UpScale - Build your profitable Trade and Construction business

Every trade business feels the January slump, but most of it starts with what you do in November and December.

Use This Free Guide To Turn Your Busiest December Into Cash That Lasts Right Through January 

https://www.upscale-coaching.com/dont-go-broke-in-january-organic

We've got the tools you need to scale your business, automate, hire, and delegate. Book your call with our team to talk strategy and learn more about our program.

Need help growing your business?

• Follow us on IG for daily Content for your Trade Business @upscalebusinesscoaching
• Book a free session with our Growth Specialist: upscale-coaching.com/schedule-podcast
• Watch insights and tips on YouTube: upscale-coaching.com/upscale-youtube
• Find out where your business stands with our Tradie Quiz: https://upscale-coaching.com/application-podcast

Hear from tradies who've done it, and learn what it really takes to grow a successful trade business. https://www.upscalecoaching.com.au/success-stories/

Live Coaching Events 2026:
https://www.upscale-coaching.com/upscale-live-events

In this episode of the UpScale Business Podcast, Mitch (@mitchvan_) sits down with UpScale coach Riley to talk about how not to go broke in January. Riley shares what owners in the $250K plus room are doing right now to get ahead of the new year slowdown. Most of them are hiring one or two tradies, and they're still pushing hard on lead gen while everyone else is flat out.

They also talk about why "I'm too busy" is really a people problem, why summer is the time to lift your rates, and why taking the whole Christmas break off might be costing you more than you think.

In this episode, you'll hear:

• Why the smartest owners start hiring in October, not January
• How extra staff lets you pick up the customers your competitors are too busy to call back
• The fear that stops tradies from hiring, and how to get past it
• Why February and March go quiet, and how to put cash aside in December
• How to keep your business ticking over the break instead of restarting it in January
• Why you should take your time off when demand is low, not when it's at its peak

This one's for plumbers, electricians, builders, sparkies, air con techs and any trade business owner who's sick of the January money stress and wants next year to start strong.

We've got the tools you need to scale your business, automate, hire, and delegate. Book your call with our team to talk strategy and learn more about our program.

What does it really take to build something from nothing? In this episode of the UpScale Business Coaching podcast Success Mindset series, Riley sits down with AJ Williams, founder of Revel Saunas, to unpack the mindset behind his journey.

AJ grew up in public housing, left home at 14 and worked everything from bricklaying to unloading containers before spending 13 years learning the ropes at a fitness equipment company. He then launched Revel Saunas with a website and no stock on hand, hit $3 million in sales within the first three months while running the business on his own, and has since made his exit.

AJ doesn’t hold back. He talks about the businesses that didn’t work, the mistakes he’d never repeat, and why looking after customers is the thing that grows a business faster than any ad spend.

In this episode:

• Why consistency beats going flat out and burning out
• How AJ tested his business idea before the product even existed
• Turning angry customers into raving fans by putting yourself in their shoes
• Why negative feedback is worth more than praise
• Underpromise and overdeliver: how a few extra weeks on lead times changed the customer experience
• Why word of mouth is the most powerful marketing a trade business has
• Hiring people better than you instead of people below you
• Learning to say no, giving up alcohol and protecting your energy
• Working out what your perfect day looks like and building your routine around it
• Why chasing the next goal means nothing if you miss time with the people who matter

If you run a plumbing, electrical, air conditioning, building or other trade business and you want the mindset to keep showing up when things get tough, this one’s worth a listen.

Need help growing your business?

• Follow us on IG for daily content for your trade business: @upscalebusinesscoaching
• Book a free session with our Growth Specialist: upscale-coaching.com/schedule-podcast
• Watch insights and tips on YouTube: upscale-coaching.com/upscale-youtube
• Find out where your business stands with our Tradie Quiz: https://upscale-coaching.com/application-podcast

Hear from tradies who’ve done it, and learn what it really takes to grow a successful trade business: https://www.upscalecoaching.com.au/success-stories/

Live Coaching Events 2026:
https://www.upscale-coaching.com/upscale-live-events

Does your business have to be perfect before you scale it? No. But you can’t scale a mess either.

Need help growing your business?

• Follow us on IG for daily content for your trade business: ⁠@upscalebusinesscoaching⁠
• Book a free session with our Growth Specialist: ⁠upscale-coaching.com/schedule-podcast⁠
• Watch insights and tips on YouTube: ⁠upscale-coaching.com/upscale-youtube⁠
• Find out where your business stands with our Tradie Quiz: ⁠upscale-coaching.com/application-podcast⁠
• Hear from tradies who’ve done it: ⁠upscalecoaching.com.au/success-stories⁠
• Live Coaching Events 2026: ⁠upscale-coaching.com/upscale-live-events⁠

In this episode of the UpScale Business Podcast, Mitch (@mitchvan_) and Tom talk about the line between messy and good enough. UpScale client Cody Fahey said it best in his Having a Yarn series: you can’t scale a mess. So how do you tell when your trade business is ready to grow, and when you need to sort things out first?

Mitch and Tom cover:

• Why waiting for perfect means you’ll never grow
• How UpScale brought on 3 new coaches at once, even with some systems still being worked on
• Why operations is the glue between your leads, sales, site work and invoicing
• How fixing one part of the business can create a mess somewhere else
• Simple ways to find what’s messy, like writing it down, journaling and spotting your biggest bottleneck
• Giving every team member a clear number so they know what a good job looks like
• A simple test before you scale: will your customers feel it if you grow right now?
• Why you can’t scale a business that isn’t profitable, and how a pricing calculator helps

This episode is for plumbing, electrical, air conditioning, building and other trade business owners who want to grow without everything falling apart.

We’ve got the tools you need to scale your business, automate, hire and delegate. Book your call with our team to talk strategy and learn more about our program.

Need help growing your business?

• Follow us on IG for daily content for your trade business: @upscalebusinesscoaching
• Book a free session with our Growth Specialist: upscale-coaching.com/schedule-podcast
• Watch insights and tips on YouTube: upscale-coaching.com/upscale-youtube
• Find out where your business stands with our Tradie Quiz: upscale-coaching.com/application-podcast
• Hear from tradies who’ve done it: upscalecoaching.com.au/success-stories
• Live Coaching Events 2026: upscale-coaching.com/upscale-live-events

What happens to your trade business when you switch off completely for two weeks? In her first solo episode, Erina shares five business lessons from a kiteboarding trip to a remote island in Fiji with almost no phone reception.

We’ve got the tools you need to scale your business, automate, hire, and delegate. Book your call with our team to talk strategy and learn more about our program.

• Follow Erina on Instagram: @erinaroxx
• Follow us on IG for daily Content for your Trade Business @upscalebusinesscoaching
• Book a free session with our Growth Specialist: upscale-coaching.com/schedule-podcast
• Watch insights and tips on YouTube: upscale-coaching.com/upscale-youtube
• Find out where your business stands with our Tradie Quiz: https://upscale-coaching.com/application-podcast

Hear from tradies who’ve done it, and learn what it really takes to grow a successful trade business. https://www.upscalecoaching.com.au/success-stories/

Live Coaching Events 2026:
https://www.upscale-coaching.com/upscale-live-events

Erina spent two weeks living in a straw hut in a village homestay in the Yasawa Islands and kiteboarding every day. The emails, WhatsApp messages and work chats went quiet, and that’s when her best ideas started to come. When she got home, the business had grown, new staff had started, the bills were paid on time and the team hadn’t needed her at all.

In this episode, Erina explains why your brain needs quiet to come up with good ideas, and how to set up your business so it keeps running while you’re away. She shares the to do list system from Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman that has taken a lot of pressure off her. She also tells the story of a client who went back on the tools after staff left. He and one subcontractor turned over the same revenue a team of five used to. Erina closes with an honest look at the tough conversations every business owner has to have.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• Why cutting back on inputs makes you more creative and productive
• What would stop in your business if you disappeared for 2 weeks, and how to fix it now
• The open and closed list method for working on 10 things at a time
• How a “not to do list” helps you finish what you start
• The ladder trick: why one sparky goes up 50 times while others go up 200
• Why headcount isn’t the best measure of how well your team performs
• How to be clear in hard conversations without feeling like the bad guy

If you’re a tradie who hasn’t had a real break in years, or you feel like everything stops when you step away, this episode is for you.

Ready to build a business that runs without you? Book your call with our team today.

How long does it take your business to get a quote back to a client? Melbourne builder Mitch Harris went from four to six weeks on a $300,000 tender to having it done in one week, using AI.

We’ve got the tools you need to scale your business, automate, hire, and delegate. Book your call with our team to talk strategy and learn more about our program.

• Follow us on IG for daily Content for your Trade Business @upscalebusinesscoaching
• Book a free session with our Growth Specialist: upscale-coaching.com/schedule-podcast
• Watch insights and tips on YouTube: upscale-coaching.com/upscale-youtube
• Find out where your business stands with our Tradie Quiz: https://upscale-coaching.com/application-podcast
• Podcast: Sparky Explains: 55% Increase in average job value with AI - Ep 357

Hear from tradies who’ve done it, and learn what it really takes to grow a successful trade business. https://www.upscalecoaching.com.au/success-stories/

Live Coaching Events 2026:
https://www.upscale-coaching.com/upscale-live-events

In this episode, Antoine @antoine.ryan , the Applied AI Specialist at UpScale, sits down with Mitch from Kelmar Projects, a builder who left school in year 10 and went on the tools at 15. Since joining UpScale, Mitch has grown from $5K to $10K months working solo to 3 full time carpenters, 30 to 40 subcontractors and a best month of $167K. Over the last four months he has brought AI into the business, and he still runs it without an admin or an estimator.

Mitch explains how he uses Claude Code, his AI agent he named Donna after the character from Suits, to read plans, write clear scopes of work, send them to the right trades and pull the quotes into one professional proposal. Before he even reaches his car after a client meeting, the scopes of work for 50 trades are ready. He also talks about why faster quotes win more jobs, how one client got her loan sorted before the next interest rate rise, and why small trade businesses have the advantage over big companies right now.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• The real difference between ChatGPT and a coding agent like Claude Code
• How Mitch cut a six week tender down to one week
• Why trades now quote faster than suppliers when the scope of works is clear
• How fast, professional proposals put you in stage two talks while other builders are still quoting
• The QA checklist that lets the boys check their work without Mitch on site
• Pete Griffiths’ QR code quotes that take deposits on the spot [link to Episode 347]
• How to get started with Claude Code and why plan mode matters
• The first “Claude Commandment”: if you’re unsure, just ask

If you run a building, electrical, plumbing or any other trade business and you’re still writing quotes at night after a full day on the tools, this episode is for you.

Ready to grow? Book your call with our team today.

Being great at your trade doesn’t make you a great business owner. They’re two different skill sets, and most tradies find that out the hard way.

Need help growing your business?

• Follow us on IG for daily content for your trade business: ⁠@upscalebusinesscoaching⁠
• Book a free session with our Growth Specialist: ⁠upscale-coaching.com/schedule-podcast⁠
• Watch insights and tips on YouTube: ⁠upscale-coaching.com/upscale-youtube⁠
• Find out where your business stands with our Tradie Quiz: ⁠upscale-coaching.com/application-podcast⁠

Hear from tradies who’ve done it, and learn what it really takes to grow a successful trade business: ⁠Success stories⁠

Live Coaching Events 2026: ⁠upscale-coaching.com/upscale-live-events⁠

In this episode, Leon and Geggsie sit down to talk about the mindset shift that happens when a technician or tradie starts running a business. Leon studied sport and performance psychology and has coached trade business owners for years, so he brings plenty of lessons from the sporting world and the tools.

If you’re flat out on the tools, reacting to every quiet week or busy spell, and wondering why the business still doesn’t feel like yours, this one is for you.

What we cover:

• Why a tradie’s task by task approach stops working once you own the business
• How to time block your calendar for the work that never finishes, like lead generation, systems and learning
• Setting clear goals and breaking them into quarterly, monthly and weekly steps
• Why “potential” can turn into a frustrating word if you never act on it
• Moving from reactive to proactive, so you stop having that “we’ve got no work next week” moment
• Using a simple SWOT analysis to look back at last year and plan the next 3 to 6 months
• How to get ahead of the Christmas rush, protect your cash flow and avoid a rough January
• Why hiring is a skill you can learn, and what to do when you think there are no good workers out there
• Building a team culture you’re proud of and holding firm on your standards
• Spotting your key players and getting clear on roles with an org chart
• Fixing the weak spots in your business, whether that’s no systems, no hires or work that isn’t profitable

Free resource:
Grab our free guide, Don’t Go Broke in January. It walks you through what worked last year, what to build on and what to fix, so you head into the new year with a plan.

We’ve got the tools you need to scale your business, automate, hire, and delegate. Book your call with our team to talk strategy and learn more about our program.

Andy Wells (https://www.theadventuregarage.com.au/) ran an engineering consultancy with seven offices and around 80 people. It was successful, and he was close to burnout at 40. So he stepped back, rented a shed, and started working on Land Rovers.

In this episode of the Success Mindset series, we visit Andy at the Adventure Garage in the Northern Rivers, a workshop full of Land Rovers, custom motorbikes, surfboards and a coffee shop out the back. He tells us how a weekend hobby turned into a business with sponsors like Royal Enfield, Motul and Pirelli, even though he had no mechanic’s background and had never run a workshop.

If you run a trade business and you’re stuck planning, doubting yourself, or running on empty, there’s a lot here for you.

What we cover:

• Why Andy sees problems as part of the build instead of a reason to stop
• How he handles the voice that says “give up”, and why he ignores it
• Stepping back from a business that was burning him out
• Why he chose to keep his team small and stop taking work nobody wanted to do
• How he handles the jobs he hates, like timesheets and invoicing, by finding people who cover his weak spots
• Landing big brand partnerships when you’re still a small business
• Filming the messy, frustrating days along with the finished product
• Taking on work that suits your goals once your reputation can support it
• What 7,500 kilometres on a bike through the Kimberley taught him about getting through setbacks
• Why failing and learning is the thing that keeps him moving

Whether you’re a few years in or thinking about a big change, Andy’s approach to risk, learning and building a team around your strengths is worth a listen.

Hosts:
@erinaroxx
@mitchvan_

We’ve got the tools you need to scale your business, automate, hire, and delegate. Book your call with our team to talk strategy and learn more about our program.

Need help growing your business?

• Follow us on IG for daily content for your trade business: @upscalebusinesscoaching
• Book a free session with our Growth Specialist: upscale-coaching.com/schedule-podcast
• Watch insights and tips on YouTube: upscale-coaching.com/upscale-youtube
• Find out where your business stands with our Tradie Quiz: upscale-coaching.com/application-podcast

Hear from tradies who’ve done it, and learn what it really takes to grow a successful trade business: Success stories

Live Coaching Events 2026: upscale-coaching.com/upscale-live-events

In this episode, Erina sits down with Mitch and Brandon Lewis to talk about something most trade business owners feel but rarely say out loud: the pressure to always have it together. Mitch opens up about a tough few months, from taking a step back in the business to training for an Ironman and a marathon, and how the two things collided into what he calls the "Big Dog Effect."

The idea is simple but hits hard. Once you reach a certain level as a business owner, people start looking up to you. You don't want to let them down, so when things get tough, instead of leaning on the people around you, you withdraw. Mitch, Erina and Brandon unpack why this happens, why it's often the ones who look most "successful" who struggle the most in silence, and what it actually takes to break the pattern.

You'll hear real talk about:

• Why pulling away from your support network makes hard times harder, not easier
• The difference between people who work through their problems and those who avoid them
• Why admitting "I need help" feels so uncomfortable for business owners, and why it shouldn't
• How to spot the right people to let into your corner, the ones who'll hold you accountable instead of just telling you what you want to hear
• Why community isn't a nice to have when you're building a business, it's often the thing that keeps you in the game

If you've ever felt like you're supposed to have all the answers because you're the one running the show, this episode is for you. Growth isn't a straight line, and the tradies who make it aren't the ones who never struggle, they're the ones who don't go through it alone.

Connect with the hosts:
Erina: @erinaroxx
Mitch: @mitchvan_
Brandon: @brandonlewis.co

We've got the tools you need to scale your business, automate, hire, and delegate. Book your call with our team to talk strategy and learn more about our program.

Need help growing your business?

Follow us on IG for daily content for your trade business: @upscalebusinesscoaching

Book a free session with our Growth Specialist: upscale-coaching.com/schedule-podcast

Watch insights and tips on YouTube: upscale-coaching.com/upscale-youtube

Find out where your business stands with our Tradie Quiz: upscale-coaching.com/application-podcast

Hear from tradies who've done it: upscalecoaching.com.au/success-stories

Live Coaching Events 2026: upscale-coaching.com/upscale-live-events

Every trade business changes as it grows, and the challenges never really stop, they just look different. In this episode, Erina (@erinaroxx) sits down with Kaz, her very first hire, to talk about what each stage of business looks like for tradies and small business owners.

They start where most of us start, when it's just you wearing every hat, and work through the first hire, getting your processes out of your head, and letting go of the jobs you're still holding onto. They also cover how to build trust with your team, what changes when you step off the tools, and why community makes the whole journey easier.

If you're a trade business owner wondering what comes next, or feeling stuck in the "doing everything" stage, this one will help you see the bigger picture.

In this episode:

• What you learn when you're doing everything yourself
• Hiring your first employee, and why being upfront about the real job matters
• Why it pays to learn to fire faster
• Where AI helps your business and where you still need your own thinking
• Documenting your systems so you don't scale your problems
• How to build trust and let go of tasks as a business owner
• What changes when you step off the tools and start looking at your numbers
• Why business is never a straight line, and how cash flow and lead generation can trip you up
• Finding your purpose and why you don't need to compare yourself to anyone else
• Why community matters at every stage

Chapters:
00:00 The evolution of business
01:57 The first hire and its challenges
05:54 Using technology and AI in your business
08:33 Building a team and streamlining processes
09:31 Growing pains for business owners
14:12 Trust, training and business changes
18:19 Vision and keeping an eye on your numbers
20:52 Wins and challenges in business growth
25:17 Community and support

Follow Erina on Instagram: @erinaroxx: https://www.instagram.com/erinaroxx/

Need help growing your business?

• Follow us on IG for daily content for your trade business: @upscalebusinesscoaching
• Book a free session with our Growth Specialist: upscale-coaching.com/schedule-podcast
• Watch insights and tips on YouTube: upscale-coaching.com/upscale-youtube
• Find out where your business stands with our Tradie Quiz: upscale-coaching.com/application-podcast

Hear from tradies who've done it, and learn what it really takes to grow a successful trade business: https://www.upscalecoaching.com.au/success-stories/

Live Coaching Events 2026: https://www.upscale-coaching.com/upscale-live-events

Most trade business owners don't fall short because they lack skills or smarts. They fall short because they don't do what they said they'd do. In this episode, Erina and Mitch get blunt about accountability, honest feedback, and why the people around you need to tell you the truth, even when it stings.

You'll hear why a coach who only cheers you on might just be keeping you happy so you keep paying, and how the right questions can help you spot your own blind spots faster than any lecture. They also dig into the money side of accountability. If your business is still small but you're paying yourself like it's much bigger, you could be starving it of the cash it needs to grow.

Plus, how to give honest feedback without wrecking the relationship, and why you need to be ready to take it as well as give it.

What you'll hear in this episode:

• Why saying you'll do something and actually doing it are two very different things
• The difference between people who talk to think and people who think before they talk
• Why honest feedback beats praise when you want real results
• How paying yourself too much, too early can hold your business back
• Why calling people out works best when you're open to being called out yourself
• A challenge to hold someone accountable this week (nicely)

Follow the hosts on Instagram:
@erinaroxx
@mitchvan_

Need help growing your business?

• Follow us on IG for daily content for your trade business: @upscalebusinesscoaching
• Book a free session with our Growth Specialist: upscale-coaching.com/schedule-podcast
• Watch insights and tips on YouTube: upscale-coaching.com/upscale-youtube
• Find out where your business stands with our Tradie Quiz: upscale-coaching.com/application-podcast

Hear from tradies who've done it, and learn what it really takes to grow a successful trade business: Success stories

Live Coaching Events 2026: upscale-coaching.com/upscale-live-events