From Engineering to Owning a Six-Figure Lawn Care Business with Mitch Ireland

In this episode, Coach Dave sits down with Mitch Ireland from First Cut Lawn Care and Maintenance, based in Maitland just west of Newcastle, to talk about his journey from a career in mechanical engineering and project management to building a thriving lawn and landscape maintenance business.

Mitch shares how he made the leap from a stable, well paid corporate job to working for himself, and how within just four months of starting full time, he was doing 25K plus months with a solid base of recurring revenue and commercial clients. He opens up about the mindset it took to walk away from security, the fear (and lack of it) that came with the decision, and why he was determined there was no plan B.

You'll hear how Mitch applied skills from his engineering background, like budgeting, quoting, labour rates and project coordination, to a completely different industry, and how he's now aiming for a 500,000 dollar year while preparing to bring on more staff. The conversation also covers the importance of customer experience, knowing your niche, learning when to say no, and building a business that isn't dependent on you so it becomes a genuine asset, not just a job.

If you're a tradie thinking about starting or scaling your own service based business, this episode is full of practical, honest insight into what that transition really looks like.

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: upscalecoaching.com.au/success-stories

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

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.

You're spending money on Google Ads or Facebook Ads every month, but how do you actually know if it's working? For a lot of trade business owners, the honest answer is "I'm not sure," and that gray area can cost you thousands.

In this episode, Jason sits down with Jordan, founder of J Digital, an agency that helps tradies grow their business through Google Ads, Facebook Ads, and the systems that connect everything behind the scenes. Jordan breaks down what actually separates a good marketing agency from a bad one, why tracking your sales data matters more than the numbers inside your ads manager, and how something as simple as a missed follow up can turn a "quiet month" into a pile of leads that were never chased up.

They get into why sending traffic straight to your website instead of a dedicated landing page kills conversions, why speed to lead can make or break whether you win the job, and what to have in place before you spend a single dollar on ads, including whether your business is even ready to handle the leads that come in. Jordan also shares a real example of a trade business owner who thought his ads had stopped working, until the data showed the leads were fine, they just weren't being followed up.

If you've ever looked at your ad spend and wondered whether it's actually paying off, this episode will give you a clear, practical way to find out.

Need help growing your business?

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

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

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: https://upscale-coaching.com/upscale-discovery-call-rr

In this episode, Mitch and Erina sit down for a raw and honest chat about something every business owner deals with but rarely talks about openly: how your relationship holds up when you're building a business.

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: ⁠upscalecoaching.com.au/success-stories⁠

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

Mitch shares what it's taken to get full buy in from his wife over the years, and why being upfront from the very start about what business ownership actually demands (the energy, the time, the sacrifices) made all the difference. He talks candidly about the difference between "business Mitch" and "relationship Mitch," why he doesn't bring every work frustration home, and how oversharing the small stuff without context can unintentionally create friction or resentment in a relationship.

Erina brings a different perspective, having navigated a past relationship where her time and work weren't fully respected, compared to now being with a partner who understands the demands of running a business firsthand. Together they unpack the power of clarity, communication, and setting expectations early, plus why protecting your energy is just as important as protecting your time when you're the one carrying the business.

If you're a trade business owner trying to balance a demanding business with a healthy relationship at home, this episode is full of honest, practical takeaways.

Follow the hosts:@mitchvan_@erinaroxx

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.

In the first episode of our new Success Mindset series, Head Coach Riley sits down with 5-time Ironman champion Tim to talk about what it actually takes to build something great over 20 years, on the racecourse and off it.

Tim shares how he went from a shy footy playing teenager to one of Australia's most successful professional triathletes, and what changed for him after his breakthrough seventh place finish at the Ironman World Championship in Kona. He gets honest about the pressure that once broke him before a big race, the visualisation work that turned his mindset around, and the hardest part of it all: trying to be a good dad and husband while chasing a dream that demanded everything.

If you're a trade business owner, this conversation will hit close to home. Tim's story touches on the same challenges we hear from tradies every day: sacrificing time with family to build something for them, surrounding yourself with the right people, staying disciplined when results aren't coming, and learning how to compartmentalise a bad day so it doesn't derail the next one.

This episode is about mindset first and business second, but the lessons apply directly to anyone building a business from the ground up.

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.

Links mentioned in this episode:

Follow us on Instagram 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: upscalecoaching.com.au/success-stories

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

Every year it sneaks up. One minute business is quiet, the next you're slammed with more work than you can handle, and if you haven't prepped, that busy period can wreck your cash flow, your team, and your sanity.

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

Follow Mitch on Instagram: ⁠⁠@mitchvan_⁠⁠

In this episode, Dave and Mitch break down exactly how to get ahead of the rush before it hits. They cover the three things every trade business needs to nail before busy season: getting enough work in the pipeline, having the right staff in place, and making sure your systems can handle the load without falling apart.

You'll hear why hiring takes longer than most tradies think (and why you need to start now, not in November), how to use pricing and nurture sequences to spread work more evenly across the year, and why the slow season is actually the best time to fix your systems, not during the chaos of December and January.

Dave and Mitch also get into staffing decisions, stock and material planning, cash flow prep, and how to have the right conversations with your family so busy season doesn't run you into the ground. Plus a few laughs along the way, because running a trade business is hard enough without taking yourself too seriously.

If you're a tradie who wants to walk into the next busy season prepared instead of scrambling, this one's for you.

In this episode, Mitch sits down with Ryan Tuckwood, co-founder of Swish Sales Coaching and the only business in Australian Shark Tank history to walk away with three investors who are still on board eight years later.

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

They dig into the moment every trade business owner has to stop being the one who sells and start teaching the team to do it, and why that's harder than it sounds when you've never actually broken down how you do it yourself.

Ryan shares his 300% rule of value (and why most tradies leave money on the table by not selling themselves first), the daily sales surgery routine that helps teams speed up their sales cycle and lift conversions, and the MAMOA framework his team uses every single morning to move leads forward. You'll also hear how AI is changing the way businesses build sales SOPs, why energy management matters just as much on a job site as it does on stage, and Ryan's take on Shark Tank, from the nerves before walking into the tank to what actually won the investors over.

If you've ever wondered how to get your admin team, technicians, or new hires selling the way you do, without you having to be on every call, this one's for you.

Follow Mitch on Instagram: @mitchvan_

Every trade business owner hits the same wall eventually: you have to stop being the one who closes every sale. But handing that over to your admin team or your techs on site is easier said than done, especially when you've never actually broken down how you do it yourself.

In this episode, Mitch sits down with Ryan Tuckwood, co founder of Swish Sales Coaching and the only business in Australian Shark Tank history to walk away with 3 investors who are still backing him 8 years later.

They talk about the 15 minute daily sales surgery that speeds up your sales cycle and increases conversions, the 300% value rule, and why people buy from you long before they buy your product or service. Ryan also breaks down how to sell without ever sounding like you're selling, how to build daily huddles and toolbox meetings that actually move the needle, and what it really takes to train a team to sell the way you do.

If you're a trade business owner who's flat out being the face of every deal, this episode will change how you think about growing a sales team you can actually trust.

Follow Mitch on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mitchvan_/

Need help growing your business?

• Follow us on IG for daily content for your trade business: https://www.instagram.com/upscalebusinesscoaching/

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

• Watch insights and tips on YouTube: https://www.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

We've got the tools you need to scale your business. Reach out and let's talk about where you're at and where you want to go.

In this episode of the UpScale Business Podcast, Mitch V sits down with coach Riley to unpack his recent masterclass on procrastination, and why most people never get from "I wish I could do that" to actually doing it.

They talk about the real cost behind every goal you've ever set. Not the fantasy version, the actual hours, sacrifices and boring, unglamorous work that gets skipped over when people only see the end result. Riley shares what it took to build the business and life he has now, why most people are jealous of what you have but never of how you got it, and why understanding that gap changes everything.

You'll also hear about:

Why procrastination isn't a personality trait, it's a choice, and how to catch yourself making it
The habit loop Riley used to completely reprogram his morning routine (and how anyone can use it)

Why comfort is the enemy of growth, and how to get comfortable being uncomfortable
The power of self talk, and how the way you speak to yourself becomes your reality
Why outworking people is one of the simplest, most reliable paths to success, even if you're not the most naturally gifted person in the room
How Riley's head coach went from unhealthy and unhappy to completing an Ironman, just by starting with one walk a day

If you're a trade business owner who's great on the tools but keeps putting off the business side of things, this episode will hit home. It's an honest look at what it actually takes to build something worth having, and why the work you're avoiding is usually the work that matters most.

Hosted by Mitch V (@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: upscalecoaching.com.au/success-stories
Live Coaching Events 2026: upscale-coaching.com/upscale-live-events

Growing a business always comes with a price tag you can see: staff, tools, systems. But there's a cost that rarely gets talked about, the one that shows up in your relationships, your energy, and your mental health.

In this episode, Mitch is joined by Dom and special guest Nigel Benjamin, an entrepreneur, property developer, and relationship and communications counselor based between Jamaica and Bali. The conversation dives into the hidden costs of growing your trade business: the toll that long hours and constant deadlines can take on your family, your partner, and your own wellbeing if you don't build in downtime and boundaries along the way.

Nigel shares what he's learned from 25 plus years running an intense, deadline driven career while raising a family, and how he eventually had to redesign the way he worked so business growth didn't come at the cost of everything else. They talk about creating a personal system for success, why downtime is a business strategy and not a luxury, how to have the hard conversations at home and at work, and why asking for what you need (and actually listening when someone else does) changes everything, from your marriage to your team culture.

If you're a trade business owner who feels like growth is quietly costing you more than it's giving back, this episode will help you see what's really going on, and what to do about it.

Follow Mitch on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mitchvan_/

Connect with Nigel (Angel Belove, Relationship Coach):

• Website: https://coaching-for-couples.ghost.io/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/angel_belove
• Book a free 30 minute discovery call: https://calendly.com/angelbe/free-30-minutes-discovery-call-w-angel

Need help growing your business?

• Follow us on IG for daily content for your trade business: https://www.instagram.com/upscalebusinesscoaching/
• Book a free session with our Growth Specialist: https://upscale-coaching.com/schedule-podcast
• Watch insights and tips on YouTube: https://www.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

Pete Griffith (https://airproelectrical.com.au/) runs an air conditioning and electrical business in the Hawkesbury, NSW, with a team of 13. Six months ago, the only AI he'd touched was ChatGPT for the odd email. Today he's building and improving his own business software almost every day, without ever learning to code.

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/

In this episode, Pete sits down with Anton Ryan, AI Specialist at Upscale, to unpack exactly how that happened. He walks through what quoting used to look like at his business: a technician on site, a call back to the office, the office manager chasing part prices and building a quote, then an email sent off hours (sometimes a full day) later. By the time the customer had an answer, the technician was long gone and any chance to upsell on the spot had gone with them.

Pete explains how he worked with Claude to build an onsite sales tool that lets his technicians quote jobs, add photos, and mark them up right there in front of the customer. No more waiting, no more chasing, no more lost upsell opportunities. The result has been a 55% increase in average job value across the business.

Pete also shares how he actually talks to Claude to get results, including a real example of prompting it by voice to add a photo markup feature on the spot, tested and live within minutes. He covers what it costs to run (spoiler: not much), why he thinks getting proper guidance before diving in matters, and why he believes in shipping software at 85% done rather than waiting for perfect.

If you're a trade business owner wondering whether this AI stuff is actually worth your time, this episode is a real, no fluff look at what's possible when you start using it properly.

In this episode:

• Why Pete decided to start building his own tools instead of hiring a developer
• A full before and after of his quoting process
• How a 55% jump in average job value happened
• The exact way Pete prompts Claude to get useful results
• Why shipping early and improving as you go beats waiting for perfect
• What it actually costs to run AI tools like this in a small trade business

Connect with us:

• Follow us on Instagram 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