The Profitable Tradie Podcast

Aron Flood ran his roofing business on his own for eight years, doing everything himself. He shares why he stepped off the roof and into the role of business owner, how his idea of a good boss changed, and how he got his time and energy back after years of lying awake at night worrying and checking his phone. Plus the pricing, hiring and marketing changes that took his business from $140K to $445K...

Episode 250 is the origin story. Tony talks through how Profitable Tradie started: the property crash, a borrowed coaching program, cold calling trades businesses from a garage, and the first hires. Phil takes him through the photos, and Damon, Linden and Cameron join to tell their side of the journey as the business grew into a team of around 80 in four countries. WHAT YOU’LL GAIN FROM LISTENING...

A bell on the house, a dad who was on call most nights, and a family electrical business that grew from 13 to over 30 people. Tony sits down with Damian and Michelle Sylvester of Sylvester Electrical in Morrinsville to talk about taking over from Damian's parents, Graham and Lynn, and changing a business that had worked for 50 years. Hear how they got past the growth ceiling, moved arguments out o...

You're sick and tired of repeating yourself. So you finally sit down and build a system. Now your team can follow that instead of asking you. They use it for a week or two. Then they stop, and you're back to feeling like a broken record. Getting systems to stick is simpler than you think. In this episode, Tony and Phil give you the 4 steps to systemize your trades business. WHAT YOU’LL GAIN FROM L...

If I told you your trades business was a bank, you’d think I was crazy. But if you’re paying for materials, wages, tools and equipment upfront while customers wait weeks or months to pay, you’re acting just like a bank. Only one that doesn’t charge interest. In this episode, Phil and I break down the 6 cashflow techniques that $20M+ trades businesses use to keep their cash flow strong: The Boss Yo...

WHAT YOU’LL GAIN FROM LISTENING TO TODAY’S PODCAST: 1. How Sam made his business less reliant on him. 2. The hiring mistakes that kept him stuck doing everything himself (and what he did differently the second time round) 3. How he went from being "the weather" in his business to hitting $200K+ months while actually being home for dinner LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Claim a Free Planning Sessi...

"There's no good tradesmen out there anymore." Rubbish. There are plenty. They’re just working for someone else. Which means they’re probably not reading your job ads online... So you’ve got to catch their attention in a different way. To find out how to attract great workers and filter out the time-wasters... WHAT YOU’LL GAIN FROM LISTENING TO TODAY’S PODCAST: The real reason great tradies aren't...

You know how in video games, there’s a boss at the end of every level? Some massive monster you’ve got to defeat before the game lets you move on. Well, growing a trades business is pretty similar. You’ve got different levels: Start-up... $500K revenue/year... $2M... $5M... $10M+... And at each level, there’s a different “boss” waiting for you. Pricing... Hiring... Systems... Your own capacity......

[EMPLOYEE] Hey boss, can we have a quick chat in private? [BOSS] Uh oh... What’s up? [EMPLOYEE] It’s been great working here the last three years. I’ve learned a bunch and had a good time. [BOSS] I’m glad. You’re one of my best guys. I can always rely on you. [EMPLOYEE] The thing is... I’ve decided to move on. Work for someone else. This is my 2 weeks’ notice. [BOSS] Wait a minute, mate. Don’t lea...

When your trades business gets bigger... More customers Bigger jobs A larger team More revenue But also… More expenses More admin Increased complexity More problems At some point, you can't run it the same way you did when it was smaller. Something has to change. The question is, what do you change first, and how? WHAT YOU’LL GAIN FROM LISTENING TO TODAY’S PODCAST: Find out: The biggest changes yo...

You crack open a beer after a huge week... Suddenly, a genie bursts out of the can! Says he can make you rich... A millionaire... IF you develop 7 boring habits. Would you do it? Guess what? This exact thing happened to me. And dangit, it worked. No lamp. No 3 wishes. Just 7 things, done consistently, to separate your business from the rest. WHAT YOU’LL GAIN FROM LISTENING TO TODAY’S PODCAST: Why...

This is my story from broke to owning a $30m coaching business LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Claim a Free Planning Session to learn what coaching could do for your business Subscribe to our YouTube Channel New Book 'Built to Run' is now live, order your copy here Thanks for joining us this week. Want to subscribe to The Profitable Tradie Podcast? Have some feedback you’d like to share? Connect...

Spot the difference: Two trades business owners. Same service. Same team size. Same number of hours worked. But one makes $100K profit a year. And the other makes $1 million. How can that be? WHAT YOU’LL GAIN FROM LISTENING TO TODAY’S PODCAST: How to multiply yourself instead of maxing yourself out Why hiring before you're desperate is cheaper than hiring when you're not The secret to scaling past...

You've got 47 unread emails... 5 missed calls... 9 text messages... Everybody wants something from you. Your employees, suppliers, customers... Your partner, your kids, your parents... They’re all important. So which one should you answer first? What do you prioritize? It's not the big decisions that wreck trades business owners. It's the hundreds of tiny ones like this... all day, every day. WHAT...

What happens when a successful trades business owner pushes so hard that his own business nearly destroys his health? In this episode of the Profitable Tradie Podcast, Steve Vega shares how 63-hour work weeks, chronic underpricing, and poor systems left him burned out before transforming his plumbing business into a $1M+ company. If you're a plumbing, HVAC, electrical, roofing, or home service bus...

You’re hard working... You’re dedicated... And you care a lot... All great qualities in a trades business owner. But there's one trait – which is super common – that could quietly cost you thousands, create team problems, and leave you burnt out. WHAT YOU’LL GAIN FROM LISTENING TO TODAY’S PODCAST: The surprising habit that's quietly draining your profit (most owners never spot it) Why trying to ke...

You know how much money came into the bank last month... But do you know how many leads you got? Your conversion rate? Or how much you’re still waiting to be paid? Most trades business owners have no idea. They’re not tracking much. But the owners killing it out there are tracking 7 key numbers. WHAT YOU’LL GAIN FROM LISTENING TO TODAY’S PODCAST: The 7 numbers that tell you if your business is act...

“What’s one cool thing you’re using AI for?” I asked 1,200 trades business owners that question... A few of the answers genuinely caught me off guard. WHAT YOU’LL GAIN FROM LISTENING TO TODAY’S PODCAST: How to create dashboards that track your most important business numbers automatically How trades business owners are creating custom software and apps without knowing how to code How to get AI to...

Three contractors went bust in the same year. James Martell lost a heap of work overnight, He was also left with a pile of unpaid invoices... With no way of getting that money back. The cash flow crisis got so bad it eventually pushed him into bankruptcy too. Most trades business owners would've thrown in the towel. But James didn't. Today, he’s got 60 staff, does over $7M a year in revenue, and i...

Think your trades business is doing well just because you feel busy? Think again. On today’s episode, we break down the dangerous trap of running your business on emotions rather than hard facts. We reveal why mistaking baseline activity for actual progress is a fast track to stress and explain how consistently tracking your financial numbers is the ultimate key to unlocking predictable growth and...

The fastest way to win more jobs has nothing to do with more leads, better marketing, or having the lowest prices. It's much simpler. WHAT YOU’LL GAIN FROM LISTENING TO TODAY’S PODCAST: Find out: The reason customers choose slower, less qualified competitors over you Why being first matters more than having the cheapest price The simple habit that helps some trades businesses win twice as many job...

If you want a simple system that: Keeps your guys switched on and working hard Stops small problems blowing up into big ones Gets your team finishing what they start, taking pride in their work, and sticking around long-term I recorded this episode to get your team working like rock-stars! WHAT YOU’LL GAIN FROM LISTENING TO TODAY’S PODCAST: Maximize team performance Stop small problems blowing up...

There are 4 types of jobs successful trades businesses avoid like the plague. They’re happy to let everyone else take them. Along with the stress, chaos, and weak margins. WHAT YOU’LL GAIN FROM LISTENING TO TODAY’S PODCAST: The 4 types of jobs quietly killing your profit Why “busy” work is keeping you broke How profitable trades businesses decide which jobs to say no to LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPI...

Nathan would cry in his truck every day. The stress of running his business was just too much. He was stuck on the tools, chasing work... Wrangling staff, stressing over cash flow... And struggling to keep everything together at home. Now? He’s gone from $30K-$45K a month to $80K-$100K a month. His team’s grown from 4 guys to 10. And he finally has time to be there for his wife and kids. WHAT YOU’...

If you want to hire good workers... But the best ones are already taken… If your job listings are online... But only attract timewasters and no-shows... If you know your business could be doing better... But your current team’s holding it back… Listen to this. WHAT YOU’LL GAIN FROM LISTENING TO TODAY’S PODCAST: The biggest hiring mistake that keeps you stuck with average workers The real reason yo...