This Australian Carpenter Got His Builder's License & Everything Changed

Jack Sedgman spent years as a carpenter knowing he wanted more. More freedom. More purpose. More control over his future.

But instead of rushing in, he did something most tradies never do. He got himself educated, surrounded himself with the right people and built the foundations before he ever picked up the license.

In this episode Duayne sits down with Jack from Sedgman Constructions in Melbourne to talk about what it really takes to go from carpenter to registered builder, why doing it the right way matters and how investing in yourself changes everything around you.

This one is for any tradie out there who knows they're capable of more but just hasn't made the move yet.

Transcript

Welcome And Meet Jack

SPEAKER_00 1:28

G'day guys, welcome back to another episode of Level Up. We are back in the studio today for another cracking podcast. Uh, look, I look forward to all of my podcasts, but I say it all the time, I'm really looking forward to this one. But this one I am definitely really keen to dive deep and find out more about this particular guest that we've got on today because the growth that I've seen in him since I've um I've known him is yeah, nothing short of bloody unbelievable. So uh big warm welcome to Jack Sedgman. How are you, mate? Very well, mate. Thanks for having me. Sedgman Constructions. Yep, that's it. Um, mate, I've got I've got I've got a lot I want to get through with you today and a lot of questions I want to ask because I think I personally believe you're a massive inspiration. Um you've definitely inspired me over the time that I've known you. Yeah. You are like you are committed. Like when you when you choose to do something, you just get in, you show up, and you put in the effort. Yeah. And the results speak for themselves, I think.

unknown 2:22

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 2:23

So can you tell us a little bit about give us a little bit of background before we get into where we're at now? Like what's your um what do you do, where'd you start, and all that sort of stuff.

SPEAKER_01 2:31

Yeah, so I uh I'm uh registered builder. Um and I you know I've been running my carpentry business for well, I finished my apprenticeship in 2011. Uh and I remember at the time like I was set, like I didn't want I didn't want a job, I wanted to be out of my own, I wanted to do my own thing. Uh, you know, I wanted to be a builder. I reckon I had master builders come out, I reckon I was maybe like three months out of my time. Master builders came out and um he was like, mate, you are like I love what you're doing, you're on the right track, but you've you know you've you've got you know you've got minimum requirements, so um, you know, uh I think it was three years post post-apprenticeship, he goes, keep doing what you're doing, and you know, I'll see you after that. Um and I, you know, I sort of went around and worked for a few other builders and did a few of my own little jobs and then um you know then got on to one of the big big volume builders and then just worked my ass off and dug myself into the ground a little bit.

SPEAKER_00 3:17

Yeah, yeah. So you've um since you've finished your time, you've been doing a lot of contract carpentry work. Yeah, yeah, all of it, yeah. Yeah, and you've like you built a good little team with that, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 3:26

Yeah, so I started off, I mean, uh for a long time I really felt like I just wanted to be on my own and do it all on my own. Um, but when I finally put someone on, I was like, oh wow, this is this is fantastic, this is so much better. You know, and I think I you know from there I I thought, oh well, you know, I've got one apprentice, I I can have two, and then I I think I ended up with three. That didn't really work.

SPEAKER_00 3:45

Yeah, it's a lot to manage.

SPEAKER_01 3:47

Oh, it really is, it really is. But um, you know, I think that time as well, like you know, we I really learned how to, you know, hone into my craft and um you know figured out what I didn't want my business to look like.

SPEAKER_00 3:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 4:00

That was probably a big part of it too.

SPEAKER_00 4:02

So correct me if I'm wrong, but like you you come to um did you do launch pad or you jumped straight into L.

SPEAKER_01 4:08

Yeah, did the launchpad live.

SPEAKER_00 4:09

Yeah. And so as a like you did it all before you're a registered builder.

Family Crisis And Early Business Strain

SPEAKER_01 4:13

Yeah, yeah, that's right. So I um, you know, I think we had some I had some really, really tough years early on in business. You know, we um uh like I was saying before, our our first one, Leo, he was born at 28 weeks, so super prem. He was in hospital for three months. You know, I'm freaking out. Like actually, I had a couple of guys on, I sacked him, was only on I was all on my own. Um business was not going very well. You know, we're freaking out about you know about our kid in the hospital on that, and and it was just yeah, not a great, not a great time at all. But I think after that, like, you know, we made you know little improvements here, improvements over there, got on to profit first, did a lot of work with Katie, which was really beneficial, really, really helpful. And one of the things that came out of that, you know, we did a session once on um on price increasing. So we ran ran sort of you know a bit of a bit of a thing on that. And after that, we we caught up again. I said, Oh well, that's it's good, but it's just you know, I I kind of want more out of this, you know. And she said, Well, what's next? And I thought, oh, I remember back in the day when you know master builders came out and this and that, that was my plan, and I'd parked it for a long time. So I think I was in a good place where I thought, well, let's let's let's do that again. That's that was obviously the goal from day one. Um, but I'd yeah, I I want to do it right.

SPEAKER_00 5:29

Because when you when we first uh met, so how long have you been with it'd been over two and a half years now, yeah. Because when you when we first met, I remember we had some conversations early on and and you were just sort of dipping your toes in. Like you're like, I I I think I want to be a builder, but I don't know if I can, and like I just want to make sure I get things right.

SPEAKER_01 5:48

Yeah, I think it was I'd I'd made the decision that like yes, I want to let's let's get back to that goal. I want to be a builder, but it was more about you know, like So my my old boss I did my apprenticeship with is shout-out rob, if you're listening. He's um we've we've kept a really great relationship. We speak you know weekly, I would say. So he actually had a um he had a car accident about four or five years ago and it c automatically it stopped his capacity to work. And not long after that he had an issue pop up with uh like one of his last jobs and he wasn't able to go and fix it. You know, they ended up in court, you know, it turned into a really long battle. And it was horrible for him, you know. And I I remember when I said to him, hey, I I want to get my reg, he was like, Oh, Jacko, like I, you know, I know you can do it, you'll be great, but oh, I don't want you to, I don't want you to fall into this same stuff that I've you know had to deal with. I don't want this to happen to you, I don't want you to get shafted here. And I thought, well, okay, well, you know, well, let's let's get myself educated and and lay a good foundation. And I sort of looked around and and you know, there was a few other uh builders' coaches out there, and I went to one event in in Melbourne in the city. It was a day event, and it's I was really excited for it, and at one point it was sort of mid-morning, he said something, it was talking about hourly rates and you know, what's your value and all this sort of stuff, and he goes, I do you really need to be taking your kids to school? Like, where's your time better served? I was like, I'm like, what? What do you mean? That's what I want to be able to do. You know, like at the moment I'm working my guts out all day. I want to have that flexibility to to be able to. So I got out of there, um, and then yeah, obviously came across Live Life Build, did the launch pad live, and I thought, wow, this is this is it. And I remember saying it, I remember saying to Kat, I'm like, this like I I I have to do this. I have to do this. She said, Yep, cool, go for it. How are you gonna pay for it? I said, I don't know. I said, I don't know, but I promise you I'll I'll make it pay for itself. And it and it did, you know, straight away.

SPEAKER_00 7:44

But but you put in the effort. Yeah. Like right from day dot when you signed up, you asked questions, you were straight involved with the Facebook, the community, you were like you still to this day, you show up to pretty much almost like what's your Zoom call attendance, like 99%.

SPEAKER_01 8:00

Oh, but so yeah, last year it was I think I missed one or two. That was a bit insane.

SPEAKER_00 8:04

So it's obviously I take my hat off to you.

SPEAKER_01 8:06

Like you've put in the effort and you But I think it was almost it was almost easier to you know, sort of put my hand up all the time. So I'm like, hey, I'm I'm new, I want to know.

SPEAKER_02 8:15

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 8:16

And I think there was a big shift, like I I crashed a little bit, like I got my registration, I was like, oh shit, it's all here now. And it was like I, you know, it was like, oh wow, like you know. But it I think that was a big shift in you've learned a lot and you know, you've been soaking it all in, and now it's really time to, you know, put these things in place.

SPEAKER_00 8:35

I I I felt for you, mate. It was very exciting. Like I remember we're on we're on one of our Zoom calls, you'd you'd learn a lot, and I think you announced on one of the Zoom calls, I'm ready, I'm gonna I'm gonna go and get my builds.

SPEAKER_01 8:44

Yeah, it was. You know, it was the um it was sort of like the end of year wrap-up Zoom that we did, and we had to put all these goals out there of, you know, what do we want to do next year? And I I remember thinking to myself, I'm like, if I don't say this now that yes, I want to get my registration and I want to get it next year, then it'll just take a little longer and it'll drag out. So I said it. And I was nervous when I did. Yeah, like I've you know, I've been out of school for a long time. I haven't studied for, you know, God knows at moment. I probably didn't back then anyway. Um so it was a big commitment, you know. But I I yeah, I said it and I went for it and I made it happen.

SPEAKER_00 9:16

And then you had the whole community behind you, mate, letting you want to know everything you're doing.

SPEAKER_01 9:20

I'll I'll never forget it. I sat there on the morning of my um of my interview and it was my phone. I had to turn it off, it was going off. You know, it was like message out there was about 30 or 40 messages from you know all these builders all over the country, man. Like you've you know, you've got it, mate. You know, so it's like um mate.

SPEAKER_00 9:36

Can you tell us a little bit about like because uh again, I take my hat off to you, like you you've committed, but like how so many people know they've got to do something, but they're scared to jump in and do it. But like you when you we do the zoom calls, you're in your truck. So you're still going to work, you're doing your thing, but you've obviously educated your team enough to know that hey, I've I'm committed to this, so when whatever time my zoom calls are on, here's your task, I'm I'll be in the truck, don't annoy me. Like what how have you dealt with that?

SPEAKER_01 10:05

Like just so when I when I went with Katie, so we did that Prophet First Um Foundations program, that was a similar, well, it was about six weeks, six or eight weeks. And same thing, it was at, you know, it might have been 11 o'clock on a Tuesday morning. And and that's from doing that, I thought, okay, well, I can take you know an hour out of my day and actually still be more I'd actually be more efficient, all right? It's it it's like you take a little bit of time away, you you're still gonna get the same amount of stuff done. Yeah, you've just got to be more efficient with your time. Yeah. And I'm really thinking, well, all right, well, why can't I just keep doing that then? You know, and I even um push that a little further. Like I, you know, once a week I like to go and do me early morning yoga, you know, so I've you know, and it doesn't work all the time, but when I prioritize it, you know, I I get what I want for myself and I end up being better on site anyway.

SPEAKER_00 10:53

Yeah. But like how have you like what did you have to tell your site team to like what so obviously they know not to come over to the truck when you're doing these calls, like well, you just gotta prepare them.

SPEAKER_01 11:03

You know, it's I think it and and really, really this should be happening anyway. You've got to set your team up for success.

SPEAKER_02 11:08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 11:09

And if you're not giving them the information that they need, um, you know, the instructions that they need, and it then it's just not gonna work anyway. So I think by by knowing that I was gonna you know have these pockets of time away, well you just have to be more efficient. It's as simple as that.

SPEAKER_00 11:24

And how do you think your team feel about you, like what you're doing? Like do they appreciate that you're hot like you're improving, you're educating yourself, you're doing development.

SPEAKER_01 11:33

I think um, you know, especially so I've I've I'm just down to one one uh carpenter at the moment, um, just me and Jacob, and I think he really um I think he you know he sees that I'm putting in the effort and you know we talk about all right, well, this is what I want my business to look like in you know in six, twelve, you know two years time. Yeah. And he says he's invested. Yeah. You know, he I think he's I think he's excited about it too.

Committing To Builder Registration

SPEAKER_00 11:56

And how do you like again? I I just see so many like so many members that come to um come to us now, like I just when I look at you guys, I just think back and think, holy fuck, like the amount of problems I had when I was going through what you were going through. Like, and it's not just about um Live Like Build, it's about the community. Like you have so many people to lean on.

SPEAKER_01 12:18

Oh yeah, 100%. And I think I like so there's two uh two things I say to that. One is like I, you know, early on, you know, out out as you know, as a carpenter, like I worked my ass off and uh and I wasn't really running a great business. So like I've I've done that. Maybe there's not as many zeros on the end of it as a as a builder, but it sucks. So I don't want to do that again. And and so back to back to Rob, you know, over the last couple of years, you know, he every now and again he'll say, Oh, Jack, oh, I just don't want you to end up in this situation. I said, Oh, we actually did a session on this recently, these are the documents we put in place, these are the processes we put in place to you know get in front of that. And he was like, Oh, okay, that sounds pretty good. Yeah, cool. And and that's happened you know a number of times, and now to the point where he's like, geez, I wish I'd had that.

SPEAKER_00 13:04

Yeah. Yeah, I think it's awesome, mate. But look, again, you you've done the work. Like it doesn't happen without you doing the work and you you showing up. Yeah. Um so where where two from here? Like you've now you've got your builder's license, um you've now like the last few months you've been putting some quotes and started having the inquiries come in.

SPEAKER_01 13:23

And you know, it's funny, like the first one comes in, like, oh yes, I want this job. But then I'm looking at it thinking, well, that's not actually the right job for me. You know, the the uh budget doesn't align, this isn't right. You know, like an early one, the guy didn't want to get permits. I'm like, well, that doesn't really align. So I think it's it's been really helpful in saying no, you know, which I'm also really careful not to, you know, I don't want to get in the habit of saying no too often to almost put these jobs off. But I've found that the you know, those first couple that came in that weren't quite right, it's given me a real, really clear picture on on what those jobs do look like.

SPEAKER_02 13:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 13:59

Um I've got a couple of really good inquiries in at the moment. Uh so there uh I've got a site meeting on Friday and then another one early next week, which I'm really excited about. So that's a good one.

SPEAKER_00 14:08

Um I I love that you um you give us all a little insight. Like you do you jump on, you do a little video, tell us that you've got this meeting coming up, what's going on. And the one thing I really like about what you do, mate, is you're not afraid to ask questions.

unknown 14:23

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 14:23

But a couple of meetings you've been to, like you've jumped on the group and you've asked, hey, like what if I've got this job coming up, I've got this interview, they want to talk about this. What what what do you think?

SPEAKER_02 14:32

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 14:32

Like that is just goal.

SPEAKER_01 14:34

Like, yeah, I think there's real I mean you just can't know it all, right? You just can't you can't. And I think you're gonna you're gonna get more out of you know the right questions that you ask than just trying to power through it anyway.

SPEAKER_00 14:47

Yeah. Yeah. No, I'm I'm excited, mate. I I look forward to the the first contract you sign. I I think it's gonna be um we'll have to bloody have a Zoom party or something. But um because yeah, you're foot in the effort and you you deserve to do well, but like how much easier, like how much how relieved do you feel and I guess stress-free knowing that you've you've because you've built your systems and processes, so you've got a lot in place that most builders wouldn't have and even if they've been in business five, ten, twenty years. You've got it all straight off the put off the bat.

SPEAKER_01 15:14

Yeah, I actually noticed it was one of the last events we went to, and I I remember thinking to myself, you know what, I actually can't remember the last time I felt anxious. And I think for for a long time I I didn't realise that I was, you know, and like all of those those early years, you know, uh running around with a nail bag on and you know, young kids and that, like I was. I was really anxious all of the time, but I don't feel that way at all anymore. I feel prepared.

Systems That Remove Builder Anxiety

SPEAKER_00 15:39

Yeah. Yeah. That's a good way of putting it. You're prepared.

SPEAKER_01 15:42

And I think it's one like even in saying that, you know, a a problem a problem will arise, you know, something will come up that I don't know. All right, cool. I know where to look. Yeah, you know, I know who to I know who to talk to, I know you know where to look and and all of that.

SPEAKER_00 15:56

So where where's it come from? Where's the confidence come from to I guess to even reach out to a to anybody, let alone a training or like program, before you even became a builder? Like 'cause there's people that sit on the fence or don't do anything their entire career, mate.

SPEAKER_01 16:12

Like what Um Well I think I did I did do that for a long time. You know, especially like throughout my twenties, I think I I just thought that I could work my way through it, you know, and and whatever those problems were. But when you've got a young family, you just can't. It doesn't work that way. And I was so burnt out. And I think, you know, I I remember one, it was just before I turned 30. I love this story. Kat doesn't actually remember this, but I do. We were blown about something, and she said, Look, you're nearly 30, you need to figure out who the fuck you are, um and get yourself sorted. And I I remember thinking, Oh my god, she's gonna leave me. And I don't think it was that diet, but you know, that was a bit of a kick up the ass that I needed. And you know, and I I you know, I sort of did one little thing for myself, and you know, that that sort of you know opened my mind a little bit. And and Kat did the same. Like she went and you know, did some things for herself, and then we'd sort of grow together a little bit, and then I'd take a step and she'd take a step. And I look at that and think, I would like it's not just one thing, right? You know, it's a it's a series of um you know intention intentional choices that that get you to where you need to be. Yeah, you know, and I think I l I've learnt to know that this is the next thing I need to do. All right. And I and you can have a you can have a grand plan, all right. I know where I want to be in, you know, in ten years, twenty years and all of that. But but you know, if I if you can see your whole life laid out in front of you, it's not your life, it's you know, it's somebody else's, right? Yeah. But I think I that's a that's something I've learned is to know that this is the next right thing to do. And then that turns into something else, and the next right thing, and the next right thing after that.

SPEAKER_00 17:45

Yeah. And what what's the draw like what's behind that? Like what is it more time with family, is it travelling, is it like building building a bit more wealth so your family's stable?

Parenting Neurodivergent Kids With Support

SPEAKER_01 18:55

Oh all of the yeah, all of the above. But I think more time with the families that it's a huge one. You know, my boys are uh nearly eight and ten. Um and that's flown. Yeah. Like that's gone so quickly. You know what I mean? And there's only a few more years be qu you know before they come teenagers and they probably don't want to bar off us at all.

SPEAKER_00 19:14

Oh mate, I think it gets it it feels like it's get gets quicker. Like I I loved every or I I have enjoyed and loved every moment of my girls growing up. But recently, like one's I got 13 and 15 now.

SPEAKER_02 19:29

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 19:30

And I'm starting to think, holy shit, like they're creating their own lives now. Like there's not like yes, they're gonna be around for a long time, but um like the 15-year-old, like, she's only a year away, like a year and a half from getting a license. Like, so yeah, you've got to cherish every moment.

SPEAKER_01 19:51

And I still remember I like this is a a funny one. I remember they were in Kinder, and we're walking around the um the local shopping centre, and and Leo runs over to some other kid and says good day. I'm like, what, you've got a a friend? Like, you've got a you've got friends, you got your own life? What what do you mean? Oh, it was funny.

SPEAKER_00 20:10

Um, I don't know, I'm not sure if you're open to talking about this, but like you a lot of I hear a lot, like a lot of people reach out to me on socials and stuff, and it I I don't want to call them out, but I I believe they're making a lot of excuses, and a lot of the time it's um it's family. Like their kids are young, they'll they're they they're not getting a lot of sleep, like they're and like they don't have time and like all this sort of thing. Like your boys uh obviously were born premature and yeah, yeah, yeah.

Sponsor Highwood Timber High Flow Battens

SPEAKER_01 20:39

So yeah, Leo was born super premi and and spent and spent quite a bit of time in hospital. He was also an extremely difficult uh baby when he came home. You couldn't settle him, wouldn't eat, wouldn't sleep. Um they ended up he he got an AS an autism diagnosis at about two and a half, and Vance uh Vance got an ASD diagnosis as well. So yeah, it was wasn't wasn't easy for a really, really long time. Yeah. Um I will say that you know I think uh Kat and I, and especially Kat, like, you know, she made some really, really good choices early on and pushed for, you know, pushed for those right answers early on. And we got them, you know, we we um got their diagnosis really early, got them uh intervention really early. And I still remember one of the so that our psychologist, she's amazing. She said to me, you know, we're gonna do this, we're gonna do all of this work now, we're gonna do all of this intervention now, so that they can go to school with a better skill set than their peers. Yeah. And that was a that was a long time of really, really hard work, but it but it paid off. Yeah. You know, it's really paid off. Like they, you know, they go to, you know, schools and sports and you know, parties and all that sort of stuff. And they're they're engaged, they have fun, they've got great friends. They'll talk to, you know, anyone from the newborns right up to their grandparents at these, you know, at these events, and they're you know, I think we've I think we've really given them, you know, we've set them up for success.

SPEAKER_00 22:06

Yeah. Yeah. But you've many you've done all that at the same time you're setting yourself up for success.

SPEAKER_01 22:12

Yeah, and I think for a for a long time I wasn't. I think for a long time it was I've it was it was hard. Yeah, it was hard. So I I became really close-minded, you know, for a long time. And it was probably that comment from Kat that gave me the kick up the ass to do what I needed to do. But I think as soon as you like I said, if you as soon as you you sort of you take one step and it and it and it works out, and then you trust yourself a little bit more to take the next one. And I think that feeds the drive to you know, want to get better again.

Curiosity And Asking Better Questions

SPEAKER_00 22:40

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SPEAKER_01 24:54

No, I'd say that's in general. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 24:56

Because you and you you do know the right questions to ask. Like a lot of we're just talking about this before we started recording. Like a lot of the um time, like you if you don't know what you don't know, it's very hard to ask the right question. But I I assume that it's maybe because you are showing up to all the Zooms and you're sitting there, you're listening to what other people are saying, you're seeing what's going on, and you're you're obviously good at observing, and then that's giving you you, I guess, the information you need to be able to ask. Because some of the stuff that you ask on Zoom calls and in our Facebook group are yeah, like it blows me away most of the time.

SPEAKER_01 25:32

Yeah. Oh well thank you. Yeah, yeah, well I I guess it's just that. Like, you know, you've Yeah, well you don't you know you don't know what you don't know, so why not? Were you like that at school? No, absolutely not. Absolutely not. Oh, actually, no, I take that back. So up until like like primary school? Yeah, probably. Yeah, love primary school. As soon as I got into high school though, nah, it wasn't for me at all. I went to a big Catholic high school, you know, suit like suit pants, had to wear a tie, all of that jazz, and yeah, that was downhill from day dot.

SPEAKER_00 26:07

Couldn't wait to get the nail bag on cleaner.

SPEAKER_01 26:09

Oh yeah, yeah, pretty much. Yeah, but we had a, you know, we spoke about this earlier as well. Like there was a I reckon half of the blokes in my my year in in year 10 were booted out at the end of the year. I mean, I was lucky enough that I knew I was going anyway. But really, I wasn't, you know, I I mean I it wasn't working for me at school, right? I didn't want to be there. But really, I wasn't actually ready to leave yet. You know, like I I went and did my pre-app, I got my first job. He was he was horrible that first boss I had, my God.

SPEAKER_00 26:36

In in the in the building.

SPEAKER_01 26:38

Yeah, in the yeah, an apprentice. And um and that put me off for a while. I worked for a couple of months and you know, and it ended. I'm like, I'm this is this sucks. And I thought, oh maybe if I you know get my licence, it'd be better. So I just you know, I'd spent two and eight, well yeah, probably two years just doing little bits of well, I you know, I was always working, but it wasn't an it was yeah, when I got my licence again, then I then I sort of started again. And really like that that extra two years, I think I needed that to be 15. Yeah, 16. 16 I left, and yeah, and then 18 I started my my apprenticeship.

SPEAKER_00 27:09

Yeah. Yeah. It's um yeah, I guess it's everyone's different, isn't it? Like I I definitely didn't want to be there. Like I left in grade 10, but yeah, I know heaps of blokes now that say this it's similar to what you just said, like they needed that two years to build um relationships and things, and it's probably one it is one area that I I lacked in. Like when I left school, like I was just flat out working, whereas all my mates were playing footy and continuing sport, like building real close relationships, and I I missed out on that.

Giving Back Through Local Community Work

SPEAKER_01 27:39

Which um and I I do think that there's like I would imagine that if you if you're you know, I mean I can only talk from a from a young bloke's perspective, but if you if you stay through VCE and you, you know, you have that time with your mates, like that's almost like a a bit of an initiation into you know adulthood, right? Because you're doing it with your mates. If you leave school early, you've got to do that. And and generally, uh like if you're not doing an apprenticeship, you're doing it with the guys on site, like that's your initiation, right? Yeah, you know, and some some employers are probably better than better than others with that, you know. But it's a really important time to to grow up. Like what is it for young young blakes? You what 27, 28 before you fully, you know. Is it? I th I think so, yeah. It makes sense. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 28:20

It takes us blokes longer to get to get it, yeah, get our brain switched on, I guess. And yeah. But um Matt, I've got a couple of questions here um for you because we've we've covered a fair bit of it, but I'd I'm keen to dive deeper because you you don't just put effort into yourself and your business, and like I I know you put a lot of time into your your family, you're very passionate about that, which I respect. Um, but you also like one of the other things that I've seen you become very passionate about, and now you've executed um since your time with Live Life Build is being involved with uh like charity work and volunteer work.

SPEAKER_01 28:57

Yeah, so we've got uh two organisations that we can speak about. So one of them is Dad's Connect. So that was actually a uh I was a participant in that program. I reckon my boys were they were young, like maybe one and three or yeah, roughly. And I um so I went down this place on a Thursday night, Kat sent me down there, and I thought it was a seminar. And I walk in and there's a you know, there's a table with some like chips and snacks and like you know, chairs all around it, and I was like, oh fuck, what am I doing? Yeah, I thought, what have I got myself into? Um but it's so it was a support group for dads uh with kids with autism, and it was fantastic. Like I I left that night, like I had I got so much out of it, and I felt so empowered to, you know, make positive changes at home and you know be a great role model and all of those things that you know like you know, deep down I really wanted anyway. But I, you know, had a bit of well, a bit of support, you know, a bit more of an understanding, a bit of a network. And and it was phenomenal. I think it went for about six weeks or so. Um and I think we did he he ran them a few times. Obviously, COVID um so that was run through another organisation, and after COVID, they lost their funding, so it sort of disappeared. And I um actually reached out to him, it was a little well a little while ago now, so and I said, hey, like, you know, that was so valuable to me, and I got so much out of it. Like, like we need it back, and I want to be a part of it. So I've jumped on board as like a uh group mentor in there. So we've it's been a little slow going, but we've run we've run a couple of groups so far, we've got some plans to do some more. Um but that's it's just so needed as a whole. And I think for dads in general, I had a when we were uh doing some advertising for it, I was getting some messages like, oh, is this you know like for dads in general or this and that? And I said, Oh well, if if we were to, would you be interested? And you got the answer's obviously yes. You know, so there's um yeah, definitely more to come in that space.

SPEAKER_00 30:46

So is that is that just um in your area or is that that program run all over Australia?

SPEAKER_01 30:51

No, at the moment it's just a local, just a local group. We've run it out of a couple of different places. Um give it a plug, mate. What's the area? Uh so oh well we've run run one out of the Parents Hub, which I'll talk about next. So they're in Murray Bark. And we uh the other one was through in Nutterwadding, in Nutta Wadding Hall. Um but Connect World Counselling is the um that's Peter, he's the the counselor and the facilitator. Yeah. Yeah. And so then the other one, so we I'd uh the other one is the Parents Hub and I um I'm on the board there now as the uh as the treasurer, which I I was so rapt when she asked me for that to do that role. I I was yeah, so honoured. Because it's so so they do, she's been around for well the Parents Hub's been around for oh I think about eight years or so. They do um mums groups, playgroups, um all sorts of events, they had their Easter event there in the last weekend. So to be asked to, you know, and I uh Erin and I know I've known for quite some time, since teenage years. And I've been there a few times. Because Kat actually did, I think this is important too. So when it was sort of one of the things that I think kicked off, you know, uh you know, some improvements uh for me was Kat did a a program there called Mummy Mind Detox. And so it's you know, kind of for you know, mums that, you know, obviously, you know, maybe lose their identity and identity a bit when, you know, when kids come along and and she got so much out of that. Like, you know, she sort of set some new expectations, some new boundaries, and and and just you know, that was one of the one of the big steps for uh for us as a as a relationship. So to be on there as as the um on the board is yeah, really cool.

SPEAKER_00 32:22

So the uh the profit first stuff, mate, it's not just paying off in your business, you're and you're now helping out with the Yeah, oh it's it's been the foundation, really.

SPEAKER_01 32:29

Yeah. Yeah, yeah, that's exactly right.

SPEAKER_00 32:31

So what what happens with that? Is that just a general catch-up?

SPEAKER_01 32:34

Like, yeah, so it's it's it's a legitimate charity, a legit uh legitimate not-for-profit. So we've um you know we've got quarterly board uh board meetings and um yeah, it's all about all about supporting the the organization as a whole and um you know and supporting the community.

Trades Pathways And Women In Building

SPEAKER_00 32:50

It's unreal, isn't it? Like everyone I feel like people see business as this real foreign thing that we're not taught, but like so is being a parent. Yeah. Like you don't there's no perfect time to become a parent. Like it's um and like you just gotta learn along the way and hopefully be the best you can. But yeah, um I think it's it's like probably uh wish I had a j reached out and got a bit of advice on a few things over the years. Like you you don't know what you as a parent you mean?

SPEAKER_01 33:25

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 33:25

Yeah, like it's no different to business. Like I I bang on all the time that you reach out, get help, like you don't know what you don't know, but it's exactly the same for being a father or a mother.

SPEAKER_01 33:35

Like you couldn't lay it all out for somebody before they had kids. You just you just couldn't explain the complexity of it. Yeah, you know, and it's hard, but it's amazing all at once. You know, and I think our kids and like our kids and our partners are the you know, they're they're the ultimate mirror to who we really are, whether we want to see it or not. Yeah. You know, but you've you know, I think you're up to them to, you know, to to dig in and isn't it crazy?

SPEAKER_00 33:59

Like I'd love to know hear your theory on this, but like we most people in the building industry hated school. Yeah. Like couldn't stand it. Yeah. And my opinion is I I just I didn't gel with the way it w I was getting taught or was expected to learn.

SPEAKER_02 34:16

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 34:17

Um but I wish I I wish there had been a way that had have taught me better or got me more engaged because like I've seen the benefits, like the I'm addicted to it now, like I can't get enough. Like I f I find something now and I I do as much homework, courses, mentoring, coaching, whatever I can. But probably the there's a few reasons why I'm addicted to it. Like, number one, I see how it just it takes the anxiety away, takes the pressure away, it takes the stress away. But I think the biggest driver is the better I am, the better everything else around me is, and that's just not business. Like it's my relationship with Camille, it's my relationship with my kids, it's my relationship with my team on site. Yeah, um so it's just it's crazy, eh? But like to think where I'm at now and where I was at school, like it's completely different because now I can't get enough of a sitting in a room. Like, do you yeah, I don't know. What's your opinion?

SPEAKER_01 35:16

Yeah, I think I from what I can see, I think it's definitely moving in a a better direction. So all all of my apprentices have actually gone through um the local trade school Rangers um Rangers Tafe. So they do years 10, 11, and 12, but you have to do a trade. Yeah. Or you can do all of them. You can do all of the trades if you want. Yeah. And you can, you know, and they obviously we've got a young kid at the moment doing it he does work placement, so just one day a week, he'll come in and get some experience. But that gives them it gives them an opportunity to stay in school for those years that they probably need a you know mature a little bit, um, but also be exposed to you know opportunities in the trade. You know, I think that would have been really beneficial, you know, when I was um when I was that age. You know, I think in other high schools they're definitely they're definitely more inclined to help guide these kids. You know, if they want if then if they don't want to be at school and they do want to do a trade, because it used to just be if you don't want to be at school, you have to go do a trade, right? But now it's if you want to do a trade, well let's you know, let's really guide you into that, into that space rather than just get out.

SPEAKER_00 36:19

Yeah, yeah. You know? It's uh like something my wife and I are battling with at the moment, like and like we're big advocates for females in the building industry. Like we had our event the other weekend, we had a whole day for for uh females, but the industry talks about it all the time how we've got to get more females in the industry, we've got to support them, like gotta like they're good for it.

SPEAKER_02 36:39

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 36:40

And my girls go to an all-girls school, and mate, they they are so against it, it's not funny. They um yeah, like you go to their careers days and um stuff, and they they talk down. Like, you don't want to be a trader, you don't want to get in the building industry. And um it's gonna be interesting to see what happens because Camille's been asked to speak at one of their career stays, and she's gonna uh give it to them a bit about yeah, uh but uh but I think that can even like like what I was saying before about like your apprenticeship is almost like a a bit of an initiation, right?

SPEAKER_01 37:08

An initiation for for young blokes, like that's in cultures all around the world, right? It's been around forever. But maybe how it's happening in an apprenticeship, you know, in a male-dominated space, isn't really working. It's probably not the healthiest. So we need more fail females in the industry, but to do that we need the industry needs to change, but for it to change, we need more females in the industry, right? And that doesn't gel. That the way, you know, my my first apprentice, Sarah, she was fantastic. Um, picked, you know, like she picked up the skills way quicker than any of the young blokes. But that was hard that that first year, and I had to really, like I like I knew, you know, there might be some, you know, we work with some really great trades and and all of that. And I knew that like she'd be accepted, but there might be a bit of just funny. And there was. And you had to I had to really, like I I'm not very confrontational, right? But I had to be. I had to really put my foot down. And most of the time, that's how, oh look, I'm I'm sorry, I shouldn't have, I shouldn't have said that, or you know, I didn't realise I was, you know, taking a piss or whatever. But yeah, I think there needs to be some real real improvements there.

SPEAKER_00 38:15

Yeah, definitely. We've um only recent well this year, we've just put on our first um school-based female apprentice, and we're really uh we're really excited to see how she goes. So far she's gone yeah, gangbusters, but it has been interesting to see the change on site. Like some of um like one of our supervisor, well both our supervisors are good, but the supervisor in particular that's looked in after the job that she's on. It's been like it blows my mind. So like we Blakes has turned up to job sites, the portal's are disgusting. Like I I avoid them. But um like there's just there's all these little things that you don't really take enough notice of. And like literally the first week she started, like um, he's got daughters, he's either gone to the I don't know what he's gone to office, works, the shops, whatever, but the portal's spotless, it's got fresh toilet paper in it, there's ham wash in there, yeah. And like that's fantastic. But the other thing is why is that why is it taking to put on a female for everyone to look after that?

SPEAKER_01 39:22

Like and I think a an important note is why does it take you know uh a guy with daughters to then enforce it? Yeah, it shouldn't it shouldn't matter.

SPEAKER_00 39:32

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 39:33

I agree.

SPEAKER_00 39:33

But it it's been really good to see the the few little changes here and there in the team, and um it's been really good to see um the lead carpenters on the job that she's on, like really put time and and effort into her. And like she's a cracking young kid. Like um she was actually um working for a butcher's shop before she came to us. Like she's a hard worker, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 39:54

Um, but yeah, I I I don't know, it's it there always is those little bit of uncomfortable situations, and I don't know why I think they'll go away eventually, but yeah, we've just got to support each other, like oh absolutely, and just you know, squash those things when they pop up, you know, and the and the good ones all you know they'll they'll learn learn from those things of what you should and shouldn't say and all of that. And you know, I think but yeah, I think it's important.

SPEAKER_00 40:19

So how how many girls have you had through your business?

SPEAKER_01 40:21

So just the one, just the one, Sarah. Um she got through her first year and she lost interest in the in the job um and ended up moving on. Um but she was yeah, she was great.

SPEAKER_00 40:34

Yeah. The um how do you find like you you go you put on you you've put through quite a few apprentices. Um what changes have you seen in the time that you've been in the industry with with young people coming through?

SPEAKER_01 40:46

Uh I think it's I think it's probably too easy to say that I think a common trend is, you know, the young this new generation is too soft and blah, blah, blah. But I don't think it's that it's that simple. I think um you know, I've had of the of the apprentices that I've had through, there's the majority of them have been fantastic. You know, they've they've been really, really great. They've come from great, you know, great families and they've they've really put into their into their trade and and they've been great. But I do think that you know we do live in a different time, and maybe it's not as simple as, you know, this this younger generation's soft, or maybe it's maybe it's that they're afforded a bit of space that maybe we weren't when we were younger.

SPEAKER_02 41:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 41:31

You know, and I I mean maybe it's not as simple as that, but I think it's a big it's a bigger question.

SPEAKER_00 41:35

Um Did you get the can at school, mate? Or was you too young for it?

SPEAKER_01 41:38

No, no, not quite. My mum used to tell me about actually that she used to, you know, pull the hands out right at the last second and the teacher had cop it and you know they're in control from there. Yeah. Well I think my mum was just as much of a smart ass, if not more, than I was.

SPEAKER_00 41:52

So look uh yeah, anyway, like I don't know if that really matters, but um there's obviously been a big change in how we're all brought up. Yeah. Like because I know just in my short life, like we've we had a lot of boundaries when we were growing up. Like at school, like if you yeah, if you did something wrong, you got a belt or you got the cane or the ruler. Um can you imagine if you you'd even talked about doing that to a young person these days? But and then it wasn't just at school, like I um like it was wherever if you was footy training, like you gotta kick up the ass. Like if you I'd love to see one of the teachers give give my youngest son the cane, he'd he'd whip the shit out of him But um like it was everywhere, like even at home, like you it was nothing to get a like I I didn't get too many, like my I had great parents, but like you gotta smack, like you got your hand on your ass.

SPEAKER_01 42:48

Yeah, and I think there's you know, there's some I think there's some really important research that shows that you know, like like smacking your kids, right? It doesn't actually work. Yeah, it really doesn't work, you know. And like yeah, I think we just you know, we're our our worlds are bigger now. We've got access to way more information, yeah. Probably a lot more distractions as well. Um, but we live in a different time, we have to adapt, like just because it worked, you know, when our parents were kids and you know theirs before them.

Communication Skills That Lift Site Culture

SPEAKER_00 43:13

Well it didn't it didn't work. No, well that's right. That's what I was sort of getting to. And then like back then, like even our like police, like they're way harder than they they were.

SPEAKER_01 43:22

Um but even think about it like you know, just say something happens at on site, you know, young bloke you know makes a mistake. If I yell and crack the shits and you know all of that, like how don't learn anything. Yeah. But if you just take a breath and then explain, all right, well, this is this is the expectation that we have, these are the the you know, or even where do you think you went wrong there. Yeah, you know, you can you can learn and evolve from that, you know, rather than just being an angry, angry bugger.

SPEAKER_00 43:52

Oh 100%, mate. And and look, and so that what I was just um going on, like that went right through like then when I became an apprentice. Like it was you got yelled at, you got shit thrown at you, like it was just it was always hard, and as you just said, like it taught me nothing. Like, I my boss taught me very good how to be a tradesman, and um I'm very grateful for everything that I got taught, but I I feel like the biggest shift which a lot of people are struggling with, is we've learned we need to learn how to communicate better. Yeah, like that's that's where the big shift's gonna be. Yeah, like and so communication isn't threatening, like communication and it is if you it is if you don't know how to do it, yeah. But um, and this is actually the last two weeks, since the summit in Melbourne the other day, like um Glenn Azar, one of the speakers there, like he mentioned that book about the five love languages. Yeah, so um I actually downloaded it and I by the Monday morning I'd I'd smashed it out. But when I was looking for that book, there was actually another one called The Five Love Languages of Your Employees. All right, and it makes complete sense. Like all everything at the end of the day, it all comes down to communication, and you've got to figure out how your commun how the way that you communicate, the words you use affects the other person. And every every single one of us is very different.

SPEAKER_01 45:13

Yeah, oh absolutely. Even look at you know, my two boys, they're they're so different, you know, and I've got it in and uh you do, you have to communicate differently with both of them, it's no different with your team members.

SPEAKER_00 45:22

Yeah, 100%. And um, so yeah, it's interesting to get your your take on how many apprentices you've had through and how you how you see it changing. Because I've I like something I'd love to get across on this podcast, um, and like you're you're you have a very calm demeanour about you like you whenever I see you, whenever even when you talk, when you show up on the Zooms, like you just you are so grounded, it's it's amazing.

SPEAKER_01 45:44

Yeah, well I think I had to I had to work at it. Yeah, I wasn't always. Yeah, I'm bouncing off the walls for most of my younger years.

SPEAKER_00 45:53

But uh well was that was that temporal or was that uh self-inflicted?

SPEAKER_01 45:57

Oh I'll probably be both.

SPEAKER_00 46:00

But um look I think that's gonna that communication and that understanding other people is gonna is a is a big opportunity for our industry to have a big breakthrough.

SPEAKER_01 46:11

Yeah, yeah. And I I think, you know, especially when you're you know, if you're if you're building or renovating somebody's home, that communication is is so important too. Like you could you could build a nice space for somebody, you know, but if it doesn't actually you know, if the if the layout doesn't doesn't flow or, you know, if you've got poor ventilation or sunlight or all of those sorts of things, right, it's not going to be very nice to live in. Yeah. You know, where if you if you you know ask the right questions early on and and find out what, you know, like especially if you're doing a renovation, right? Like what are your pain points? What's not working? Where do you where do you guys clash? Right? Where's the where does it suck all the energy out of you? What's going on?

SPEAKER_00 46:51

Seriously for a blind is how long had your builder's license? Six uh eight months?

SPEAKER_01 46:56

Yeah about that.

SPEAKER_00 46:57

Yeah if you're going to your meetings asking these questions like you're gonna work in no time.

Biophilic Design And Healthier Homes

SPEAKER_01 47:02

Yeah oh well that's good to that's good to hear. But I think it's it's important, right? You know and I think there's you know obviously sustainability is a really big um a really big and an important topic right and I I thought about this recently I thought well you know obviously our uh you know houses should be built you know you know sustainably good materials and all those sorts of things but the home should be sustainable as well in the way that it should give you more energy than it takes. You know if your if your house isn't working for you and it's sucking the life out of you then how can you give give back to anybody around you?

SPEAKER_00 47:35

A lot of people wouldn't wouldn't grasp what you're talking about.

SPEAKER_01 47:39

Well I think I I think I do because I think you know I like having having two young kids with special needs. I think if you've got if you've got kids with that with um with ASD or or or any any any type of disabilities like you're like the with the NASA of parenting right you're like the special forces of parenting like you are you've got to be on edge you've got to know everything right you've got to be ready for battle at any time. And I had a I had a bit of a realization I was at an SBA event uh it was early last year it was on um it was designing and building homes for health and health and wellbeing and there was an architect there who spoke on on biophilic design. I'd never heard of biophilic design before biophilic biophilic design. So it's kind of like I think my take on it is kind of like weaving you know nature and natural elements just into your home. And that can be colours, textures, all those sorts of things.

SPEAKER_00 48:30

Biophilic I'm gonna write that one down there.

SPEAKER_01 48:32

And she she literally she was talking about doing a doing a big talk on this and and she actually said you know if you've got you know say a child with autism you know they're they're they're sensory like they're gonna respond different to you know different types of uh textures and carpets. And I was like oh oh my God that's it right like and I just thought of all of these ways that cats and like I you know I really will give cat all of the credit for this. The way that she set her home up to support the the regulation and the needs of of of the people in it me included right and like that's that's all she's done that just from from lighting and furniture layout and you know and colours and stuff like that. And I think you know even we watch like you say downstairs is you know that's the action zone that's where everything's happening. It's where they're getting ready for school, breakfast, lunch, dinner and all that and then as soon as you walk upstairs everything's calm, you know, they're getting ready for bed. I thought geez if we can do that from just a couple of you know a couple of lights and um and textures imagine what you could do with a even even a small renovation right yeah like if you're gonna do your bathroom you can do your bathroom right but if you can do it in a way that really supports how you live boom there you go.

SPEAKER_00 49:43

Yeah I took a huge amount away from um Paula Bakela port when I bought her over last year and like I've I've been on the healthy home sort of sustainability sort of thing for a very long time but something she really drove home is like as humans our built environments have taken away a lot of our natural instincts like touch, feel smell because we're we're living in homes that are full of synthetic materials and off gassing and plasterboard and painted finishes and unnatural floor finishes where we walk bare feet.

SPEAKER_01 50:20

And that's what biophilic design is all about.

SPEAKER_00 50:22

Yeah and it makes it makes total sense like yeah well it's only in the last you know however many hundred years right but before that yeah yeah so like it's no coincidence that when you walk into a home that's got some sort of stone fireplace or or a big chunk of timber or post or something like everything you walk up to it you you touch it because we're drawn like as humans we're drawn to that's right um sort of thing.

SPEAKER_01 50:47

And there's some be there's been some really great initiatives in um in like uh commercial so in or in schools right so there there's been schools that have you know really honed in on on um on natural elements and biophilic design and those kids that you know like like myself who were bouncing off the walls are sitting in a classroom you know engaging. Yeah you know what I mean like you know and that's like that's what I want for my boys.

SPEAKER_02 51:10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 51:10

You know and we would when especially when Lara started school like we were terrified. We didn't know if he was going to cope we didn't know if he was going to if he was going to stay there. We had no idea right you know but they're like they're happy there they're engaged they're a part of the discussion you know giving valuable you know insights into into what they're talking about they're helping out other kids and you think wow like they are like they are set up for success.

Bringing Healthy Home Thinking To Clients

SPEAKER_00 51:36

Yeah yeah even um like this podcast isn't meant to be about uh healthy homes and stuff but it all like it's interesting hearing you speak from a father with um two boys with special needs and it just it makes me more passionate to know more about what we put in our homes yeah because like you just pointed out like they're generally a bit more sensitive to those types of things but at the end of the day what we put in our homes is affecting every single one of us. Oh absolutely yeah absolutely and even like the other thing that Paula um two other things that she really made me start educating myself a lot more on uh was the glass like a lot of the glass that we have in our windows now to try and make our homes more efficient and and more more energy efficient and and block stuff out and keep heat and cold and all those types of things that's having massive impacts on us as well as humans we we need natural light. Yeah exactly right like apparently e-glass is the one of the worst things like it it just it it changes the the light so much that it's actually bad for us the light that's coming out the other side of it but and then the air like the quality of our air like yeah um and there's some but there's some really great ways that you can combat that like you know if you've got you know just say you're you're doing a bathroom renovation and you know you put in really good really good waterproofing systems uh good ventilation you know if you can swap a window out for a bit more sunlight uh that's gonna prolong the life not is it it's gonna prolong the life of the of the bathroom but it's gonna get all of that all of that crap out.

SPEAKER_01 53:08

Yeah you know and trees mate yeah plants indoor plants mate indoor and even even a practical thing right so like in an afternoon my boys are the opposite right so Leo's extremely like he'll stim vocally a lot right he doesn't shut up but Van and and myself too in the afternoons I want emofs on I don't want to hear a thing. But we're in a like we're in a double story and like Leo sits like in in an afternoon he might sit on his iPad for a bit and he taps his feet on the floor and it shakes the whole house right if I so if we if we're to build a double story he's getting he's getting for installation like say all the way through that that area and it just doesn't you know then do what you need to do mate do what you need to do and everyone else can be fine.

Advice For Builders Sitting On The Fence

SPEAKER_00 53:51

So you when you um look because you you've you've started going to meetings now and you're you're getting inquiry coming in are you having these types of conversations with these people?

SPEAKER_01 54:01

Yeah and I think you know obviously some people are um more open to it than others but if you like you can tell right and if they're willing to go down the rabbit hole then like I'm all for it. But I think that even if they're not aware of it, you know you can educate on the benefits of it. I mean and what's you know what might what we might need in in our house to support our needs is not the same as you it's not the same as the next person. So I think those conversations have to happen regardless. Yeah. And otherwise you just well you you know no one wants to get to the end of a project and you know be arguing over this or oh I sort of thought it was that let's iron out those creases early on. Yeah. You know and I think yeah we you've got to do that you've got to do that at the start.

SPEAKER_00 54:45

I've seen how far you've come in the last two years. I'm I'm yeah I can't wait to see how far you go in the next two years. What's a couple of what's a bit of advice you could give to well not just young people but anybody out there that's sitting on the fence aren't quite sure if they want to become a builder or run their own business like if you want to run your own business like you know right like there's something you know I there's like for me there was no other option.

SPEAKER_01 55:13

I wasn't gonna I wasn't gonna have a a a sad job. Not that there's anything wrong with it but I just I just knew so I think you don't have to you don't have to do it all at once. You don't have to do it on your own. You can like you can really set yourself up for success by you know surrounding yourself with the right people. You know even like from say like like I know you're into your into your woo-woo stuff right so you talk about you know there's this manifestation. Yeah. So I put myself in a room with a with a hundred odd builders who were doing exactly what I wanted to do. So as far as I was concerned I was one of them.

SPEAKER_00 55:58

So I'm already there you know what I mean and we talked about that a few times in the last couple of years and I I think it's so spot on.

Big Wins And Learning To Celebrate

SPEAKER_01 56:05

But it it one day it clicked for me we're at we're at an event and I'm look I'm you know I look around I thought fuck I am I'm one of the professionals in the room here. You know I I really feel like I am you know you you ask the right questions and then you know someone might ask a question that oh I know that you know you start give some advice and you think oh I'm not no matter but you you put yourself in that room.

SPEAKER_00 56:28

Like a lot of people hold themselves back and don't put themselves in the right environment because they think they're not ready for it yet.

SPEAKER_01 56:33

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 56:34

Like you jumped in and look at the growth you've had doing it.

SPEAKER_01 56:36

Yeah well I think those you know as you just with anything you know as you go through life choices are happening. You know with but if you're if you're not actively making those choices they're going to be made for you.

SPEAKER_00 56:50

You know and I think uh one of the guys said it on the weekend you know if you don't tell the world who you are they'll they'll tell you who you are you know and what's the fun in that yeah yeah well that that's that's reality of how most people are living their life yeah they're just waiting for the media the teacher the mentor like someone to tell them what's next.

SPEAKER_02 57:11

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 57:13

Alright mate just a couple more to go why um like what what's your biggest wins I guess in the last couple of years like knowing what you know now what's a couple of things that you think have really uh enabled you to get to where you want to be I think um yeah having a having a good crack and put just like I said putting myself in a room with the people that were doing what I wanted to do I think that that's a win in itself right because that sort of bolstered everything around there.

SPEAKER_01 57:41

Getting my registration was a huge one because I I wrote it off for so long not because I didn't think I could do it but you know at at that time I just didn't have the space for it didn't have the capacity for it. Yeah you know and so to sort of prove myself wrong was a was a pretty big deal you know um like the my role now like say at the parents hub on the board there you know we sit in these meetings and and there's some there are some amazing people on you know in that on the board with completely different um experiences and roles yeah and I'm also one of the professionals there you know I've got something to add and I think that's like not only my a giving giving there but I'm learning so much from these these other uh people that I wouldn't have been exposed to you know and I think that's huge like I'm I believe you put yourself in that position but I've learned all of these things about business and whether it's um you know finances or marketing or scheduling or uh project management any of those things right and I can take all of those and put them into a board of a charity like how cool is that yeah you know what I mean and I think you know my like I really I really think that I'm you know like I I I love my boys and and I want the best for them and I really do think that you know I I think I I'm being a good role model. I think that's really important to me too. Yeah you know I think um yeah that's probably a big one.

SPEAKER_00 58:59

I love it mate. What's um do you celebrate your wins?

ADHD Diagnosis And Confidence Rebuild

SPEAKER_01 59:02

Probably not enough but I'm learning to I'm learning to and I think it it's hard to when you're like I get pretty hyper focused, right? You know and it's kind of like when you get there, oh well I've still got so much to do that I don't have time to celebrate that. But I think it is really important too you know even uh even on the flight up here you know I've got a book that I'm reading for the second time and I started reading it like coming up to one of the first events up to the Gold Coast.

SPEAKER_02 59:34

What a book?

SPEAKER_01 59:34

Uh Thour Desires by Rod Stryker and that's literally about um you know find you know finding your you know finding who you really are and what your what your what your role is in this in this world and then you know building yourself to to give that you know I think that but I like the first time I come up here I read that book and I'm thinking oh man you know imagine what it's gonna be like in this amount of time to so to to do that same flight reading the same book a second time around I was like oh I've sort of come a little way. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:11

Long way. Um last topic what's um how how of like how are you different now to how you're brought up like are you did did how you were bought up have an influence on you in the early days compared to now you're sort of running your own race?

SPEAKER_01 1:00:27

Yeah so I actually think I've in a way circled back. You know when I like I said before like when I got into high school I I hated it there. Yeah and I think um so I like I've so I've actually got after you know so with my boys right the more I learn about my boys the more I was like oh wow I do that or I used to do that oh my god I'm the same as right so I did an an ASD and ADHD assessment uh a little while ago got an ADHD diagnosis and within that so we had to you know do a few questionnaires my mum passed away uh quite a quite a while ago so I actually took one of those questionnaires and and gave it to one of mum's really good friends and within that process I almost like remembered what I was like as a kid you know I was super outspoken I was super outgoing you know I read heaps of books and was super engaged with everybody but I think when I got into high school I didn't fit in all right I couldn't keep up and I just shrunk and I I think that actually knocked me out for I'd say from like year seven all the way through to my like mid to late twenties you know or or 30 even. And there was a whole lot of time there where I you know like I don't want to say that I wasted it but I it wasn't the way that it should have been so by doing that I was able to yeah really remember what I was like as a kid and bring a bit of joy back into my into my life let me you know and let myself experience it.

A Niche For Neurodivergent Home Upgrades

SPEAKER_00 1:01:53

Um that's powerful stuff yeah it's been huge yeah because uh so do you think the the whole schooling situation sort of led you like changed you as a person yeah and took away your confidence a little bit.

SPEAKER_01 1:02:09

Yeah knocked it knocked it you know and I like when I was a kid like I thought I was bloody Neo from the Matrix. I was the one right like I could do anything you know and there was a good chunk of time there where it where I yeah it really really knocked it out of me.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:23

I reckon a lot of blokes well a lot of people would resonate with you. That you saying that now is resonates a lot with me. Because I away from school and in primary school like primary school I'd like nothing was a problem like nah nothing. Got involved with things I I wasn't as shy. Yeah um yeah I'm not quite sure what happened at at high school but yeah very similar I just lost all my confidence and that showed in away like things that are away from school yeah and I'd really like to think that that's um changing yeah and it has changed quite a lot.

SPEAKER_01 1:02:54

So you know we've got a few more years before my boys get into high school but I'll be on a on a hard lookout for that.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:00

Yeah yeah I wonder what that is something we're thinking about more but mate really appreciate your time um flying up here today and um just give us a plug like where are you from where can people find you?

SPEAKER_01 1:03:10

Uh so we're in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne um rangers uh Sedgwin construction.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:16

Yeah what type of works are you looking for?

SPEAKER_01 1:03:18

Uh so kitchens bathrooms um internal refurbs uh extensions um outdoor living spaces yeah uh and a big thing a big thing I uh I really I'm really excited for is you know like I said you know we've we've obviously like Kat's made some really great changes in our home to suit our boys. So I don't see why I can't take that and I I had this idea for a long time too that you know I've got a real interest in you know passive house and high performance homes like why can't we take the principles of that and put them into you know accessible um accessible projects for for homeowners so you look at it in the way of like you know maybe home at home adaptation for neurodivergent living I think is a um it's something I'm really really excited for. Mate well lead lead the way yeah like you're it set the uh you you set the perimeters mate and attract the right types of clients but like that yeah we talk about all the time right there'll be a massive market in that but that's that's your difference from the other builders in your area like yeah and I think I if I can you know I think I've got a unique you know well I everyone does right but my unique experience if I can bring that to um you know to somebody's renovation well that's that's way cooler you know like that's exciting.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:33

Well we'll try we're gonna change this podcast in a little bit of a training session. Like what's um like how are you going to promote that to your clients? So have you put in any any time to thinking about this?

SPEAKER_01 1:04:43

Yeah I've I've got some stuff on my website about it and I've been working on some uh social media content for it. Yeah um yeah it's coming.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:51

Yeah that's awesome.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:52

I love it because yeah we talk about it all the time like whatever you put out there that's what you're going to attract and yeah well I mean I'm I'm excited about it right you know so you know what when I say if you if you love what you do you never get you know you never work a day in your life I kind of love that.

SPEAKER_00 1:05:04

But you will connect like that's the biggest thing that people in our industry need to understand. Like you're not trying to attract every client. No. You just want to attract the clients that are are attracted to you because of what you're going to deliver and like you having your boys and the situation you've been through and learning from what you and your wife have learnt through your years like you you've got all that knowledge and experience that you can now take and give to other people with in a similar situation.

The Support That Changed Everything

SPEAKER_01 1:05:35

Yeah and same with you know same with the parent sub same same with dads connect if we can you know say the net next family that that comes through a situation like ours if we can give them a like like I say you can't you can't give them a roadmap right because every situation's different but if we can give them some you know some tools and tactics and information and or even just support then they can just maybe do it a little bit easier you know and then that that follows on.

SPEAKER_00 1:05:59

So I I love building because I love creating spaces where people can grow up have families all those types of things but when you add what you're going to make a specialty to it you are having such an enormous impact on those families' lives. My um I've got a couple of cousins with um dis disabled kids and that type of thing and I see how much pressure um they can get under so it's it's a massive opportunity for you to yeah and sometimes it all it takes is one person to you know show you a bit of support and it can really follow through.

Final Thanks And How To Follow

SPEAKER_01 1:06:38

A quick story so George who's a a builder that we've worked for for for years actually since Leo was born I did my first job for him when Leo was still in hospital right and I think um I've been there for a a little while and you know there were days where I had to go home I had to you know I'd you know I had to rush off and you know help with the boys and all those sorts of things and George actually came to site one day and he didn't he didn't usually come to site you know he was always running the office and he made a beeline for me and and he goes you know we we really value you here you're doing a great job we love love what you do know you've got a bit of stuff going on at home is there anything we can do to help and I was gobsmacked I'm like what what do you like what do you mean? He goes well you know what can we do to help and I didn't know he didn't even know how to answer it. You know he said well don't you don't have to answer you know you don't have to tell me today but let's let's catch up for coffee and we'll we'll see what we you know see what support we can offer you. And so we ended up you know we sort of thought about it and so well we've you know we've been trying to get a support worker through the NDIS and they keep knocking us back. And he said yep done. So he actually um funded a support worker for us for it was a couple of months we had a struggle getting one then we got one and they left and then his wife Katie she was changing roles at the time she goes oh well I'll do it. So she spent nearly a year um helping out with you know with morning routines and and things like that just because they wanted to help right and I think in that time like especially early on like Kat's parents are fantastic they helped out all the time but it was it was almost like we you couldn't like we couldn't just send them off on a on a play date we couldn't just send them off on a sleepover it was it was it was so hard. But that like they Leon Van they got a built a really great connection with the both of them And they trusted them. And then it sort of showed us that, oh wow, we can we can do more than what we're doing right now. You know, I think that was that was probably one of the earlier things that gave me a bit of space to think, oh, okay, cool, all right. Things are are are getting better. Well, what's next? Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:08:38

Mate, I love it. It's been a pleasure um having a chat with you. Um I've definitely learned a lot. And yeah, as I said, I can't wait to see what the next two years brings, mate. Like you um you you've just put in the effort, you get the results, so you deserve everything that comes your way. Thank you. Um guys, as always, make sure you uh check out the DwaynePearce.com website, grab a hold of your level up merch so we can continue to create this level up movement to create a new building industry. Uh like, share, subscribe, all that sort of stuff, and we will catch you on the next one. Make sure you go and check out Sedgeman construction. This bike's gonna go a long way.