Advertise on podcast: Tradies In Business

Imagine knowing exactly where every pipe, cable and stud sits inside a wall before the plaster ever goes up. Construct Scans founder Luke Donegan is making that possible with 3D LiDAR scanning, giving builders and homeowners a measurable record of a build that lasts long after the walls are closed. A former architectural photographer and Army combat engineer, Luke shares how a builder’s folder of over a thousand site photos sparked the idea, and how a Marketplace listing and a nudge from his wife turned it into a business. Nic and Luke talked about what scanning can and cannot see, how the records protect against costly rework, warranty claims and defect disputes, and why homeowners, renovators and property managers could all benefit. They also get into the realities of launching a niche service, from marketing something nobody is searching for to keeping up with fast moving technology and finding a better balance between work and family. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Scott Wrigley, Head Building Certifier & Managing Director of ACT Certification, returns to the podcast to talk about how far his business has come in almost 4 years with Tradies in Business. He started out unable to step away from his business for a 2 day conference. This year he has taken a week at Hamilton Island and trips around Australia while his team kept things running. Scott shares how he got there, starting with a single morning or afternoon off and building up to a morning every week, and why he still fights the guilt of switching off. He and Nic also get into what is happening in the Canberra market, from the ACT land release changes and the worst residential approval rates in the country to builders pivoting into decks, pergolas and alterations to keep work coming in. Scott explains how he stays ahead of market shifts by educating himself and filtering out the noise, why he is expanding into New South Wales, and why educated business owners are still growing in a tough market. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Apprenticeship numbers sit below where they were in 2015, even as the workforce has grown by more than 20 percent and Australia faces a housing shortage and a deepening trades skills gap. Ben Bardon, CEO of the National Australian Apprenticeship Association, explains why employers are stepping back, from shrinking government incentives to the real cost of taking on an apprentice in a tight economy. He covers why most apprentices who drop out do so in the first three months, how school-based apprenticeships and work trials lead to stronger completion rates, and how Apprentice Connect providers can step in to mediate when things go wrong. Ben also shares practical habits that keep apprentices engaged, including regular check-ins and a named point of contact, and looks at how AI is already changing the way tradies quote, schedule and run their businesses. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Amii Jones has run Touchwood Tree Services, a tree removal business, with her husband for 15 years, and in this episode she gets honest about what that milestone actually looked like behind the scenes. She talks about the guilt of switching off, the loneliness of working from home, and how the hard stuff never disappears, it just looks different, from surviving the early days to managing staff and admitting when you're the bottleneck. Amii and Nic also talk about above the line versus below the line thinking, redefining success on your own terms, and why she doesn't believe in failures, only lessons. It's a candid look at the real cost of building a business, past the highlight reel. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nicole flips the script and lets Angus take the coach role as they talk through why marketing in accounting is so tough. Angus talks about the licensing rules and restrictions that shape how accountants can talk about money, the split between clients who show up just to stay compliant versus those who want a real growth partnership, and how nearly all of his business has come from referrals and relationships built over time rather than paid ads. They get into what makes an accountant client relationship actually work, why the "expert" facade so many professionals put up is a myth, and how Angus's own path into business (sparked by a chance meeting on a bus in Central America) proves that nobody really has it figured out before they start. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Steven Daniels spent years grinding through the construction industry before burnout left him physically unable to get out of bed. That moment pushed him to study positive psychology and coaching, and he's now the founder of Align 56 Coaching, running retreats and workshops for construction business owners and their teams. Steven and Nic talk about why so many tradies wait until they hit the wall before making real change, the stigma around mental health in construction, why relationships and community matter more than any self-development book, and how business owners can start giving themselves permission to rest before burnout forces the decision for them. Learn more about Align 56 Coaching & follow Steven in Instagram & LinkedIn. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lauren never set out to run a caravan hire business, she started out as a gymnastics coach before life threw her a curveball: her husband Greg's arm injury, exhausting hours away from her kids, and eventually a leap of faith into a lap around Australia in a caravan. What began as a way to fund the rego turned into Outback 2 Sea, a business built on giving other mums the same break, restoration, and permission to just let their kids be kids that her family found on the road. Lauren opens up about wearing every hat in the business, finding her voice in a male-dominated space, and juggling family with a business that can't ever cancel a booking, and the community support that helps her push through the overthinking to trust her own decisions. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Being flat out busy doesn't always mean you're winning, and most business owners avoid looking at the numbers that would prove it. Nic chats with Angus Gasbarri from Earnt Advisory about auditing where your time actually goes, why charge-out rates and margins are the two figures doing 80% of the heavy lifting for your profit, and what's ahead for tradies this financial year. Plus, an invite to the free Bulletproof Your Trade Business workshop on July 21. Save your seat for the free workshop HERE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Joel Pritchett, from The Property Tradies, is a former plumber turned property investor and buyer's agent who built a 5-property portfolio before the age of 25. In this episode, Nic sits down with Joel to talk about how tradies can start building wealth through property, the common mistakes they make when choosing where to buy, why location does 80% of the heavy lifting, and how to find and use a good buyer's agent. Joel also shares how his business Property Tradies is helping tradies and FIFO workers get into the market with the right strategy, and what the recent budget changes could mean for investors going forward. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Steve Rooney is no stranger to the Tradies in Business podcast, but this time he's back with a plot twist nobody saw coming. Fourteen years of running his own landscaping business, a community of mates, hard lessons in business partnerships, and a whole lot of head noise led Steve to one of the biggest decisions of his life. What he chose next will surprise you, and the reasoning behind it might just make you rethink what success in business actually looks like. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Running a trade business 700km from home while raising a young family on the coast is no small feat, but for Nick Allen of NJA Electrical, it's exactly what he built over 13 years in remote Western QLD. Nick shares what it's really like earning trust and loyalty in a town of just 200 people, where your reputation follows you everywhere and relationships run far deeper than just a job and an invoice. From flying in and out of Blackall to working a two-week on, two-week off roster, to taking on his first employee so the business could keep running while he's home, Nick walks through how he structured his work around his life. He also opens up about the eventual move inland to Dalby, trading coastal living for more space, lower cost of living, and a lifestyle that finally matched where his heart had always been. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The federal budget has landed and for most tradie business owners, the news is not good. Nic brings in Angus Gasbarri, founder of Earnt Advisory, an accountant who has built his career working closely with trade and construction businesses, rounding out his expertise with a background in mortgage broking. Together they talk about the biggest budget changes affecting tradies and small business owners, covering negative gearing, capital gains tax, and the new minimum tax on trusts. What these changes mean in real terms and why now is the time to pick up the phone and call your accountant. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

HR mistakes don't always look like mistakes; sometimes they look like efficiency. Nicole sits down with Kristy-Lee Billett, CEO of People Powered Business and founder of People Powered HR, who brings 20 years of experience helping small businesses build great teams without the chaos, the confusion, or the crippling contracts. Together they unpack the growing risk of using AI for people management, why ChatGPT confidently quoting fictional legislation is more common than anyone wants to admit, where AI can genuinely help in your business, and what tradie business owners are quietly getting wrong with employment contracts, award compliance, and conditions of employment, often without realising it until it's too late. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Starting a trade business can feel like a massive leap, especially when you’re not sure if you’re ready or where to begin. This week, Nic sits down with one our our Tradiepreneurs, Josh Prineas from Ecostream Plumbing, a plumber who backed himself and went from side jobs to running his own business in just two years. They talked about Josh’s journey into the trades, the moment he decided to go all in, and what those early stages of business actually looked like. From pushing through fear with marketing and networking, to learning the hard lessons around perfectionism, hiring, and setting boundaries, it’s a real look at building a business from the ground up and what actually moves the needle. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Avoiding your numbers doesn’t make the pressure go away, it quietly makes it worse. Daniel Palmer from Bold Wealth talks about why so many tradies put off getting on top of their finances, how that avoidance impacts long-term wealth especially super, and what actually changes when you face it head-on. Daniel also shares why having the right people around you matters, how to protect your income, and how to make clear financial decisions that support where you actually want to go. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.