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The "Level Up" with Duayne Pearce Podcast
I take on the role of an authoritative voice that fearlessly communicates truths drawn directly from my lived experiences. With a genuine sense of ownership, my insights are free from any hidden agendas – they truly belong to the audience. My stories and journey add remarkable value, the key now lies in harnessing its power effectively to help others.
My purpose is to create a new residential building industry. My mission is to inspire unshakable self-confidence in my colleagues in the industry, empowering them to orchestrate prosperous, enduring, and lucrative businesses that bring exceptional projects to fruition for our clients.
My goal is to foster a deeper comprehension among clients about the identity and functions of builders, redefining their perceptions.
The "Level Up" with Duayne Pearce Podcast
How I Found a Way to Live the Life I Always Wanted.
#127 Sam’s journey from teacher to builder reveals the transformative power of pursuing passion and embracing community. The episode discusses his evolution into a businessman, the significance of mentorship, and a fulfilling work-life balance.
Check out Samadhi Builds here...
samadhibuilds.com.au/about-samadhi-builds
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Check out Duayne's other projects here...
Live Life Build
livelifebuild.com
D Pearce Constructions
dpearceconstructions.com.au
QuoteEaze
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Easy to use Quoting software for Builders. Produce professional and accurate proposals. Quickly and accurately measure and markup plans in minutes. Win more jobs and track costs. 21 Day Free Trial.
We're on a mission to elevate the professionalism of the residential construction industry, and help everyone enjoy building and renovating homes.
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And then he mentioned overheads and I clearly remember saying to him we don't have any. I was like we're sorted, we don't have any. I'll laugh at that now.
Speaker 2:Yeah, no idea.
Speaker 1:No idea man.
Speaker 2:G'day guys. Welcome back to another episode of Level Up. We are back in the shed this afternoon for another cracking episode and definitely ready to smash it out. Sam, how are you buddy? Good thanks, mate. Mate, I can never pronounce your company's name. It happens all the time. What is the company?
Speaker 1:name Samadhi, samadhi, samadhi Builds, yep.
Speaker 2:So Sam's a local Brizzy builder, yep.
Speaker 1:Want to tell us about your name, mate. How'd you come up with that? There's a story behind it. So I started the business with a really good mate of mine about a decade ago and his name was Rowdy. I had to come up with a name. Rowdy was into yoga heavily at the time and we're searching for a name. And Rowdy goes what about Samadhi? And I said what's that? And he goes it's a state of enlightenment you get to when you meditate. And I said it's got Sam in it. I'm happy, let's keep it. We stuck with it. And then that was a partnership. We already left a couple of years later and we rebranded. And he said what are you going to do with the name? And I said, yeah, I like it, I'm going to keep it. And it stuck. The short answer to people that ask is I had a business partner. My name's Sam, His name is Artie.
Speaker 1:We put it together, that's the short answer which most people nod at, and off we go. So do you use that in your marketing? Because that's a good no, we don't. So we interesting story. We won a small business grant maybe six years ago which was called Digital Champions, which had 20 grand to spend. Deloitte came in and consulted and obviously dove into the business and figured out how we're going to spend the grant. At that point I identified that I wanted to get into architectural work and during the rebrand they discussed changing names. I wanted to keep it because that's where it started and a nod to the start of it. But I also liked the fact that it was. It has that architectural kind of ring to it as well. I thought it suited that niche as well.
Speaker 1:But the backstory to it the whole reason behind it, the state you get to, yeah, and that's important for me. That's why I wanted to keep it. He's a great mate of mine and we started together and he taught me a lot right from the start, so I definitely wanted to keep it for that, like I always want to be reminded, and the yoga thing.
Speaker 2:Yeah, Because that's what you're getting your clients to now like by building them a beautiful home.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Getting to that comfortable state yeah, exactly mate.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's good. So a little bit of backstory about Sam. Sam is a Live Like Bill member. I wanted to get him on the seat for a little while because he has. I love what you do, mate. Like you sat on the fence for like you signed up to Live Life Build and then you sat on the fence for probably over 12 months and I don't know what it was.
Speaker 1:Did you notice?
Speaker 2:that. But something clicked and like now you're just, you're taken off. Yeah, I have, yeah, because that's something I try and get out of guests that come on the podcast is like what's that thing? Like what's that point? You have to get to where you realize what you're doing now is not getting you where you want to go. You're not achieving what you think you might be able to achieve. So what's that turning point?
Speaker 1:There's so many parts to that. There's so many parts to that, I think. For me, community people when I surrounded myself with people that were succeeding and I could see why they were succeeding without putting an effort are committed. They love what they did. It's infectious and it's within reach. It's there and it's there for the taking, and you know better than anyone that the industry is hard to break out of. It's hard to tell a different story. I feel it's hard to even sometimes surround yourself with people that think the same way as you or want something different.
Speaker 2:That's one of the most valuable things, I think live life build and something amelia and I are incredibly proud of because you get, so you catch. Even when you do catch up with builders and even like you're in our local builders breakfast group, like there's still bullshit, yeah, like it's not vulnerability, it's not just being honest and in with, but when in live life build, like our community just tells it how it is it does, and that's not the norm.
Speaker 1:Yeah, do you know what I mean? Not only do you have to go searching for that, when you do find it, you'll pull your finger out and do something. Yeah, because I did sit on the fence for quite a time. I sat on the fence and chipped away at modules and chipped away at home, chipped away by myself, and that's hard to do. Yeah, when you actually meet people, if you go to a live event and you, you meet people and it's infectious what's going on yeah, that's when shit gets real and when you you say that was your turning point, when you come to a kingscliff event and you got to like whatever.
Speaker 1:there was 60 odd builders there and some partners and you got to mingle with them Absolutely mate Absolutely, and vulnerability, getting up, feeling like you can tell your story and people are going to listen. People are probably going to relate to it. You know what I mean. People are going to, they're going to be your people, and that's pretty rare. I feel that's pretty rare Because you're right, I think there's two types of builders. There's the builders, and I've got mates that are builders that are in that that's fucked, this is shit, and they don't even actually they haven't even considered.
Speaker 2:I don't think it's just builders, it's the whole industry. There's so much perception, everyone, much perception. Yeah, everyone thinks that everyone's doing well and everyone just sees what they want to see. And whether, whether you're a trader or a builder, an architect, designer, we all show the good shit. And then people, even when you, when you do go to events and you catch up with people, no one's gonna go. Oh fuck, I've had a shit year. Geez, I had a bad client. Fuck, I lost money on the last two jobs. Everyone, no, it's fucking great. We're kicking girls gotaps of work. We're booked in the next year. Team's fantastic. Yeah, when really they're driving home that night going. Fuck, I don't want to go to work tomorrow.
Speaker 1:Well, I'll tell you what another big realisation for me was the difference between a builder and a businessman Because I knew that something wasn't right, like I was building shit, yeah, but I'm looking going. Why does this not feel like a business? There should be some other shit going on here. There should be something going on and you'd hear someone say something yeah, and it might be a phrase or it might be a term, it might be an offset account or it might be a fucking overdraft facility, just a word you've never heard before and you're like that sounds fucking important. What's that? And making the switch from a builder the mentality of a builder to a businessman, which I think suits me, I think was a big driver.
Speaker 2:You wouldn't think you're right you wouldn't. So I was giving sam shit when he turned up, because every time he comes to a building event or something like, he's in pluggers and boardies. But you got the building shirt on like you're representing the brand, but I I think it's awesome, mate, because it shows you're very comfortable within yourself and, as you said before, we started recording today like the proof's in the pudding.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it doesn't matter what the fuck you wear, you can build a great home yeah, and give her, deliver a good experience and run a good business and have good subbies and have good employees and all that sort of stuff. I think and that's an interesting point too, because I've I think I've struggled which we touched on before about my personalities, because I'm I can be very relaxed and when I switch off, I definitely switch off and I want to have a good time. I want to have a good time and I find it. I found it hard for a long time to merge that into a professional, that role of being a professional. I don't have to wear this to be comfortable, but I just I am comfortable, I'm very comfortable and I'm very low maintenance and I'm very easy.
Speaker 1:I think, yeah, I think of another thing too. I think of I like to be underestimated and I think that was probably to my detriment for a long time as well. What do you mean by that? I don't want to big-note myself. Do you know what I mean? I don't want to act like I'm better than anyone. I don't want to tell everyone what I'm doing. I'd rather someone who wasn't interested in me or wasn't interested in spending time with me to go on their merry way and not really know what I am, and I feel that was a crux for a long time because I think it held me back a bit, I think the fear of failure thing. I think it was in a safe spot because I was like, if I can just relax and if I can just slip under the radar, looking back now, I'll always be under the radar, you know. So I think that was get comfortable being like you.
Speaker 1:Gotta get comfortable being uncomfortable yeah, which is something that I do. I am working on now. Do you know when? Now that I am improving? Yeah, you know, and I am seeing results.
Speaker 2:So, before we get, too far into it, like I want to go back a bit. So because you weren't a builder? No, like builder, it was not your first preference?
Speaker 1:no, not at all. Tell us a little bit about how did it start. Yeah, I finished grade 12 and went. I'm going to be a PE teacher because I get 12 weeks holiday a year and I'll kick the footy on the oval. That'll be so easy. Me and a really good mate went to uni together so we did the same course. So what we'll do is we'll switch assignments. We'll have to do half the assignments. It'll be so easy.
Speaker 1:So I went to uni so I did PE. I was a high school PE teacher with a really good mate so I did that for four years. I got posted out west for my first post. You were running around on dirt. It was amazing. I think my biggest class had 10 kids in it. It was all PE. But I went out there and I pretty much finished my last exam, went out west with an Ed Queensland contract and then two weeks into the contract found out that I failed the last semester of uni so I wasn't even qualified. So I had to finish the last semester of uni while I was teaching and then, so to this day, I don't.
Speaker 1:I was actually thinking about it before I came here. Who fucked that up Like how did?
Speaker 2:But there's actually I heard a really interesting story on this on a podcast I listened to the other day and they've gone and done all these studies on it but there was a bloke that was completely failing at school and then someone fucked up and told him he got like an a plus on something and for the rest of his schooling he's like, oh god, I don't know what I'm doing, but and he's the whole life changed. And just from that one one person making that stuff up and grading him wrong, holy shit, he went on to smash all his schooling get a high-paid job. And then it wasn't. He got some letter in the mail like years later, like 10, 12 years later, let it go, saying that yeah, we actually graded you wrong, and the whole story was around. Imagine what his life may have been if he had a disorder that he'd kept failing.
Speaker 1:They made me do the last subject and the actual teachers at the school were helping me do the assignment to get over the line. So that was only a short stint and then I left.
Speaker 2:But you were pumped, you would have been pumped because you thought you'd passed it. If they'd have said, oh look, you failed the last subject, it would have been a completely different outcome.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but it was only a short contract, I think it was. Only it was tiny, I don't know if it was 10 weeks or something. And then I went overseas. So I went to I was about four years with my girlfriend and her wife and we were both teaching. So I taught for two years in PE in England, which is wild how was that? It's wild, like it's wild Cold. What's it all about indoors? Yeah, mate, the funny thing is the English. They're stubborn, they think they're, so they've got to grit their teeth. They send them out for PE in the middle of winter in shorts and a shirt.
Speaker 1:It's practically snowing and they go out in shorts and shirts just because that's what English people have to do. So that was pretty crazy. Let's deal with that. I had all the jackets on. I had all the jackets on. I had five the jackets on. I had all the jackets on. I have five layers and they make them run around in like short shirt. So I did that. I did that for two years and that's when I decided it wasn't for me. Yeah, I had. I enjoyed. I tell you what I do enjoy Coaching.
Speaker 1:You know what I mean. I enjoy coaching kids Like I. The most enjoyment I ever got out of that teaching was the sports groups, because I wanted to make sure that every kid had a crack. The best kids were the best kids. That's great. You can help them get better. But the kids that aren't interested, you can help them get interested. And even better if you can get the good kids helping the kids that aren't. And I thrived on that. I loved that coaching. That's the one part I did. Unfortunately, teaching is a lot more than that, which I figured out pretty quickly. So I decided when I was overseas that I did not want to do that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and made some sort of rang out some mates and stuff while I was still overseas and came back and started a mature age carpentry apprenticeship. Yeah, so what made you go for carpentry? I wanted to do landscaping for some reason. I'd done a bit of work for builders growing up so I always loved the outdoor stuff. I always loved the banter and all that sort of shit which everyone loves. So I always loved that.
Speaker 1:Landscaping, I just thought, was I liked the design and that in it I liked putting it together, I liked designing it and building it, that type of stuff. And then I looked at landscaping and thought it's not really didn't know anything back then but I was like I think it's limited, I don't know if it's always the same thing. And then mates that were chippies and mates that had trades, and then met a family contact who could get me a job with a builder mature age apprentice at that time it wasn't real common, I think. I don't know how old I would have been, maybe 25. I'm 43 now, so it was a fair while ago.
Speaker 1:So I wouldn't say I fell into it, but definitely wanted to do something like that. And then I started that and got into it there. So yeah, and you're glad you made the change 100% and it's funny. People still ask me now would you ever go back to teaching? It just blows my mind that people I still remember me for the small amount of teaching that I did, or know that I even did it. Yeah, but it's funny. Would you ever go back to teaching? And it's just no, it's a hard no and so what was the progression to become a builder?
Speaker 2:is that something you just kept working towards or you just wanted?
Speaker 1:to keep progressing. But I was so green with construction when I started that apprenticeship like I just got into it, just start putting, thingsiked it, and it was a fairly big company. He had probably 50 people. And I just overheard him one day talking about me and he said oh, sam will be a builder. And I was like huh, builder, righto, at that stage in my life.
Speaker 2:What do you think that was for? Were you good at managing the people on site?
Speaker 1:I'd say leadership. Yeah, I think there were a lot of young guys in the team. Yeah, there are a lot of young fellas in the team and I definitely probably stood out with just being older, a little bit older. Probably that, probably, yeah, I'd say it'd be that. And then I heard that and for me, from this day, when I started getting my head around the builder thing, I wanted a job. I wanted to have a job that I could live the life I wanted to live, and for me that was do what I wanted to do.
Speaker 1:When I wanted to do it, at that point it wasn't financial, because I didn't know what fucking finances were. How do you know? And when you start off, you just don't know. So for me it was like, if I start my own business, I can do this. Young family, young kids, like want to go on holiday. So that it was always. Did it go like that, bart? Yeah, it definitely did. I was. I know what it was. Maturity Started. I don't know if I was 28, maybe 29. And I knew from the start that's what it was.
Speaker 2:I worked hard, but when you first started your building business, did you get to do what you wanted to do or did you have all the normal struggles with cash flow?
Speaker 1:Yeah, struggles with cash flow. For sure, and that's what I said before about that was the tweaking of this in the business. Something's not right. This should be happening. Why isn't that happening? So the business side was never there from the start never. But. So I was never there from the start never. But what was there was I was very good at.
Speaker 1:If I wanted to do something, I would do it. If I had to want to do something with the kids, I would do it. I work fucking hard. It's funny when you start off, when you are on the tools right and you are doing the business thing, and every night you are. I was working until midnight in the office. You know what I mean when you're doing both roles, but what I mean by doing what I wanted to do if we wanted to take a week off and go on the holidays, I'd take that. If I wanted to just go and do that with the kids, I'd go and do it. So I never felt guilty and always did that, no idea about the finances, like none whatsoever Did that bite you in the ass.
Speaker 1:No, not badly. That's one thing I'm lucky with. I remember when Randy and I set up Samadhi like at the very beginning, we had one of our mates' dads who was an accountant who we've known forever, and we went and saw Crick and we sat down and we were like Crick, randy and I are going to start building company. He goes, oh fuck, he goes. I'd suggest a partnership for you two. What's a partnership? And he goes. Really cheap to set up, really easy to fucking rip apart when you screw up. And I was like hey, and then he mentioned overheads and I clearly remember saying to him we don't have any, we're sorted, we don't have any. I'll laugh at that now. Yeah, no idea, no idea, man, no idea. But you don't do you? You're not taught this shit? No, you're not. And, as it goes, you actually don't know that you don't have any idea.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And then the whole thing we would always pay ourselves a wage. It was very tiny and we had some basic things that we thought were good enough. Yeah, but when you switch to running a proper business, that evolution of growth is never ending. Yeah, and it's just yeah, we're way off the mark.
Speaker 2:So there's a bit of a common thread there, mate, with your coaching. Obviously you liked helping the kids out when you were doing the PE and then working for that builder and the leadership and stuff, and I know that's something you're really passionate about now and you've got a bit of a thing, haven't you, with apprentices, making sure they're getting taught properly and putting good time into them.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think apprentices are massive mate. I actually think that they're probably the most important part of my business for many reasons. Very simply, I think there's a hierarchy for tradesmen and the guys. We have a couple of guys 50 plus in the team and they've fucking earned everything that they've got and they've given us massive value, right? And I say to the apprentices it's as simple as you respecting that, getting out of your car before everyone else, getting this site set up so that everyone can get flowing, because if you're dragging your feet and if you're setting that tone, you've got that grumpy and that grumpy and it won't get better. That's a very simple thing, right? Just respect the hierarchy, right? It's an important message, it's very important, and the other thing about that is that's what you earn.
Speaker 2:Same in the afternoon. It should be the same thing 100%.
Speaker 1:And it's respect and they've earned that right they will give you. If you give these older guys a bit of that, the knowledge that they will give you is what you're in this for. Yeah, do you know and I think that's important because I hate it we've sacked and had a lot of 22, 23, 24, 25 year old chippies, right, who just see it as a job and they bullshit and they come on, they expect everything and it doesn't last and they, you sack them and then they just go chase the next builder. And these apprentices that we have the on-site stuff, that they're training them in the physical carpentry I don't have much to do with, okay, I don't, I don't work on site. I'm in the office, right, so I don't get to see them.
Speaker 1:I talk to the guys about what they're doing. I speak to the apprentices and say, hey, gang, what do you like? What don't you like? Is there anything that you're missing? What do you feel like you haven't done much of? And then the next part of that's carpentry. But I, the big thing I love is progression. Yeah, so when they get to third or fourth year and there's a small section of a job that you know is going to put them out of their comfort zone and if they fuck it, it's going to cost you this amount but it's going to get. They're going to get that much out of them, yeah, or that that is. I love those opportunities. I think it's so important for them.
Speaker 2:It's another important message. Like. It took me a long time to get my head around that, but so many builders and trades are always worried. They're they't know their numbers, so they're living on the edge all the time. They freak out if they lose 10 cents. But you've got to have losses to learn 100%, and so you have to be comfortable with your younger team members making fuck-ups. Obviously you don't want them doing it every single day, but sometimes your biggest learnings are from your biggest mistakes. It's horses for courses.
Speaker 1:I look for the opportunities in our jobs and I know that it's a calculated risk and they're petrified. Yeah, they're like, oh, fucking, what if I cut this? And that it's okay, you can do this. You've got all these people here that you lean on every day. I said you just have a crack and, man, the growth they get out of that is massive. And I think it's so important because, yeah, it's super important, mate, it's the future, it's the future.
Speaker 1:And someone said to me a while ago which I've really run with, that hierarchy thing like I've seen an apprentice carpenter and then he's put tradesman and he's put tradesman and he's the tradesman, is the one that can direct everything. He knows a bit of everything, he's a tradesman, he knows that, he looks after that, he can do that, he can do all the carpentry. And what a place to aspire. Go, yeah, like a lot of carpenters floating around wanting fucking heaps of money and doing shit work. They're guaranteed they're a carpenter, but to be a tradesman, that'd be a pretty good achievement and a craftsman, then yeah, it probably goes.
Speaker 2:Tradesman craftsman like yep, you've got a, like our mate, craig stewart says like you've got. There's very few people that aspire to get to that. Craftsman. Yeah, position like every, it is a real penthouse of mine. Like, I can't stand these young guys that come through and you put a lot of work and effort into them and then the day they finish their time they think they're a tradesman. They don't know half the shit they need to know. I really like what you said about respect. I'm just sitting here thinking, as you were saying that If all young people that got their apprenticeship just thought like that man, job sites would be a hell of a lot happier. Yeah, and it's so true, that's all it is. You're just showing respect for people that have put the time in, they've been where you are, they've worked their way through, they've got their qualifications. Now they're the leader and if you just respect that, that's huge, it is massive and it's life too.
Speaker 1:the kids don't get it, the young guys don't get it. You get a first year apprentice first day and they are petrified and they have no idea what they're getting into. And it's exciting for both. And if they can make routines big, if they can start making their own lunch, packing off water, eat healthy, get to work on time, it's massive, it's life man, and the improvements that you see in young, young men is it's inspiring, it's amazing seeing him come through.
Speaker 2:We've got a young guy at the moment which I've been given had a few sort of tough conversations in the last week and he, like he tells me one thing, but then he tells the guys on site another thing. And I ended up only two days ago. I had a word to him. I said, mate, stop fucking around. You're only causing yourself more problems. And I said it's actually now getting to a point where it's coming across that you're either lying to the side team or you're lying to me. Stop.
Speaker 2:I said I actually believe that what you're telling me is correct and I believe that what you're telling the site team is because you're just trying to big note yourself and you're trying you want to be higher than what you actually are. Just stop fucking around with all of us. Just be honest with yourself and just come to work and do as you're told, put in the effort and you will get rewarded. And I feel like that's coming. I don't know. I feel like he's had maybe a little bit of a tough upbringing, like he spent some time in boarding school, and so it's like he's trying to prove something and I feel like there's a lot of yeah, not even just young people. A lot of people like that like, just be yourself.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and they need someone like you to say that. You know, I mean someone that likely they would respect. But when? If, if that's the fact and you and just and that's it. They'll get it. Yeah, you know, I mean, that's what it is.
Speaker 2:You know, this guy's a good kid like I, I think he's got a lot of potential, but he, yeah. I see it a lot in younger people, but I do feel that a lot of young people in our industry these days really lack they lack confidence. They really lack communication skills because all they're used to doing is flicking on their phone yeah, scrolling for the next thing that's going to give them some enjoyment. Yep, yeah. Community, yeah, respect, definitely. Everyone wants to be.
Speaker 1:Yeah at the end too quickly, yep that's exactly right and I we had a guy come through who was a classic 25 who wanted the top rate off me, one of those guys who's trying to hold the bill to ransom. They got him negotiated, got him down a couple of bucks but put him on. We explained my side of the story. This is what it is. If you're any good, you'll get paid more. That's completely fine. But he was no good and we got rid of him.
Speaker 1:And then I pulled all the apprentices in and said I'm so glad you've been exposed to that shit, because that's what you do not want to be. I said no shit. What he's doing is he's going around trying to get top dollar off everyone. Everyone's finding him out within three months. He leaves, has to do it all over again, but he thinks he's on the top rate. If you knuckle down, get your shit together if you want to do it, if you do all the things we're talking about, your pay will only go up and you will never be able to work. So you might start here, but you'll go up yearly if you dedicate yourself to this and you'll never be able to work. And, to be honest, you name your price when you're a tradesman.
Speaker 2:I think it's hilarious, mate. I still know people that I've known for 20, look, I've known for 20, 25 years and their whole life is chasing the dollar. Even people that I've started in the industry with and I think I got caught in it Well, yeah, maybe not. I was brought up I've talked about it on this podcast before I knew I had to earn my way like I was pissed when I first started subcontracting and I was on site and like I was doing far more work and bigger days and getting more done than what the other tradesmen and craftsmen were on my site. And it did bug me.
Speaker 2:But knowing what I know now and thinking back like that, that doesn't matter. They had the experience, they'd done the hard yards, they'd been in the game for 10, 15, 20 years. They had the knowledge. It was fine that I was smashing it out, I was doing quality work and I was getting shit done, but then every second day I'd have to go to them and go oh look, how do I need to do this? Even though I was a tradesman, I didn't have all that. I had to earn my keep.
Speaker 2:But you see it so often, like across every single trade, and I find it hilarious now because, like you see, these people that just are always chasing the dollar and at the end of the day they haven't got anything to show for it They'll spend more time chasing that higher dollar and they will knock back. They'll chase whatever it is $45, $50, $60, $70 an hour and they'll knock back a good quality job with a good quality employer for $5 an hour and three months later they'll be in the same position. That's the story. And then they'll spend a week, two weeks, a month out of work and then they'll start again Exactly, and so they think they're fucking killing it because they've got this job, they're paying $70 an hour and then they're going to get their tax out at the end of the year and they've earned less than the guy that's taken the good job at $50 or $55 an hour gets, gets paid every single week, has a great environment, good boss, good, healthy lifestyle they don't see it.
Speaker 1:It's crazy. They don't see it, man, they don't see it.
Speaker 2:But it even flows right through to contractors, like you see, contractors that are always chasing, like they're trying to put these high price in and win jobs and they spend more time out of work or yeah, yeah, or getting shit jobs, because they're more focused on chasing the dollar all the time than what actually adds value.
Speaker 1:It's a grind, isn't it the industry? It's a grind, it's a long game. Yeah, you've got to build.
Speaker 2:I'm also keen to know more, mate, because you're a bit of a black sheep in the family, aren't you? Because you didn't go down the path of what's your family A couple of brothers Did you go to?
Speaker 1:uni. Very briefly, yes, I've got two older brothers who are absolute legends. We're very different. We're very different. So I'm the youngest. The eldest brother is a professor of neuroscience. He's a smart cookie, yeah, he is super intelligent. And David, my middle brother, is also super intelligent. He works in a management role. He's let us change a bit from COO to BDM business development manager. So he works for a decent company in business there. Yeah, and what's your oldies do? So both started as teachers. So mum was a career teacher, Dad started off as a teacher and he went into a few different roles state government type education type staff, then into private education. But both in education, mum and dad, yeah, they never shaped or forced me to do anything Like that's a big thing. I was never pressured to to go down an academic route at all. So that's, that was like. I look back on that and think I didn't have to do what I did. But there's certainly. You know, we're very different, me and my brothers. And the black sheep thing is not, it's completely fine.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you did struggle with it, didn't you? For a little bit.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I did. I feel like I live in the shadows because it's a success thing, and my brothers never made me feel like that and my family never makes me feel like that. I love the boys. It's a story you're telling yourself 100% and that's what it was. I feel every time, especially when we're all together, everyone slips into their roles. Even now, as grown men, we all slip into our roles, and I am the shit-stirrer. I'll just instantly turn into a two-year-old and just start carrying on and it it just brings back memories of when we were kids. So you're the practical giant? Yeah, I am, and that's the role I play. And I think yeah, I think I never felt pressure. Yeah, I know, it's never been a negative thing, but I'm just different. I'm very different to them.
Speaker 2:And that's okay, it is.
Speaker 1:And the best thing about them is we are all different. So I think we all would feel that I would describe them to them, which, and that's okay, it is, and the best thing about them is we are all different. So I think we all would feel that I would describe them Tim and David. I would say one's got a head of granite and the other one's got a heart of gold. They're amazing blokes, but they're very different. And me, in the pitch as well, is different again. Yeah, it's good, I wouldn't have it any other way, but yeah, I guess I took a long time to find myself. I guess that's probably the first key, do you?
Speaker 2:know what do you mean by?
Speaker 1:that. Well, you look, I look back on when I was younger, when you think, yes, you're sorted. So when I was like 20, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, when I was living in overseas, travelling for four years, you think that's being an adult and you think that's who you are and you think you're in control. And I was so lost. At that point I got to have a great time and just didn't know what I was doing. I just didn't know who I was. I didn't really know how to live my life. I didn't know what made me tick.
Speaker 2:I didn't know what type of person I was. Yeah to live my life.
Speaker 1:I didn't know what made me tick. I didn't know what type of person I was. Yeah, it's important to know, man isn't it? Because there's a lot of people that live their whole life like that. It is important to know, and it's a good feeling when you feel like you're happy Do you know Like you're doing things because you just do Because you want to do it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you just do Like you just do. I have been very independent. I do what I want to do and I've always had that. But I think I've had I've mentioned this to you before like a fear of failure has definitely been a thing that I've realised, Like I've lived in a comfort zone for a very long time because it is safe and it's easier and people can't underestimate me because I'm not going to break anything, I'm not going to go through.
Speaker 2:It's just as easy to be uncomfortable as well. It's just you've got to change that mindset?
Speaker 1:Yeah, it is, and when you make a small step it's not that hard. And that's the thing. It's not one step's going to end it, it's just a little act or a moment or a decision or some progress that gets you on a roll.
Speaker 2:What do you think made you have that fear, because I believe that's a massive contributor to a lot of people not being successful, that fear of failure.
Speaker 1:To be brutally honest, if I could turn into a story like analogy, I'd say I would go something like this let's just say you're in a race right, a running race. There's 10 divisions. I'd rather go in Division 5 and win it comfortably than go in Division 1 and come eighth, because then someone would look at me and go we came eighth, whereas if I was in Division 5 and 1, they'd say one, does that make sense? I cared that maybe people thought I was this good when I really wasn't that good in their eyes, do you know? So that was what it was. Yeah, I think I cared too much about what people would think, because I wanted people to think that I was a certain person. I love for people to go oh Sam's such a good bloke, but then if you fuck up, maybe they think you're not such a good bloke and it's not about being a good bloke, it's about whatever it is. So I feel that was big when I realized that.
Speaker 2:But so we did a you were on it yesterday like we did a session with the little group yesterday about we've created what we believe is a successful builder solution. It's three codes and nine sort of values and like that conversation was a lot around like what is success to you? And I do think it's a really important conversation because I truly believe that most people on this planet these days are not their true self and they're chasing success through other people's eyes or other people's views or opinions or thoughts. And you've obviously got to that point Like when you're truly successful to yourself, that's freedom, that's what it is. Well, that is absolute freedom.
Speaker 1:It's life and I can honestly say look, I said at the start I started a business for lifestyle. The money thing I had no idea about and thankfully I've put time and effort into learning about that and now that is a part of success. But life has always been huge having a lifestyle, and that's my lifestyle and that's different for everyone. Yeah, that that's my lifestyle and that's different for everyone.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but but that's because you, you want that exactly, you've chosen that's what you want to do exactly because it makes me happy yeah, and it makes my family happy and it's everything I like. It's everything, it's your wife, it's your kids, it's everything. And that's a huge part. Of success is for me, and I would say it and growth like if you're, if you're working on yourself, that's success. Like having the having that, having the realization to do that and and to and to want to do it, that's success.
Speaker 2:It is like yeah, there's a lot of a lot to be said in there for just the way the world's gone and people just having this perception on everything and just feeling like I don't know. I laugh about it. Now you see so much on social media, it seems to me like the Lamborghinis become the thing You've got to have a Lamborghini. I can give a fuck if you have a Lamborghini or not and, to be honest, I could go and buy one tomorrow but it wouldn't make me happy. It might make me look good and everyone would think that I'm doing better than I am but is it a generation thing though?
Speaker 1:is our generation a bit past? That? Is this young? Is this new? This shit do you think? Yeah, I do. Yeah, I'm not sure I've got a feeling. You spoke to most people in our age, in our generation. I think a lot of them would be similar. I would feel, to what we feel, I feel, but I look at that stuff and I see it as a younger thing. You know, I feel like it's a.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I don't know if it's a younger thing or not. I feel it's just a. It's a status thing, like people. Yeah, I've never bought into that.
Speaker 2:I yeah, I just, it's like you've got to be true to yourself, yeah, and whether like success is different. To be like success is different to everyone, and that's perfectly okay. Like success might be that you want to have a hundred thousand dollars in the bank and you want to be able to go on a holiday whenever and wherever you want to do when you want to do it. Success to another person might be that they they want to have a million dollars in the bank and never go on a holiday. It's it's different to everybody, but it's-.
Speaker 1:And you get real. And when you yeah, when you wanna get real human about it, success could be walking again. Yeah, do you know what I mean?
Speaker 2:it can be like real shit as well but I honestly to me, like I, one of my best moments of every day is when I get up and I walk downstairs and the first thing I do every morning is walk to the back door, open the door and fucking walter, my dog, is there and he just fucking loves me and just it's the first thing I do every single day. And the way our house faces open the door, sit there with him, pat him, and you see the sun come up, yep, and I'm like how fucking good's life, yep, yep. And so you can, I could be anywhere doing that. Like I could be sitting living in a tent on a block of land somewhere, like that, just being able to have that moment to chill out.
Speaker 2:I, I personally think like anyone that doesn't love dogs I think it's fucking got something wrong with them but like just animals and the girls got a horse now like just to me, that is success. Like the love and affection that an animal gives you. And like they teach you because they don't, they don't want anything, they don't want anything in return. Like no, they just want you to be there and give them a pat and give them a hug. Like yeah, there's no, there's no intention in anything, it's important like those.
Speaker 1:Yeah, wanted some gratitude and those moments, that little things that make you glad you're around or happy that you've done that or whatever.
Speaker 2:They're obviously precious yeah, because you're obviously a pretty special human being. You don't just have your kids either. You've taken on board one of your nieces. Is it a niece?
Speaker 1:It's a nephew? Yeah, I have. Yeah, so Ollie's mum passed away about four years ago from cancer, quite young. Yeah, so we've taken him in. So is that your sister? No, my wife's sister, and he's got four sisters too, so there's five kids and Ollie's the youngest. Yeah, I think everyone's special in that circumstance. Everyone that contributes to looking after Ollie is special, yeah.
Speaker 2:No, I think it's awesome, mate, when I heard that you did that and he lives with you and you look after him, treat him like your own. That's huge.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And I can imagine the life you're given that.
Speaker 1:He's an amazing kid and he's got a massive amount of potential. Yeah, I guess we've got a long way to go with it, but I'm proud that we're in the position to do it. And yeah, it's like I said, there's a lot of people that play part in that situation and we're very thankful for every one of them, and it's very much a village.
Speaker 1:You've got three of them, three yeah we've got three, two girls and a son and Ollie, so yeah, four's in the house. He's busy and we're trying to teach him shit to make it less busy. So we're trying to get him to cook and do dishes and clean and stuff and get all that routine happening, which is a long game, I'm sure. So, matt, how do you?
Speaker 2:get the time to do this. It's the question that everyone says Sorry, it's an excuse that everyone uses I don't have enough time. You've got time to do what you want to do with your family. I know you put a lot of time into your kids and You've got time to do what you want to do with your family. I know you put a lot of time into your kids and you're putting a lot of time into your business and your personal development stuff.
Speaker 1:How do?
Speaker 2:you make the time.
Speaker 1:Right back to the start. I was always, before Ollie come to live with us, I was always out the door at six. That was me thing, had to be out the door and left the pieces of the school runs to Danielle. So I was like, nah, I've got to be on site. Six range will be meetings for six, and just at the door.
Speaker 1:And when we took Ollie in Dee's, like ah, I can't, I can't do all this Capacity of three, I came up with the idea that I wouldn't start work till nine, which was pretty big, because I was like I've just lost three hours in a day and I just put in the calendar I just blocked off until it's 8.30 now, but I just block off until 8.30 every single day. I can't do it, and the thought of doing it was actually worse than doing it. And as soon as I blocked it all out this is four years ago, it's done, I don't do it. There's no meetings. I don't go anywhere. The odd one does slip through, maybe, I can't remember, I don't. Okay, I've done it twice this week. Apart from that, very rarely and and when I did it it just happened.
Speaker 1:I do schedule a lot. It's important because you're personal. Yeah, we do the personal stuff. We do have a different system. I don't lock it all together because it is too much. Yeah, but d does the google one and I do a work one. Yeah, we do. We don't follow it religiously, but you've got some structure there.
Speaker 2:I do yeah, which gives you your time.
Speaker 1:I do. I actually do have structure and it does give me my time. I think people freak out. The thought of doing it is harder than actually doing it. But when you block it out it's done. And I struggled with it for a while because if I couldn't do what I needed to do I'd get the shits. But now I'm a bit more flexible with just rearranging the things. In the start I found it a bit difficult, but I do schedule. Yeah, I definitely schedule.
Speaker 2:And do you find, now that you've scheduled, you actually fit a shitload more in? Yeah, but you're doing more of the things you want to be doing. Yeah, but you're doing more of the things you want to be doing. Yeah, but you're actually getting more done.
Speaker 1:Yeah, 100% In your personal, in your business. Yeah, and when you are scheduling and I know you've touched on this before is you are taking control of your time and you are. The batching thing is huge, not reacting to people that want to see you. You can plan that and you can batch it and you can get to a point in time and knock a few things off. So when you're, when you start being organized, it's quite easy to keep going. I think, yeah, but yeah, I'm not religious to to it, but I do have structure.
Speaker 1:I do and I do follow it and I think it did. Yeah, I do get a lot done because of it and I'll go right back to start. I've always, if there's an offer to go and do something, I will do it. Do you know what I mean? If someone says it's a personal stuff? Yeah, if someone says, hey, next Friday we're all going to the pub at 12, would you like to come? I will be there. Do you know what I mean? If someone says we're going to play golf on Tuesday, I will be there nine times out of 10. Going right back to the start was why I started a business. It was a lifestyle thing for me. Work hard, I do, and I put a lot of time in, but I don't feel guilty for accepting that time off and making sure it happens.
Speaker 2:But I would imagine you put in the hours where the hours are needed If you've got to do a few hours in the office one night to get ahead of things you've got to get it done.
Speaker 1:If you've got to do a few hours on a Saturday, you get it done. But, yep, absolutely mate. Yeah, and I wake up to get it done. Yeah, do you know? I mean, look, I wake up at 4 30 to get it done, just because I know I'll get it done. And yeah, I know what I have to get done. And fuck, sometimes you don't get it right, but it's still there and you get it the next time and whatever. But yeah, yeah, all right, yeah.
Speaker 2:I think what you said about it's harder thinking about than is to do it like that's what's holding most people back, like they think so in depth about it that they hold themselves back from actually doing it.
Speaker 1:I don't have that anymore. It's not like I fucking do everything first go because it's all so easy, but I don't. I don't. Actually, now, if I'm interested in something, I'll say I'll do it. I won't go, oh yeah, but that, yeah, the thing won't work because of or, oh fuck, I've got to move that. Then, oh, if I want to do it, I'll just do it. You know, yeah, and it works, it just works. It's simple.
Speaker 2:It doesn't just work. Mate your mindset you've changed your mindset like in a few years. You've really just taken off and taking it all on board and yeah, like another, I think, turning point that you I remember.
Speaker 2:I remember exactly where I was I'm not sure why, but I was driving back from the case, from him off a beach job and I think you called me and you'd had this light bulb moment where you'd figured out your numbers. Yeah, it was like I hear you banging on about this all the time, but I just, I've literally just got it. I've just reviewed all my, I've reviewed all my overheads and I know what you're talking about now, and that's a simple thing.
Speaker 1:That is such a simple exercise, that is such a foundation, so simple to do. And once you understand that foundation, you can then build on a forecast. You know what I mean. You can then start to work out what you need to turn over. You can then start to pick jobs that can see to that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you've taken it next level again just recently, haven't you? So you've now worked out how many jobs you have to have in pre-construction to be able to do the turnover you need to do to be able to earn the income you want to earn Absolutely.
Speaker 1:And then what was actually interesting about that is when I went back and looked at it, it worked out Like where we were sitting, the amounts that we had in pre-construction pack process, the amounts that we had, were flowing through to jobs, which was making the revenue where it needed to be, which was at the correct markup, and it just it starts to work. But it helps you make decisions. We've had situations where jobs have taken longer or we've been delayed and things like that, and we can go to a forecast sheet and look at it and go what's where?
Speaker 2:What do we need to pull and poke and move around?
Speaker 1:Yeah, which one's further ahead, which one's more likely, which one's closer, which one's less. Work to get to that point and it's all there and that's massive. But the very first tip of that is overheads, which we told crick, we don't have any 10 years ago. We're sorted, mate. We're sweet. No, I think I said no, we don't have an office, so we got no overheads.
Speaker 2:We're sweet, but that's what it is. Hey, like I was the I was the same mate Growing up I thought an overhead meant that you, yeah, you had an office space, you had admin staff, you had bloody computers and shit. Yeah, man, I just thought, because I wore a nail bag, I didn't have overheads. Yeah, it's all my money.
Speaker 1:I'll just take everything. Eh, I'll just keep it's all, surely?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'll just keep it short. Surely it's such a simple mistake. Even the most basic contractor still has phone fuel, car repayments, clothing materials, tools. It's incredible how much can come out. When you start looking into things, it adds up very quickly. Yeah. But, mate, I'll take my hat off to you. You're absolutely king goals. I love that you're so chilled out and I love your purpose, like the reason you do things is to allow you more time with the people you love to do what you want to do, and ultimately, that's pretty much what we all do it for, isn't it?
Speaker 1:yep, it is. I mean, it needs to be a balance. I was all that with no money, and some people are all money and no life, and a healthy balance is what I would like and what I'm getting. So it's yeah, it's huge, and I'm enjoying where I'm at and I'm addicted to getting more information and improving. What do you mean by that? You start making little steps and you start to get a little bit better than what you were and things start to work. And when it starts to work and you look back or it seems easy, do you know?
Speaker 2:and it actually you've grown as well yeah, yeah, I have, and that's key to it but I think I think that's what happens, like people feel like like you tell me if you're at this point, but you get to a point where you're like fuck, fuck, something's going to go wrong. Bank account's building up yes, the team's going well. Like fuck, is there a camera here? Like something's going to fuck up. I have had that. But it's because, without realizing it, every improvement you make, your mindset's growing, your attitude's changing your opinion of things is changing.
Speaker 1:I think this is it in a nutshell. I'll tell you so. I don't know if you remember at I think it was gold coast that would have been. It would have been started this year, so it was like 10, whatever 10 months ago. So one of my goals there was I wanted to volunteer with homeless people. Right, yeah, I was like, yeah, I need that's really. I want to do that. I've always wanted to do it. So I got out of that live event. High End Life made the inquiry. I started doing the paperwork. They needed my license, which I lost in France like three months earlier and didn't replace because they were like it's only a license, what do you need that for?
Speaker 1:So I didn't have my license Driver's license- yeah, I didn't have my license and you need that for the blue card. So then that stopped the whole application because I couldn't be asked and I had to replace it. So then that dropped off and then that went three months. I said I really want to do this. I went back to it so I searched my email for the organization's names Rosie's. I searched Rosie's on my email to try and find the trail of where I was at with the application. The first email that came up was from 2015, me asking my old man for the details of Rosie's so that I could go and help volunteer with these homeless people. Nine years ago I'd started and never did anything about it, and I do it now. Do you know what I know? I mean, I've done it, I go and do it and it's, that's change yeah, and that's it.
Speaker 2:That's a progression, because that's most people think. Yep, most people make themselves feel good by sending the email exactly like fuck, I've done something and that's exactly like I said.
Speaker 1:I came higher life out of that thing, sent the email, I've done it, I'll be doing this next week and you get one little roadblock.
Speaker 2:You haven't got a license, nah whatever, yeah, so what did you do? What have you done with that?
Speaker 1:Oh, so I go to Musco Park and they give refreshments and chat, basically. Yeah, it's pretty good. I actually I really enjoy it and you just go there three hours. It's only once a month. I'm in at the moment, yeah and mate. Amazing people down there, honestly amazing people.
Speaker 2:It's frigging awesome.
Speaker 1:I love it mate, I love it. And the other good thing that has been a side part to it is my kids ask me about it. So before I go I say to them do you want me to ask you any questions? And Sonny's like, yeah, ask him if Messi's Messi the goat. Who's better, messi or Ronaldo? But I forgot to ask that. So then I come home the next morning and Sonny will be like did you ask him about Messi and Ronaldo? I was like no, I didn't shit. But then the kids want to know. The kids are like so what are they like? Or who do you see and who do you talk to and what happens, and so on. I feel like that's.
Speaker 2:So a lot of growth happens when you follow through. We see a lot with Live. Like Bill, we've got that little launchpad program. So many people purchase something, and I know I've done it before as well. You purchase a $99 course or a $199 course and you're like fuck yeah, I'm going to change the world and you never even fucking open the emails when you get them. That was me. Live life to the middle for 12 months. But yeah, like taking that next step and just following through it gives you confidence yeah, it just gives you confidence.
Speaker 1:No one else made me do what I did. I wanted to do it, yeah. So if I can do it, you do it. If you want to do something, you do it, yeah, and then that's what it is, that's what you want, it's how you want to live.
Speaker 2:So, mate, where to from here? What's some goals?
Speaker 1:Some goals, mate Family time, holidays. So I definitely want to strive to some good family holidays and put them in. I want to do a yearly nice family holiday. That's important. I've got to. I'm building a good, really good team. I've got to. I'm building a good, really good team. Start and understand exactly what the business needs, and I think that's the simplest way that I can make sense. To me, which took a while to figure out too, is that the business is its own thing. It's not me Like. It needs certain things for it to grow. So we're building a team which is working and then I want to consolidate that. You know what I mean. I want to. We'll get into some good jobs. I want to deliver them and that's about it for now.
Speaker 2:Like I don't, I haven't got any written out no, but oh, mate, I think you're absolutely king goals. Your, your holiday thing will be achievable. Like I know, you've jumped on the Amex thing there.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's been awesome yeah.
Speaker 2:Amex is unreal. I'll need to get Amex on here and do the deal, mate because, fuck, there's a good deal out there, isn't there when you use it when you take advantage of it.
Speaker 1:There is yeah, there is. That's a simple step as well.
Speaker 2:That was something else From that Gold Coast event, mate you obviously went home and did a lot after that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, mate, and that's what I said about it, it's the people. It's when you're surrounded with a group of people who are going hard, who are great people, who you want to be around and are successful.
Speaker 2:The community is unbelievable the last event down in Adelaide, just after the event on the Sunday, wrapping it up, and then I'm not sure how it all happened. I think you were the instigator, but whatever it was, 20 something of us, 26 of us all ended up at that restaurant we did, having a great time. It's just.
Speaker 1:It just makes you feel like you want to keep doing better, doesn't it? And support people as well? Do you know what I mean? That's the next thing you know that you can offer some value and that people are going to do the same to you for sure. Yeah, it's amazing, mate. I think community is huge if you can surround yourself with those right people and your mindset. If you, if you're comfortable in yourself and you know what you want to do, you do it yeah, no, mate, I really appreciate you coming on.
Speaker 2:We'll wrap it up, but before we go, what's level up mean to you?
Speaker 1:Level up, pretty obvious. Strive for it. Yeah, go Test yourself. Strive for something better. Hit some goals. Have a crack, definitely have a crack, like I think everyone's got it in them. Yeah, everyone can level up. Everyone's got it in them for sure everyone's got it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's definitely a good message to wrap it up on them. I believe too, man. I believe everybody on this planet has it in them.
Speaker 1:They've just got to fucking get out of their comfort zone. I heard something that really resonated with me the other day. I don't remember who said it, but the phrase is people matter, things don't, and everyone's got a shot, mate. Everyone deserves a shot, absolutely everyone, and I think a lot of people would be surprised, and I think the level up is in them. Everyone can have a crack, yeah, and everyone deserves it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, no, awesome mate. Look. Thanks everybody for listening and watching this podcast. Please help us continue to make this Australia's number one construction podcast Share. Tell all your friends about it. And, yeah, we look forward to seeing you on the next one. Are you ready to build smarter?
Speaker 2:live better and enjoy life, then head over to live like buildcom forward slash elevate to get started everything discussed during the level up podcast with me, duane pierce, is based solely on my own personal experiences and those experiences of my guests. The information, opinions and recommendations presented in this podcast are for general information only, and any reliance on the information provided in this podcast is done at your own risk. We recommend that you obtain your own professional advice in respect to the topics discussed during this podcast.