The Profitable Tradie Podcast

Episode 250 is the origin story. Tony talks through how Profitable Tradie started: the property crash, a borrowed coaching program, cold calling trades businesses from a garage, and the first hires. Phil takes him through the photos, and Damon, Lyndon and Cameron join to tell their side of the journey as the business grew into a team of around 80 in four countries.

WHAT YOU’LL GAIN FROM LISTENING TO TODAY’S PODCAST:

1. The real story behind Profitable Tradie: how Tony went from broke and borrowing money from his parents to building a business with a team over 80 A players.

2. Why getting off the tools matters: the moment Tony stopped doing everything himself and handed work over, and why that’s when the business started to grow.

3. Funny stories from the core four: Tony’s joined by Phil (COO), Damon (Marketing), Lyndon (Program Information) and Cam (Coaching).

LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Claim a Free Planning Session to learn what coaching could do for your business
• Subscribe to our YouTube Channel
• New Book 'Built to Run' is now live, order your copy here

Follow Profitable Tradie so you don't miss the next episode.

What happens when you take over your parents’ 50 year old electrical business, buy a second branch, and put strain on the family in the process? Damian and Michelle Silvester grew a trades business from $2.7M to $6.3M and from 13 staff to 30+. Then they took three weeks off and nothing broke. For 50 years, Damian’s dad ran the business with a bell on the outside of the house so he’d never miss a call. Damian grew up hearing that bell.

By the time he took over, it was in his pocket: five missed calls every time he hung up, and 20 electricians reporting to one person. In this episode of the Profitable Tradie Podcast, Tony Fraser-Jones sits down with Damian and Michelle to talk about the real side of succession in a family business. Damian’s dad called buying a second branch “a stupid idea.” There were arguments between generations, in the office and at the kitchen table. They had to tell Dad he couldn’t yell at staff anymore. And they had to learn to lead a team instead of doing every job themselves.

If you’re an electrician, plumber, builder, HVAC tech or any blue collar business owner who’s still answering every call, working every weekend and can’t take a holiday without the phone ringing, this one’s for you. In this episode you’ll learn: How to take over a family business without breaking the family Why your best tradesman might be your worst manager How to get off the tools and still keep your standards on every job The org structure that took 20 direct reports off one owner’s plate Why weekly one on ones changed the culture more than any pay rise How to get family arguments out of the office and into a structured meeting Why leadership is “the weather” and your team feels every bad day What it really feels like to grow your business and feel judged for it The advice for family business successors most people don’t want to hear

WHAT YOU’LL GAIN FROM LISTENING TO TODAY’S PODCAST:

1. How to change the way the business runs without losing what made it work (and honoring who helped get it there in the first place)
2. How to put the right person in a new role, and why your best electrician might not make your best ops manager
3. How to build a structure that keeps your values alive in the business without you touching everything

LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Claim a Free Planning Session to learn what coaching could do for your business
• Subscribe to our YouTube Channel
• New Book 'Built to Run' is now live, order your copy here

Follow Profitable Tradie so you don't miss the next episode.

You're sick and tired of repeating yourself. So you finally sit down and build a system. Now your team can follow that instead of asking you. They use it for a week or two. Then they stop, and you're back to feeling like a broken record.

Getting systems to stick is simpler than you think. In this episode, Tony and Phil give you the 4 steps to systemize your trades business.

WHAT YOU’LL GAIN FROM LISTENING TO TODAY’S PODCAST:

1. The 4 steps to systemize your business (you only need sticky notes)
2. How to make sure your team use them (and keep using them)
3. The best way to make time (when you don’t have time)

You'll also hear how McDonald's was built on systems, how one member went from $14K profit to $155K with simple checklists, and the real reason your team stops following systems.

LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Claim a Free Planning Session to learn what coaching could do for your business
• Subscribe to our YouTube Channel
• New Book 'Built to Run' is now live, order your copy here

Follow Profitable Tradie so you never miss an episode

If I told you your trades business was a bank, you’d think I was crazy.

But if you’re paying for materials, wages, tools and equipment upfront while customers wait weeks or months to pay, you’re acting just like a bank. Only one that doesn’t charge interest.

In this episode, Phil and I break down the 6 cashflow techniques that $20M+ trades businesses use to keep their cash flow strong:

1. The Boss You Didn’t Hire
2. Don’t Fund the Job
3. The Invisible Loan
4. Make It, Don’t Move It
5. Speed Kills
6. Rules, Not Moods

P.S. #6 is the one nobody wants to do. It’s also the one that gets cash into your account this month.

WHAT YOU’LL GAIN FROM LISTENING TO TODAY’S PODCAST:

1. The simple move that gets customers paying for materials before you start
2. How to avoid the trap that makes your best client your biggest cash flow risk
3. The timing trick that makes customers far more likely to pay

LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Claim a Free Planning Session to learn what coaching could do for your business
• Subscribe to our YouTube Channel
• New Book 'Built to Run' is now live, order your copy here

Thanks for joining us this week. Want to subscribe to The Profitable Tradie Podcast? Have some feedback you’d like to share? Connect with us and leave us a review with a 5-star rating.

WHAT YOU’LL GAIN FROM LISTENING TO TODAY’S PODCAST:

1. How Sam made his business less reliant on him.

2. The hiring mistakes that kept him stuck doing everything himself (and what he did differently the second time round)

3. How he went from being "the weather" in his business to hitting $200K+ months while actually being home for dinner

LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Claim a Free Planning Session to learn what coaching could do for your business
• Subscribe to our YouTube Channel
• New Book 'Built to Run' is now live, order your copy here

Thanks for joining us this week. Want to subscribe to The Profitable Tradie Podcast? Have some feedback you’d like to share? Connect with us and leave us a review with a 5-star rating.

"There's no good tradesmen out there anymore."

Rubbish.

There are plenty.

They’re just working for someone else.

Which means they’re probably not reading your job ads online...

So you’ve got to catch their attention in a different way.

To find out how to attract great workers and filter out the time-wasters...

WHAT YOU’LL GAIN FROM LISTENING TO TODAY’S PODCAST:

1. The real reason great tradies aren't applying to your job ads
2. Why gut feel is costing you the right hires
3. What you need to change to actually attract, filter, and land A players

LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Claim a Free Planning Session to learn what coaching could do for your business
• Subscribe to our YouTube Channel
• New Book 'Built to Run' is now live, order your copy here

Thanks for joining us this week. Want to subscribe to The Profitable Tradie Podcast? Have some feedback you’d like to share? Connect with us and leave us a review with a 5-star rating.

You know how in video games, there’s a boss at the end of every level?

Some massive monster you’ve got to defeat before the game lets you move on.

Well, growing a trades business is pretty similar.

You’ve got different levels:

Start-up... $500K revenue/year... $2M... $5M... $10M+...

And at each level, there’s a different “boss” waiting for you.

Pricing... Hiring... Systems... Your own capacity... Your numbers...

Beat the boss, and you level up.

Lots of owners can’t, and stay stuck on the same level for years...

Or just give up the game altogether...

But if you’re serious about levelling up and growing your trades business...

WHAT YOU’LL GAIN FROM LISTENING TO TODAY’S PODCAST:

1. The biggest challenge at each stage from start-up to $10M+
2. Why working harder won’t get you to the next level
3. What you need to change to break through each growth ceiling

LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Claim a Free Planning Session to learn what coaching could do for your business
• Subscribe to our YouTube Channel
• New Book 'Built to Run' is now live, order your copy here

Thanks for joining us this week. Want to subscribe to The Profitable Tradie Podcast? Have some feedback you’d like to share? Connect with us and leave us a review with a 5-star rating.

[EMPLOYEE] Hey boss, can we have a quick chat in private?

[BOSS] Uh oh... What’s up?

[EMPLOYEE] It’s been great working here the last three years. I’ve learned a bunch and had a good time.

[BOSS] I’m glad. You’re one of my best guys. I can always rely on you.

[EMPLOYEE] The thing is... I’ve decided to move on. Work for someone else. This is my 2 weeks’ notice.

[BOSS] Wait a minute, mate. Don’t leave. We can work something out.

[EMPLOYEE] It’s a bit late for that. I've already made my decision.

[BOSS] What are you after? A pay raise? What’s the other guy offering?

[EMPLOYEE] It’s not just about money.

[BOSS] Well, whatever it is, you can have it. My business is screwed without you.

The truth is, he was gone long before he handed in his notice.

WHAT YOU’LL GAIN FROM LISTENING TO TODAY’S PODCAST:

1. What good workers really want from their boss
2. The warning signs your best guy has mentally checked out
3. How to keep A-players without paying the highest-wages in town

LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Claim a Free Planning Session to learn what coaching could do for your business
• Subscribe to our YouTube Channel
• New Book 'Built to Run' is now live, order your copy here

Thanks for joining us this week. Want to subscribe to The Profitable Tradie Podcast? Have some feedback you’d like to share? Connect with us and leave us a review with a 5-star rating.

When your trades business gets bigger...

More customers

Bigger jobs

A larger team

More revenue

But also…

More expenses

More admin

Increased complexity

More problems

At some point, you can't run it the same way you did when it was smaller.

Something has to change.

The question is, what do you change first, and how?

WHAT YOU’LL GAIN FROM LISTENING TO TODAY’S PODCAST:

Find out:

1. The biggest changes you need to make as your business grows so it doesn’t become more stressful and chaotic
2. The numbers you need to know to stay in control of your pricing, profit and cash flow
3. How to build a business that can actually run without you so you can take time off without everything falling apart

LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Claim a Free Planning Session to learn what coaching could do for your business
• Subscribe to our YouTube Channel
• New Book 'Built to Run' is now live, order your copy here

Thanks for joining us this week. Want to subscribe to The Profitable Tradie Podcast? Have some feedback you’d like to share? Connect with us and leave us a review with a 5-star rating.

You crack open a beer after a huge week...

Suddenly, a genie bursts out of the can!

Says he can make you rich... A millionaire...

IF you develop 7 boring habits.

Would you do it?

Guess what?

This exact thing happened to me. And dangit, it worked.

No lamp. No 3 wishes. Just 7 things, done consistently, to separate your business from the rest.

WHAT YOU’LL GAIN FROM LISTENING TO TODAY’S PODCAST:

1. Why the busiest business owners are often the least in control — and the one boring habit that flips it
2. Why blaming your team is a waste of time (and how McDonald's sauce proves it)
3. The 1% trick F1 teams use to win races — and how it maps directly onto your pricing, hiring, and marketing

LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Claim a Free Planning Session to learn what coaching could do for your business
• Subscribe to our YouTube Channel
• New Book 'Built to Run' is now live, order your copy here

Thanks for joining us this week. Want to subscribe to The Profitable Tradie Podcast? Have some feedback you’d like to share? Connect with us and leave us a review with a 5-star rating.