Good Bad Business

The $4 Million Business That Makes Almost Nothing on Fuel Most people think petrol stations make their money from petrol. They don't. Fuel gets you onto the forecourt. The real profits come from coffee, convenience, food, car washes and the everyday purchases you barely think about. It's one of Australia's biggest retail industries, and one of its most misunderstood. Peter and Rod u...

The Tool Company That Built a Billion-Dollar Finance Business Most people think Snap-on sells tools. They're wrong. Snap-on built one of the world's most successful businesses by selling something far more valuable: Relationships. Trust. And finance. For more than 100 years, the iconic white tool truck has been driving into workshops across the world, bringing premium tools directly to m...

At first glance, a dry cleaner looks like one of the simplest businesses in Australia. Clean clothes. Press shirts. Collect payment. But underneath the front counter lies a very different business. A business built on trust. Because customers don't hand over old clothes. They hand over wedding dresses. Designer suits. Luxury garments. And irreplaceable memories. In this episode of Good Bad Bu...

One of America's fastest-growing coffee chains removed the word "Coffee" from its name after matcha became too popular to ignore. Something big is happening. In this episode of Good Bad Business , Peter and Rod break down the explosive rise of matcha using the MOAT framework: Margin. Operation. Advantage. TAM. We uncover: Why matcha is becoming the fastest-growing drink category in...

The Government Just Created Australia’s Next Tax Advantage For decades, Australian investors followed the same playbook: Buy property. Negative gear it. Wait. But as tax benefits for established investment properties are wound back, a new opportunity is emerging, and most people haven't noticed it yet. In this episode of Good Bad Business , Peter, Rod and Stephen unpack why high-income Austra...

Smash repairs look like a simple trade business. Cars crash. Panels get fixed. Insurers pay. But underneath the workshop floor is a much bigger machine. Insurers. Assessors. Parts delays. Hire cars. Labour shortages. EV complexity. And customers stuck waiting for answers. In this episode of Good Bad Business , Peter and Fabs break down the smash repair industry using the MOAT framework, Margin, Op...

Gloria Jean’s looks like a safe franchise business. Recognisable brand.  National footprint.  Built-in customer awareness. But behind the logo is a very different reality. In this episode of Good Bad Business , Peter and Fabs break down Gloria Jean’s using the MOAT framework, Margin, Operation, Advantage, and TAM, to understand whether this legacy coffee brand still works in modern Australia. We u...

Law firms look like premium businesses. Big fees. Nice offices. Serious people. But behind the branding is a very different reality. In this episode of Good Bad Business , Peter and Fabs break down the Australian law firm model using the MOAT framework - Margin, Operation, Advantage, and TAM, to understand what actually makes a law firm profitable… or painful to run. We unpack:  Why most law firms...

Mortgage broking looks like the perfect business. No stock. No shopfront. Flexible hours. And commissions on every deal. But behind that model is a very different reality. Pipeline pressure. Delayed income. And a constant need to generate deals just to stay afloat. In this episode of Good Bad Business , we break down mortgage broking using our MOAT framework, Margin, Operation, Advantage, and TAM,...

Starbucks isn’t just a coffee chain. It’s a system. A global brand. A habit machine. And in many ways… a financial engine hiding inside an app. But in Australia? The story hasn’t been so simple. In this episode of Good Bad Business , we break down Starbucks using our MOAT framework, Margin, Operation, Advantage, and TAM, to understand what’s really driving the business. We unpack:  Why Starbucks f...

Barbeques Galore is a big Australian retail brand. Over 90 stores.  Decades of history.  National footprint. So when it entered voluntary administration… it raised a bigger question. How does a business like this run into cashflow trouble? In this episode of Good Bad Business , we break down Barbeques Galore using our MOAT framework, Margin, Operation, Advantage, and TAM,  to understand what’s rea...

Premium café car washes look like a smart business. Customers drop their car. Grab a coffee. Come back to a clean vehicle. Simple. But behind the scenes? It’s a high-pressure, labour-heavy operation where small mistakes get expensive fast. In this episode of Good Bad Business , we break down the premium café car wash model using our MOAT framework - Margin, Operation, Advantage, and TAM. We unpack...

Spanians Kebabs is everywhere right now.  Big queues. Big brand. Big attention. But here’s the question, is it actually a good business? In this episode of Good Bad Business , we break down Spanian's Kebabs using our MOAT framework, Margin, Operation, Advantage, and TAM, to uncover what’s really driving the numbers. We go beyond the hype and answer the only questions that matter: Can a Spania...