About this episode
What can trade businesses learn from the corporate world?
Paul O’Neil took a very different route into the trades.
After building his career in corporate leadership, including senior management roles with Optus, Paul moved into small business and is now a Director of Plumbing Bros West Coast.
In this episode of Unlocking Business, we get into what he’s brought across from corporate Australia, and what he’s had to completely relearn.
We talk about culture, leadership, staff retention, onboarding, hiring the right people, managing tradespeople, customer service and why Paul believes trade businesses need to put more emphasis on developing their people.
We also get into the realities of running a business. Being everything to everyone, learning to set boundaries, building a leadership team, knowing when to stop chasing growth and trying to enjoy the journey while you’re actually living it.
Paul also shares how Plumbing Bros approaches property management clients, virtual assistants, after-hours service, AI, recruitment and developing future leaders internally.
A practical conversation between two operators approaching the trade industry from very different backgrounds.
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LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kanetylersmith
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@kanetylersmith
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Connect with Paul and Plumb Bros:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pauljamesoneill/
Website: https://plumbingbros.com.au/
00:00 Business ownership is like having a baby
00:18 Introduction
01:09 What trades can learn from corporate culture
02:38 Why trade businesses lose good people
03:55 Kane on Smartfix’s past hiring mistakes
05:06 Are property managers difficult to work with?
08:24 Servicing property managers at scale
09:36 How many office staff does a trade business need?
11:05 How AI could change trade business operations
13:49 Using virtual assistants for after-hours customer service
19:01 Going from corporate leadership into trades
22:15 What McDonald’s taught Paul about leadership
24:59 Why McDonald’s systems work
26:33 How trade business owners can become better leaders
27:46 Not every employee wants to climb the ladder
29:17 Making staff training more engaging
32:26 Developing experts inside your business
33:03 Monthly one-on-ones with tradespeople
35:49 Kane’s lessons on staff retention and training
37:45 Why corporate managers can fail in trade businesses
40:20 Culture over skill when hiring
42:18 How Plumbing Bros hires leadership positions
44:38 Why Paul makes candidates complete a 30/60/90-day plan
47:17 Stop burning bridges with employees
47:47 What happens when an apprentice becomes qualified?
50:38 Changing the perception of plumbing
52:47 Charging properly without taking advantage of customers
55:56 How customers should choose a trades business
56:28 AI is becoming a lead source
59:53 The hardest part of business ownership
