Trade Legends | Construction Podcast

Russ nearly shut down Talking Tradesmen with just £80 left in his business account, and Kev had his entire van of tools stolen on Boxing Day. Two tradespeople who refused to quit join Trade Legends to get brutally honest about mental health in construction, building a product brand from scratch into Dulux and Johnsons stockists, and why resilience in the trades is more than just a buzzword..

Tom from Testo reveals how the same precision technology used by heating engineers is trusted by McDonald's, KFC and high-end pharmaceutical labs to keep their operations safe. From why relying on guesswork in the trades isn't just unprofessional but genuinely dangerous, to how Awaab's Law is forcing a reckoning in social housing, this conversation goes places most trade podcasts won't. AI fault d...

Ash, Jack and Joe from Super Trowel are back, and this time they're addressing the controversy from the 2025 event that sent the internet into a meltdown, why Super Trowel 2026 has moved location, and what really happened at Spec Mix in the US. This is the first time they've spoken about the 2025 drama together on any podcast.

Andreas Degiulio from Woodway Windows lost his mum at 24, and explains how that moment fundamentally changed everything about how he approaches work, life and resilience. From early site graft to carving out one of the most specialised niches in period window restoration, this is a conversation about what it really costs to do things properly in the trades. Old school work ethic, charging what you...

Carleton from Nooks Carpenter walked away from an eleven-year factory job during Covid, drove by loss, a mentor's dying encouragement, and one mindset shift: "comfort is the thief of joy." He built a six-figure carpentry portfolio from nothing, using job deposits to buy tools and social media to land million-pound projects. Now he breaks down exactly how he prices, bids and protects his margins on...

Mark and Alex pull back the curtain on what it actually takes to run one of the UK's leading trade podcasts, from last-minute cancellations and juggling real life to conversations that ended up in Parliament. They revisit the hardest-hitting guest stories of 2025 and get honest about why niche trades and real stories will always beat chasing big names. Plus, what's coming in 2026.

Luke from Blue Bulldog Plumbing has turned down brand deals, been threatened by companies for sharing real-world experiences, and built a following by showing jobs going wrong rather than polished highlight reels. Back on Trade Legends for the first time in two years, he gets brutally honest about the pressure, the imposter syndrome, and why credibility in the trades will always outlast a quick pa...

Sean from Monster Rigs started on the tools at 16, survived the post-2008 construction crash in Ireland, and has reinvested every penny building a physical product brand while still staying on the tools. He gets brutally honest about product failures, manufacturing costs, branding mistakes and why most people massively underestimate what launching a trades brand actually costs, in time, money and...

Frankie from Stolen Tools UK and Shoaib from Trade United expose the organised crime networks that hit 10-20 vans a day, the loopholes criminals use to sell stolen tools as legitimate, and the big influencers who refused to support the fight. This is the most unfiltered conversation yet about what's really happening on the front line of tool theft in the UK, and why the construction industry is re...

Mark Marshall went from cutting grass and quoting garden jobs to working alongside Gary Vee, Mike Posner and Colin Furze, and he breaks down exactly how those doors opened and what it really costs to stay authentic when fame hits hard. One of the most influential landscapers on the planet gets honest about viral content, building a global audience, and why most people massively underestimate what...

Theo lost a child, broke his back, watched his business collapse, and his marriage fall apart, and rebuilding himself meant confronting every one of those things head-on. He gets brutally honest about struggling in silence, the pressure of being the provider, and what finding purpose again actually looks like after losing everything. One of the most raw and important conversations Trade Legends ha...

George, founder of Hoskins Innovations, started with a £150 loan for a lawnmower and built a landscaping business with over 300,000 social media followers, and he breaks down exactly how social media became his most powerful sales tool for building customer trust. From pricing jobs without square-metre rates to structuring payments that keep cash flow steady, this is genuinely actionable advice fo...

Laura Jane Clark transformed underground toilets into stunning living spaces for the BBC and broke into one of the most male-dominated industries in construction. Jimmy built CT1 from a small idea into one of the UK's most trusted construction brands through sheer determination. Two completely different journeys, one conversation about starting from scratch, learning from failure and staying authe...

Mark Marshall went from a rebellious teen forced to repair a farmer's land to one of the UK's most recognisable names in landscaping and social media, and he gets honest about the burnout, the losses, and what lengthy brand negotiations with the likes of Makita and NatWest actually look like behind the scenes. This is the side of influencer life nobody shows you.

Brad and Sam from The Bald Builders lost a million pounds, lived in a caravan with £20 to their name, accidentally bought a stolen house, and somehow built one of the biggest trade brands in the UK, and that's before the KFC prank with 17 million minutes of watch time, the Ofcom complaints, and the online stalker. The most unfiltered, jaw-dropping builder story Trade Legends has ever told.

Sammi lost her job of sixteen years overnight, was managing type 1 diabetes through Covid, and anxiety had taken over to the point she couldn't leave her car. From that lowest point, she started making hoodies from her kitchen table and built Branded by Sammi into one of the most recognisable names in UK construction workwear. She holds nothing back about what rock bottom actually looks like and w...

Ashley Macintosh rebranded from window cleaner to exterior cleaning specialist, and that one shift changed what he could charge overnight. He breaks down how window cleaning works as a recurring-revenue engine to upsell high-ticket roof and driveway jobs, why most people in his industry are losing money by focusing on equipment over marketing, and how video is quietly becoming the most powerful sa...

Gemma's first viral TikTok mural got millions of views, and triggered enough online abuse to nearly make her quit social media entirely. She gets honest about turning a lockdown hobby into a commercial mural business, the reality of pricing creative work, handling difficult client requests, and why staying true to your art is harder than it looks when business takes over.

In this episode of Trade Legends , we sit down with Renovate, featuring Emma and Gio, to hear two inspiring journeys into the trades and construction industry. Emma shares her path from law school and corporate PR into property renovation, sourcing, and lettings in Aberdeen, including how she taught herself tiling, painting, and DIY skills through YouTube and social media. She talks about turning...

Why do plumbers always make this mistake? In this episode of Trade Legends, Mike from Salamander Pumps explains the most common pump installation errors, why they happen, and how to avoid them. From shower pump failures to boosting mains pressure, we break down what plumbers get wrong, the right way to install pumps, and how tools like Salamander’s HomeBoost, TankBoost, and AquaScan are changing t...

In this episode of Trade Legends, Mark chats with Dean Franklin, 2025 winner of The Apprentice and co-founder of ADL Air Conditioning. From flipping PlayStations at 13 to launching a booming business in lockdown, Dean shares his wild journey, raw hustle, and that viral interview moment. He risked it all for a £250K investment — and won. For grafters, dreamers, or future Apprentice stars, this one’...

On the Trade Legends podcast this week, Jack & Stacey (“Stick”) from Trademark Digital share their "Building a business" journey, from suffering a serious stroke and having to close down a carpentry business to building a digital marketing agency. They discuss the industry's challenges, lessons learned, and their passion for helping small businesses.

In this episode of Trade Legends, we’re joined by Ryan from Mirka, the globally recognised Finnish brand behind some of the most advanced abrasives and sanding tools used across a wide range of industries. Whether it’s in automotive body shops, marine and yacht building, woodworking, or professional decorating, Mirka has become synonymous with high-performance, purpose-built equipment trusted by t...

In this episode of Trade Legends, we sit down with Andrew, a seasoned HVAC professional from Australia, to explore his journey through four decades in the trade. He shares how he fell into the industry almost by accident, what has kept him passionate over the years, and how the HVAC landscape has changed in both Australia and globally.

In this episode of the Trade Legends podcast, we sit down with Ryan O'Sullivan, founder of the Ry Group, to hear his honest and inspiring story—from struggling in school to building a successful multi-trade business with over 30 staff. Ryan talks about how he navigated early challenges with education, a derailed football career, and eventually found his place in the trades, starting with an appren...