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What really happens behind the scenes in Australia’s most recognised handyman franchise? 
In this episode of Small Business Sorted, Kay and Crystal sit down with Jim Kelly (Hire A Hubby Mona Vale & Balgowlah) and Giles Smith (Hire A Hubby Forestville) — two of the Northern Beaches’ highest‑rated handyman franchisees.

Jim brings 30+ years of franchising and customer service experience, multiple Franchisee of the Year awards, and a thriving $1.2M operation supported by a full team. Giles shares his journey from Cornwall farm kid → CIO → children’s book author → one of Sydney’s most Google‑rated handymen.

Together, they unpack:

• How they got into Hire A Hubby — including surfing conversations, failed ventures, and “do what you love” moments
• Why franchising reduces risk and how buying an existing customer base changes everything
• The three biggest complaints in the handyman industry (and how good operators avoid them)
• How to manage staff, avoid burnout, and stop the boom‑and‑bust cycle of tradie work
• The real misconceptions about handymen and why the job requires massive skill breadth
• Their biggest mistakes, warranty nightmares, and how they fixed them fast
• The habits and systems that keep their businesses profitable and customers loyal

You’ll also hear brilliant stories — from spray‑painting a neighbour’s house by accident to the infamous “wrong letterbox saga” — plus practical advice for any small‑business owner about hiring, quoting, communication, and protecting your sanity.

Perfect for: 
Small business owners, tradies, franchise buyers, Northern Beaches locals, and anyone curious about what it really takes to run a successful service‑based business.

shows at the beginning of each episode for 15 seconds

Connect with us:
Crystal Petzer - https://businessgrowthcoach.com.au/
Kay Godfrey - https://upupandaway.net.au/

Radio Northern Beaches 88.7 or 90.3 FM - https://www.rnb.org.au/
Email us - [email protected]

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61590811295505
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/small_business_sorted/

If this episode hits home, share it with a business owner who needs to hear it.

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Thinking about exiting your business - now or someday? 
In this episode of Small Business Sorted, Kay and Crystal dive deep into the 10 real reasons small business owners choose (or are forced) to exit their business, and what you can do to prepare long before the pressure hits.

From retirement, burnout, losing passion, industry changes, health issues, partnership breakdowns, and financial decline, we unpack the honest conversations business owners rarely have but absolutely should.

You’ll hear real stories from our own experiences, including:

• Kay selling her First Class Accounts franchise and rediscovering her passion for bookkeeping after finding The Strategic Bookkeeper (“she just reignited something in me” )
• Crystal’s wake‑up call during emergency surgery (“no one knows everything about what I’ve got” )
• Clients who faced sudden illness, unexpected offers, industry disruption, and the harsh reality of declining profitability
• Why burnout often shows up as snapping at family, heart palpitations, and feeling constantly “on” (“I don’t relax. I can’t relax.” )

We also explore:
-How AI and automation are reshaping industries
-Why selling when your business is performing well matters
-The danger of handshake partnerships
-What happens when your wealth is tied up in the business
-Why every owner needs an exit plan even if you’re not ready to leave

If you’ve ever wondered “Would I buy my business today?”, this episode will give you clarity, direction, and a few laughs along the way.

shows at the beginning of each episode for 15 seconds

Connect with us:
Crystal Petzer - https://businessgrowthcoach.com.au/
Kay Godfrey - https://upupandaway.net.au/

Radio Northern Beaches 88.7 or 90.3 FM - https://www.rnb.org.au/
Email us - [email protected]

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61590811295505
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/small_business_sorted/

If this episode hits home, share it with a business owner who needs to hear it.

Send us Fan Mail

Are you undercharging, doing everything yourself or running your business without fully understanding your numbers?

In this episode of Small Business Sorted, business growth coach Crystal Petzer and bookkeeper Kay Godfrey reveal 10 common small business mistakes and practical ways to avoid them.

Drawing on their experience running businesses and helping Australian business owners, Kay and Crystal explore the problems that can damage your cash flow, profitability, team, customer experience and long-term business growth.

The 10 small business mistakes covered are:

1. Not knowing your numbers
2. Pricing too low and undercharging
3. Trying to do everything yourself
4. Operating without proper systems and processes
5. Hiring employees too quickly—or waiting too long
6. Avoiding difficult conversations
7. Not marketing consistently
8. Ignoring the customer experience
9. Failing to plan ahead
10. Not looking after yourself as the business owner

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why understanding profit, cash flow and job profitability matters
• How undercharging affects every part of your business
• Why delegation is essential for sustainable business growth
• How systems and procedures reduce business chaos
• When to hire your next employee
• How to approach difficult conversations with staff and customers
• Why marketing must continue when you’re busy
• How customer experience affects referrals and repeat business
• How a simple 90-day business plan can create direction
• Why business-owner burnout affects decision-making and performance

Whether you’re a tradie, service provider, consultant, entrepreneur or established business owner, this episode will help you recognise the habits and decisions that may be holding your business back.

If you recognise several of these mistakes, don’t panic. Choose one area, take one practical step and start improving it today.

Connect with Small Business Sorted:

Crystal Petzer – Business Growth Coach
https://businessgrowthcoach.com.au/

Kay Godfrey – Up Up and Away Bookkeeping
https://upupandaway.net.au/

Radio Northern Beaches – 88.7 or 90.3 FM
https://www.rnb.org.au/

Email: [email protected]

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61590811295505

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

Follow Small Business Sorted for practical Australian small business advice covering business growth, finance, pricing, leadership, staffing, marketing and business systems.

#SmallBusinessMistakes #SmallBusinessAustralia #BusinessGrowth #BusinessAdvice #CashFlow #BusinessPricing #Entrepreneurship #SmallBusinessSorted

shows at the beginning of each episode for 15 seconds

Connect with us:
Crystal Petzer - https://businessgrowthcoach.com.au/
Kay Godfrey - https://upupandaway.net.au/

Radio Northern Beaches 88.7 or 90.3 FM - https://www.rnb.org.au/
Email us - [email protected]

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61590811295505
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/small_business_sorted/

If this episode hits home, share it with a business owner who needs to hear it.

Send us Fan Mail

What does it take to reinvent your career, recover when a business model changes and keep moving forward?

In this episode of Small Business Sorted, Kay Godfrey and Crystal Petzer sit down with keynote speaker, author and business leader Wendy Lloyd Curley to hear the story behind her remarkable career.

While Wendy is the author of the Amazon bestseller Stop Wasting Your Time Networking, this interview is not focused on her book. It’s an honest conversation about Wendy’s personal and professional journey—the successes, setbacks, business pivots and lessons that shaped the leader she is today.

Wendy takes us from her early days in hospitality and corporate strategic marketing to entrepreneurship, direct sales, professional speaking and business networking. She explains how she built Australia’s largest PartyLite sales group, growing its annual revenue from approximately $250,000 to $1.5 million, and how she reinvented her career when the business model changed.

Today, Wendy is the Executive Director of BNI Sydney Northeast and creator of the Strategic Networking Masterclass. She has delivered keynotes and workshops across Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom and the Philippines.

In this episode, we explore:

• Wendy’s journey from hospitality to corporate leadership
• Moving from corporate employment into business ownership
• Building and leading a successful national sales team
• Learning from business failure and knowing when to change direction
• Rebuilding when a successful business model suddenly changes
• The importance of business relationships and professional networks
• Delegation, virtual teams and why you shouldn’t run a business alone
• What to discuss before entering a business partnership
• Managing financial risk and maintaining a cash buffer
• Resilience, reinvention and developing a learning mindset
• Why business owners need community, accountability and choice
• Wendy’s move into BNI leadership and professional speaking

Whether you’re a small business owner, entrepreneur, professional, tradie or service provider, Wendy’s story offers practical lessons about leadership, resilience, relationships and adapting when life or business takes an unexpected turn.

Links to Wendy Lloyd Curley

Franchise Owner of BNI Sydney North East – www.bnisne.com.au
Certified Professional Speaker – www.wendylloydcurley.com
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendylloydcurley/

Connect with Small Business Sorted:

Crystal Petzer – Business Growth Coach
https://businessgrowthcoach.com.au/

Kay Godfrey – Up Up and Away Bookkeeping
https://upupandaway.net.au/

Radio Northern Beaches – 88.7 or 90.3 FM
https://www.rnb.org.au/

Email: [email protected]

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61590811295505

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

Subscribe for practical Australian small business advice covering business growth, finance, leadership, staffing, systems, marketing and entrepreneurship.

#BusinessNetworking #StrategicNetworking #BusinessGrowth #SmallBusinessAustralia #Entrepreneurship #BusinessReferrals #Leadership #SmallBusinessSorted

shows at the beginning of each episode for 15 seconds

Connect with us:
Crystal Petzer - https://businessgrowthcoach.com.au/
Kay Godfrey - https://upupandaway.net.au/

Radio Northern Beaches 88.7 or 90.3 FM - https://www.rnb.org.au/
Email us - [email protected]

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61590811295505
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/small_business_sorted/

If this episode hits home, share it with a business owner who needs to hear it.

Send us Fan Mail

Are you running your business with an employee mindset? In this episode of Small Business Sorted, Kay and Crystal explain how to develop a business owner mindset, step away from doing everything yourself and build a business that can grow without relying on you for every decision.

Many new business owners unintentionally recreate their old job. They stay focused on completing tasks, solving daily problems and reacting to whatever happens next rather than concentrating on business strategy, leadership, profitability and long-term growth.

In this episode, we explore:

• The difference between an employee mindset and a business owner mindset
• Why business owners get trapped working in the business
• How to make time to work on your business
• The dangers of doing everything yourself
• Why undercharging limits business growth and profitability
• How to delegate effectively and build a reliable team
• The importance of systems, processes and technology
• How to stop becoming the bottleneck in your business
• The different roles a business owner must manage, including marketing, sales, finance, risk, customer experience and workplace culture

Kay and Crystal also share honest stories about pricing mistakes, hiring challenges, technology frustrations and learning to let go of tasks that someone else could handle.

This episode offers practical small business advice for Australian business owners, tradies, service businesses and entrepreneurs who want to improve their leadership, delegate more effectively and build a profitable business that doesn’t depend entirely on them.

If you’ve ever said, “It’s quicker if I just do it myself,” this episode is for you.

shows at the beginning of each episode for 15 seconds

Connect with us:
Crystal Petzer - https://businessgrowthcoach.com.au/
Kay Godfrey - https://upupandaway.net.au/

Radio Northern Beaches 88.7 or 90.3 FM - https://www.rnb.org.au/
Email us - [email protected]

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61590811295505
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/small_business_sorted/

If this episode hits home, share it with a business owner who needs to hear it.

Send us Fan Mail

How do you turn a personal problem into a successful global product business? In this episode of Small Business Sorted, Kay and Crystal interview Bambi Staveley, founder of Boost N Blend, about entrepreneurship, e-commerce, product development and spotting a profitable gap in the market.

Bambi’s fascinating career has taken her from nursing and early internet innovation to global marketing and corporate leadership at Oracle. She shares how her interest in technology led her to help build one of Australia’s first government websites, establish a successful digital agency and eventually launch an international women’s hair-loss brand.

The idea for Boost N Blend began with Bambi’s personal experience of thinning hair. After researching the global female hair-loss industry, she recognised that women needed a product created specifically for them. She went on to develop female hair fibres designed to conceal visible hair loss and help women feel more confident.

In this episode, we discuss:

• How to turn a personal challenge into a business opportunity
• Identifying and researching a gap in the market
• Testing demand before investing in a new product
• The realities of product development and manufacturing
• Building an e-commerce business and selling internationally
• Using digital marketing to grow a product-based business
• Female hair loss and its effect on confidence
• The resilience required to build and grow a global brand

Whether you’re developing a product, starting an online business or looking for your next business opportunity, Bambi’s story is filled with honest insights and practical lessons.

Discover Boost N Blend:

Website: https://www.boostnblend.com.au/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/boostnblend
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/boostnblend/

If Bambi’s story inspires you, share this episode with a business owner or aspiring entrepreneur—and follow Small Business Sorted for more practical Australian small business advice.

shows at the beginning of each episode for 15 seconds

Connect with us:
Crystal Petzer - https://businessgrowthcoach.com.au/
Kay Godfrey - https://upupandaway.net.au/

Radio Northern Beaches 88.7 or 90.3 FM - https://www.rnb.org.au/
Email us - [email protected]

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61590811295505
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/small_business_sorted/

If this episode hits home, share it with a business owner who needs to hear it.

Send us Fan Mail

Are you fully booked today but worried about where your next job or customer will come from? In this episode of Small Business Sorted, Kay and Crystal explain how Australian small business owners can build a consistent sales pipeline, generate regular leads and avoid the “busy today, panicking tomorrow” cycle.

We unpack why becoming too busy can be dangerous, how stopping your marketing kills momentum, and how poor quoting and a lack of follow-up can cost your business valuable work.

Using practical examples from tradies, bookkeepers and service businesses, we explore common sales and marketing mistakes including ignoring enquiries, failing to follow up quotes, stopping networking and relying too heavily on word-of-mouth referrals.

You’ll learn:

• How to create a consistent flow of leads
• Why marketing must continue when you’re busy
• How and when to follow up outstanding quotes
• How job management systems can improve your sales process
• Ways to strengthen customer retention and repeat business
• How to improve cash flow by building a reliable pipeline

If you want more consistent work, stronger cash flow, better client retention and a small business that doesn’t fall apart whenever things get busy, this episode will help you take control.

Small Business Sorted with Kay & Crystal delivers practical business growth, bookkeeping and financial advice for Australian small business owners, tradies, service businesses and entrepreneurs.

Connect with us:

Crystal Petzer – Business Growth Coach
https://businessgrowthcoach.com.au/

Kay Godfrey – Up Up and Away Bookkeeping
https://upupandaway.net.au/

Radio Northern Beaches – 88.7 or 90.3 FM
https://www.rnb.org.au/

Email: [email protected]

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61590811295505

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

If this episode hits home, share it with a business owner who needs to hear it—and follow Small Business Sorted so you don’t miss the next episode.

shows at the beginning of each episode for 15 seconds

Connect with us:
Crystal Petzer - https://businessgrowthcoach.com.au/
Kay Godfrey - https://upupandaway.net.au/

Radio Northern Beaches 88.7 or 90.3 FM - https://www.rnb.org.au/
Email us - [email protected]

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61590811295505
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/small_business_sorted/

If this episode hits home, share it with a business owner who needs to hear it.

Send us Fan Mail

Running a small business with your partner can feel like a pressure cooker — invoices at dinner, staff issues on weekends, money stress, blurred roles, and zero work–life balance. In this episode, Kay & Crystal unpack the real challenges couples face when building a business together, and why so many tradie couples and family businesses struggle with communication, expectations, and boundaries.

We dive into the most common pain points: admin overload, feeling unappreciated, arguing about money, unclear responsibilities, and the constant “Are we partners or business owners first?” tension. You’ll hear practical strategies to reduce conflict, improve communication, set clear roles, introduce weekly business meetings, and create boundaries that protect both your relationship and your business.

If you’re a tradie couple, small business owner, or partner working behind the scenes in the admin/bookkeeping trenches, this episode gives you real‑world tools to work together without burning out — or burning down the relationship.

Perfect for: tradie wives, small business owners, family businesses, couples in business, admin partners, bookkeepers, and anyone juggling love + business.

shows at the beginning of each episode for 15 seconds

Connect with us:
Crystal Petzer - https://businessgrowthcoach.com.au/
Kay Godfrey - https://upupandaway.net.au/

Radio Northern Beaches 88.7 or 90.3 FM - https://www.rnb.org.au/
Email us - [email protected]

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61590811295505
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/small_business_sorted/

If this episode hits home, share it with a business owner who needs to hear it.

Send us Fan Mail

Running a small business with your partner can feel like a pressure cooker — invoices at dinner, staff issues on weekends, money stress, blurred roles, and zero work–life balance. In this episode, Kay & Crystal unpack the real challenges couples face when building a business together, and why so many tradie couples and family businesses struggle with communication, expectations, and boundaries.

We dive into the most common pain points: admin overload, feeling unappreciated, arguing about money, unclear responsibilities, and the constant “Are we partners or business owners first?” tension. You’ll hear practical strategies to reduce conflict, improve communication, set clear roles, introduce weekly business meetings, and create boundaries that protect both your relationship and your business.

If you’re a tradie couple, small business owner, or partner working behind the scenes in the admin/bookkeeping trenches, this episode gives you real‑world tools to work together without burning out — or burning down the relationship.

Perfect for: tradie wives, small business owners, family businesses, couples in business, admin partners, bookkeepers, and anyone juggling love + business.

shows at the beginning of each episode for 15 seconds

Connect with us:
Crystal Petzer - https://businessgrowthcoach.com.au/
Kay Godfrey - https://upupandaway.net.au/

Radio Northern Beaches 88.7 or 90.3 FM - https://www.rnb.org.au/
Email us - [email protected]

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61590811295505
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/small_business_sorted/

If this episode hits home, share it with a business owner who needs to hear it.

Send us Fan Mail

In this episode of Small Business Sorted, Kay and Crystal dive into the Business Wheel of Success — a practical 10‑part self‑assessment that gives every business owner a clear “line in the sand” for where their business is really at.

Using two example businesses — Kay as a bookkeeper and Crystal as a handyman/tradie — they walk through each section of the wheel, rating themselves honestly and unpacking what those scores reveal. From financial rewards, marketing, sales, culture, people development, leadership, operations, cashflow, enjoyment, and personal growth, nothing is off the table.

Expect real talk, relatable stories, a few laughs, and some surprisingly honest scores. 

shows at the beginning of each episode for 15 seconds

Connect with us:
Crystal Petzer - https://businessgrowthcoach.com.au/
Kay Godfrey - https://upupandaway.net.au/

Radio Northern Beaches 88.7 or 90.3 FM - https://www.rnb.org.au/
Email us - [email protected]

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61590811295505
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/small_business_sorted/

If this episode hits home, share it with a business owner who needs to hear it.