Tradies lift up Tradies - The Importance of Building a Tradie Community

In this podcast we discuss:

What makes Tradies better is knowing other Tradies have their backs

Knowing that the decisions they make have been made by others before, so they have a place to turn

When Tradies actually share, their collective voices are the same - 'I know I'm not the only one going through all this stuff'

When they come together it's like being with family -  They say things like 'I've never spoken to people about this stuff before'

What I see when Tradies all come together is a damn good time. We lift each other up

Like attracts like.

And Tradies - are dead set legends.

Too many tradie businesses leave themselves exposed for legal and financial pain.
Helen Kay talks to us about a proactive approach to protecting your business against these 5 mistakes that businesses make, and how to avoid this being YOU!

Here's the lowdown on this episode and the 5 Mistakes you can avoid:

1. Protect your Intellectual Property with a Trademark - your business name is your reputation, be sure to have this protected from other dodgy people who might want to ride on your coat tails

2. Contracts with clients and terms and conditions - gone are the days of 'handshake agreements' - people just aren't as trustworthy unfortunately. Without a contract with your clients, you are really leaving yourself open to wearing some serious costs!

3. Subcontractor Agreements - there needs to be a way you protect yourself when you work with people contracting to your business. They can do all sorts of dodgy things without this agreement - so get onto it

4. Shareholders Agreements - for all directors of the company - rules of the game are needed in case things go 'pear shaped'

5. The RIGHT business structure - not just for tax purposes people, but also to protect your assets should anyone decide they want to sue you for something. Protect everything you have with a Pty Ltd structure

There were LOADS of gems in this podcast so be sure to take a listen.
See Helen's website at: https://riselegal.com.au/
To book a FREE CHAT via Ladies with Tradies with Helen do so here: https://calendly.com/contracts-lawyer/intro-call-ladieswithtradies

In this episode we speak with Sally and Tristan Higgs, owners of Alykan Electrical Solutions in Melbourne, Victoria.
In 2017, Alykan was built after Tristan completed his apprenticeship and gained a few years of experience as a qualified A-Grade. Sally has always been in high level corporate roles, and only in the last couple of years decided to leverage these skills and jump feet first full time into the business alongside Tristan. 
These two have built an unbeatable team with a culture to match.
Here's what they teach us in this podcast:

1. How to work through the fear of putting on the first staff member
2. How to learn about onbaording staff and navigating contracts and other HR stuff - basically - utilise your industry bodies and government organisations
3. The do's and don'ts of recruiting - hire slowly, fire quickly - bad eggs will spoil the whole organisation
4. The 'Alykan Grilling' - the value of having your team members as part of the recruitment process, some questions you can ask candidates
5. The Coffee Interview - how to build a more casual environment for a second interview to expose more of the 'real' part of the candidate
6. Hiring on values and skills - knowing what motivates your staff
7. Incentives, inclusion of partners and families and how to keep your people happy
8. Performance reviews - how to do them, why they are important and the outcomes of them.

This episode is JAM PACKED legends - you will learn so much from these guys who might I mention, are Master Electricians FINALISTS for the 2021 awards. So proud of you guys.

Enjoy the listen
xx

I am so excited to introduce to you our little pocket rocket, Chane Vieira to the LWT team. Chane has a very extensive history in soooo many elements of business including sales, marketing, recruitment & HR, process improvement - you name it, in her short time on this earth - she has achieved it!
Chane is a keen dog enthusiast and loves horse riding among other adventures that she undertakes in New Zealand.
Chane relocated from South Africa to NZ 3 years ago and has folded into our team so seamlessly - an avid and valuable contributor, Chane is passionate about getting results for her clients.
She is the daughter of a mechanic and shares with us what life was like having a Tradie dad too.
Say hi to Chane - enjoy!

Mel McKibbin joined the LWT team as a coach in May 2021 and has been an absolute delight.

Mel's shares with us her history in corporate and how it has shaped who she is today. She left school at 15 years of age and describes herself as 'no academic', but her passion for understanding business and how business owners can create and build lives 'without making it so hard' is infectious.

Mel tells us about the big lesson she learned in her own business regarding not 'managing' a staff member for fear of having to start working 'in' her business again, and shares her lessons from this.

Mel is a mum of 9yo twins, has a supportive hubby in Adam, and she is a mad passionate Bathurst Bogan.

Tune in and learn more about the lady who could be your future coach! If ya lucky!

In this episode we chatted with Mick Bloomfield - the owner of MIB Plumbing in Traralgon Victoria.
Mick and his wife Lisa have done remarkable things over the last few years and grown their plumbing business from just Mick, to him and 3 plumbers, and admin assistant, machines, utes, a factory - the works.
Mick talks us through some of the things that have assisted him to get to this point including the fact that he 'used to just pay the Reece bill and there would not be any money left' to now 'I make how much money I make as a game'
A HUGE transformation for this legend of a character who really just loves his business now after growing his knowledge, believing in himself, and backing himself and his team to get the job done.
Enjoy my mate Mick - you will love him. He's a champ, and we love him dearly
Good on ya Mick - love ya work
xxxx

In this episode, I had the pleasure of chatting with my outrageously awesome mother and father in law - Jayne and Steve Muldoon.
These people are the greatest example of celebrating literally every moment in life. They are full of fun, love, pride and joy - and it spills out of them onto all who meet them.
They give us some amazing advice  in this podcast on:
How to stay a strong team
Staying true to yourself
Being grateful and recognising you are not just lucky - you worked hard for what you have
We discuss the importance of saying 'yes' to as many opportunities as you can, and making decisions that work for you both.
Enjoy my inlaws - they are super incredible, and I know you will gain a lot from listening to them, and learning some of their important philosophies in life.
Love them dearly
xxx

Kylie and James run a solar and electrical company in South Australia. They are a family of 4 running their  business with a team of 5 and growing.

We met Kylie in the midst of Covid 19 when she joined our online program 'Combat Coronavirus'. Kylie is one of the most fierce implementers we have ever worked with and it has been an incredible privilege to watch her confidence grow ever since.

In this episode, Kylie and James discuss how they have gone about transitioning Kylie full time into the business with a busy family. Many tradie business couples are worried about loss of income, working around family and how to make it work without killing each other as a couple working in business together. 

Take a listen to how they do make it work and Stop Shit Hitting the Fan in Love, Life and Business.

Our amazing Finance Manager and all round numbers guru Josie dropped by for a chat to clear up some of the important finance questions that our clients have.
Why is cashflow such an issue in Tradie businesses?
What can I do to fix this?
I am tired of staring at the roof and stressing out every night - why is the money thing so hard?
Josie chats through the top 3 issues that Tradie business owners have with cash, and gives a bit of insight into how to remedy this.
Make sure you grab a cuppa and pen and get some of these gems down on paper!
Better yet - hit us up at [email protected] and ask us a question there!

This March we have International Women's day, and we celebrate this on March 8th. This year the theme is 'Choose to Challenge' - choosing to challenge inequality and gender bias.
You are SUPER LADY....but....you do not have to do it all!!
In this podcast Kate walks you through a few tips and tricks by answering some of your top questions like:
 How do I juggle all of the 'things' that I need to get done in life and in business?
What can I eliminate/automate/delegate/designate to others - how can I prioritise
How can I help in the business more? I do the books but I don't know how else to help?
I really like the business, but I would LOVE to do my own thing too - how can I choose between the two?

Also - make sure you choose what is fun, and what you are skilled at to do - stop doing stuff that drags you down!

Take a listen lady - and be even more AWESOME than you already are.
xx