Master Builders Elevate: Building a Better Business

Peter Cody, Partner at PwC, provides guidance on best practice cashflow management in a residential construction business to help them manage the financial impact of COVID-19. Peter covers a range of topics to help out Master Builder members during this time, such as suspected cashflow cycles in a construction organisation, the guiding principles when it comes to cashflow in this pressure and cris...

Mark Holland and Rachel Conner from Hazelton Law share their expertise and advice on the impact of COVID-19 on your current contracts, including RBC1, and your rights and obligations.   Mark, the resident contract guru, talks you through contract considerations and how your current contract will help you through issues that will arise throughout lockdown such as delay, extension of time, material...

In this podcast episode, Ryan chats with Karl Braithwaite, owner of Catalyst Construction, and his apprentice, Jason Helsby. Jason won the 2019 Apprentice of the Year in the Auckland region and was the runner-up in the national competition. Jason shares his experience with the Apprentice of the Year competition, from the application process to the regional and national finals, and how much value h...

In this podcast, Ryan chats with David Kelly, CEO of Registered Master Builders, about how Master Builders is dealing with the repercussions of COVID-19. David talks about their two main priorities, helping businesses to maintain cashflow and preparing for returning to normal. He also gives an overview of what Master Builders is doing to help support their members, which includes trying to underst...

In this podcast, Ryan has the pleasure of interviewing Mike O’Meeghan, franchise owner of construction company GJ Gardner homes Franklin / Papakura . He shares his journey of becoming a GJ Gardner owner and lessons he has learned owning a construction business. He talks about how to manage suppliers and how to manage people, how to shift from working in the business to working on the business, and...

In this podcast episode, Mike and Ryan talk about how team meetings can shape your company culture, and how they are important in creating (or bringing down) energy. They talk about do’s and don’ts in team meetings and share some examples from our own meetings at the Breakthrough Co, providing a great starting point for creating an energising team meeting and culture. How do you create energy in y...

In this podcast episode, Ryan has the pleasure of interviewing Simon Penn. Simon is the owner of Simon Penn Building and also serves as President for the Registered Master Builders Association for the Wanganui area.  Ryan and Simon talk about the sometimes challenging transition from builder to business owner. They talk about Simon’s own experiences on this journey and why it is important to chang...

In this podcast episode, Mike and Ryan share 3 big strategic questions that can help you bring your business to the next level. These questions will unlock your thinking and open possibilities you had never thought of before. Mike and Ryan discuss them in depth and give real examples of how asking these questions has helped their clients improve their businesses. Links  Watch it on YouTube   Find...

 “We’ve reached peak wellness. Most of it is nonsense.” This is the title of a recent article by the Outside group and the topic of this podcast episode. Ryan is joined by Milena Cooper, head of digital at the Breakthrough co, and they discuss how people can achieve a real state of wellness – without all the diets, potions and pills out there.  They cover the six main dimensions of health - physic...

Learning can be hard, but it’s the key to unlocking your own and your organization’s potential. In this podcast episode, Mike and Ryan share their insights around learning and give advice on how to learn effectively. They discuss what learning is exactly, what the stages of learning are, why learning is hard and why it’s supposed to be hard, and how you can motivate yourself to achieve your learni...

In this podcast episode, Ryan chats with David Kelly, CEO of Registered Master Builders and Chair of the Construction Industry Council. Ryan and David talk about the current developments, challenges, and initiatives in the construction sector and with Registered Master Builders. David shares the insights he got from chairing the Society of Construction Law seminars, specifically in regard to a dec...

In this podcast episode, Ryan challenges you to get F’d – yes, you read that right. It’s not what you might think though. This episode is all about attitude, and how you can change your life by changing your attitude.  Ryan discusses three distinguished zones of attitude: The Frustrated zone, The Fine zone, and The Fizzed zone. He also talks about growth mindset, a well-researched concept (e.g. by...

In this podcast Mike and Ryan discuss the competitive tripod - a framework to help you get clear on what you need to be great at to differentiate your offer. When you focus on meeting the market in two areas and beating the market in one area, you’ll set yourself apart from your competitors. You’ll hear examples of organisations that have been successful by focusing on one of the tripod legs and t...

In this week’s podcast, Mike and Ryan discuss one of New Zealand’s most successful and beloved organizations: The All Blacks. While most don’t associate a rugby team with business, the All Blacks are very much a business organization, whose product happens to be a sport. Their huge successes over the years, and right now with their successes in the 2019 Rugby World Cup, makes it a great organizati...

People are truly what make a difference in an organization. This podcast is focused on hiring and growing your best employees. Ryan and Mike talk about a helpful model which Ryan refers to as the 5 Olympic rings of people. These are ► Career: Where do you see the employee going and where do they see themselves going? ► Culture & Values: Hire based on values and whether the employee will fit wi...

Many business owners get trapped in the sense of overwhelm and urgency keeping up with today’s business. In this episode Mike and Ryan get you to focus on strategies for growing tomorrow's business. They share their expert advice and offer insights into growth models. From their experiences helping other business owners grow their companies to their personal experiences growing their businesses, t...

In this episode, Mike and Ryan talk about how people progress through their careers. Specifically, how they transition from employment to business ownership and eventually to an investor. They identify how people can often get trapped in the move from self-employment to business owner because the business is so reliant on them. In order to change this, they recommend a few leverage points.   First...

Ryan chats with David Kelly, the Chief Executive of Master Builders and Chair of the Construction Industry Council. David shares his perspectives on what’s happening in the construction industry and why it matters. He talks about the launch of the Construction Sector Accord and how Registered Master Builders have partnered with the government to establish a new way to work together for a better bu...

Many leaders and business owners find themselves in a state of constant frustration. Ping pong balls racing around in your head sound familiar? In this episode, Mike and Ryan share their advice on how to overcome frustration in your business by using the 7 P’s framework. A great practice they recommend in gaining clarity and awareness is a process they call the mind dump, by putting pen to paper o...

In this episode, Ryan and Mike discuss the importance of working ON the business as opposed to IN the business. Many business owners get stuck in the operational tyranny of getting things ticked off the to-do list and dealing with the urgent issues. Mike and Ryan suggest taking a step back to see the bigger picture of where you want to take the business and what you need to do to get there. They t...

In this podcast, Ryan interviews Darrell Trigg of Trigg Construction Ltd, who is also the National President of the Registered Master Builders Association of New Zealand. In this Q& A session, Darrell shares his insights on topics: The importance of personal goals: why he feels like lugging 20 kilos of equipment up the world’s highest buildings is a really good thing to do His view on the tend...

Business owners today seem to be have become obsessed with keeping busy. Creating ridiculously long to-do lists and check boxes that often lead to an overwhelming sense of busyness. Mike and Ryan question whether or not people add value in the long run, amidst all the never ending to-do lists.  They suggest a reflection on getting the most important things done as a start.  Ryan discusses a great...

In this episode, Mike and Ryan share four surprising success principles to boost your business and improve your life. Putting these principles into place, the transformation that will happen in your life and business is phenomenal.   1)      Limit your hours 2)      Development days 3)      Personal Goals 4)      Health, Relationships, Work (in that order) Links Carol Dweck on Growth Mindset: http...

You’ll certainly be demanding a boringly, predictable, profitable business after having listened to this podcast. Ryan and Mike talk about what’s involved in shifting a business from an endless startup mode to a business that is achieving 20% revenue growth consistently every single year. The challenge that most businesses face is inconsistency. They often don’t have the systems in place and are c...

Ryan Castle from the Breakthrough Company talks with David Kelly, Chief Executive of Registered Master Builders and Chair of the Construction Industry Council in this question and answer session. You'll perspective on what’s happening in the construction industry and why it matters. They discuss: What's happening in terms of growth; opportunities and challenges How these can be a catalyst for chan...