Jimmy Talks Construction

Are Australian building standards slipping? And are building inspectors actually helping the industry, or just creating more problems for tradies?

In this episode of Jimmy Talks Construction, Jimmy sits down with Anthony from Top Tier Building Inspections to discuss the reality of building inspections, construction defects and the challenges facing Australia's residential building industry.

Anthony's journey is anything but conventional. After serving over eight years in the Australian Army as a combat engineer and carpenter, he transitioned into building certification before launching his own independent inspection business in Queensland.

From discovering 12 defective bathrooms across four newly built homes to witnessing a certifier spend just seven minutes inspecting a house frame, Anthony shares some of the most concerning things he's seen on building sites.

But Jimmy isn't letting building inspectors off the hook either.

The two debate whether inspectors are going too far with social media, publicly shaming hardworking tradies over minor defects and creating unnecessary delays on construction projects.

Whether you're a builder, tradie, subcontractor, business owner or someone building their first home, this episode offers a different perspective on the Australian construction industry.

Subscribe to Jimmy Talks Construction for real conversations with the people building Australia's construction industry.

Like, comment and subscribe if you enjoyed the episode.

Connect with Anthony:

🌐 Website: https://toptierbuildinginspections.com.au/

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/toptierbuildinginspections/

📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Top-Tier-Building-Inspections/61575870033354/

📺 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TopTierBuildingInspections

Connect with Jimmy:

🌐 Website: https://starbuckgroup.com.au

📺 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@JimmyTalksConstruction

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/starbuckexcavation

📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/starbuckexcavation

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-starbuck-13336546/

Sponsorships + Guest Enquiries: [email protected]

Send in Business Problems: [email protected]

At just 23 years old, William Schepis started Cubic Concrete Solutions with a ute, a few tools, and a plan to make 100 cold calls every day.

Two years later, he was running commercial concrete projects across Victoria and Queensland. But when approximately $310,000 in payments became caught up in a dispute, everything changed.

In this episode of Jimmy Talks Construction, Jimmy Starbuck sits down with William Schepis, founder of Cubic Concrete Solutions, to discuss the brutal reality of building a construction business from the ground up.

From making 400 cold calls to land his first two clients, to taking on a massive 14,000m² commercial project with barely any equipment or staff, William shares how he built his business through hard work, relationships, and taking opportunities when they appeared.

But success came at a cost.

Subscribe to Jimmy Talks Construction for real conversations with the people building Australia's construction industry.

Like, comment and subscribe if you enjoyed the episode.

Connect with Will & Cubic Concrete Solutions:

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cubicconcretesolutions/

📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Cubic-concrete-solutions-100090119095184/

Connect with Jimmy:

🌐 Website: https://starbuckgroup.com.au

📺 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@JimmyTalksConstruction

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/starbuckexcavation

📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/starbuckexcavation

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-starbuck-13336546/

Sponsorships + Guest Enquiries: [email protected]

Send in Business Problems: [email protected]

From operating dump trucks and dozers in Australia's mines to helping deliver a US$400 MILLION equipment agreement with Fortescue, Jason Keays has seen the mining industry from both sides.

This week on Jimmy Talks Construction, Jimmy sits down with Jason Keays, Deputy General Manager of XCMG Mining, to discuss the rise of Chinese heavy equipment, the future of battery-electric mining machinery, and what it takes to compete with the world's biggest manufacturers.

If you enjoy the episode, make sure to like, subscribe and share it with someone in the construction or mining industry!

Connect with Jason & XCMG:

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-keays-2bb183190/

🌐XCMG Australia: https://xcmg.net.au/

💼 XCMG LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/company/xcmg-australia

Connect with Jimmy:

🌐 Website: https://starbuckgroup.com.au

📺 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@JimmyTalksConstruction

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/starbuckexcavation

📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/starbuckexcavation

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-starbuck-13336546/

Sponsorships + Guest Enquiries: [email protected]

Send in Business Problems: [email protected]

CHAPTERS

00:00 Inside China's Mining Industry

00:57 Meet Jason Keays — From Concreting to Mining

08:53 Life in Australia's Biggest Coal Mines

12:46 Roy Hill, FIFO Rosters & Mining Culture

20:18 Leaving Mining to Be With Family

25:20 Joining XCMG & Discovering Chinese Manufacturing

29:24 Inside China's Massive Equipment Factories

36:12 Why Chinese Equipment Has Struggled in Australia

40:36 The $400 Million Fortescue Deal

51:00 The Future of Electric Mining Trucks & XCMG

What does it really take to build a successful construction business in Australia? And at what point does the cost of success become too high?

This week on Jimmy Talks Construction, Jimmy sits down with Luke Said, Managing Director of Impact Build, a custom home building company specialising in bespoke homes, extensions and renovations across Victoria's Macedon Ranges.

From starting out as an apprentice carpenter to running his own building company, Luke shares the lessons, mistakes and sacrifices that have shaped his career.

Jimmy and Luke get into the realities of running a construction business, Australia's struggling housing market, the next generation of tradespeople, AI and automation, and the challenge of growing a company without sacrificing family life.

They cover:

• The hard lessons of starting and growing a building business
• Why Australia's housing and construction industry is under pressure
• Apprentices, work ethic and accountability
• AI, automation and the future of construction
• Building a team you can actually trust
• The sacrifices behind business growth
• Why some of the best opportunities come during difficult times

An honest, unfiltered conversation about construction, business, leadership and finding a balance between making a living and actually living.

Subscribe to Jimmy Talks Construction for weekly conversations with the people building Australia's construction industry.

Connect with Luke:

🌐 Website: https://www.impactbd.com.au/

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/impactbuild/

📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/impactbuilt/

Connect with Jimmy:

🌐 Website: https://starbuckgroup.com.au

📺 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@JimmyTalksConstruction

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/starbuckexcavation

📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/starbuckexcavation

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-starbuck-13336546/

Sponsorships + Guest Enquiries: [email protected]

Send in Business Problems: [email protected]

From a burnt-out D6 dozer to a civil construction business operating up to 50 machines and employing 70 people, Asha Russell built Sage Civil Australia through determination, relationships and years of hard work.

But after years of building her business, mounting financial pressures, missed contracts, difficult weather conditions and rising operating costs brought her to one of the toughest decisions of her career.

In this episode of Jimmy Talks Construction, Jimmy sits down with Asha Russell, Managing Director of Sage Civil Australia, for an honest conversation about the realities of running a construction business in Australia.

She also opens up about selling personal assets to support the business, entering a small business restructure, and eventually deciding to significantly downsize her operations.

They discuss:

• Building a civil construction business from the ground up
• Growing to 50 machines and 70 employees
• Losing major contracts and managing financial risk
• The impact of rising costs, wet weather and cash-flow pressure
• Why construction businesses are struggling in Australia
• Mentoring women in the civil construction industry
• The personal sacrifices behind running a business
• Why Asha ultimately decided to step away from day-to-day operations

This isn't just a story about construction equipment and big projects. It's a conversation about resilience, knowing when to change direction, and what success really means when the business you've built becomes your identity.

Subscribe to Jimmy Talks Construction for honest conversations with the people building, running and shaping Australia's construction industry.

Connect with Asha:

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sagecivil/

💼 LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/company/sage-civil-australia

💼 LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/in/asha-russell-41790170

🌐 Website: https://sagecivil.com.au/

Connect with Jimmy:

🌐 Website: https://starbuckgroup.com.au

📺 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@JimmyTalksConstruction

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/starbuckexcavation

📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/starbuckexcavation

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-starbuck-13336546/

Sponsorships + Guest Enquiries: [email protected]

Send in Business Problems: [email protected]

Why is it becoming so difficult to do business in Victorian construction?

Annie Kessel, Executive Director of the Civil Contractors Federation Victoria, joins James on Jimmy Talks Construction for a wide-ranging conversation about the pressures facing contractors across the state — from fuel prices and rising costs to government red tape, labour shortages, housing, infrastructure and the future of the construction workforce.

James and Annie discuss the reality of trying to operate a construction business in Victoria, including the impact of fuel costs, material and labour increases, delays through authorities and approvals, uncertainty around infrastructure pipelines and the challenge of getting the industry's voice heard by government.

They also get into the growing skills shortage, why apprentices are often the first to disappear when the industry slows down, the number of experienced contractor owners approaching retirement and what construction needs to do to attract the next generation.

Topics include:

• Why construction businesses are under increasing pressure

• Fuel prices and fuel tax credits

• Government red tape and approval delays

• Victoria's infrastructure and housing pipeline

• Rising labour and material costs

• How CCF represents contractors to government

• The construction skills shortage

• Apprenticeships and attracting the next generation

• The importance of face-to-face relationships in construction

• Building stronger industry communities

• The future of civil construction in Victoria

Subscribe to Jimmy Talks Construction for more conversations with the people building, operating and leading Australia's construction industry.

Connect with Annie:

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ccf_victoria/

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annie-kessell/?isSelfProfile=false

📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Cuda-Group/61577953295378/

🌐 Website: https://www.ccfvic.com.au/

Connect with Jimmy:

🌐 Website: https://starbuckgroup.com.au

📺 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@JimmyTalksConstruction

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/starbuckexcavation

📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/starbuckexcavation

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-starbuck-13336546/

Sponsorships + Guest Enquiries: [email protected]

Send in Business Problems: [email protected]

Jed Coinu from CUDA Group joins James on Jimmy Talks Construction to talk about leaving school in Year 10, going straight into a carpentry apprenticeship and eventually building his own construction and maintenance business from the ground up.

What started with flyers, Facebook community pages and literally walking into shopping centres asking for work has grown into CUDA Group — a business servicing shopping centres, schools, hospitals and industrial sites across a wide range of maintenance, construction and small-scale civil work.

Jed talks honestly about the realities of starting young, earning trust when people question your experience, doing the jobs nobody else wants, quoting quickly, chasing work and why the hard years of an apprenticeship can shape the way you operate later in business.

The boys also get into scaling a construction business, hiring the right people, knowing what roles to delegate, staying close to your strengths, work-life balance, working ridiculous hours and why there is still no shortcut to building something successful.

They also discuss AI and technology in construction, where automation might actually make a difference, why blue-collar work is harder to replace and how software is already changing the way contractors quote, manage jobs and handle paperwork.

Another proper conversation about construction, business, apprenticeships and the people behind the industry.

Subscribe to Jimmy Talks Construction for more conversations with people across construction, civil, earthmoving, trades and infrastructure.

Connect with Jed:

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cuda_group/

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jed-coinu-2741652b6/

📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Cuda-Group/61577953295378/

Connect with Jimmy:

🌐 Website: https://starbuckgroup.com.au

📺 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@JimmyTalksConstruction

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/starbuckexcavation

📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/starbuckexcavation

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-starbuck-13336546/

Sponsorships + Guest Enquiries: [email protected]

Send in Business Problems: [email protected]

Craig from EDI Tree Services joins James on Jimmy Talks Construction to talk about building a tree business from the ground up, surviving cancer as a teenager, leaving school early and eventually finding a career he genuinely loves.

What started with mowing lawns and taking on the occasional tree removal has grown into EDI Tree Services — a Mount Gambier-based operation handling residential, commercial and large-scale vegetation management work across the Limestone Coast and beyond.

Craig talks honestly about the realities of running a trade business: hiring good people, competing with unqualified operators, knowing when not to grow, expensive mistakes on site, insurance claims, machinery fires and why he still wants to be out doing the work rather than sitting behind a desk.

The boys also get into the future of the arboriculture industry, training standards, licensing, construction accidents, the importance of having the right people around you and some of the jobs that don't quite go to plan.

Craig also shares his involvement in the Shitbox Rally, taking a $1,500 car thousands of kilometres through the Australian outback to raise money for cancer research.

Another proper conversation about construction, business and the people behind the industry.

Subscribe to Jimmy Talks Construction for more conversations with people across construction, civil, earthmoving, trades and infrastructure.

Connect with Craig:

🌐 Website: https://www.editrees.com.au/

📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/edidevelopments/

Connect with Jimmy:

🌐 Website: https://starbuckgroup.com.au

📺 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@JimmyTalksConstruction

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/starbuckexcavation

📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/starbuckexcavation

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-starbuck-13336546/

Sponsorships + Guest Enquiries: [email protected]

Send in Business Problems: [email protected]

Dylan from Welsh Industries joins Jimmy to talk about building an earthmoving and civil construction business from the ground up.

From selling firewood while still at school and buying his first machine, to taking on the small jobs bigger contractors didn’t want, Dylan breaks down the journey of growing Welsh Industries into larger civil projects, plant hire and tendered work.

They get into the reality of running a construction business - knowing when to say yes, quoting and variations, learning expensive lessons through tendering, moving from simple quotes to detailed proposals, managing growth, getting off the tools and building a reputation that wins work.

Dylan also shares his experience working on the Longwood bushfire recovery, including the confronting process of cleaning up destroyed homes and some of the unexpected possessions they managed to recover from the rubble.

In this episode:

• Starting a business while still at school

• Buying the first machine and finding work

• Why saying “yes” helped grow Welsh Industries

• Knowing when to start saying no

• Quoting, variations and protecting your scope

• Moving from small jobs into commercial civil construction

• Tendering for bigger projects

• Losing money while learning how to tender

• Why proposals can outperform basic quotes

• Scaling without growing too quickly

• Longwood bushfire recovery and cleanup

• Communication, reputation and relationships in construction

If you work in civil construction, earthmoving, plant hire or run your own construction business, there’s plenty in this one.

Subscribe to Jimmy Talks Construction for more conversations with the people actually building and running Australia’s construction industry.

Connect with Dylan Welsh:

🌐 Website: https://welshindustries.com.au/

📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WelshIndustries/

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/welshindustries/

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dylan-welsh-a99067123/

Connect with Jimmy:

🌐 Website: https://starbuckgroup.com.au

📺 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@JimmyTalksConstruction

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/starbuckexcavation

📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/starbuckexcavation

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-starbuck-13336546/

Sponsorships + Guest Enquiries: [email protected]

Send in Business Problems: [email protected]

Matt Garland has seen the construction industry from both sides of the fence.

In this episode of Jimmy Talks Construction, Jimmy sits down with Matt Garland from Nawkaw Australia to talk about his journey through construction, from studying construction management and working for major builders to helping establish operations in London and eventually moving from the head contractor side into the subcontracting world.

In this episode:

• Matt Garland's journey into construction
• Working for Tier 1 and Tier 3 builders
• Establishing a construction operation in London
• Growing during the COVID construction period
• Moving from head contractor to subcontractor
• How Nawkaw concrete and masonry staining works
• Why colour matching is more complicated than it looks
• QA systems and managing client expectations
• Avoiding disputes over scope and variations
• Building systems that allow construction businesses to scale
• Technology and automation in construction
• BIM, GPS and modular construction
• The problem with construction's race to the lowest price
• Why innovation costs money
• Investing in the next generation of construction

If you're a builder, subcontractor, project manager, construction business owner or anyone interested in where the Australian construction industry is heading, this is an episode worth watching.

Subscribe to Jimmy Talks Construction for more conversations with the people building Australia's construction industry.

Connect with Matthew Garland:

🌐 Website: https://www.nawkawvic.com.au/

🌐 Website: https://nawkaw.com/en-au/

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nawkawaus/

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-garland-000004b5/

Connect with Jimmy:

🌐 Website: https://starbuckgroup.com.au

📺 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@JimmyTalksConstruction

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/starbuckexcavation

📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/starbuckexcavation

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-starbuck-13336546/

Sponsorships + Guest Enquiries: [email protected]

Send in Business Problems: [email protected]