The power of awards and business diversification. Guest-starring Lifestyle Tradie Members, Corey & Naomi Stevens from AC Plumbing

Andy 
Yes.

Ange
And you know what? I am too, because we’ve got some very special guests joining us today.

Andy
Exactly. We’ve got some wonderful Lifestyle Tradie members, Corey & Naomi Stevens from AC Plumbing Queensland joining us today. These guys have been with Lifestyle Tradie. Oh, I can’t even remember how long, but it’s been quite awhile. Any ideas Ange?

Ange
Well, gosh, uh, you really are actually testing my memory. I’d say like 10 years.

Andy
Yeah, and I reckon you’re probably right there, and I probably fling around the term superstar a bit, a bit. These guys are serious superstars. Yeah, and I’m really excited to have them here with us today.

Ange
Yeah, you’re not wrong, Andy. It’s been an awesome ride with these guys and they have come so far in business, but you know what? Let’s let them tell us all about themselves. So that said, welcome Corey and Naomi. So great to have you with us.

Andy 
Hey guys, how are you doing?

Naomi
Good, thanks.

Corey
Hi guys.

Andy 
Alright. It’s so good to have you guys here today. I’m really looking forward to this, but I’m gonna start pretty basic. So let’s kick it off with Corey. What made you decide to start your own trade business?

Corey
Oh, I guess, well it’s probably a similar story to a lot of the tradies out there. Um, my dad had a plumbing business and yeah, he offered me to have a go, uh, at the trade and if I liked it to potentially take over running a business.

Andy 
And did you grow up, you know, before getting to year 10, like in year seven, were you always like, cause I know you’re into racing cars and mechanics and you’re an incredible plumber, but did you always in the back of your mind think I’m gonna follow my dad’s path?

Corey
Definitely not.

Andy 
Really?

Corey
No, it was, it was actually, uh, yeah, like I actually applied to uni and got accepted and, uh, was gonna go down that path. And, and then, yeah, just one night dad’s like, Hey, why don’t you give this a crack? And, uh, I thought, well, just, I’ll be silly not to give it a go. And, um, here we are.

Andy 
So, mate, I have to ask this. You’re going to uni to do what?

Corey
I was, uh, I really didn’t know what I wanted to do with myself. Um, I was accepted into surveying because, uh, yeah, I, I was always an outdoor person and if I was gonna do some sort of job, it needed to have a large outdoor aspect to it.

Ange
So, in other words, your dad just saved you hundreds of thousands of dollars of a hex bill.

Corey
Yeah, definitely.

Ange
That you perhaps never would’ve followed. So that’s being said. I’m really curious, cuz of course the two of you actually worked together. So Naomi, what was your journey prior to joining the business?

Naomi
Uh, prior to joining the business, I had been in retail management for a very long time. I had, um, from 18 years of age I had been managing a store, a fashion store. Um, and yeah, kind of worked my way up in that company, um, and, you know, ended up running the flagship store. Um, yeah, and, and really enjoyed that as well.

Ange
So, customer services in your veins, no wonder Corey was super keen for you to join.

Naomi
Yes. And, you know, working in fashion as well, which NLA flows and Yeah. So really, it, it really made sense to me.

Ange
So now you sit with a uniform and now we just, uh, deal with the fashion on the side and just, you know.

Naomi
That’s right. Yes, that’s right.

Ange
Good to hear.

Naomi
Bring all the nice clothes for the weekend.

Andy 
So our listeners know a little bit about you guys. Can you give us a rundown on the business now and what it’s like, uh, where are you located, how many are in your team, and sort of what kind of services do you offer?

Naomi
Yeah. Well, we’re, um, based in Brenda in North Brisbane, uh, out of a commercial premises that we recently purchased.

Andy 
Beautiful.

Naomi
And we service domestic, um, residential homeowners, Uh, and strata companies are our main focus.

Corey
Yeah. Now, uh, our team, uh, we’ve got nine trades and then at the moment, uh, four apprentices, a full-time, uh, machine operator. And, uh, currently two in the office.

Andy 
Yeah. You guys are absolutely flying. And, uh, I only just jumped on your website today actually, and you’ve got that beautiful picture of your team and how good looking you’re looking and I’m loving that journey. And to cast your memory back, can you tell us a bit, Corey, about your business and what it was like before joining Lifestyle Tradie and sort of how would you compare the business to before joining Lifestyle Tradie to where you guys are at now?

Corey
Uh, yeah. Well, when we, uh, were for Lifestyle Tradie, we were using, uh, the old tape or cardboard. Job cards, quote cards and time sheets. Uh, and the guys that have to come to the office every morning and get them handed to them and hand ’em back at the end of the day. Uh, we, it was just me, another tradesman and an apprentice, uh, and quite honestly, the idea of growing, um, was a little bit scary because they relied completely on me to organize everything, quote everything. Uh, yeah. So more people meant more work. And I was doing probably, uh, at least 60 hours a week. Uh, didn’t have any holidays, where, yeah, none at all. I’d be lucky to get, uh, a free day on a weekend sort of thing. So, Um, yeah, we, and also like financially, it was a bit of a mess. I had, um, probably a third of our annual turnover Outstanding to debtors.

Andy 
Yeah. Wow.

Corey
Uh, because we weren’t collecting money on site. Uh, and we’re just letting, and not chasing it, oh, unpaid. Yeah.

Andy 
Yeah. It’s an interesting time. I can still remember the first day you guys came and were apart, and we had a bit of a meeting and went over a heap of stuff, which is great. But I did know from that day that you guys definitely had what it took to get to where you are today. So give us a bit of a rundown of how you feel about the business and where you’re at today?

Naomi
Yeah. Well, it’s, um, well it’s, it’s been quite a journey and it’s so fun looking back on where we were to where we are now. Um, we were working out of a home office, which I think is a really, um, big thing to mention with quite a large team working out of our garage. So now we are working out of our commercial premises. Um, we only have about 2% of our debtors outstanding per month.

Andy 
That is hot.

Ange
That’s amazing.

Naomi
Yeah, we have, um, systemized business a lot. Um, so therefore that is why we only have 2% of our debts outstanding because we have systems and plan and follow those things up. We’re using job management software. Um,

Corey
So the guys get their jobs, uh, At home on their phone. They don’t have to come to the office most of that time. Uh, and they can run their own jobs. They don’t need me to, uh, poke my nose into it and do anything really.

Naomi
Yeah. Corey’s doing less hours. He’s only doing about 40 hours a week now. Um, yeah, and we, and we enjoy holidays as well, four to four to probably four to eight weeks holidays a year. And,

Corey
And we do, we are definitely enjoying it a lot more. Uh, because it’s not just a full on burden constantly, we sort of choose like, yeah, I’m working 40 hours a week, but I could easily work 25 if I wanted. Um, it’s just that I’m, I’ve just got that drive and I do enjoy it. So yeah.

Ange
Take advantage of the fact that you are still really young and you guys have, you guys have,

Andy 
What are you trying to say? We’re old. You make me feel old.

Ange
Just maybe It did come out a little bit like that, didn’t it? Hey,

Naomi
It seems to depend on who you speak to, whether you’re young or older.

Andy 
Yeah. Well, that’s true. That’s true.

Ange
So true. You guys are super driven. There’s, you know, from, from day one, from when we met you to even today, you know, x number of years later, it’s almost been 10 years, I think we’ve been working with you guys. You are no different. Like you are still just as driven and motivated as you were back then, and that’s what I love about you two. You really springboard ideas really well together and, um, your strengths really work together so well. So it’s a huge asset to you both. So, um, congratulations on that for sure. I know considering you are a husband and wife team and we have a huge audience here on The Tradie Show for the podcast of husband and wife, trade business owners. Working with your partner and living with them 24/7, as we know, can actually be quite challenging. Hey, so from what we’ve seen with you guys, you do manage this bit really beautifully, especially with two gorgeous boys at home. So do you have any tips about how you separate work from life? Because I’m sure the listeners would love to learn your tips.

Naomi
Yeah, I think,

Corey
Yeah, we got a few and, um, we’re not perfect. You know, we, and we, we roll with the functions.

Naomi
Oh yeah. Look, I think we’ve learned that, um, having defined roles is really important within the business and not, um, stepping on each other’s toes within those roles. For me, it’s really important that I have my own space and we are not working in the same office. So Corey’s downstairs, I’m upstairs.

Andy 
Yeah. Yeah.

Corey
I guess also like, um, boundaries, uh, whether it’s in work or outside of work, uh, when, you know, when one of us has sort of had enough but, you know, we respect that boundary and go, right, well, we’ll, we’ll come back to this and talk to her later. Or,

Naomi
Yeah, just a, just a communication I think to be able to say, I’ve had enough today. Can we come back to this tomorrow? Um, and other times we’re both into it and happy to discuss work over the dinner table or if we go out for dinner or what, whatever it might be. It just really depends on where your heads are, a time of being able to say stop, I think.

Andy 
Yeah, and I, I think the interesting thing is there’s no marriage that I know of that’s absolutely perfect out there, but when you throw the working potentially, potentially 24/7 and growing a business, And doing everything you’ve done, there’s still gonna be those little times where you, you look at each other and think, oh my God, you’re doing my head in. We all get it. We all get it. Yep. Still today, you know, I look at Ange occasionally and no, I’m joking, ah, but you, you know, like, that’s life, right? That, that is what it is. But, you know, I, I think what you said hit the nail on the head, and Ange and I are very good at that, is that sometimes when Ange’s asking me a question at a certain time, and it’s not at work, it’s at home. I have, you know, we’ve talked about it. If I’m like, oh listen, I do not wanna talk about that now, I do like talking about inspiring and fun things, but when it’s like a real hard question, it’s like, Ugh, don’t ask me that at this time of night. Let’s wait till tomorrow.

Naomi
That’s a fresh brain topic.

Andy 
Yeah, that is exactly right.

Ange
That’s a good sentence. Fresh brain topic. Yeah, communication is totally key. Uh, I love the fact that you can actually walk out of home and then walk into your office and you do, in essence, become a bit of a different person. Like, I know I’m super detailed anyway. I’m super detailed at home, but I’m even more detailed at work, so that’s pretty hectic. So that division, I like the fact that you work upstairs, downstairs. So that you, you know, you don’t see each other. The businesses are big enough and no doubt the two of you deal with completely different stuff anyway whilst you’re at work. So treating each other like you’re a work colleague whilst you’re there, um, no doubt works in your favor. So, you know, that’s amazing. Mind you saying that you’ve got a really big team, so I can imagine creating culture is really important to you. So can you talk to us a little bit about how you’ve built this culture within your business and how you continue to inspire the team?

Corey
Yeah. Well, I think we do have a really great culture, uh, at AC Plumbing and, um, there’s, there’s a few reasons for that. Uh, we hire people not just based on skill for starters, so they’ve gotta be a good fit in the team. Uh, and, and we’ve gotta like them as a person. Um, also, like there’s, there’s people who, uh, just may not have, you know, might have completely different interests and stuff to us. That’s something that we’ll really consider. Maybe they’re not gonna be great because long term they’re not gonna mesh in that team. Uh, what, what else is that?

Naomi
I mean, we are quite approachable, um, employees as well, and we, and you know, we don’t put ourselves on a hierarchy either. Uh, we try to, you know, fester a culture of, um, everyone being on the same level. Um, it doesn’t really matter what your role is within the business. We’re all working towards something together. Um, and we, we give team bonuses to, you know, to really inspire the team, um,

Corey
Create that working together, and that I’ll, I’ll help him because, you know, we’re all, we’re all benefit, we’re all in it together. So, Yeah, that’s worked really well.

Naomi
You don’t use social events, um, trying to connect with each other. Yeah. Having fun together outside of work, trying to have fun with each other inside of work, we’ve got a group chat and you know, we try and send out funny things and get the team talking throughout the day.

Andy 
Yeah.

Ange
That is a really important consideration that you know, your tradies are in a vehicle on their own often, so they might not even come to your office at the beginning of the day. They’re actually kind of just off on their way, so to ensure that you keep them all connected. I like the fact that you have a team chat and that everyone actually puts something in there consistently and just gives that connection to everybody. It’s not just one guy, you know, having a good connection with one other guy, for instance. It’s the whole team banter.

Corey
Yeah, yeah, exactly. Yeah. And uh, and like at the end of the day, we put ourselves in their shoes. Like, if, if I’m, I’m asking something of my trade, is it, it’s not something that I wouldn’t do myself or, uh, you know, and if I, if I do from time to time, go, well what’s, uh, you know, I want you to do this and, uh, yeah, I, I will sometimes pull, have to pull myself up or I’ll listen to them and, and so when they say, you know, I’m not comfortable doing that for whatever reason. And yeah, I think that’s really important. Sometimes it’s, um, easy to fall into a hierarchy type thing like, I’m the boss, do what I say. But, um, you know, they are integral, uh, yeah. Yeah. Every member is integral to the business, so I, we need to respect that.

Andy 
Yeah. Corey, I gotta say that is one thing I see in the industry that a lot of people make mistakes with, where they start seeing themselves bigger than their actual team. They lock themselves in their air conditioned office. They won’t get off that seat. They won’t go out and help, and you’re building a divide between the office and the tradies, and you’re building a divide between the owners and the tradies, and that is a really big no-no. And what you just said then is a hundred percent, sometimes you’ve just gotta put those boots on, get out there in the trenches and show them that you are still doing what they do. And I actually think that’s a crucial and important thing to do in business. And I think more and more trade business owners aren’t doing that. They’re actually just stepping away and going, suck it up, princess. You do it where you actually lead by example, and that is how you get a good culture and how you become a really good leader in your team as well.

Corey
Yeah. Uh, yeah, I, I totally agree with that and, uh, I think a lot of what feeds into that, uh, where you put yourself above, uh, is, is like the, the social aspect of now being a busy, consider considering yourself a business owner and hanging out with other business owners and you wanna sort of big note yourself and say, oh yeah, I’m off the tools and I, which is a really common thing. And yeah, I, I’m off the tools, but if, if the guys need me or I need to, you know, do a bit of training or show them or whatever. I, I’m not gonna hesitate. I’ll get in there. Yeah. Get my hands dirty, get it done. And I won’t, I’m not gonna make myself, um, feel like being an important boss man over the top.

Andy 
That’s, I, I remember one day I rocked up to a job and it was really hot. It was like 40 degrees. The guys had been digging for half a day and they started scratching like chickens. And I’m like, oh fuck, I hell this doing my. Okay boys, Out of the way, I’m in there, I took my shirt off. I’m in the gentle, I’m going like an absolute machine. I’ve gone for about half an hour. I was broken. I’m like, there boys, that’s how you do it. And then I got up, I walked away. I had to sleep that afternoon. I would,

Naomi
You know. You know what Corey does come home one day from a tour? I haven’t been,

Andy 
You do it boys. I didn’t tell him any of the backstory. Couldn’t walk the next day, my back was all sore. I’m like, I’m not digging again. That’s tough.

Ange
I do wanna add to that, which is, um, a lot of trade business owners, going back to what you said Corey, about, they feel it’s a bit of a dictatorship, right? So the history of trade in general for across every, across every, you know, plumbing, electrical, doesn’t matter what kind of trade it is, it’s been a bit of a dictatorship, whereas, That has totally and a hundred percent got a change and the mindset of a trade business owner has gotta change. Because your tradies that work with you all your tradespeople out in the field have to make decisions on behalf of your business in an instant with your customer, and they don’t have an opportunity to ask your advice, get your input, help them make decisions for themselves. So if you haven’t taken this opportunity to train them well, employ the right people, culture fit for you, take the time to train them well with regards to how to speak to customers and how to actually think for themselves, then it’s gonna set you up as a business owner for Absolute and complete disaster. Because you only can control the moments that you are with them in say a toolbox meeting, and as soon as you let them out to go and see your customers. That’s it. You’ve gotta ensure that they’re representing your brand, right? So a very flat organizational structure of we are in this together. This is the vision for the business. This is the way we treat our customers, and this is how you are going to function and help them with process streamlining about what to do so that they actually create success for themselves every moment that they’re out with a customer and they feel good about themselves, we need to help them feel good about themselves.

Corey
Yeah.

Naomi
Yep. Yeah.

Andy 
So you guys recently just won the service excellent award for 2021 at the M P A Q Plumbing and Gas Industry Awards. And Corey, you also won the R W C Business Person of the Year award.

Ange
Amazing.

Andy 
Absolutely huge. Tell me a bit about what it took to win those awards, but really why was it important for you guys to look at winning those awards?

Corey
Can I firstly just say that the, um, business person of the year award should probably be more rewarded to the business couple of the Ah,

Andy 
Ah, nice. I love that.

Corey
Certainly. I’ll certainly, uh, was only a park in, in that, um, yeah, so.

Andy 
Mate, that is huge.

Corey
We’re a good team.

Ange
Corey. The “she”, as we know, unfortunately, is often that silent one behind you, but we all know it takes two to tango. There is the front side of business and the backside of business and you can’t do one without the other. So the honor does a hundred percent go to you both. So that was really sweet of you to say. But Naomi, I totally agree. That’s so, should have said. Yep.

Naomi
Yeah, but I mean, it’s something we’ve really worked towards, you know, it was a goal. Um, we had entered that particular, um, award category a couple of times. Um, and yeah, so it was always about how we could better our business, um, and you know, how we could show that improvement.

Ange
Do you think it’s affected the boys when they know that your company has won the service excellence award? Do you think it changed the way they showed up at work? Or did it, what do you think?

Corey
Yeah, I think, I think definitely there was a bit of, a bit pep in, there’s been a bit of pep in their steps since then. And um, yeah, it’s, uh, it’s a little feather in the cat for everyone. Uh, it is really, um, About, uh, having a great team, cuz we, we couldn’t, certainly couldn’t do it without the team that is around us. Uh, I mean, it was built on to win it, it was built on a really solid foundation of great systems and processes that we had developed, uh, with the help of Lifestyle Tradie. Um, and then, uh, having that great team to pull that off and can consistently deliver. Uh, great service for our customers.

Naomi
Yeah, I mean, they’re, they’re the ones that were really on the frontline with it. Um, they’re the ones delivering the great service and they’re the ones getting the reviews online. So, you know, it really goes out to our team and how much effort they put in with our customers.

Ange
That’s absolutely fabulous. And the reality is it comes from strong leadership from you two. So again, huge accolades to the two of you for winning such a prestigious award. A hundred percent, you can’t do it alone, especially when it’s, you’re talking about service, you’re talking about your team out in the field, but those guys are only gonna act a certain way, and the attitude will only be a certain way because the two of you show up consistently the way you do. So, um, again, huge accolades to you. Recently, we know that you’ve split the business with one side being plumbing maintenance and the other focusing specifically on block drains. Can you tell us a little bit more about why you’ve done this and what was a driving factor behind the decision?

Corey
Yeah, so it was really driven by our team. Uh, we had a, um, about half the team who hated doing drains work, and half loved it. Uh, also we’ve got into more specialized, uh, solutions for drains. Uh, more and more with needing to do, uh, relining for customers where, um, brands are difficult to dig up so that those techniques that are required for, that require more specialized equipment and skills. So, uh, focusing on the guys who really loved doing the drains, uh, with that training and tho and really specializing in that aspect, um, worked really well.

Naomi
Yeah, and I think it’s just really driven the growth of the business. Um, focusing more on that aspect of work, really splitting our numbers and being able to see our numbers. Really shows the profitability within those jobs as well. Uh, so obviously that’s a driving factor behind it.

Andy 
Yeah, it’s interesting because, um, as you said more and more now, Corey, people are specializing in different things and I know a lot of people, you know, when they’re a plumber, they’re going into electrical and they’re going into air con, and we’ve got quite a, a few of our, um, members have done that. So we’re going into roofing, they’re going into all these things. Once you get your first business model and everything right. Then it’s very easy to go into different trades. What you’ve done is amazing and it’s just so good looking at your numbers, and that’s one thing you guys are just nailing now is your numbers. I know over the years that wasn’t as good back in the good old days, but now it’s all about the numbers. And all our listeners have probably heard me say that way too often, but definitely. So it’s great that you guys have done that. So what has personally been the most rewarding aspect of being a trade business owner?

Corey
I love, um, working with people, um, and, and being a business owner, you, you’re working with your team. You’re working with customers and all the suppliers and all over the backend. So, that’s always been really rewarding for me. Uh, I also see business as, uh, I, I love it. I love games. I love sports. Uh, I see your business as a bit of a game. And, and you have wins. You have and when you have the wins, the highest get you up high way, you know? And you have some losses. And those losses, um, are just like a building, a base point to build and develop your skills and develop personal growth. And I don’t think there’s a better, I mean, apart from probably being a parent, I don’t think there’s anything that builds a person’s, um, resilience and skills and personality more than, um, running a business.

Naomi
And I think when I first came into the business, it was, you know, it was so, um, it was very small. It was Corey, a tradesman. An apprentice and an office girl. Um, and just seeing the growth that the business has undertaken, um, looking back on that journey. Uh, it’s just really rewarding to be able to see it’s something that we’ve created together, um, that we drive for and we push for. And yeah.

Ange
And you talked about it for years and you created exactly what it was you wanted and that’s what’s amazing.

Naomi
Yes. Yeah.

Andy 
It is amazing. And I, and I still get the odd person that, you know, obviously with Lifestyle Tradie reaching out to me and they’re talking about similar to what you guys were talking about when you met us 10 years ago, and you’re like, oh my God. And we are draining and we are not making the money and it’s this and it’s that and customers and they’re like, I don’t even know if I wanna be a trade business owner. It’s just too hard. And I turn to a lot of them and go, well, because you haven’t set your business up the right way, let’s just start with that. And secondly, what else are you gonna do? Like being a trade business owner has so many benefits, but so many people out there probably listening right now could throw in the towel tomorrow because they just don’t have the structure and everything right. I think sometimes the grass is greener, but if you’ve set it up the right way, it makes a big difference, doesn’t it, Corey?

Corey
Yeah.

Naomi
Yeah. And it, you know, it’s one point in front of the other, like, this has been a 10 year journey for us, and it wasn’t like this in the beginning. Um, it’s, it’s such a different business now, and it’s a different feeling for us. And like Corey said, like we actually enjoy it now. We’re not in that really deep struggle anymore, and we’re seeing the benefits and yeah.

Andy 
Yeah. It’s awesome.

Ange
Once you learn the knowledge, we can’t take it away from you, and now you can just apply it forever. Not to mention you were in totally different phases of your life. You know, children were young, now they’re starting to grow. And you personally have grown because you are open to pushing the boundaries of getting out of your comfort zone, where we see a lot of trade business owners don’t wanna do that. They would rather suffer. But stay within a little bit of a box, right? So, uh, yeah, yeah, we’ve gotta push those boundaries. You guys are really open to that. So, as you know, lots of our listeners are trade business owners and they all want an experience, a similar journey like you. So that being said, what would be your top three tips to any struggling trade business owner listening right now?

Corey
Uh, I would definitely ask for help. Seek out, um,

Naomi
Don’t suffer in silence.

Corey
Yeah. Seek out a mentor, um, and training to set your own foundations for being a business owner and running a business so that you can Yeah, um, make it better.

Naomi
And I think delegate the work you’re not good at. I think that’s really important, especially as, you know, one man, Ben, you can’t do it all. Um, get people involved, get a bookkeeper involved, get somebody answering the phone, whatever it might be. Yeah. Um, ask for help, um, and have a community behind you. It’s, um, so important to have like-minded people that get where you’re at and where you’ve been and, um, you know, can lift you up when you need it.

Corey
I don’t, I don’t know if that’s three that, but I’ll own one. When you’re struggling, don’t be ashamed to ask, uh, for help, whether it’s, uh, like talking with other business owners, you know, or people in your own trade, like everyone, everyone can be a bit cagey, especially early on in business when they see another competitor down at, at the supplier or whatnot, but you’ll find whether they’re in the same industry or not, when you talk to business owners and you tell ’em about your struggles and you ask for help. They’ve either been through it, they’re going through it, or they’re gonna go through it. And when you start asking for help, you find that, um, people are really willing to help and, and there is a community there if you reach out to it. So, um, yeah, it’s, you can be a lonely, stressful place being a business owner. Uh, so yeah, reach out to your peers and, and you’d be surprised at what you get.

Andy 
So let’s touch on that because probably the number one thing that Ange and I are so proud of is the community at Lifestyle Tradie. Right? And how everyone’s there, they’ve been through the journey. I think some people just think, you know, your business isn’t going well, now you get it to a level that’s amazing and it’s day’s amazing forever. We all know that’s absolute crap. We have, it doesn’t matter how good your business is, there’s ups and downs, there’s swings and roundups. There’s always a million things. Right? But having that Lifestyle Tradie community is, has, has been really priceless. Everyone tells us that. What’s your thought on that?

Corey
Oh, a hundred percent. It is so good. Uh, it is definitely one of the best parts, yeah. Uh, of being a member of Lifestyle Tradie. Uh, we can throw a question out to the community and they just Yeah, answers flying back. Everyone’s willing to help.

Naomi
Uh, yeah. We can call members. We can, we’ve asked for, um, templates. We’ve known they’ve done something in the past. We’ve asked if they share it with us. People are happy to share. Um, not only templates, but their knowledge.

Andy 
And at the end of the day, you don’t ask, you don’t get really, as you said, don’t suffer in silence. That’s a good one.

Ange
It’s a unique environment, I think, because one of the things we notice, and we do all, all of us talk about it inside our own communities, the fact that you often ask advice perhaps from your parents who definitely will give you an opinion, but perhaps they’ve never owned their own business. Uh, it goes the same for your siblings, um, and also the majority of your friends. Tradies. No tradies, right? So we have a lot of friends who are other trade business owners when you own a trade business and if you go and ask them for help, although, yes, they’ll help you and they’ll give you advice even though they’re not seeking their own correct advice. I think the correct advice is important, but do they wanna see you make improvements? So sometimes you also have to be a little careful with what you say to even your own friends, um, because they might actually hold you back and that’s not what you want. We, we actually need growth. So, um, having a community around you whereby they actually are super supportive is, um, amazing. They give you, right. Yeah.

Corey
And I guess in, um, with the people and the community and Lifestyle Tradie, everyone there is there to grow, to develop, uh, to adapt. And so you’re not just asking Joe Blow down the street, the person that you’re asking someone who’s driven and motivated and, um, yeah so.

Andy 
A lot of them have been there and done that. So

Corey
Yeah.

Ange
Friends for life, yeah. Hey.

Andy 
Yeah. So guys, I’m gonna move on. We’ve got this little game we like to play. I’m gonna fire out three questions at you guys, and you have up to 30 seconds to answer them. Are you ready?

Naomi
We’re ready.

Corey
Fine.

Andy 
Okay. Okay, Corey and Naomi, I want you both to answer this one. If you didn’t become a trade business owner, what job do you think you would’ve ended up in?

Naomi
I would be doing something within the fashion industry, definitely.

Andy 
Nice, nice. Corey?

Corey
Uh, I would be working some sort of trade, probably something to do with vehicles probably, hopefully Motorsport.

Andy 
Definitely you’d be Motorsport, maybe you’re about it. Yeah. Yeah. This one’s just for you, Corey, what’s the biggest mistake you’ve made in business?

Corey
Biggest mistake, or, um, oh, I don’t know.

Naomi
I would say that we haven’t got one massive mistake that stands out, but I think the biggest thing for us is, That we’ve learned and we’ve done in the past is taking things personally. So what happens with staff or somebody not paying their bill. Something like that and you let it get under your skin and you really just shouldn’t, you just need to, it just, you just need to wipe it off and you’ve gotta keep moving forward. So I think learning that, um, and we do that really well now.

Ange
Don’t take it personally.

Andy 
Yeah,

Corey
I agree. That’s my answer.

Andy 
Yeah.

Ange
Good job Corey.

Andy 
No, it’s a great answer. And I think the more you’re in business, the more you gotta realize. But look, I’ve had members ring him out and this person’s complaining about this and this, and they’re doing this and this, and they go on and they’re the big rant and I go and? And they go, what do you mean? And they go, And that’s affecting you because, and how you’re gonna deal with this. And then they start getting off their soapbox and they start going, yeah. You know, so it is, that’s definitely a big one. There’s no doubt about that. Yeah.

Naomi
And, and that stuff weighs you down, you know? I think that’s how people end up suffering because those little monkeys on your back just keep climbing on. And if you let ’em, they just take over.

Andy 
Yeah. And this one’s for you, Naomi. What do you love most about being a Lifestyle Tradie member?

Naomi
Uh, definitely the members. Yes. Having that community is, um, what keeps us coming back year after year, but also like, you know, there’s always a template for everything on, um, My Lifestyle Tradie, um, there’s somebody to reach out to that’s had the experience that can give you the advice yet. So procedures and the community, I think.

Andy 
That’s awesome.

Ange
I’m gonna add one extra question for the two of you.

Andy 
Okay.

Ange
What are you most proud about in business?

Corey
Like, oh, wow. Uh,

Naomi
I think, be still working together. Being married. That’s a pretty big one. And working well together.

Andy 
Yeah, I think that’s a massive one.

Ange
And so do I.

Andy 
You guys do that so well, and as all of us, we’ve had our ups and downs and swings and roundabouts and I don’t know, but maybe you guys have too, but I can just feel the love and the harder business is, the harder it is in your life as well, right? And when money,

Naomi
Yeah, definitely.

Andy 
Like everything’s hard. And that’s why, you know, there’s a lot of trade business owners that do divorce, and I hate to say that and we wanna stop that. But the thing is, if you get your business right and you take all that financial pressure and all that stuff away, you’ve got a chance. But if you don’t take that away, it’s just ending in disaster, isn’t it? For so many people. Sad. Yeah.

Naomi
Yeah, for sure.

Ange
We’re proud of you two.

Naomi
Oh, thank you.

Ange
Thanks so much for joining us today. It’s always lovely to catch up with you. Thanks for sharing your insights about what’s going on in your business. I’m sure our listeners have learned so much about your story about AC Plumbing, so it’s been amazing.

Andy 
Yeah, we love having you guys as members as well, and thanks for sharing your journey here today. I know everyone listens, would’ve got a hell of a lot out of it, and I know we’re catching up very soon in person, so I can’t wait to hang out with you guys.

Corey
Thanks guys. Thanks for having us on today and, uh, thanks for all the help over the years and into the future.

Naomi
Yeah, thank you.

Andy 
Thanks guys.

Naomi
Many more fun times to come.

Ange
Absolutely. There is definitely. We love to showcase our Lifestyle Tradie members because it gives you guys, our listeners, the opportunity to get some amazing lessons from the trade business owners who are or perhaps have been in your shoes.

Andy 
Yes.

Ange
And if you think you wanna take a similar path to Corey and Naomi, and you are ready to roll up your sleeves and really accelerate your business journey, Then becoming a Lifestyle Tradie member is an absolute no-brainer.

Andy 
Absolutely. You can find out more about our membership by booking in a strategy session with me where we can chat about your business now and where you want to take it in the future, and how Lifestyle Tradie can help you get there. Head to lifestyletradie.com.au to book it today.

Ange
And if just hearing from Corey and Naomi isn’t enough, then check out what our other members have to say about membership with us at Lifestyle Tradie.

Member’s Testimony
Don’t wait. These guys are very honest and open. They share so much information, personal as well as, um, business. Uh, it’s a holistic approach to life, not just, uh, how to run your plumbing business.

Yeah, definitely join Lifestyle Tradie. The amount of support and knowledge which is within the program is valuable. Um, the other thing is, uh, the community that Lifestyle Tradie developed is amazing. There’s been so many times where I’ve learned on the community’s advice, where we’ve had certain issues that we’ve been able to bring up in our Facebook group. You get plenty of answers that you can actually take. You don’t know what you don’t know.

Lifestyle Tradie has a huge sense of community, just a great group of people just hanging out. 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.

Do it. Like don’t hesitate every year that you put it off. There’s just an extra year that you’re losing. You don’t get this time back. That’s one thing that we can never buy is time. So, you need help, get it.

Andy 
Subscribe to The Tradie Show, wherever you get your favorite podcast. Rate and write us a review or for more information about Lifestyle Tradie, head to lifestyletradie.com.au.