Built from the
tools up

When I started Smartfix, it was just me. One electrician, one ute, on the tools and figuring out the business side as I went.

As the work grew, so did everything that came with it. Hiring people. Managing a team. Pricing jobs properly. Cash flow. Systems. Leadership. Making decisions that affected more people than just me. Over the years, Smartfix grew from that one-man operation into a much larger multi-trade business across Perth.

And there were plenty of mistakes along the way.

For a long time, I thought running a business meant you were supposed to have the answers yourself. What I eventually learned was almost the opposite.

THE MORE BUSINESS OWNERS I MET, THE MORE I REALISED EVERYONE WAS FIGURING SOMETHING OUT.

Some were further ahead than me in areas I was struggling with. Others were dealing with problems I’d already been through. And most were far more willing to have an honest conversation about business than I expected.

A quick coffee, a conversation at an event or a phone call with another owner could sometimes give me the perspective I’d been missing for weeks.

That changed how I looked at business.

I started putting more value on the people around me, asking more questions and building relationships with owners outside my own business. It’s also a big part of why I started the Unlocking Business Podcast and why bringing trade business owners together has become something I care about.

I’ve learned a lot from building Smartfix. But some of the most useful lessons have come from simply sitting across from another business owner and talking honestly about what’s actually going on.