The Profitable Tradie Podcast

Hosted by Tony Fraser-Jones

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Episodes

200

Latest episode

Aug 2026

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About the show

If you run a plumbing, electrical, HVAC, or any other trades business and you’re tired of long hours, cash flow headaches, and pricing battles, this podcast is for you. Join Tony Fraser-Jones and Phil Smith from Profitable Tradie as they break down straight-shooting strategies to help you make more money, work fewer hours, and get your business running smoothly—without the usual headaches. We tackle the real challenges every trades business owner faces: ✔ How do I find and keep good techs when everyone is hiring? ✔ What do I do when customers don’t pay their invoices? ✔ How do I charge what I’m worth without getting undercut? ✔ Should I buy or lease my next truck or van? ✔ How do I get my crew to stop scrolling their phones and actually work? ✔ What’s the second easiest way to increase my profits? (The first is hitting play on this podcast!) We also bring on some of the most successful trades business owners in the world—real people who’ve built multimillion-dollar companies—so you can learn exactly how they did it. This isn’t just another business podcast. It’s your shortcut to building a highly profitable, well-oiled trades business that gives you more money and more freedom. 👉 Subscribe now and join thousands of tradies and contractors turning their businesses into profit machines. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp

Listen to episodes

60 recent

August 18, 202625 min

The Hidden Reason You Can Never Switch Off (And How To Fix It)

You've got 47 unread emails... 5 missed calls... 9 text messages... Everybody wants something from you. Your employees, suppliers, customers... Your partner, your kids, your parents... They’re all important. So which one should you answer first? What do you prioritize? It's not the big decisions that wreck trades business owners. It's the hundreds of tiny ones like this... all day, every day. WHAT YOU’LL GAIN FROM LISTENING TO TODAY’S PODCAST: Why decision fatigue quietly bottlenecks your entire business (and how to spot it before it wrecks you) The exact system millionaire-profit owners use to stop making every single decision themselves The one mindset shift that turns "why is everyone asking me stuff" into "why am I not asking them" LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Claim a Free Planning Session to learn what coaching could do for your business Subscribe to our YouTube Channel Join the new book 'Built to Run' Waitlist Thanks for joining us this week. Want to subscribe to The Profitable Tradie Podcast? Have some feedback you’d like to share? Connect with us and leave us a review with a 5-star rating. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp

August 11, 202626 min

Why Some Trades Business Owners Become Millionaires and Others Stay Stuck

Spot the difference: Two trades business owners. Same service. Same team size. Same number of hours worked. But one makes $100K profit a year. And the other makes $1 million. How can that be? WHAT YOU’LL GAIN FROM LISTENING TO TODAY’S PODCAST: How to multiply yourself instead of maxing yourself out Why hiring before you're desperate is cheaper than hiring when you're not The secret to scaling past the "I do everything myself" ceiling LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Claim a Free Planning Session to learn what coaching could do for your business Subscribe to our YouTube Channel Join the new book 'Built to Run' Waitlist Thanks for joining us this week. Want to subscribe to The Profitable Tradie Podcast? Have some feedback you’d like to share? Connect with us and leave us a review with a 5-star rating. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp

August 4, 202649 min

He Thought He Was Having a Stroke, It Was His Business | Steve Vega Ep. 237

What happens when a successful trades business owner pushes so hard that his own business nearly destroys his health? In this episode of the Profitable Tradie Podcast, Steve Vega shares how 63-hour work weeks, chronic underpricing, and poor systems left him burned out before transforming his plumbing business into a $1M+ company. If you're a plumbing, HVAC, electrical, roofing, or home service business owner looking to increase profit, improve pricing, build better systems, and scale without sacrificing your life, this episode is packed with real-world lessons. ⏱ CHAPTERS 00:00:00 | Introduction 00:01:01 | 1. Stress & Burnout: Fighting severe physical stress and 63-hour shifts 00:07:38 | 2. Operations Shift: Moving from a chaotic operator to structured teams 00:15:47 | 3. Underpricing Traps: Overcoming guilt and mindset traps around money 00:24:22 | 4. Back-Costing: Using pricing targets and reviews to plug profit leaks 00:32:15 | 5. Culture & Time: Scaling with team 1-on-1s, time audits, and calendars 🔗 FREE RESOURCES Get our free book — The Profitable Tradie: profitabletradie.com/book Book a free strategy call: profitabletradie.com/contact 📲 WORK WITH US If you're a trade business owner ready to build a more profitable, better-run business, we work with plumbers, electricians, HVAC techs, roofers, and similar contractors across Australia, New Zealand, the US, and Canada. Find out more: profitabletradie.com 🎙 ABOUT THE PROFITABLE TRADIE PODCAST & CHANNEL Profitable Tradie helps trade business owners build businesses that make real money and don't depend on them to run. Hosted by Tony Fraser-Jones & Phil Smith. 📱 FOLLOW US Instagram: @profitabletradie TikTok: @profitabletradie Facebook: Profitable Tradie Podcast: Search "The Profitable Tradie Podcast" on Apple or Spotify #TradesBusiness #ContractorLife #BusinessCoaching #tradesman #bluecollar #tradesmen #plumbing #hvac #electrical #electrician #unitedstates #usa #northamerica #australia #canada #newzealand This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp

July 28, 202626 min

How To Be Firm, Not Nice (Quit being a pushover)

You’re hard working... You’re dedicated... And you care a lot... All great qualities in a trades business owner. But there's one trait – which is super common – that could quietly cost you thousands, create team problems, and leave you burnt out. WHAT YOU’LL GAIN FROM LISTENING TO TODAY’S PODCAST: The surprising habit that's quietly draining your profit (most owners never spot it) Why trying to keep everyone happy is costing you the one thing that actually grows a business The simple shift that lets you stay kind and respected... while making a lot more money LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Claim a Free Planning Session to learn what coaching could do for your business Subscribe to our YouTube Channel Get a copy of the Profitable Tradie book Thanks for joining us this week. Want to subscribe to The Profitable Tradie Podcast? Have some feedback you’d like to share? Connect with us and leave us a review with a 5-star rating This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp

July 21, 202623 min

7 Numbers Every Profitable Business Owner Needs to Track

You know how much money came into the bank last month... But do you know how many leads you got? Your conversion rate? Or how much you’re still waiting to be paid? Most trades business owners have no idea. They’re not tracking much. But the owners killing it out there are tracking 7 key numbers. WHAT YOU’LL GAIN FROM LISTENING TO TODAY’S PODCAST: The 7 numbers that tell you if your business is actually making money How to make better business decisions using facts instead of gut feel The simple scorecard which tells you what to focus on next LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Claim a Free Planning Session to learn what coaching could do for your business Subscribe to our YouTube Channel Get a copy of the Profitable Tradie book Thanks for joining us this week. Want to subscribe to The Profitable Tradie Podcast? Have some feedback you’d like to share? Connect with us and leave us a review with a 5-star rating. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp

July 14, 202626 min

Top 10 Uses for AI in your Trades Business(Plumbing, HVAC, Electrical, or Similar)

“What’s one cool thing you’re using AI for?” I asked 1,200 trades business owners that question... A few of the answers genuinely caught me off guard. WHAT YOU’LL GAIN FROM LISTENING TO TODAY’S PODCAST: How to create dashboards that track your most important business numbers automatically How trades business owners are creating custom software and apps without knowing how to code How to get AI to analyze your numbers and spot problems before they become expensive mistakes LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Claim a Free Planning Session to learn what coaching could do for your business Subscribe to our YouTube Channel Get a copy of the Profitable Tradie book Thanks for joining us this week. Want to subscribe to The Profitable Tradie Podcast? Have some feedback you’d like to share? Connect with us and leave us a review with a 5-star rating. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp

July 7, 202654 min

From Bankrupt to Making $750k Per Month (ft. James Martell) | Ep. 233

Three contractors went bust in the same year. James Martell lost a heap of work overnight, He was also left with a pile of unpaid invoices... With no way of getting that money back. The cash flow crisis got so bad it eventually pushed him into bankruptcy too. Most trades business owners would've thrown in the towel. But James didn't. Today, he’s got 60 staff, does over $7M a year in revenue, and is on track to hit $10M this year. This is his story... WHAT YOU’LL GAIN FROM LISTENING TO TODAY’S PODCAST: Brutal lessons learned from taking on the wrong customers The financial number every trades business owner should be watching How to shift from being “the technician” to actually leading like a CEO LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Claim a Free Planning Session to learn what coaching could do for your business Subscribe to our YouTube Channel Get a copy of the Profitable Tradie book Thanks for joining us this week. Want to subscribe to The Profitable Tradie Podcast? Have some feedback you’d like to share? Connect with us and leave us a review with a 5-star rating. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp

June 30, 202631 min

How To Use Your Numbers To Grow Your Business

Think your trades business is doing well just because you feel busy? Think again. On today’s episode, we break down the dangerous trap of running your business on emotions rather than hard facts. We reveal why mistaking baseline activity for actual progress is a fast track to stress and explain how consistently tracking your financial numbers is the ultimate key to unlocking predictable growth and massive profitability. WHAT YOU’LL GAIN FROM LISTENING TO TODAY’S PODCAST: The Danger of "Feeling" Profitable: Why relying on gut feelings instead of real data leaves your business flying blind. The Core Numbers You Must Measure: A breakdown of revenue, gross profit, net profit, and why profit per job (back-costing) changes everything. Consistency Beats Intensity: Why managing your numbers bit-by-bit every single day is easier—and far more effective—than playing catch-up once a quarter. Overcoming the Fear of the Figures: How to push past overwhelm, avoid the "abdication trap" with your accountant, and take true ownership of your financial destiny. LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Claim a Free Planning Session to learn what coaching could do for your business Subscribe to our YouTube Channel Get a copy of the Profitable Tradie book Thanks for joining us this week. Want to subscribe to The Profitable Tradie Podcast? Have some feedback you’d like to share? Connect with us and leave us a review with a 5-star rating. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp

June 23, 202625 min

How to Double Your Conversion Rate on Jobs

The fastest way to win more jobs has nothing to do with more leads, better marketing, or having the lowest prices. It's much simpler. WHAT YOU’LL GAIN FROM LISTENING TO TODAY’S PODCAST: Find out: The reason customers choose slower, less qualified competitors over you Why being first matters more than having the cheapest price The simple habit that helps some trades businesses win twice as many jobs LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Claim a Free Planning Session to learn what coaching could do for your business Subscribe to our YouTube Channel Get a copy of the Profitable Tradie book Thanks for joining us this week. Want to subscribe to The Profitable Tradie Podcast? Have some feedback you’d like to share? Connect with us and leave us a review with a 5-star rating. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp

June 16, 202629 min

The Secret to a High Performing Team

If you want a simple system that: Keeps your guys switched on and working hard Stops small problems blowing up into big ones Gets your team finishing what they start, taking pride in their work, and sticking around long-term I recorded this episode to get your team working like rock-stars! WHAT YOU’LL GAIN FROM LISTENING TO TODAY’S PODCAST: Maximize team performance Stop small problems blowing up into big ones Keep your workers accountable, motivated, and loyal LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Claim a Free Planning Session to learn what coaching could do for your business Subscribe to our YouTube Channel Get a copy of the Profitable Tradie book Thanks for joining us this week. Want to subscribe to The Profitable Tradie Podcast? Have some feedback you’d like to share? Connect with us and leave us a review with a 5-star rating. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp