Lifestyle Tradie Member Magazine Issue 64 - July-Dec 2022

FROM THE DESK OF

Hey tradies! How many times have you read or seen an article with a big bold headline that says something along the lines of...

“MELBOURNE TRADES ARE MAKING BANK.”

It’s absolute BULL!

I feel like I see this once a month at a minimum, and each time the trade and the city changes depending on who the news outlets want to target at the time. You would think there’s better things to report on… apparently not!

The specific article I’m talking about popped up just the other day. It stated that Melbourne trades are taking home $124 an hour, making $243,000 a year, and only working a regular 38-hour work week.

I dare say that these reports are mixing up the rate the business charges the customer, with what the tradie or business owner makes after paying all their expenses, which are getting expensive! There’s petrol, insurances, materials, wages, overheads, and so much more (the list can be endless) to take into consideration too.

Not only that, but it paints a bad image of tradies in general. Customers read these articles or news reels and think that tradies are out to rip them off. They get scared of spending their money with trades, and demand for a breakdown of jobs and invoices.

If you do end up giving in and handing over a breakdown, they begin to question every line or suddenly want to buy the materials themselves and have you install them, it’s crazy!

As trade business owners, we need to stand as a united front and remove the stigma around pricing that these news articles cause.

If customers question your pricing, stand your ground... You’re the expert here, and your expert advice and skillset are worth the price you set.

There might be the odd trade company that does have what some might consider EXPENSIVE prices, but at the end of the day it’s the customer that choose to use them or not. And if the customer didn’t want to use your services over the price, then they’re not the right customer for you anyway! Simple!

Cheers, Andy Smith

LIFESTYLE

MEMBER PROFILE

Tell us a about your business, life and family.

Bill: Sam and I met in 2011, and I finally conned her into marrying me in 2019. I have two boys, George who is 22 years old going to Uni in Newcastle, and Joel who is approaching 16 years and currently in Year 10. He spends his time split between living with Sam and I, and his mum.

Sam changed my life… for the better. She is the supportive, committed, and focused partner I didn’t have through most of years of building a business and it makes so much difference having a teammate helping you reach your goals.

I grew up in pubs (literally, my parents and grandparents owned them) and I got interested in the air conditioning and refrigeration industry while assisting a one-man band fridgey position equipment into the cellar and on the roof of our hotel in Lismore as I was completing Year 12.

I completed an apprenticeship with him after I left school, then travelled round Australia in a kombi, and pretty much had work if I wanted it in any place I chose to pull up. I travelled for 12 months then spent 4 years in Sydney, working on some prestigious projects such as the Opera House, the Village Cinemas complex in George St and special projects at the Bottoms Up Bar in Kings Cross.

BILL & SAM TOWNSEND

My current business Coolabah Cooling was born in 2000, my 2nd business after I built and sold my initial company Frigid Air which still exists in Lismore. We currently have around 30 staff and specialise in the sales, service and installation of air conditioning and commercial refrigeration equipment.

Nobody believes the demands in summer until they experience it for themselves; it’s totally frantic!

Outside of work, I am obsessed with deep sea fishing off a jet ski, golf, live loud music, and a few cools ones with anyone willing to join me.

Sam is a gym junkie, visiting the gym every bloody morning and many afternoons per week — reportedly to “de-stress”, just as much as it is to stay healthy.

COOLABAH COOLING VIP PLATINUM MEMBER

What do you love most about what you do?

Bill: For me, it’s dealing with people. I’m a people person and love dealing with the general public and broader business community. There are that small percentage that drive you mad, but over the years I have learnt you can’t escape them (and believe me I have tried). The painful few are scattered everywhere. You just have to learn how to manage them or move them on (a Lifestyle Tradie tip we have embraced).

Additionally, the variety Coolabah brings. Rarely are two days the same. I always say when somebody starts at Coolabah, you will not die of boredom.

What specific results have you achieved since joining Lifestyle Tradie?

Sam: Since I’ve come on board to work in our business, there has been some trying times to adjust from the corporate world to the family run business world.

Often Bill and I would butt heads while he was trying to teach me the ways of owning a trade business. Bill can easily turn off but for me it’s a struggle, my mind always thinking.

Tell us a little about your life before joining Lifestyle Tradie? (What wasn’t working, what was holding you back or was in your way?)

Bill: Business was going great overall, but I was spending way too much time on Coolabah and not enough on the people or things I loved, including myself. I knew there was a better way but didn’t know how to get there.

Since we have joined Lifestyle Tradie and been to the R&R events, I’ve had the opportunity to speak with wives and partners on how to cope working together and living together, plus tips on organising and helping run the business.

The R&R’s are always informative and fun. We look forward to them and have made some great friends already since joining.

The first thing I realised from speaking to everyone was that no matter how big or small your business is or what industry you’re in, we all have the same problems, whether it be staff, customers, regulations etc.

Some things from the very first interaction we had with Lifestyle Tradie we took on board include:

• having written procedures is a MUST to be able to have the business run when we are not there,

• having a cut off time from work to ensure you have that work/life balance. Ours became 6pm, then no more Coolabah work is allowed,

• having a game plan no matter how big or small is super important (The 6 Week Cycle)…

… and the list goes on.

Where do you see your business in 5 years?

Bill: In 5 years we’ll have grown the business another 25 -30%, have approximately 40 staff, and Sam and myself will be completely redundant in the day to day operations.

What are the top 3 things you have learnt about business?

Bill and Sam:

1. You can’t do it all on your own — so surround yourself with good people and trust them. You will then have time for yourself.

2. You’re worth more than you think — forget what the opposition is charging if you are better than them. If you’re not, fix that.

3. Learn from others, rather than learning from your mistakes. Knowledge and commitment = success!

Tell us something quirky about yourself that your buddies don’t know.

Bill: I once sat behind KISS during a show looking out at the crowd from behind the drummer. Long story how I got there.

If we were sitting here one year from now celebrating what a great year it has been, what have you achieved together in both business and life?

Bill: One year from now we will be celebrating Sam cutting back to 3 day weeks, and me back to 4 day weeks; plus have the ability to have a month or more off simultaneously.

ReIgnite & ReUnite July 2022 was an ABSOLUTE blast!

Andy, Angela, and the Lifestyle Tradie team want to extend a HUGE THANK YOU to all our members who took the time out of their busy lives to join us for a weekend of learning, networking, and fun!

As always, Lifestyle Tradie community really shines bright at our events, something we are SO proud of! All our members came together to give each other support and advice over shared trade business challenges, and a friendly chat!

We were also joined by some AMAZING guest speakers… we kicked off Friday hearing from Midja Fisher who taught us a thing or two about how to be a confident, authentic leader. Her infectious energy, enthusiasm, and optimism blew us all away!

Then on Saturday we were joined by the wonderful Dr. Jodie Lowinger whose groundbreaking methodology will help our trade business owners optimise their performance, build resilience and prevent and manage anxiety, stress, low moods and burnout.

The one and only Mark Visser also graced the stage! As an Australian big wave surfer who has coached some of the worlds most successful individuals (think Kelly Slater!), Mark shared his secrets to a winning mindset and showed us that the ‘impossible IS possible’.

Not to mention our very own Andy and Angela talked us through how to Define A Profitable Business Model in order to prepare our trade businesses for ANYTHING, and of course our 6-Week Cycle so that all our members walk away understanding what’s the #NextRightThing for them to be working on within their business.

And lastly a massive thank you to our Members, Jack & Stacey Yeadon from JDY Electrical and Ashley Woolf from Woolf Plumbing, who were put on the HotSeat to share everything from ‘A to Z’ within their business with the community. You guys ROCKED!

Once the learning was done, the Lifestyle Tradie members pulled it out of the bag and delivered some AMAZING sports gear costumes for our Saturday night themed event! It’s so great that we can head out for dinner, drinks, and even a few dance moves to let some steam off and have fun together!

This was seriously one of the best R&R events yet, and we couldn’t have done it without our community.

If you haven’t RSVP’d for the November R&R in Darling Harbour, scan the QR code to get in now and secure your spot!

29th & 30th July 2022 • Brisbane ENERGISE. EXPAND. EXPLORE.

Three ways to make better business decisions in tough times

Ever feel like you spend more time managing your jobs than actually doing them? When you spend all day out on the job, the last thing you want to is go home and tackle a mountain of paperwork. Preparing and sending quotes, scheduling confirmed jobs or looking ahead to see when you’ve got a quiet period to plan for are all important aspects of running a successful business.

There are only so many hours in the day, so you need to work smarter to keep up with the day-to-day and stay two steps ahead to ensure the longevity of your business. Initially, pen and paper may have been the easiest option to keep on top of everything. However, it pays to automate admin as your business grows.

With the turbulent times of recession, inflation and supply shortages, how do you know you’re making smart decisions to lessen the impact and come out on top? The simple answer is job management software (JMS). The right JMS can take you and your business out of the dark ages and into the digital age.

Kathy Bull and Eddie Tell from Superior Waterproofing 2000 uses Fergus JMS to know what’s happening in the business. They’ve gone from handwritten job cards and manual record keeping to an automated solution that helps them forecast cashflow, find profitability and reduce admin time and costs.

“One day, it dawned on me that there must be a better way to manage multiple jobs. Initially, I wrote job instructions on paper and gave them to my staff. It could be as simple as winding down the window, and the job details were gone,” Eddie said.

Forecast cashflow

The adage “cash is king” is quoted for a reason – your business won’t last long without enough cash. JMS gives you a complete picture of your jobs, including cash inflows and outflows. You can make smart business decisions because you’ll know exactly how many dollars are sitting in jobs you have quoted, jobs that are in progress and jobs due to be paid.

Decrease admin time and costs

Kathy and Eddie use Fergus to track every job that comes in – from capturing customer and job details to keeping track of materials, hours worked, and everything in between. Information that was captured on paper job cards is now accessible to everyone on the team who needs it when they need it. This transparency has the team working more efficiently, saving time and money.

By implementing JMS, Superior Waterproofing 2000 can now easily manage multiple jobs simultaneously. Kathy and the team spend far less time on admin and more time on activities that earn money. The best part is Kathy and Eddie now enjoy the freedom they hoped to achieve when starting the business.

Find profitability

Once you have your cash flow under control, the next thing you’ll likely want to think about is profitability. Fergus’ summaries and reports let you quickly see which jobs you do well and which jobs are wasting your time. With this information to hand, you can refine your service offering and only take on the most profitable jobs.

Kathy, from Superior Waterproofing uses Fergus’ markups and discounts function and the financial summary to track margins and better understand how much each job costs. With these reports, the business has gone from strength to strength, and she’s been able to invest in growing the business.

Need help getting back in control of your business? Talk to team at Fergus about how job management software can help put you can in the drivers seat.

Get your 14-day trial at fergus.com

THREE WAYS TO MAKE BETTER BUSINESS DECISIONS IN TOUGH TIMES

Do you have a Gotcha4Life mate?

As many of you know, we recently announced our partnership with Australian mental fitness charity, Gotcha4Life Foundation!

To kick off our awesome partnership we welcomed back founder of Gotcha4Life Foundation, Gus Worland, to ‘The Tradie Show - Together in Trade Business’ podcast. Gus spoke through the strength that can be shown through being vulnerable and honest. He also spoke candidly about breaking this stigma around being ‘manly’, moving from the notion of ‘man up, shut up’ to ‘man up, SPEAK UP!’

The entire Lifestyle Tradie team also took part in Gotcha4Life Foundation’s annual event, the 24 Hour Row at the beginning of September. This community event is all about ‘going the distance for mental fitness’ and it was so great to be a part of the fun. We were even lucky enough to be joined by Gus himself as he stopped in at surf clubs up the coast of Sydney to check in and be a part of it all!

Gotcha4Life Foundation’s mission is for everyone to have a Gotcha4Life mate – a go-to person you can rely on and talk to when times are tough, so no one has to worry alone. With a core vision of zero suicides, the Gotcha4Life Foundation is doing AMAZING work and we are so proud to be a part of the movement.

Working in the trade industry, we understand the stress and isolation that comes with running a business, and how hard it can be to ask for help, or even recognise that you need it in the first place. That is why Lifestyle Tradie is so happy to support Gotcha4Life Foundation in their zero suicides goal, promoting mental fitness and the important message that no one should suffer alone.

To find out more and to listen to both of Gus’ guest episodes on the podcast, scan the QR code or head to www.lifestyletradie.com.au/ gotcha4life

DEALING WITH THE TRICKY STUFF…

If you intend to grow your business past yourself, then dealing with staff is non-negotiable.

This can be enough to scare any trade business owners pants off, dealing with staff is tricky!

Anyone can be a boss, hiring, praising, disciplining, firing… but it takes a GOOD LEADER to actually invest in their staff, and deal with the tough bits the right way.

WHERE TRADE BUSINESS OWNERS GO WRONG IS…

They treat everyone the same.

You might be thinking “why wouldn’t you? Equal playing field!”

Whilst this is true for the most part, the reality is every person in your team has a different personality. Everyone is motivated by different things, unmotivated by different things, like to be praised certain ways, and like to be disciplined certain ways.

Understanding each of your team members at a different level will help your connection and form a tight bond. Consider completing DISC profiling with your team at your next Toolbox meeting. This way, you can understand exactly what type of personality they are, and how to treat them!

For example, those with D(ominant) personalities may have trouble understanding other peoples viewpoints especially if they are ‘feelings’ focused and without facts to back them up. So if someone in your team with a D personality isn’t performing, consider using KPIs to show them exactly what’s happening.

These trade business owners simply haven’t found the balance between dictatorship and a ‘free-for-all’, which is where you get the best out of your team.

In the case of a dictator, they think it’s their way or the high way, they’re essentially a bully.

In the case of a pushover, they perhaps don’t care, or don’t have the knowledge on how to communicate. Either way, they give no leadership, no guidance, and no one in the team knows what’s expected of them.

Both styles of leadership run the risk of having your team up-and-leave. Find the balance between the two, your team will be set up to succeed under your mentorship and guidance, you’ve struck gold!

They’re too strict OR the opposite, they’re a pushover

They give up

With the trade shortage so prevalent right now in Australia, no one wants to lose their staff.

So what do they do? They dance around tricky situations in the hopes they don’t upset or anger their team.

For example, if you’re trying to implement systems within your business but the team are adamant they won’t follow them, they’re not interested, and you’re the worst thing since sliced bread… do NOT give in or try and appease them.

Find the leader amongst the pack, whether that’s literally your leading hand or just someone who has influence amongst the team and sit them down for a one-on-one chat. During this chat, explain what’s going to change, why it needs to change, how it benefits them, and why you need them on board with the change. This information gradually filters through the team and because it’s coming from their peers, they are more open to the idea.

IT’S ALL ABOUT BABY STEPS, AND NOT GIVING IN OUT OF FEAR.

Want more tips on how to deal with the tricky stuff? Scan the QR code to check out

on

Becoming a GOOD leader that can handle the difficult situations, is what will take you, your team, and your business from D-grade to Superstars. What are you waiting for? It’s time to deal with the tricky stuff.

DEALING WITH THE TRICKY STUFF…

THE RISING COST OF LIVING

The cost of living is SKYROCKETING! You’re not alone if it’s causing you some stress and anxiety.

Petrol prices are at an all-time high, which is pushing up the price of everyday goods; you just have to look at the climbing price of groceries to see it in action! Additionally, COVID has slowed manufacturing and transport of materials causing a price increase of up to 30% in some cases. And don’t even get us started on the shortage of new cars… thinking about buying a van for your trade business? Good luck with either the 1 year wait or the high prices in the second-hand market.

Overall these situations combined with inflation, are kicking trade business owners butts.

Staff are asking for more money because they need to be able to afford to live, similarly you need a wage increase, and jobs are costing you MORE to complete, meaning the business is making LESS profit.

SO WHAT CAN YOU DO ABOUT IT?

Increase your prices

You need to review your prices and raise them to match the new market. You simply cannot afford to absorb higher material and petrol costs.

You do however have to be strategic about how you go about this. For new customers, there is no problem as they don’t know your pricing to begin with. For returning customers that question the price increase, you need to be transparent and honest. Explain the situation and hope they understand. If they’re not interested, they’re not the customer for you anyway.

Keep an eye on your invoices

Checking invoices from suppliers on a daily/weekly basis will alert you to price hikes quick smart, meaning you can pass on the price increase for that specific item to your customers from day dot.

If you think doing this monthly is enough, think again. As an example, your supplier could raise the price of a certain hot water system early in the month from $500 to $700. Throughout the month you install 5 of these, without passing on the price increase, meaning you’re out of pocket for $1000!

Manage staff expectations

The rising costs aren’t just affecting your business, your staff are feeling it too in their day-to-day living, meaning they might be expecting a pay rise soon. In fact, a lot of staff are out there actively searching for a new job that will pay them more.

If you can budget this in with your new pricing and want to keep the staff member around, consider giving them the raise.

If there’s no way on earth the business can afford it, have a conversation with them around this and when they can expect to be awarded with a raise. You may also consider improving on your team culture so that they WANT to stick around not for the money, but because they love their work environment.

If you want more information on how to implement or improve your team culture, check ‘Crafting Your Team Culture’ on MyLifestyleTradie.

Scan the QR code to check it out!

PROFILE

TARA SAMUEL

Marketing Manager at Lifestyle Tradie

This magazine we are hearing from the one, the only, Tara! She’s here to give you an insight into her world both personally and within Lifestyle Tradie!

Tara started with Lifestyle Tradie as a Marketing Manager in November 2021.

Let’s dive into a little more about what her day-to-day is like…

What sparked your interest in Marketing?

I really like that with marketing there isn’t just one way of finding your ideal customer. Depending upon the business or the industry, it can mean trialling a whole lot of different things! I have always been interested in what my favourite brands are doing to attract people and bring personality to their brand. My favourite types of marketing right now are social media marketing, partnership marketing and community marketing – which is SO powerful! And these all go hand in hand!

What’s your favourite part of working for Lifestyle Tradie? The community aspect! Both within the team and the members. We are so lucky to have such a close team to work and laugh with! On top of that, being able to meet and interact with a big group of fantastic people I might not have otherwise is so fun at the R&R’s and in the group!

You’ve been dubbed as the “office Millennial”, how does this shape the way you think and do things?

I think my love for scrunchies and Tik Tok branded me this… hahaha! Being a lover of social media myself means I am constantly aware of what is going on and what is ‘trending’ that we can jump on ourselves and try and make our own.

If you had to be a tradie, what industry would you choose?

Oooh, maybe electrical… I love how much lighting can do for a home to make it look and feel luxurious! Plus don’t get your hands as dirty as most, right?

What’s something you like to do for fun?

I have recently gotten into Boxing and Cycle at my gym which I’m really enjoying. I love hanging out with my crazy border collie, Bella, reading, heading out for breaky or dinner and a wine with friends and family and heading out for a walk by the beach.

3 benefits of ditching manual paperwork for job management software

If you’re a busy tradie, chances are you haven’t streamlined your operations recently. Being work-focused is great, but you’re competing with thousands of other tradespeople, and they want the same jobs you do. That’s why it’s important to keep an eye out for ways to improve your business and elevate it above your competition.

If you’re looking for a solid leg up, then digital job management software might be the answer.

Here are three major benefits of job management software that help elevate savvy tradespeople above the rest:

Benefit 1 – Automatic Invoicing

If you’ve worked your trade for a while, you’ll know how important it is to minimise your time spent on paperwork.

Job management software puts its best foot forward by offering something paper can’t; admin that requires minimal input from you. Imagine a world where you create an invoice using stored information and then dispatch it to a client instantly. That’s the power of digital job management.

Benefit 2 – Digitised OHS & Safety Compliance

Safety and compliance are mandatory, and meeting OHS standards might require you to complete multiple documents before commencing work.

Digital job management once again makes the process a lot easier, with many software platforms allowing you to complete checklists digitally and then archive documents without having to carry physical paperwork.

Benefit 3 – Integrated Scheduling & Timesheets

Traditional business operations likely see you filling out a job card, scheduling the job on your calendar, and then manually adding hours to a timesheet.

A digital platform can push this information along with minimal input, saving you time and letting you focus on the job.

But that’s just the beginning of what digital job management can do. If you’d like to know more, scan the QR code to find out more.

THE COPYCAT WARS

Stop your competitors from

ripping off your stuff

Some might say copying is the highest form of flattery because you must be doing SOMETHING right…

This is all well and good but when it comes to business and your branding, copying can be detrimental.

When we say ‘copying’, we don’t mean noticing that your branding colours are similar to Joe Blow’s down the road. There are only so many colours in the rainbow to choose from, there’s bound to be someone out there operating with similar branding; it’s quite common!

What we mean is blatant ‘stealing’ of names, logos, and even entire websites. And whilst this stealing can be accidental sometimes (you might just have similar ideas or have used the same graphic designer), there are some people out there purposefully trying to steal your identity, so they can profit from your hard work.

We had this happen with our own trade business, Dr.DRiP Plumbing, with another local business decided that he would call himself Dr Drip Maintenance and Plumbing. The names were SO similar that he got away with charging our account at the suppliers! We had seen invoices coming in with thousands of dollars incorrectly charged to our account but we had just thought the supplier had made a genuine mistake. NOPE!

In the end, everything sorted itself out and the business changed their name BUT imagine if this guy continued on with the name and went on to make a website. Customers would go online to search ‘Dr Drip’ and it would be a 50/50 chance over whether they landed on our site or his!

TIP 1. THINK DIFFERENTLY

With so many tradies out there, it can be hard to stand out from the crowd and think differently, but there does seem to be stereotypes when it comes to branding for specific trades!

For example, how many electricians have you seen out there using yellow lightning bolts in their logos? Whilst the lightning bolt is here to stay because it clearly defines what trade you’re in for the customer, you might consider changing it from yellow to something a ‘little bit out there’ like pink or purple!

TIP 3. TRADEMARK

This is going to cost you a bit of money in the shortterm, but in the long run can have the potential to literally save your business.

Down the track if you find out someone is copying you whether that’s accidentally or on purpose, you can stop them from doing this much easier than if you weren’t trademarked.

Additionally, if you don’t trademark and someone else starts using similar branding and THEY trademark it, they can stop YOU from using your own branding! Tragedy, right?!

TIP 2. GET YOUR BRANDING DONE LOCALLY

Sourcing a local graphic designer to give you branding and logo concepts and designs, will ensure you’re getting a one-of-a-kind logo.

We’ve seen instances where tradies have gotten their logo designed from someone overseas using sites like Fiverr or Upworks. This is great if you’re on a budget, but you can’t guarantee these designers aren’t copying from things they see online so they can get through as many jobs as possible (and therefore justify the cheap prices).

Someone local is more likely to ‘be inspired by’ but not copy and come up with something amazing for you.

You may think this is all a bit excessive, but it’s never worth it, until it is. Take precaution now, and secure your trade business’ future.

THE COPYCAT WARS: STOP YOUR COMPETITORS FROM RIPPING OFF YOUR STUFF

If you haven’t taken steps to protect your business, it’s time to think about it using these tips:

Lead Magnets For Tradies

Lead magnets are a key piece of the marketing puzzle, in helping you optimise your online presence, and convert more leads. In this NEW training, you’ll discover the what, why, and how of building a lead magnet. At the end of it, you’ll walk away with a lead magnet specific to your trade business to help you optimise your online presence and convert more leads.

Define A Profitable Business Model

If the last few years have taught us anything, it’s that the only thing that’s certain, is change. Changes in the business environment, laws, economy, and so much more can cause shockwaves within your business. Set your business up to weather any storm by spreading your risk through The Power Of 3 vs 1™.

Phone: 1800 704 822

Email: info@lifestyletradie.com.au

Web: www.lifestyletradie.com.au

Lifestyle Tradie Magazine is published by and © copyright by Andrew & Angela Smith, Lifestyle Tradie Group Pty Ltd 2022. All Rights Reserved. This newsletter and any accompanying material are for general information purposes only. It is the responsibility of the reader to comply with any local, state or federal laws. The Publisher has taken all reasonable measures to ensure that the material contained within this newsletter is correct. The Publisher provides no representation and gives no warranty as to the accuracy of the information and does not accept any responsibility for errors or inaccuracies in the information contained herein and shall not be liable for any loss or damage arising as a result of any person acting in reliance on information contained herein.