BONUS Episode: What is Lifestyle Tradie?

Andy
Alrighty, let’s pull back the curtains and bring you inside our world.  

You’re listening to The Tradie Show. This is the podcast for trade business and contracting bosses like you, who want to lead with confidence, make more profit and create a better lifestyle. 

Ange
We’re your hosts, Andy and Angela Smith, husband and wife team and co-founders of Lifestyle Tradie. Are you ready to have some fun? 

Andy
Hell yeah!  We met heaps of tradies who were amazing with their hands, and you just couldn’t fault their work, but they are just about to throw in the towel when it comes to the business side of things. 

Ange
Yeah, I guess they’re working really crazy hours, they feel like they’re on a hamster wheel and they’re wondering why the big bucks just aren’t rolling in as they expected.

Andy
And even if cash flow feels strong, it’s probably going Faster than it’s coming in and that’s exactly why we’re here because while TAFE was great to help you get qualified and master your skill set, it certainly didn’t set you up for business success. 

Ange
Well, and to Lifestyle Tradie. 

Andy
In a nutshell, and not to toot our own horn at all Ange, Lifestyle Tradie is a multi award winning world class business coaching program and community exclusively for trade business owners. It was built to share our hard earned lessons and successes from over 20 years operating our own successful plumbing business in Sydney. 

Ange
So, Andy, let’s kick it off by taking a trip down memory lane. Can you tell us where it all started?

Andy
Yeah, well, it started, um, Dr. Drip Plumbing started as a dream back in 1999 and there was plenty of hustle and me confidently winging my way to a growing team and it was like more vehicles, more guys, more vehicles, more guys. To me, it was super simple, but I was juggling every ball from being on the tools to invoicing to quoting and scrambling to work on the business into the night. You know, the typical tradie story. 

Ange
Well, we were actually doing okay. The team grew to 17. I’d chucked in my corporate job to help this fast growing business. Hmm, add a new baby, add a mortgage, and things get a little crazy. 

Andy
Yes, and as the business grew, so did the headaches. We scaled chaos and soon we went from big profits every month to major cash flow issues, literally hemorrhaging money. Things got out of control way too fast. I went to get some advice from one of my old bosses and he said, Oh, the grass isn’t always greener, Andy. Would you like your old job back? 

Ange
That didn’t go down so well. Right? 

Andy
No, no, it didn’t go down that well at all and it was like a big punch in the guts. I’d hustled my way to fast success and I was facing the reality of everything about to come crashing down around me. But you know what? Hell would freeze over before I gave up. I’m sure you know the feeling. 

Ange
Well, that was the turning point for us. Something actually had to give if we wanted to save the business and our marriage. 

Andy
Well, a few stern words from my wife and guess what? They can be right sometimes. 

Ange
Yes, we can. 

Andy
I realized that being a great tradie just wasn’t enough to run a great business. We had to stop, take a good, hard look at our business, and ask ourselves, what are we missing? 

Ange
Yeah, I remember we hired a business coach to guide us, but soon quickly realized that he actually didn’t understand our industry at all, and we were coaching him. 

Andy
Yeah, and that’s when we decided to put our heads down and we learned as much as we could from some of the best specialists in their field. And we applied what we could to our trade business. 

Ange
And it actually saved our butt by turning our business around in 13 months. 

Andy
And those systems became the foundation of a streamlined successful trade business that I only worked in at two hours a week. It also became the launchpad for Lifestyle Tradie itself.

Ange
Exactly. To prevent other trade business owners from experiencing the absolute shit show we did. Trust me, it wasn’t fun. So that’s enough about our story. Let’s roll up our sleeves and explain what Lifestyle Tradie is all about and why it could be a great option for you. 

Andy
So, in short, Lifestyle Tradie is a multi award winning, world class business coaching program and community exclusively for trade business owners. It’s led by experts in our industry, that would be us, Ange, who have been in the trenches for over 20 years. 

Ange
Well, what we did with Dr. Drip, how we fixed it in a strategic order, is the secret sauce that we now share with our Lifestyle Tradie members. 

Andy
There’s got to be nothing better than being able to lean on the advice of a team who have walked the path before you. This is the key to fast track the results that you want. 

Ange
Not to mention, say goodbye to the feeling of isolation. You know what? I don’t know why you tradies and partners for that matter, bother to try and reinvent the wheel. And then you get stuck procrastinating with decisions because you don’t have anyone with the knowledge or the know how to lean on. It is so stupid to go alone when you can actually go together. 

Andy
Well, tell us how you really think, Ange.  

Ange
Sorry about that. Sometimes we do just get a little bit too passionate and it comes out just a little bit too preachy. 

Andy
It would be fair to say though, that tradies get stuck in their day to day grind. And it’s not until you’re a part of a group like this, that we challenge your thinking. You know, looking at your business at a helicopter view can change your perspective. 

Ange
Yeah. You’ll be surprised at what you learn when your thinking is elevated. So let’s dig into the nitty gritty of what happens when you start as a Lifestyle Tradie member.

Andy
Okay, good idea. So as a member of Lifestyle Tradie, it’s important we understand more about you. So we conduct a business analysis. It’s a deep dive into your business using our personalized workflow scorecard and detailed questionnaire to discover the current bottlenecks  and gaps. Nothing beats a bird eye view of your overall business to see where you’re leaving money on the table and help fix immediate issues to give you back time and unlock profit.

Ange
Yeah, it’s true. But what we do next is share our strategic success roadmap.  

Andy
Exactly. We’ve implemented this across loads of different trades. Plumbers, electricians, pest control, solar, air conditioners, painters, landscaping, building, just to name a few. 

Ange
And we’ve worked with businesses at varied growth phases too, right? From start up, scale up, and sell up. They all present their own complexities and are faced with totally different issues. 

Andy
Yes, that’s right. And you might be working alone, turning over two or 300, 000, or you might be one of the bigger businesses that have over 50 staff and doing well over 10 million. It doesn’t matter whatever stage you’re at, you’re faced with your own unique issues. And we even wrote a book about these phases using the names. Start up, scale up, sell up. 

Ange
Yeah. Not to mention we’ve personally lived through each of these phases and have firsthand experience about the different challenges. 

Andy
And went on to sell our business, Dr. Drip, 24 months ago. A business that was not for sale, but hey, After three requests, I guess you have to say to yourself, everything is for sale, right? For the right price. 

Ange
Uh, everything? 

Andy
Well, maybe not everything. I wouldn’t most days sell the kids. 

Ange
What? Gee, hope not. We digress, Andy. Let’s go back to how they learn about the strategic roadmap. 

Andy
Good idea. As a member with Lifestyle Tradie, you gain immediate 24/7 access to our online business learning portal. The roadmap lives here so you and your team can gain access to the huge database of training, templates, checklists, and videos all designed exclusively for tradies. 

Ange
Yeah, it covers 4 core pillars, we call them platform, profit, marketing, and people. And you know what? They’re not just buzzwords. They’re actually the cornerstone that can make or break a trade business. Cause if you’re missing any or part of any of these, you struggle to scale your business sustainably.  So let’s share a little bit more about each of them. 

Andy
Let’s start with the platform. It’s all about building the foundations right for your business. Platform is where you’re not just dreaming about the future, you’re designing it. It’s about understanding where your business stands today and plotting a course for where you want to go. Plus it’s about leveraging the right technology and teaching you exactly how to systemize your business. This was the real deal breaker on getting me off the tools and giving the team more responsibility.

Ange
That’s right. And then there’s profit. If you don’t understand your numbers, you may as well be flying blind. We’re talking about getting your finances in check from setting profitable pricing structures to knowing exactly how and where your money’s flowing. We teach you everything you need to know about your numbers and what metrics to monitor to grow your financial intelligence. It’s time to start making decisions based on fact. 

Andy
Now marketing. And this is where so many tradies get stuck. They throw money at advertising with a scattergun approach and just hope for the best. And we switched that up, laying the foundation for marketing that converts more jobs and builds consistent trust with your customers.

Ange
And the last pillar is people. This is about transforming your team because let’s face it, you can’t do it all by yourself. It’s about leadership, proper delegation, and creating a culture that attracts and retains A-grade players. 

Andy
This is just the framework that within each of these pillars are carefully mapped out steps, just like a roadmap for each stage of your business. We’ve spent years refining this whole program. A proven process that took us and now many other businesses from the brink to a business that practically runs by itself. 

Ange
Yeah, that’s true. Plus, you must come to our live events. They are seriously next level. 

Andy
Yes, these are my favorite. 

Ange
They’re pretty amazing.

Andy
Nothing beats a room of a few hundred of the best tradie minds from all around the country, all with the same goal of being better in business every day. There is plenty of learning from our guest speakers and the chance to ask all your burning questions at our masterminds. 

Ange
Well, members have told us that these mastermind sessions are one of the most valuable activities that we do because this kind of thing just doesn’t happen outside of this setting. Tradies are notoriously secretive about their business and don’t often share the detail of what goes on below the hood. 

Andy
That’s a unique part about Lifestyle Tradie. We’re an open book of supportive tradie mates all looking out for each other. It would be pretty fair to say that Any situation or challenge you are facing, we’ve faced over the years and the beauty about our community is the fact that if we haven’t, we know someone who has, it means you always have a way to fast track your decisions.

Ange
You gotta love that. Honestly, I think these events are a huge reason contributing to why people stay so long because they are epically fun and valuable. I mean, tradies no doubt become a member because of what they’re going to learn and the results they gain in their own business, but I’d say they stay for the friendships they make and the power of this collective mastermind. No problem or challenge is unsolvable with a group this big that has your back. 

Andy
Well, our members do stay with us on average For years and 25 percent of our members had been with us for well over six years and we’ve got some members that are still with us 14 years later. I tell you what, that is definitely saying something.

Ange
And they all love catching up at these live events. They call each other family. You’ve got to love mixing business with pleasure. 

Andy
You mean a fun and educational tax deduction, don’t you?  

Ange
That’s right. Too true. So, Andy, if you had to answer one question. What will membership with Lifestyle Tradie give me? How would you answer that? 

Andy
Well, guys, not to be sappy at all, but it would give you the life of your dreams. It’s actually an investment in your future, an investment in you becoming a better person, a better leader, and a better entrepreneur. 

Ange
Or a better father, a better mother, a better partner. Um, maybe a better human.

Andy
Because like you’ve heard me say before, it’s the best business person who is successful, not the best tradies. And once we share our knowledge with you, we can’t take it away. It’s embedded in your brain forever.

Ange
I think the greatest benefit of membership with Lifestyle Tradie is shifting your mindset. Well, that’s the first thing that has to change if you want things to be different. 

Andy
Well, our tagline is Freedom to choose and ultimately you decide how you want to live your life. You’ve been asking a single question for years. There’s got to be a better way to operate business. And now you have the answer. There is a better way with the help of Lifestyle Tradie, short and simple. 

Ange
And remember, you’re not doing this alone. We’re here for you, as well as a huge like minded community of other tradie bosses cheering you on. 

Andy
But don’t just take our word for it. Listen up to hear some real life wins from our members. 

Member’s Testimony
Definitely join Lifestyle Tradie, the amount of support and knowledge, which is within the program is valuable. 

We knew that we needed to know numbers, but we didn’t know which numbers to look at and learning the right numbers to be watching and the right numbers to be looking at, was able to double and triple our business really within a year, two years, I’m a hundred percent sold on that. It’s worth it. Just do it. 

Don’t wait. These guys are very honest and open. They share so much information personally as well as business. It’s a holistic approach to life, not just trying to run your plumbing business.

Lifestyle Tradie has a huge sense of community. Just a great group of people just helping everyone out and they help you out. Just hanging out after the events is always fun as well. Some great speakers come along and definitely always, always learning stuff from every event we go to. 

There’s been so many times where I’ve learned about the communities of the West. Well, we’ve had certain issues that we’ve been able to bring up in our, you know, Facebook group. You get plenty of answers that you can actually action. 

Don’t hesitate, every year that you put it off is just an extra year that you’re losing. If you need help, get it.  

Andy
So now that we’ve shared our own journey from chaos to control, walk you through some more detail to understand the Lifestyle Tradie Membership. It’s time for you to decide what your next steps will be. 

Ange
If you’re sitting there thinking this is exactly what I’ve been searching for, then it’s time to make it a reality for your business. 

Andy
Head over to lifestyletradie.com.au and book in a free strategy call with me. This is a no bullshit chat. I’m happy to have a look at your business. You can ask me any questions and I can give you my recommendations for your next steps. 

Ange
Well, we want to make sure this is the right fit for both of us, right? 

Andy
That’s right. But actually we have a no dickhead policy, don’t we? So you won’t be allowed to get in if your head is too big. You know what it’s like everyone, when you’ve got a bad apple in the mix, don’t be that guy.

Ange
If you need some more information to mull over, then shoot us a message to info@lifestyletradie.com.au and ask for a copy of our Lifestyle Tradie magazine. This will give you a chance to flick through and read a bit more about our membership program. 

Andy
The business world can be a tough one, and we’d love to be in your corner to support you and cheer you on. It’s up to you to take that next step. So let’s do it.  

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