, features conversations with industry leaders, entrepreneurs, and subject matter experts covering construction, engineering, leadership, business growth, safety, procurement, project delivery, and workplace culture.

Listen on:

Apple Podcasts

https://bit.ly/ImTheGaffer

Spotify

https://bit.ly/ImTheGafferSpotify

YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/@ImTheGafferPodcast

Website

https://www.imthegaffer.com

Subscribe for more conversations on leadership, construction, business growth, workplace culture, employee engagement, engineering, manufacturing, and entrepreneurship.

Welcome to a new episode of I'm The Gaffer 👷

If scaffolding is your default solution for working at height, this episode may change your perspective.

Gavin Coyle sits down with Rob Munns, Head of Sales at BFT Mastclimbing, to explore how mast climbing work platforms can improve safety, productivity, and project costs. With a background outside construction, Rob brings a fresh perspective and challenges long-held assumptions about access solutions on site.

You'll learn:

• What mast climbers are and how they work
• Key safety features and common site mistakes to avoid
• The importance of proper training, certification, and inspections
• Why "buy cheap, get cheap" can be a costly mistake
• The truth about wind limits and other common myths
• How mast climbers reduce labor, improve ergonomics, and increase safety
• Real-world cost comparisons between scaffolding and mast climbers
• The types of projects where mast climbers deliver the biggest benefits
• Rob's thoughts on men's mental health and lessons learned throughout his career

🎯 Highlights / Timestamps

• 00:58 Meet Rob Munns and BFT Mastclimbing
• 02:13 What is a mast climber?
• 09:48 The drop-down flap safety story
• 12:28 Overspeed safety systems explained
• 17:46 Why quality matters in mast climbing
• 18:29 IPAF training and accreditation
• 25:14 Busting the wind myth
• 28:03 A gang of eight vs a gang of two
• 32:07 The economics of mast climbers
• 35:20 Productivity and ergonomic benefits
• 43:06 The only buildings mast climbers can't handle
• 46:33 Men's mental health and career advice
• 48:08 How to connect with Rob and BFT Mastclimbing

Connect with Rob Munns

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/robmunns

BFT Mastclimbing: bftmastclimbing.com

Email: [email protected]

Coyle Group provides safety outsourcing and managed services for high-impact projects across wind, utilities, power generation, engineering, and construction.

With over 25 years of experience, 100+ safety professionals, and more than 1 million safety hours completed, Coyle Group helps organisations deliver projects safely and compliantly.

Learn more:

https://coyle-group.com/

I'm The Gaffer, hosted by Gavin Coyle, features conversations with industry leaders, entrepreneurs, and subject matter experts covering construction, engineering, leadership, business growth, safety, procurement, project delivery, and workplace culture.

Listen on:

Apple Podcasts

https://bit.ly/ImTheGaffer

Spotify

https://bit.ly/ImTheGafferSpotify

YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/@ImTheGafferPodcast

Website

https://www.imthegaffer.com

Subscribe for more conversations on leadership, construction, business growth, workplace culture, employee engagement, engineering, manufacturing, and entrepreneurship.

Welcome to a new episode of I'm The Gaffer 👷‍♂️

If you've ever thought of lean as corporate jargon — or a polite word for layoffs — this conversation will change how you look at your crews, meetings, and margins.

In this episode, Kelley Huss, Manager of Lean at JE Dunn Construction, joins Gavin Coyle to unpack what lean really means on a job site. Kelley shares practical lessons from her career in construction and explains how lean can improve efficiency, strengthen relationships, and solve real problems in the field.

You'll learn:

• What lean actually means — and why it's not about cutting headcount
• Why lean fails when it's treated as just another checklist or tool
• How process mapping helped a trade partner get paid within 19 days
• How weekly work plans helped turn around a losing project
• Why lean managers need relationships and champions, not just expertise
• How lean can be applied earlier in design and pre-construction
• Why treating subcontractors as trade partners can improve collaboration

Episode Highlights / Timestamps

• 00:00 Lean does not mean fewer employees
• 01:59 Is lean an excuse to remove labor?
• 04:23 When lean becomes a checklist
• 07:39 Getting a trade partner paid in 19 days
• 14:02 Turning around a losing project
• 17:46 What makes an excellent lean manager?
• 21:45 Measuring lean and capturing small wins
• 28:23 Why lean belongs earlier in the process
• 32:25 Managing long-lead materials
• 37:50 Why “trade partner” matters
• 45:00 Start with what bugs you
• 45:40 Where to find Kelley

Connect with Kelley Huss

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelley-huss-cm-lean-682b0822/

- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kelsteel96/

- JE Dunn Construction: https://jedunn.com

- Her podcast: Rebuild the Construction Mindset (with Jenna Hamilton)

- Book she recommends: Everything I Know About Lean I Learned in First Grade — on Amazon and Audible

Coyle Group provides safety outsourcing and managed services for high-impact projects across wind, utilities, power generation, engineering, and construction.

With over 25 years of experience, 100+ safety professionals, and more than 1 million safety hours completed, Coyle Group helps organisations deliver projects safely and compliantly.

Learn more:

https://coyle-group.com/

I'm The Gaffer, hosted by Gavin Coyle, features conversations with industry leaders, entrepreneurs, and subject matter experts covering construction, engineering, leadership, business growth, safety, procurement, project delivery, and workplace culture.

Listen on:

Apple Podcasts

https://bit.ly/ImTheGaffer

Spotify

https://bit.ly/ImTheGafferSpotify

YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/@ImTheGafferPodcast

Website

https://www.imthegaffer.com

Subscribe for more conversations on leadership, construction, business growth, workplace culture, employee engagement, engineering, manufacturing, and entrepreneurship.

Welcome to a new episode of I'm The Gaffer

If you've ever wondered whether ISO 9001 is worth the bureaucracy — or written off quality as box-ticking that lives in a filing cabinet — this conversation will change how you look at your bottom line.

In this episode, Lorna Hagan joins Gavin Coyle to unpack why quality is profit, not paperwork. Lorna is a civil engineer and chartered quality professional with 20+ years on main contractor sites — from Crossrail and nuclear decommissioning to three-bed semis — and the founder of Construct Tuition, where she trains and consults construction businesses to get it right first time. She was previously head of quality for a tier one contractor overseeing £250 million a year of civil engineering projects.

You'll learn:

- The Get It Right Initiative research: 21% of construction turnover is wasted in error — against a 5% tier one margin — and why most of that loss lands on SME subcontractors

- The "spirit of 9001": what a plumbing contractor with five vans should be asking on the drive home every night

- What implementing ISO 9001/14001/45001 actually costs (ballpark ~€20k for the full suite) — and the Local Enterprise Office / Invest NI grants that can offset it

- Why written processes are what let you scale, take a holiday, or sell — "without those, YOU are the risk in the business"

- The "Saturday morning jobs" and Magic Man: the unrecorded process waste quietly eating your margin

- How targeted training cut £5,000-a-time concrete NCRs by 75% — and saved £155,000 in six months

- Post-Grenfell accountability: why "he won't see it from my house" doesn't wash anymore

Episode Highlights / Timestamps

• 00:54 Welcome: why quality is integral to a successful organization
• 02:28 Getting started: "I wasn't smart enough to be a vet" — Crossrail, nuclear, 20 years with main contractors
• 05:52 Devil's advocate: do I really need 9001 with 20 guys and a handbook?
• 11:58 The economics: gap analysis, integrated audits, ~€20k, and grant support
• 16:34 Scalability: written processes or YOU are the risk in the business
• 18:15 The Get It Right Initiative: 21% of turnover wasted vs 5% margin
• 23:33 "You'll not see it from my house" — the sayings that are gone
• 27:05 Saturday morning jobs: the mistakes that never make a sheet
• 29:46 Concrete NCRs at £5k each — training that cut them 75%
• 39:37 Imposter syndrome at the top of Canary Wharf — "don't doubt yourself again"
• 42:46 A passion for representing women in construction
• 45:00 Where to find Lorna

Connect with Lorna Hagan

• Website: https://www.constructtuition.co.uk
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/haganlorna/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/constructtuition/

Coyle Group provides safety outsourcing and managed services for high-impact projects across wind, utilities, power generation, engineering, and construction.

With over 25 years of experience, 100+ safety professionals, and more than 1 million safety hours completed, Coyle Group helps organisations deliver projects safely and compliantly.

Learn more:

https://coyle-group.com/

I'm The Gaffer, hosted by Gavin Coyle, features conversations with industry leaders, entrepreneurs, and subject matter experts covering construction, engineering, leadership, business growth, safety, procurement, project delivery, and workplace culture.

Listen on:

Apple Podcasts

https://bit.ly/ImTheGaffer

Spotify

https://bit.ly/ImTheGafferSpotify

YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/@ImTheGafferPodcast

Website

https://www.imthegaffer.com

Subscribe for more conversations on leadership, construction, business growth, workplace culture, employee engagement, engineering, manufacturing, and entrepreneurship.

#ImTheGaffer #constructionpodcast #construction #constructionbusiness #quality #ISO9001 #leadership #womeninconstruction #business #podcast

Welcome to a new episode of I'm The Gaffer 👷‍♂️

If you're a construction business owner wondering whether the next stage of growth is worth what it might cost your culture, this conversation will stop you in your tracks.

In this episode, Hacia Atherton joins Gavin Coyle to discuss what success actually feels like (not just what it looks like on paper), why pushing past $5M in turnover changes your business in ways you can't reverse, and how leaders in male-dominated industries can build cultures where people feel like humans, not tools. Hacia is the founder of Empowered Women in Trades, author of The Billion Dollar Blindspot, and a high-performance culture strategist who rebuilt her own life after a catastrophic riding accident left her learning to stand again.

You'll learn:

- Why defining success as a *feeling* — not a revenue number — changes every decision that follows

- The "pirates to Navy" transition: what really happens to a family culture when you push past $5M

- How to spot consultants and marketing gurus selling one-size-fits-all playbooks (and why they can't work)

- How one trades business unlocked a whole new market by hiring female tradespeople for domestic-violence housing

- Why men in construction "opt out of life" before asking for help — and what leaders can do about it

- Practical niches and recurring-revenue ideas for trades businesses (data centres, med gas, maintenance education)

🎯 Episode Highlights / Timestamps

- 00:00 Coming up

- 01:17 Welcome: leadership, culture and the signs someone is struggling

- 03:00 A fifth-generation plumbing family ("plumbers save more lives than doctors")

- 05:01 The welding lesson: "the metal doesn't know if you're a girl"

- 05:46 The accident: crushed by her horse, six months learning to stand

- 09:20 From CPA to psychology — spotting the human gap in business education

- 12:24 Making workplaces where people feel like humans, not tools

- 13:09 What does success FEEL like on a Monday morning?

- 15:11 Gavin pushes back: can an outsider really see a company's culture?

- 17:12 No frameworks, no biases — active listening from apprentice to CEO

- 19:59 The courageous conversation: your vision may kill what you love

- 22:45 The $20M reality check: you'll never see an apprentice again

- 25:03 Curveball: 10x marketing gurus and the playbook problem

- 30:05 Success story: female tradespeople for domestic-violence housing

- 34:56 Market opportunities: data centres, med gas, niching down, recurring revenue

- 37:58 The next five years: men's mental health in male-dominated industries

- 40:46 Toxic femininity — the callout that gets her in trouble

- 42:18 Quick-fire: The Alchemist, Gladiator, and the raccoon confession

- 46:10 Where to find Hacia

Connect with Hacia Atherton

- Website: https://www.haciaatherton.com

- Empowered Women in Trades: https://www.ewitrades.com

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/haciaatherton

- Instagram: (their team confirms handle at review)

About Coyle Group

Coyle Group is a leading provider of outsourced safety solutions to the construction industry. With over 25 years of experience, a team of 100+ safety professionals, and more than 1 million safety hours delivered, Coyle Group helps construction companies build safer, more successful projects. Learn more at https://www.coyle-group.com

About the Podcast

I'm The Gaffer, hosted by industry expert Gavin Coyle, is the essential podcast for construction people, offering insider insights, expert interviews, and actionable strategies to blueprint unprecedented success in the dynamic world of construction. Whether you are still 'on the tools', just getting started, a seasoned site manager focused on large-scale project management, or a fast-growth building industry entrepreneur/developer, this podcast is for you.

I'm The Gaffer, available on:

Apple: https://bit.ly/ImTheGaffer

Spotify: https://bit.ly/ImTheGafferSpotify

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@imthegafferpodcast

Website: https://imthegaffer.com

#ImTheGaffer #constructionpodcast #construction #constructionbusiness #leadership #culture #womenintrades #mentalhealth #business #podcast

Welcome to a new episode of I'm The Gaffer 👷‍♂️

What if you could own a successful construction business... without ever picking up the tools?

In this episode, Max Emma, CEO & Founder of FranchiseWithMax.com, joins Gavin Coyle to explore why construction franchising is becoming one of the biggest business opportunities today.

From painting and plumbing to electrical, roofing, handyman services, and home improvements, Max explains why skilled trades continue to thrive, why AI won't replace them anytime soon, and how entrepreneurs can build profitable businesses using proven franchise systems.

The conversation also covers one of the biggest mistakes people make when choosing a franchise, why royalties shouldn't be your only consideration, and how the right franchise can provide marketing, lead generation, estimating, dispatching, training, and business systems that dramatically reduce risk.

Whether you're a contractor looking to scale, an entrepreneur considering business ownership, or someone exploring franchising for the first time, this episode offers practical insights into building a business without starting from scratch.

1. Why construction franchising is growing rapidly
2. Why AI won't replace skilled trades anytime soon
3. How franchise systems reduce business risk
4. Why you shouldn't compare franchises on royalties alone
5. What great franchise systems actually provide
6. How marketing, dispatching and estimating can accelerate growth
7. Why business owners should avoid "buying themselves a job"
8. The biggest mindset shift every new franchise owner needs
9. How diversification creates long-term business growth
10. The advice Max would give his younger self about entrepreneurship

00:00 Why construction franchising is booming

01:00 Meet Max Emma & his entrepreneurial journey

09:25 Why AI won't replace construction businesses

10:56 Don't buy yourself a job... buy yourself a business

13:42 Construction franchise opportunities explained

21:44 Is franchising right for everyone?

27:23 Franchise fees, royalties & what really matters

28:30 Why lower royalties aren't always better

32:36 Why franchising reduces business risk

36:48 What Max would do differently starting over

43:03 How to get started with franchising

🌐 Franchise With Max

https://www.franchisewithmax.com

🔗 LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/maxemma

Coyle Group provides safety outsourcing and managed services for high-impact projects across wind, utilities, power generation, engineering, and construction.

With over 25 years of experience, 100+ safety professionals, and more than 1 million safety hours completed, Coyle Group helps organisations deliver projects safely and compliantly.

Learn more:

https://coyle-group.com/

I'm The Gaffer, hosted by Gavin Coyle, features conversations with industry leaders, entrepreneurs, and subject matter experts covering construction, engineering, leadership, business growth, safety, procurement, project delivery, and workplace culture.

Listen on:

Apple Podcasts

https://bit.ly/ImTheGaffer

Spotify

https://bit.ly/ImTheGafferSpotify

YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/@imthegafferpodcast

Website

https://www.imthegaffer.com

Subscribe for more conversations on construction, leadership, franchising, entrepreneurship, business growth, engineering, project management, safety, and building successful businesses.

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