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What does it really take to move from coffee runs and safety walkthroughs to calling the shots as General Manager? We sit down with Simon to unpack the long road from unpaid intern to leading Pascon, and we get honest about the moments that mattered: the sting of being passed over, the decision to stay and prove it, and the pressure-cooker months where deadlines beat comfort and growth finally clicked.

We dig into the mechanics of modern construction leadership—how to compress schedules by eliminating dead space between trades, why clarity and conviction outperform noise when holding suppliers to dates, and how a commercial mindset turns “next week” into “today.” Simon breaks down how COVID forced a jump from office routines to on-site command, why that shift accelerated his learning curve, and how he built the habits that stuck: year-over-year self-audits, relentless program focus, and choosing composure when chaos hits.

Stepping into the GM role raises the stakes and changes the work. We talk valuation of time and leverage—taking on sales, brand, and negotiation while delegating repeatable tasks. There’s a simple formula here: if the target is $40M, the calendar must show it. That means installing dashboards for schedule and cashflow, empowering supervisors to make decisions without a call chain, and creating a culture where accountability beats presenteeism. We even wrestle with the work-from-home debate, tying productivity to measurable outputs rather than vibes.

Finally, we explore why personal brand matters in construction. People buy from people. Publishing short, useful insights—on LinkedIn, video, or site explainers—earns trust, attracts better clients, and opens unexpected doors. And underneath it all sits the trait that separates winners from watchers: action. Ship the first clip, make the first pitch, take the first meeting. That bias to move is how you go from “not yet” to “no-brainer.”

If this conversation hits home, follow the show, share it with a mate who’s aiming higher, and leave a quick review—it helps more builders and managers find the playbook.

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A $4.5k VicRoads fine. A broken loop of forms, phone transfers, and “come in-store” dead ends. And somehow, that’s the spark that pushes us to dissect why most goals die by February—and how to build a system that won’t.

We get real about the 83% who abandon resolutions, then map a simpler path: shrink the goal, raise the stakes, and win the moments. Think two-minute windows where a burrito becomes a short black, or a snooze becomes gym shoes. We share the tools that make those choices easier—packing the night before, scheduling workouts as meetings, daily weigh-ins with an accountability partner, and tracking simple metrics like steps, protein, and sleep readiness. No heroics, just repeatable systems that survive hot days, bad sleep, and bureaucracy.

Underneath the tactics is purpose. Humans move faster to avoid pain than to chase pleasure, so tie your goal to a consequence you can’t ignore. Picture yourself at 70: playing on the floor with grandkids vs. watching from a chair. That image changes decisions today. We also tackle flexibility as a longevity skill, why “all or nothing” challenges backfire, and how separating personal goals from company targets reduces stress and boosts clarity. If your habits were a person, would you respect them? If not, change one habit now and let compounding do the rest.

If you’re in construction, join us at the Builder Summit in Melbourne this month. It’s free, packed with systems, branding, scaling, and real-world playbooks—and one attendee will walk away with a Makita toolkit worth over $2,000. Subscribe, share this with someone who needs a February reset, and DM us on Instagram with the one goal you’re committing to this week.

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A public holiday shout turns into a masterclass in building something that lasts—both in stone and in business. We sit down with Amadeus from Pazzi Marble and Granite to trace a 16-year journey that started on a concrete pad in his parents’ backyard and grew into a 40-person team delivering ultra high-end residential projects worth millions as natural stone specialist. The early days were hotplate cutouts and small vanities; now it’s floors, walls, fireplaces, and sourcing natural stone from quarries that have defined beauty for centuries.

We dig into the real pivots: how silicosis reshaped the industry, why engineered stone gave way to safer “mineral surfaces,” and what it takes to protect a team without compromising craft. You’ll hear candid insights on selecting marble at the source, moving slabs with cranes and careful hands, and keeping seams tight when quality is visible to the naked eye. The logistics are heavy, the finishes unforgiving, and that’s exactly why process matters.

The heart of the conversation is leadership. Amadeus shares how scaling from 3 to 35 nearly broke the company, and how coaching, recruiting discipline, and assertive standards built a stronger foundation. He’s experimenting with a bold idea—lifetime employment after probation—not as leniency but as a commitment to training and clarity, where people rise or self-select out. Along the way we talk SOPs, apprenticeships, marketing a craft brand, and the identity shift from practitioner to operator.

There’s also a love of beauty that runs through everything: scanning Jordan Peterson for a future sculpture, honoring a sculptor father’s feast-and-famine career, and aiming to shape public spaces with stone built to outlast trends. The north star is simple and ambitious—create work that endures and a team that grows with it.

If you’re into craftsmanship, small business scaling, leadership, or the future of natural stone, you’ll feel at home here. Subscribe, share this with a friend who loves building things that last, and leave a review with the one leadership idea you’ll try this week.

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Ever feel like you returned from a “break” only to land in the same loop of emails, invoices, and small fires? We dig into the real shift that breaks that cycle: stop operating, start leading. This conversation pulls apart what it takes to step into a true CEO role—hiring a strong second-in-command, enforcing standards that protect your cash flow, and designing systems your team actually uses every day.

We get honest about the biggest mistakes across ten years in business. Ignoring brand early cost years of compounding attention. Trying to learn everything alone bled time and money that a great mentor could have saved. Hiring cheap created expensive headaches; hiring senior talent bought back time, trust, and momentum. And the costliest lesson of all: being lenient on client payments. We share the exact practices that fixed it—clear expectations at contract signing, strict late fees, and zero-blur lines between friendly and friends.

From there, we zoom in on systems and compliance. It’s not enough to document processes; you have to remove ambiguity. Use precise timing, clear outcomes, and visual instructions so there’s no room to drift. Ask yourself: if my life depended on this task getting done, what would I provide? That mindset changes adoption, quality, and pace. We also question whether it’s smarter to buy a business with working systems rather than building from scratch, and why real-world learning beats academic theory for practical performance.

If you’re ready to stop reliving the same 12 months, this is your playbook: set standards, enforce payments, hire for excellence, and buy back your time so you can grow brand, pipeline, and opportunities that scale. Business becomes a vehicle for personal growth when you choose excellence over busyness and design a company that moves. Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs the push, and if you’re in construction, message us for the free ticket link to the Builder Summit on February 25 in Melbourne. Your next level starts with one decision—what will you change today?