Unlocking Business Podcast

Julia Ewert is a published author, LinkedIn Learning sales instructor and one of Australia's leading sales strategists and professional negotiators. She teaches the Infinite Sales System and helps companies build repeatable sales systems that lift conversions without pressure or discounting, and she has worked with our team at Smartfix.

In this episode, Julia and I talk about why so many business owners say they don't do sales, where the stigma comes from, and why a dishonest tradie says more about that person than it does about sales. We get into price objections, "I need to speak to my partner", and why the fortune really is in the follow-up.

Full write-up, links and transcript: https://www.hypotential.com/podcast/julia-ewert/

We also cover how to ask permission to call back, why open questions help you recommend the right fix, why a confused mind always says no when a quote has too many options, and whether you should give the price on the spot.

Julia shares how she tests salespeople in an interview, why sales training without a process is a band-aid on a severed limb, how she wrote her book From Pitch to Profit in five weeks by speaking it, and how 37 follow-ups over 3 years and 4 months won her Crown as a client.

A practical conversation for anyone who quotes jobs for a living.

Connect with Julia Ewert:

Website: https://juliaewert.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliaewert-sales-strategist-professional-negotiator/

The Donut Card (newsletter): https://juliaewert.com/donutcard/

The Infinite Sales System: https://juliaewert.com/infinite-sales-system/

From Pitch to Profit: https://juliaewert.com/book/

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYGtawSRsKE

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What does time in the AFL teach you that has nothing to do with football?

In Episode 26 of Unlocking Business, I sit down with Jacob Blight, founder of BLYT Development. Jacob grew up in country Western Australia with no one around who had made it to the AFL. He was drafted by Richmond in the 2024 mid-season draft at 22, found out on a Wednesday night and flew out the next day. After being cut, he started a business built around a gap he saw in youth sport. Kids are taught skills and drills constantly, but very little about the mindset, character and habits that decide whether they make it or fall away.

Full write-up, links and transcript: https://www.hypotential.com/podcast/blyt-development-jacob-blight/

We talk about how someone actually gets from a country town into the AFL, the odds of getting drafted, why the average career is only a few years, and why so few players have a plan B. Jacob explains why he sees a second pursuit as good for both wellbeing and performance, and what happened when he was all in on one thing in year 12.

We also get into how BLYT Development works, why the parents are the buyers even though the kids are the audience, why he now requires a parent on the call for anyone under 18, and how he changed his offer several times in his first year. Along the way we cover coaching and credibility, personal branding, discipline versus motivation, setting short, medium and long term goals, and why self-belief is your superpower.

A good one for anyone building a business around their own story, and anyone who has had to start again.

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ouHzLyGKCM

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If you market to everyone, are you an expert to no one?

In Episode 25 of Unlocking Business, I sit down with Tracy Fryer, owner of Design Studio Perth, a branding strategist and the host of the Real Biz Life Chronicles podcast, where she has now recorded more than 150 conversations with business owners. Tracy usually sits on the other side of the microphone, so it was great to have her in the guest seat.

Full write-up, links and transcript: https://www.hypotential.com/podcast/design-studio-perth-tracy-fryer/

We start with what most business owners get wrong about branding, why brand is the foundation and marketing is the house that sits on top of it, and why everything at Design Studio Perth is built around one ideal client she calls Steve. We get into how narrow that client really needs to be, what happened when Smartfix spread across fifteen other trades, and why so many trade business websites, vans and taglines end up looking exactly the same.

From there we talk about how long a rebrand really takes, why changing your logo colour is rarely the answer, and how lead magnets, a proper CRM and a simple newsletter turn a website into a lead generation machine. We also get into personal branding, why I wish I had started mine earlier, posting content that is not perfect, staying human in a world of AI, and whether you really need a business coach.

Tracy finishes with the biggest lessons she has taken from 150 conversations, including knowing your numbers and celebrating the wins. A practical one for any trade or service business owner who wants to stand out instead of blend in.

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgzNSJdUIbI

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Buy a House or Open a Shop? He Put Everything Into the Shop | Edward Maradona

Edward Maradona is the founder of Cabinet Noir, one of the top fashion boutiques in Australia, built from a single store in Shafto Lane he opened at 28 with every dollar he had instead of a house deposit.

Full write-up, links and transcript: https://www.hypotential.com/podcast/cabinet-noir-edward-maradona/

In this episode, Eddie and I talk about how a sneaker store that couldn't get a Nike account accidentally became a luxury fashion destination, after a cold email to Comme des Garçons turned into a ticket to Paris Fashion Week with no idea what he was doing once he got there.

We get into the realities of buying for a fashion boutique: deposits, shipping risk, and the brands that forced him to buy stock nobody wanted to access the stock everyone wanted, a call that nearly cost him half a million dollars. We also talk about turning down a corporate buyout offer, why he deliberately keeps production runs small, and the story behind Jon Jones, Machine Gun Kelly and French Montana all wearing Cabinet Noir.

A genuinely fun, genuinely sharp conversation about building a brand on exclusivity instead of volume.

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZHiSCKWl2E

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Christina Papafilis is the founder and director of Connective Services Group, an NDIS support coordination business she started in 2024.

In this episode, Christina and I talk about what support coordination actually involves, the maze that is the NDIS system, and why running a business on billable hours creates the same capacity ceiling trade businesses hit with travel time and gaps between jobs.

Full write-up, links and transcript: https://www.hypotential.com/podcast/connective-services-group-christina-papafilis/

We get into why she moved her team to a contractor model, the email she nearly deleted as spam that turned into a Community Citizen of the Year award, and why she's found networking outside her own industry more valuable than she expected.

A genuinely interesting conversation about building a service business inside a system that wasn't built to make it easy.

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TycSpYnQ5co

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Sam Fielding is the managing director of Echelon AI Solutions.

In this episode, Sam and I talk about the difference between having a ChatGPT subscription and actually implementing AI properly, using what he calls an AI operating system, a single connected workspace that replaces logging into ten separate tools.

Full write-up, links and transcript: https://www.hypotential.com/podcast/echelon-ai-solutions-sam-fielding/

We get into APIs versus webhooks, why you don't need perfect systems in place before bringing AI into your business, a real invoice mistake that nearly got double paid, and why the tool you use matters far less than most people think.

We also talk about spotting AI-written content, the rise of AI monitoring roles, universities training students for jobs that won't exist in their current form, and why human connection is becoming more valuable, not less, as AI gets better.

A genuinely practical conversation for any business owner deciding what to actually do about AI, rather than just talking about it.

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5UeUrRih10

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Would you know if your business had already grown past the point of making sense?

Full write-up, links and transcript: https://www.hypotential.com/podcast/t2u-app-dan-noll/

In Episode 21 of Unlocking Business, I sit down with Dan Noll, founder of T2U, a new app connecting clients with vetted, insured tradies. Before T2U, Dan spent 14 years building WTS Mechanical Projects, a tier 2 construction and HVAC business he started at 20 and sold last year.

We get into what it felt like handing over a business that had been part of his life since he was a kid, and the biggest lesson he took from it. Growth isn't automatically good. Dan describes an overgrown, undisciplined business as a bucket with a hole in the bottom, you can keep pouring work in and still end up with nothing, because it's leaking straight back out through discounted pricing, overhiring, and jobs that never should have been taken on.

We also cover:

Why Dan turned down building TTU with AI, even though it's cost him more.

How TTU's vetting process works, and why it's the actual point of difference against HiPages, Airtasker and One Flare.

Subscription pricing instead of pay per lead.

Why Dan wishes he'd started networking a decade earlier than he did.

Hiring discipline, saying no to underpriced work, and educating clients on quotes.

Using AI for admin without fully trusting it yet.

Why nobody services their air con before summer, and what that says about how people run their businesses too.

Advice for anyone starting a business from nothing.

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJK3CE2ZT2s

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What can trade businesses learn from the corporate world?

Full write-up, links and transcript: https://www.hypotential.com/podcast/plumbing-bros-west-coast-paul-oneill/

Paul O’Neil took a very different route into the trades.

After building his career in corporate leadership, including senior management roles with Optus, Paul moved into small business and is now a Director of Plumbing Bros West Coast.

In this episode of Unlocking Business, we get into what he's brought across from corporate Australia, and what he's had to completely relearn.

We talk about culture, leadership, staff retention, onboarding, hiring the right people, managing tradespeople, customer service and why Paul believes trade businesses need to put more emphasis on developing their people.

We also get into the realities of running a business. Being everything to everyone, learning to set boundaries, building a leadership team, knowing when to stop chasing growth and trying to enjoy the journey while you're actually living it.

Paul also shares how Plumbing Bros approaches property management clients, virtual assistants, after-hours service, AI, recruitment and developing future leaders internally.

A practical conversation between two operators approaching the trade industry from very different backgrounds.

Follow Kane: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kanetylersmith_

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kanetylersmith

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@kanetylersmith

Follow Hypotential: Website: https://www.hypotential.com/

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

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hypotentialco

Connect with Paul and Plumb Bros:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pauljamesoneill/

Website: https://plumbingbros.com.au/

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDLIQM9UY6A

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What is your business actually worth if you disappear tomorrow?

In Episode 19 of Unlocking Business, I sit down with Dr. Mitch Catterall from Unveil Development Partners. Mitch works with owner-operated businesses to identify the gaps keeping them dependent on their founder — then build the people, systems and structures needed so the value sits inside the business, not inside the owner's head.

Full write-up, links and transcript: https://www.hypotential.com/podcast/unveil-development-partners-mitch-catterall/

This conversation gets particularly personal when Mitch explains why this work matters so much to him. His family ran a commercial fencing and security fencing business since he was nine years old. When his dad's health deteriorated, his knees blew out and he needed a double reconstruction, the family discovered the business they'd spent years building had very little value without him. An accountant told them it wasn't worth anything beyond the assets, and it was sold for little more than the price of the ute, despite $250k of contracted work in the pipeline.

We talk about how business owners can avoid ending up in the same position.

We also cover:

• The difference between getting bigger and actually growing
• Why gut instinct isn't enough, and using data across finance, people, culture and leadership
• DISC profiling and recruitment — running it before you hire, not after
• Why one bad hire can destroy a culture in a week
• Owner dependency and business valuations (the 3x replacement model)
• Why every owner eventually exits their business, one way or another
• Mitch's family business story and his "founding wound"
• Why systems don't need to be complicated or tied to software
• Why being the best tradie doesn't create the best business
• The business education tradies and lawyers never receive
• Hire slow, fire fast
• Why founder-led content matters — "multiplying the handshake"
• Nine followers, 178,000 views
• The pressure and isolation of running a business, and why tradies should be proud of the industry
• Why competitors should collaborate more

A very relevant conversation for anyone who has built themselves a successful business — but is starting to realise they might also be the thing holding it together.

Follow Kane:

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

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kanetylersmith

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kanetylersmith

Follow Hypotential:

Website: https://www.hypotential.com/

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

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hypotentialco

Connect with Dr. Mitch Catterall:

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

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mitch.catterall/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-mitch-catterall-513000255/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drmitch_unveil

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DrMitch_Unveil

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@UCBi3piXfxQz44srOrwykywg

Website: https://unveildp.com/

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2i8YmQjRtQ

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In this episode, Kane sits down with Peter Craft, co-owner of ASAP Trades, a Perth plumbing business built around honest service, clear communication and doing the job right the first time. Peter was also one of the very first members to join Hypotential Foundations.

Peter and Kane get into the real stuff: what they would do differently if starting again, why tracking your marketing spend properly changes everything, the challenge of finding tradies who can also sell, how to train a sales process without scaring off good installers, the role of weekly sales meetings and ride alongs, why callbacks handled well turn into your most loyal customers, what separates a good trades business from a great one, and the power of connecting with other business owners who have already been through what you are going through.

Full write-up, links and transcript: https://www.hypotential.com/podcast/asap-trades-peter-craft/

If you run a trades business and want to hear an honest conversation about the messy middle of growing a small team, this one is worth your time.

Follow Hypotential:

Website: https://www.hypotential.com/

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

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HypotentialCo

Follow Kane:

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

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KaneTylerSmithWA

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@kanetylersmith

Connect with Peter and ASAP Trades:

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

Website: https://asaptrades.com.au/

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhmPfwSuIfg

Follow me: Instagram | LinkedIn | TikTok