Trench Talk with Matt Reynolds

Jeremy Streten is a lawyer and author of the book The Business Legal Lifecycle.

Jeremy has been featured on TV many times having experience in the areas of property law, conveyancing, retail and commercial leases, wills, probate, estate planning, litigation and dispute resolution, debt recovery, building and construction law, commercial and corporate law including liquor licensing, corporate restructuring, recovery and insolvency.

Jeremy's passion is to help entrepreneurs and small to medium sized business owners to succeed in their business, so they can live the life they want to live. His book "The Business Legal Lifecycle" is a guidebook designed to help business owners understand what they are doing in their business from a legal perspective and provides them with a plan for the future.

During our chat, we covered: - why and when you should engage a lawyer - the type of documentation you should have in your business and when it's required - the 13 steps of the business legal lifecycle (infographic here) - when to expect dips in business growth, the actions required to move through those slower periods and back to a growth phase - some of the common areas business owners go wrong, in the area of law, and - Jeremy's thoughts on exiting a business and why everyone needs to plan for that stage of both their business and life

To connect with Jeremy or to buy his book, head to businesslegallifecycle.com.au and to get the Trench Talk bonuses and gifts Jeremy mentions towards the end of the episode, head to businesslegallifecycle.com.au/trench/

Enjoy Trench Talk episode #054 with Jeremy Streten…

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Show notes and links for this episode can be found at xrm.com.au/podcast.

Learn more about Matt Reynolds here.

You can also find Matt on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn and at xrm.com.au.

Shayne La Combre is the CEO of the Plumbing Industry Climate Action Centre (PICAC) and the current Chair of the World Plumbing Council.

Shayne has been a Board Member at PICAC since 2011 and has been instrumental in the continuous expansion of the training organisation which now has several facilities throughout Australia including their newest campus located at Narre Warren in Victoria, Australia.

The site will be the first net zero energy education and research facility in Victoria. The training facility, designed for the plumbing industry, will generate all energy required to support the operation of the building on site through the incorporation of several renewable energy technologies.

Prior to his positions at PICAC Shayne was Director of Plumbing at Victoria's plumbing industry regulator, the Plumbing Industry Commission (now the Victorian Building Authority). In 2011, Shayne was elected to the Board of the World Plumbing Council, served as deputy chair from 2013-2016 and is the current Chair.

During our chat, we covered: - the challenges the industry faces both now and in the coming years - how plumbing has changed and why new people are becoming attracted to the industry - the role of PICAC and why the organisation was originally formed - safety and lifting industry standards - the work of the World Plumbing Council including the World Plumbing Conference, and - some of the new technologies and changes we are likely to see within the industry in the coming years

You can learn more about PICAC at picac.vic.edu.au and the World Plumbing Council at worldplumbing.org. To contact Shayne directly, head to LinkedIn.

If you enjoy Trench Talk, head to xrm.com.au/podcast and opt-in for the newsletter, we'll make sure you're notified when every new episode of the show is released. And, if you're feeling super nice, please leave a review for Trench Talk on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to your podcasts.

Enjoy my chat with Shayne La Combre...

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Show notes and links for this episode can be found at xrm.com.au/podcast.

Feel free to email me with any suggestions or feedback to [email protected].

You can find Matt Reynolds on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and on LinkedIn.

Rohan Sykes is the Founder of Phoenix Workplace Safety.

Rohan has turned a horrendous workplace accident that left him with burns to 35% of his body into the motivation for starting his own speaking, training and consulting company of which his clients include the likes of BHP, Origin Energy, Boral, Thiess, Shell, Mazda, Toyota, Nestle and Ford.

This episode is the journey of the real-life consequences of Rohan's 100% preventable workplace accident. The event, however, was just the start. The real challenge began as Rohan faced both the physical and mental struggles of rebuilding his life.

A few years on and 8 surgeries later Rohan is now working tirelessly to help force change in our habits and attitudes around workplace safety.

We covered a whole lot during our chat, including - - Rohan's story and the sequence of events that lead to the fire - How a quick-thinking workmate saved his life - The ripple effect of the accident - How Rohan turned it all around - The person who gave him the inspiration to get on and build his own company - His message and ideas about safety - How he thinks about the cost of safety, and - Why most workplace accidents are preventable.

To learn more about Rohan head to phoenixworkplacesafety.com.au or you can track him down on LinkedIn.

Enjoy Trench Talk Episode #052 chat with Rohan Sykes...

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Show notes and links for this episode can be found at xrm.com.au/podcast.

Feel free to email me with any suggestions or feedback to [email protected].

You can find Matt Reynolds on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and on LinkedIn.

Jon Hollenberg is the Founder of Five by Five, a website design company operating out of the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia.

He has worked with more than 500 Australian and international companies including the likes of Porsche, Qantas, Jetstar, Jeep, Chrysler and Dodge.

In addition to growing a team of some 20 plus employees who build great looking and high performing websites, Jon is also an accomplished speaker and has presented at many seminars throughout Australia. He has also written a book titled "Love at First Site" where he lays out a strategy for working with the right people to build a stylish and functional website.

During this chat, we covered:

• why it's often extremely hard to get a great website built
• website strategies and budgets
• making it easy for Google to find you online
• why he wrote his book and how he uses it to help build his company
• ideas for creating great content
• one of the ways he gets a steady stream of referrals and new clients, and
• why he recommends beginning your day with a cold shower

To learn more about Jon, his work and to buy his book, head to fivebyfive.com.au.

If you enjoy Trench Talk, please remember to hit the subscribe button inside your chosen podcast player, more episodes can be found at xrm.com.au/podcast

Enjoy Trench Talk Episode #051 with Jon Hollenberg…

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Show notes and links for this episode can be found at xrm.com.au/podcast.

Feel free to email me with any suggestions or feedback to [email protected].

You can find Matt Reynolds on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and on LinkedIn.

Vanessa Robinson is the Founder and Executive Director at The Chase and Tyler Foundation.

Vanessa started the foundation in honor of her two boys, Chase and Tyler, who were killed from carbon monoxide poisoning originating from a faulty gas heater in their rental home. She knew almost immediately that something had to be done to raise awareness for the dangers of the odorless, colorless and tasteless poisonous gas.

In the initial stages of getting the charity started Vanessa contacted Energy Safe Victoria who agreed to work with her to help raise awareness about the potential dangers of carbon monoxide. Many of you will recall the television ad campaign, I've posted the ad here.

During this chat, we covered:

• the night Vanessa lost her family and the events that followed the tragedy
• starting a charity
• the work the Chase and Tyler Foundation is doing including the activities of Carbon Monoxide Awareness Week
• some of the challenges she's had to work through including educating both industry professionals in addition to creating broader community awareness
• what motivates Vanessa to keep helping others
• the foundation's Energy Poverty Project and their upcoming Winter Campaign
• lobbying Parliament for legislative change, and
• the financial side of running the charity

To learn more about Vanessa and the work of the foundation including how to donate and get involved, head to chaseandtyler.org.au.

If you enjoy Trench Talk, please remember to hit the subscribe button inside your chosen podcast player, more episodes can be found at xrm.com.au/podcast

Enjoy Trench Talk Episode #050 with Vanessa Robinson…

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Show notes and links for this episode can be found at xrm.com.au/podcast.

Feel free to email me with any suggestions or feedback to [email protected].

You can find Matt Reynolds on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and on LinkedIn.

Peter Lalor is the Managing Director at BlueRock.

When Peter started BlueRock it was a pure accounting firm. That firm has grown and now employs nearly 200 staff across divisions they've added including finance, bookkeeping, law, insurance, private wealth, self-managed retirement funds and a digital arm that specialises in turning data into real business value. It's all done, however, in quite a unique way. BlueRock is about as far from the typical brown tie and beige wall environment you'll normally find at a traditional professional services firm.

We recorded this episode in the BlueRock boardroom, to get there I had to pass the petrol bowser and life-sized horse statue in the foyer. Pete took me on a tour of the office which included a look at their driving range, we then walked through the room dedicated to David Attenborough and one of our final stops was to view their wall honouring barbie dolls.

This approach, though different, has turned out to be (as you'll hear) an extremely successful one.

During this chat, we covered:

• work environments and productivity
• how to develop confidence in business
• why money is the worst reason to go into business
• the types of people Pete believes will be in highest demand in the future
• implementing technology in your business
• the commonalities fast-growing businesses share
• self-awareness, and
• the advantages of working with mates

You can find Peter at thebluerock.com.au

If you enjoy Trench Talk, please remember to hit the subscribe button inside your chosen podcast player, more episodes can be found at xrm.com.au/podcast

Enjoy Trench Talk Episode #049 with Peter Lalor…

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Show notes and links for this episode can be found at xrm.com.au/podcast.

Feel free to email me with any suggestions or feedback to [email protected].

You can find Matt Reynolds on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and on LinkedIn.

Sean Stryker specialises in business growth and has worked with many of Australia's most well-known companies including Coates Hire, News Limited, Harvey Norman, Bunnings, Pacific Brands, BlueScope Steel, Galaxy Entertainment Group, LJ Hooker, Amcor, Super A-Mart, iiNet, BlueRock and Bakers Delight.

In addition to consulting to some of Australia's biggest companies, Sean also works with many smaller businesses including those in the trade sector. His back to basics approach helps his clients develop practical skills and the knowledge to identify opportunities to make more money. He works in the areas of talent management, growing revenue and profit, sales training, sales intelligence, team building and leadership.

During this chat, we covered:

• meeting people, first impressions and the fundamentals of a good handshake
• building rapport
• sales, including the importance of speaking to your customers in the way that they best learn
• simple things many people miss in the sales process
• self-awareness, and
• the common reason high performers seek Sean's advice

Sean doesn't have a website and there's almost no information you'll find about him online. However, Sean sent me a previously published article he authored titled "The inner salesperson inside every marketer" which I've made available on my blog. So, for more of Sean's thoughts on the sales process and how he thinks about selling head to xrm.com.au/blog where you can find and read it. He does have a LinkedIn account which you can find here.

If you enjoy Trench Talk, please remember to hit the subscribe button inside your chosen podcast player, more episodes can be found at xrm.com.au/podcast

Enjoy Trench Talk Episode #048, with Sean Stryker…

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Show notes and links for this episode can be found at xrm.com.au/podcast.

Feel free to email me with any suggestions or feedback to [email protected].

You can find Matt Reynolds on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and on LinkedIn.

Adam Sand is an online marketer unlike many who operate in the trade space because he actually owns and assists in running a successful roofing company – Sargeants Roofing out of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

After Adam applied and perfected the 15 plus years of experience he gained marketing in a variety of industries which included building and selling an app for the Sunbed and tanning salon sector, to his company Sargeants Roofing, Adam has since begun helping other Roofing contractors automate their business and marketing processes. His main focus is now his current venture Roofing Business Partner where he is helping other roofing contractors.

It's fair to say the marketing landscape has changed for every business owner across every industry. As Adam explains, just a few short years ago most businesses had only a couple of easy marketing decisions to make each year – the main one being what size is my ad in the yellow pages going to be along with a couple of options like a local newspaper for example. Then came the internet and virtually unlimited opportunity.

During this chat, we covered:

• the future of trade businesses
• what has changed is the website space and how to climb to the top of Google so your customers can find you
• Facebook ads and how he has used them to grow his own business
• how tradesman and contractors should use Instagram, and
• simplifying and automating trade businesses

To find out more about Adam and his current work, head to https://roofingbusinesspartner.com. You can also find Adam on Instagram.

If you enjoy Trench Talk, please remember to hit the subscribe button inside your chosen podcast player, more episodes can be found at xrm.com.au/podcast

Enjoy Trench Talk Episode #047, with Adam Sand…

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Show notes and links for this episode can be found at xrm.com.au/podcast.

Feel free to email me with any suggestions or feedback to [email protected].

You can find Matt Reynolds on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and on LinkedIn.

Tony Nash is the Founder of Booktopia.

He started the online bookstore as an evening side project with a $10 a day budget in 2004, the company has continued to grow at a rapid rate ever since.

Booktopia employs 160 people and sells one item every 6.9 seconds. In Christmas 2018 they were shipping 30,000 individual items per day. Revenue for FY2018 is $115 million. In 2016 & 2017 they were voted Australian Book Retailer of the Year.

During this chat, we covered:

• some of the strategies he has used to grow Booktopia
• automation and how they manage their stock
• the methods they use to determine which books they list and sell on the website
• why they haven't attempted to run other products through their distribution facility and network
• a little on deliveries and the future in that space, and
• why Booktopia is currently raising capital through the crowdfunding platform Equitise.

To find out more about Tony and his current work, head to https://booktopia.com.au/. You can also find Tony on LinkedIn.

If you enjoy Trench Talk, please remember to hit the subscribe button inside your chosen podcast player, more episodes can be found at xrm.com.au/podcast

Enjoy Trench Talk Episode #046, with Tony Nash…

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Show notes and links for this episode can be found at xrm.com.au/podcast.

Feel free to email me with any suggestions or feedback to [email protected].

You can find Matt Reynolds on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and on LinkedIn.

Josh Kelly lead the marketing team at one of the top 5 plumbing companies in the United States, Phoenix based, Parker and Sons. He has helped grow the business from a $6m turnover to in excess of $100m in the past 13 years, they now employ more than 500 people.

Off the back of Josh's success at the Family owned business, he founded and is now building RevuKangaroo, a tech company for services businesses. Basically, Josh has systematized the online strategy that helped (and still is) fuelling the growth at Parker and Sons.

During this chat, we covered:

• growing Parker and Sons sales past the $100m mark
• some of his ideas about recruiting, training, managing and incentivising staff (including the 3 promises he makes to every employee)
• profit margins, Josh is completely open with his numbers
• why middle-sized companies in the United States are disappearing and why Australia will likely follow the exact same path
• business reviews, how the online game is changing and how his tech company RevuKangroo is helping service businesses dominate in this space
• a bunch of tips for getting business reviews, how to ask, who to ask, etc.
• and, much, much, more.

To find out more about and his current work, head to https://revukangaroo.com/.

If you enjoy Trench Talk, please remember to hit the subscribe button inside your chosen podcast player, more episodes can be found at xrm.com.au/podcast

Enjoy Trench Talk Episode #045, with Josh Kelly…

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Show notes and links for this episode can be found at xrm.com.au/podcast.

Feel free to email me with any suggestions or feedback to [email protected].

You can find Matt Reynolds on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and on LinkedIn.