The Most Overlooked Person in Every Aussie Building Business | LEVEL UP Podcast

In this powerful conversation, Simone Essex from SX Constructions opens up about running an Aussie building business alongside her husband Steve while raising twins—including a daughter with Down Syndrome. From working for free in the early days to building a thriving construction company, Simone shares the raw truth about what it takes for couples to successfully work together in the building industry.

Whether you're an Aussie builder, a partner working in the construction business, or thinking about going into business with your spouse, this conversation will give you the honest insights you need to succeed.

Check out Simone and her work:
🔹SX - Constructions - https://sxconstructions.com.au/
🔹Facebook -  https://www.facebook.com/sxconstructions/
🔹Instagram - www.instagram.com/sxconstructions/

Check out Duayne’s other projects:
🔹 Live Life Build — https://livelifebuild.com
🔹 D Pearce Constructions — https://dpearceconstructions.com.au
🔹 QuoteEaze — https://quoteeaze.com/Free-Offer.html

Transcript

Welcome And Simone’s Introduction

SPEAKER_00 1:28

Hello guys, welcome back to another episode of Level Up. We are back in the shed this afternoon for another cracking episode. I'm really excited about this one because I love having females in the construction industry on the podcast because you've heard me say it a lot of times before. I personally believe that if it wasn't for all the wives and partners sitting at home behind the scenes, working late nights after hours on top of their day jobs most of the time, the construction industry would fall apart. So massive warm welcome to Simone from SX Constructions. How are you?

SPEAKER_05 1:56

Thank you. Yeah, great. Thanks for having me.

SPEAKER_00 1:59

You're uh you're a bit of a powerhouse in your business, aren't you?

SPEAKER_05 2:02

I'm very determined.

SPEAKER_00 2:04

You're also very humble, and uh so I hope we can get you over that today and you can let us in uh behind the scenes on what goes on. Um, because you do have a lot going on. Like you you run a construction business with your husband Steve. Yeah, um you have a child with special needs, you yeah, you there's a lot happening. Like, so how how do you get to do all that?

SPEAKER_05 2:29

Well, I almost feel like I didn't really have a choice, it kind of just happened. Well, I guess we always have a choice, that's probably not fair to say that. Um, but it wasn't part of a master plan, that's for sure. Um, so the business happened first before children. Um so we'd been together um for Steve and I, I don't know, seven or eight years before we started the business. Um so it's not for everyone, not for every couple to work together. Um, but we're yeah, we're super compatible and shared a vision of staying on the Sunshine Coast. And back then, um 2009, when we started, there wasn't a lot of um job opportunities in creative industries, which is where I was working mostly in marketing and advertising. And um, Steve got his builder's license, so it just sort of evolved. And I've been working a bit for a business coach and was force-fed bookkeeping skills. Um, not that I really wanted to, but um I I could at least keep the books um and off we went.

SPEAKER_00 3:33

So So in the beginning, were you working day job and then helping out?

Twins, Diagnosis And Early Business Struggles

SPEAKER_05 3:37

Well it's a bit of a blur. I don't actually think I was working for Steve. I don't know. It might have just been for a couple of months, to be honest. Um, and then the business I was working for folded. So it wasn't like um I didn't have a long progression and a build-up of like finally I can leave my job to do this full-time. I had I was basically unemployed. And so the choice was commute to Brisbane, which I'd just finished doing a year ago, and I was hate I hated commuting, um, or just go all in um in the business. So that's what we chose. Um, and then I thought, well, this is this is the dream. I want to start having babies, start having family. And um, so 18 months into business, um, and I fell pregnant with twins. So that was not on the on the plan either. So two at once um was a bit of a curveball. Um, and then another curveball came on day four after the twins were born, um, and our daughter Luca was diagnosed with Down syndrome. So there was a lot to learn in a really short amount of time, huge adjustment. Um yeah, they I mean the twins arrived a month early. Um, we're in special care for 12 days, and poor Steve had two job sites open, and I can't remember only probably two guys working for us at that point. Um, so it was a honestly a bit of a blur for a couple of years there, but um our family was amazing, just rock solid, right behind us. Um, and I think without their support, the wheels probably would have fallen off.

SPEAKER_01 5:18

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 5:19

But um yeah, we just kept pushing through, and I think um you s you can surprise yourself of what you can do when you don't have a choice. Because what what were we gonna do? Run away, run away to where? To what? Like how's running away gonna be better?

SPEAKER_00 5:38

So um like in the like man, that that's a lot, like uh early days in business, um, new family, and then have to deal with the unexpected, yeah. Um so yeah, it just goes to show you like life can throw you anything at any time, can't it?

SPEAKER_05 5:55

Like well, that's right. And I think it just puts things into perspective if there's challenges with our projects or on site and things like that. It's like, well, you know, it yes, it's important and it's you know, they're all worthy problems, but they're not insurmountable. Yeah, you know, that that's just sorted out. Um and we just don't quit, we don't quit on each other, Steve and I. We don't quit on our clients. If things get hard, we don't quit on our kids. Things get hard, but we just push, we just push on, and you learn from it, right?

SPEAKER_00 6:29

That's how we every day's school day. You get better. So in the early days, or maybe not so maybe even for longer, were you getting paid for your role in the business?

SPEAKER_05 6:40

No, no way. So, Steve, I th I don't know, we probably just had one bank account with money that that came out, and you know, um, Steve wasn't on his salary. I think Soul Trader was operating as a sole trader. Um, and then I do remember my first we did start um paying ourselves um nominated salaries. I think my first one was$30,000 a year, which I think at the time might have been enough to buy groceries and a cart and a beer a week or something like that. So it was just to live.

SPEAKER_00 7:11

Um I imagine that's a that was a pretty big step backwards from the salary that you would have been getting in your house.

SPEAKER_05 7:17

Oh yes, probably about half of what um I was earning before. But we just sort of had a longer term vision. We'd bought a house um, you know, one street back from the beach um at Watullah, so family and friends all around us. It was where we want to be. Yeah, and I think that was the biggest driving force for me personally, because I'm not I don't have a trade construction background, but um I was pretty passionate about lifestyle and having a good time with my family and friends, and that's and I love the beach, you know, I'm really drawn to live by the ocean. So I just it was just a way to achieve the bigger picture in life was to create this business with Steve. Um and it was fun to create something together. Um hard too, um, you know, but I think we what's um helped us stay strong is the way that we've handled mistakes and setbacks. Um and I've always been I'll never forget a really big mistake I made. I can't remember exactly what it was, but I left something out of a quote, like a driveway or something pretty big. Um and I didn't, it was my responsibility, whatever. I didn't put it in, Stevie didn't notice it, whatever. So we had to do it, build it, whatever it was. And it was a lot of money for us at the time. And but you know, he didn't lose it at me, and I've just been so grateful for that, and I've just tried to repay that um in time's gone by as well. Like if we each make mistakes that you know um have you know expensive consequences or whatever, just being really careful not to blame each other and getting nasty because it doesn't help, it's just really unhelpful.

SPEAKER_00 9:01

And just to work like couples working together is stressful, like there's no time apart. You you work together, you live together, you spend weekends, like it's it's it can be difficult. So, like what mechanisms do you have in place to for time out, like switch off?

Paying Yourselves And Choosing Lifestyle

SPEAKER_05 9:15

Like um, we've got better at it. It's funny our kids used to remind us if we were talking about work at the dinner table and things like that. So that's generally a big no-no. Um, you know, we just try and not chat work when we're you know at home eating, you know, the family meal and whatnot. Um having a designated work space has been really helpful, especially in the last few years. We've got the office out of the home. Um physically drive to work, drive home. So that little air gap is do you drive to work together? No, no, hours apart. Um, I'm on office tile, I do school drop-off on the way to on the way to work. Um, so and look, to be fair, we don't spend a great deal of time side by side. Um, Steve's um out on side a fair bit. Um, so I'm trying to change that, trying to get him in the office more. But when we are working together like that, it's usually just head down, bum up into estimating or whatever, or planning something out, or yep, and then whatever, knock off and um try and leave, yeah, leave work at work. Easier said than done. And I'm not we're no ex something, we're perfect at it, um, but we put an effort into it.

SPEAKER_00 10:33

Hey guys, we have got a huge announcement to make if you're a builder or more importantly, the wife or partner of a builder in the construction industry. We are having a huge seminar on the 12th, 13th, and 14th of March, and you do not want to miss this. Live Life Build has events every single year, but we are making this one bigger and better than ever before. It's going to be an event across three days, and we've got an incredible lineup of guest speakers, mentors, and coaches to cover everything from imposter syndrome, building your confidence, estimating, uh building software, holistic health, leadership, systems and processes, like you name it. This seminar is all about better businesses, better projects, and better lives. So stay tuned, go to the Live Life Build website or go to the Live Life Build Instagram page or even my personal Instagram page. Stay tuned for the ads, click the links, and I look forward to seeing you at this event. You do not want to miss this one.

unknown 12:32

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 12:32

So how have you learnt? Because in like most wives and partners, like this, it's not something you choose to do, you haven't gone to college or uni or anything. So, like, how do and and that I'm not saying that's not a bad thing. Like, I think some of the best people in the industry are people that haven't actually got any sort of trade or experience they've learnt from being in the trenches.

SPEAKER_05 12:52

Yeah, well, the first few years was just learning from mistakes um as we went through and um just from other people around as friends and whatnot, um, industry bodies. But I think from building a I guess we'll it's a second home. Um it was a very stressful time for us, and we learn a lot of lessons the hard way. And I just knew I needed to upskill. Um, so that might have been about um five years in or so, seven, five to seven years in. Um, I went and did a certificate forum building construction um contract administration. Um, so that really helped um just with my confidence, just with executing contracts better, um, better estimating, things like that, um, a few better processes. And then the rest has been from you, Dwayne and Amelia, and the community.

SPEAKER_00 13:51

So you you are in our uh Live Life Build Elevate um community. And uh are you involved in the Wives and Partners group?

SPEAKER_05 13:59

Yes, yeah, I love the chat.

SPEAKER_00 14:01

Yeah, I I think like it's it's like I said, I think the industry would truly fall over if it wasn't for wives and partners behind the scenes. So, like live life build is is very accommodating and uh supportive, I guess, of wives and partners. And like you would see from being on the Zooms, like we don't have a Zoom that doesn't have a certain amount of wives and partners on those Zoom calls, but we actually have that dedicated group for you guys. I'm I'm actually not in that group, I don't get to see what goes on in there.

Mistakes, Blame-Free Culture And Boundaries

SPEAKER_05 14:27

Oh no, it's so good and it's so welcoming, and there's a really big um array of um amazing women in the group. Um, some that have, you know, are still working other jobs, uh part-time in an hour, or you know, full-time and then on this business on the side, all sorts of different professions that have, you know, next to no experience in the industry and learning um as they go. Um others are more experienced. There's a few like me whose husbands don't appear very often on the calls. Yeah, but um I just hope partners or couples don't let that stop them from joining um a group like Elevate because it wasn't gonna stop me. Um and I knew our business needed it, and I knew Steve wasn't gonna be the one to show up to the Zoom calls all the time because of his addiction to sight.

SPEAKER_00 15:23

Well, I think that that's a really good point because I didn't it doesn't like as you've seen, like we've got a lot of wives and partners that you see them all the time. Like there's actually some members in Elevate that I I don't I've never seen because they're not there. I know they're members, I talk to them on the phone, but that it's their wives that show up all the time.

SPEAKER_05 15:41

And that's the way that we've done it to collaborate to help the business grow and push and move forward so that the sites just keep flowing. Um, and then I I'm in the background tinkering away, trying to improve systems and hire better consultants and um whatnot, just to sort of skill up in the background, yeah, and that filters through slowly to site and to our clients' experience and whatnot.

SPEAKER_00 16:04

Even like even if you're in that sort of I guess mindset, you still get a lot of growth because as you just said, like it it flows, it filters through in one way or another, and over time it grows and grows and grows to like you're at a point now where Steve's in the office a bit.

SPEAKER_05 16:20

Finally, I know, and I think um it's important for the women out there not to sit around and wait for their husbands or partners to to do things, you can actually just go out and do it yourself. Yeah, um, obviously there's some things that you need certain you know knowledge and skill and technical training for. I fully get that. But um for anything else, just go for it. Like we're all learning.

SPEAKER_00 16:42

But you shouldn't wait for that, shouldn't you?

SPEAKER_05 16:44

No, we'll just go and figure it figure it out. That's what I've just just go figure it out, you know. And then if there's something I can't figure out, if it's too technical, you know, of course I'll reach out to Steve, my business partner, my husband. Yeah, mate, what do we how do we, you know, and then he fills in the gaps of the tech technical knowledge, but not necessarily him having to invest a heap of time or whatever um into something that it's just um I guess not his forte.

SPEAKER_00 17:11

Yeah, yeah. It's like it's so powerful because I like it's not all rosy, like Camille and I definitely have our um moments in the office, and but they're definitely few and far between now. Like in the early days, most of it was me, like rushing in and expecting her to know how to do things and throwing a mountain of work in front of her just because I didn't think I had the skills to do it, like but um it there's so much growth there if you like you and Steve have done it, like you've you're working on your roles and tasks, so getting clarity around who's good at what and who's more efficient at what and all those types of things because just doing something like a simple exercise like that and understanding what your roles and tasks are gives people more direction about like how to allocate things, where to like there's so much comes from it.

SPEAKER_05 18:03

Absolutely, and um just to really figure out where people add the most value in and you know for Steve just looking, we've got some serious plans that we're quoting at the moment. It's like well, absolutely, like that at the moment, the best value is for Steve to be on the phone talking to subbies, talking them through like the details, figuring out the det you know, project-specific, you know, items that really need attention when people are quoting and just to avoid mistakes and you know, all of that, that's like a plugging a profit leak, right?

SPEAKER_01 18:38

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 18:39

So it's just another way that we've increased um our profits, not by increasing our prices, but by in reducing our waste and reducing our mistakes in the way that we quote.

SPEAKER_00 18:50

Mitigating your risk.

SPEAKER_05 18:51

Totally. So that's a huge value add that I can't do. I don't have the tech tech knowledge for that sort of thing. Um, but I add value in other ways. So um I think that's really important that we're not sitting there trying to both job share and do the same thing. Yeah, it's very separate.

SPEAKER_00 19:07

I want to go back to the um the salary thing. I definitely feel like it's there is well, there's so many females and partners out there that aren't getting paid for their time. And I know from personal experience when Camille came into our business, it all sounded good at the start because we thought, oh shit, we're we're gonna be cheaper than everyone else, you know, free labour in the office. Like, this is gonna be awesome. But like knowing what we know now, like that it's it's so like for Camille, like it can lead to depression and anxiety. Like the fact that you're sitting in an office, you're doing all these stressful tasks, you're keeping the business alive, and and you're not getting rewarded for that is pretty bad.

SPEAKER_05 19:49

And isolating. Like I went from a very social young, you know, workplace. Um, and also, you know, it was sort of almost a bit demoralizing there for a few years, oh, and I worked my ass off at you know, university and you know, got skilled up and like what am I doing now? Admin, uh, you know, but it's more than that, but some days are hard, and you sort of feel like what you know, if you are working on your own, you know, especially if you are in the home as well, it's sort of like um, yeah, it can feel a bit suffocating.

Event Announcement: Live Life Build Seminar

SPEAKER_00 20:25

Not only that, like the like the blokes generally are like they're out on site and they're the one that everyone's acknowledging because they're like it to everyone else, they're the ones getting their hands dirty and building the home, but they don't realize that with for that to happen, there is all this stuff happening behind the scenes. I know um for Camille, my wife and Sharon in our office, um, like we really make a point now of making sure that they're referenced in meeting minutes and so people understand the tasks that they're doing behind the scenes to make that work happen. And um, like I'd like them to do it more, but I I really push, like, I like them to get out to site a few times during the job and just walk around and they don't really need to do anything or know what's going on, but just to go and see what's happening, team on site can see that they're real people, and um, but even clients, like just having uh Camille show up to a random site meeting or something.

SPEAKER_05 21:20

Um I have to go to all of mine because Steve doesn't take notes. So they all know me. Um, no, but I I enjoy it because um, like everyone, I'm visual and I'm familiar with the projects because I've been estimating them and you know, working with interior designers or cabinet makers and whatnot. So sometimes it can be helpful if I can be there and pick up little inconsistencies or whatever and just to get out and about. Um it's good for relationship building for everyone. Yeah, not just clients, but also the team and whatever, as you say, just to say good day and whatnot to people, get out.

SPEAKER_00 21:59

Um, yeah, it's I think like one of the reasons I want to get wanted to get you on to have a chat, Simone. Like I feel like there's a lot of um like a lot of relationships end because of wives and partners. Like I feel like it stems from them being somewhat forced to have to try and help their husbands run their trade or building business because it's expected the financial pressure, and then it yeah, it's expected because I know that so and so's missus did it. Yeah, or they got better tech skills, or they can type an email quicker or something. Like and I feel like there's a lot of blokes out there that need to sort of pull their head in and and put in a bit more effort and start having a go at things.

Learning The Trade From The Trenches

SPEAKER_05 22:44

Yeah, it's a really big deal. Um, I had a young um hairdresser doing my hair a couple of m months ago now, and she was saying her her partner's a carpenter and um wanted to go out on his own and um he wanted her to um do the books and work on the business. And I said, But just tell him that he can't afford you.

SPEAKER_04 23:05

And she's like, What?

SPEAKER_05 23:06

And I said, Well, is he gonna pay you? Oh no, well what we'll do is you know, we'll build the business and then you know like the typical and I said just tell him that he can't afford you. Stick to your career for now and just you know, get him to just go hire a bookkeeper. I said, Can you do you know how to do the books?

SPEAKER_03 23:25

No.

SPEAKER_05 23:25

I said, Why does it why does he think that you can help him? He needs a bookkeeper to do that. So anyway, she's still doing hair.

SPEAKER_01 23:33

Yeah, well, hopefully.

SPEAKER_05 23:35

Well, yeah, who knows? But anyway, it was just an example um of what I've learned and just I've just yeah, was just tuned into it. Someone who's like 20 years younger than me, literally, and just going, oh be careful.

SPEAKER_00 23:46

Like well, we should be taught more about this at school. Like I like it's it's everyone feels, and the industry is building industry is very bad for this race to the bottom. So everyone feels that they can't charge enough to be able to pay for a bookkeeper, so they need to have their wife and partner do it for free.

SPEAKER_05 24:03

Yeah, yeah, no, it's a trap. It it really is. Um, so we were definitely um in that trap for years, you know, just always trying to be cheaper, just to win jobs to eat, basically, to survive. And then it just got too Stressful. Um yeah, so we just had to learn and grow from that and change our ways.

SPEAKER_00 24:28

It's funny how people I don't know, I don't know, I'm not sure how to explain this, maybe, but I think it ties in with what we're talking about. So I've had a couple of scenarios on site uh recently where a trade has damaged something of another trade and or done something not quite right, and so another trade's had to come back and do extra work because of them. And um, like I'm I'm on everyone all the time. Like you you need to charge for this, like it's not your fault that that's happened. Like, this is more time, like time is money. Like, you need to send us an invoice so that we can back charge them, yeah. And these two older sort of trades, like, uh no, it's it's fine, like swings and roundabouts, like he he's done stuff for us before, and I've been really on their back to like the there's probably four people all up in the last sort of six months that this has happened in our jobs, and I'm like, this this can't happen anymore. But times money, you need to charge. And not only do you need to like if you don't charge me for coming back to fix their mistake, I can't back charge them, so they're not gonna learn. And so this is gonna happen again. Yeah, and I feel it's the same with young businesses starting out or or people in the industry where they've got their wife or they expect their wife to work in the industry. If you it's very hard to break that cycle if you start it, so you know that's right.

SPEAKER_05 25:58

There's no physical invoice or you know, physical, you know, payroll item going out of the bank account, so there's no value placed on the time.

SPEAKER_00 26:07

Yeah. It's just like I I know how that would make me feel. Like, how would it make you feel? Like you're just putting all that effort in, you're not getting paid.

SPEAKER_05 26:14

Yeah, yeah. No, it's it's certainly been um a slow process, but oh yeah, I don't know uh w what to what to say to that other than don't work for free.

SPEAKER_00 26:29

But everyone needs to get paid for their for their work.

SPEAKER_05 26:32

Well, oh absolutely, and it's not only it's just you're just doing a disservice to the to the business owner if that's your partner, then like how are they gonna learn what the true costs are of running their business if you if you're not included as an overhead.

SPEAKER_00 26:45

And then a lot of that, um I guess those uncomfortable situations, the arguments, like a lot of that it stems from that feeling of undervalued, like Yeah, well, here I am doing all this for free anyway, you know, back off or whatever.

SPEAKER_05 27:03

So if you you're getting paid properly, then you might each person might have a more professional approach to the situation and just treat it each other better rather than, yeah, I don't know, just a squabbly family argument or something.

SPEAKER_00 27:23

Well, it's just it's it's definitely an area that the the whole building industry needs to sharpen up on. And um, like my big thing is I I truly believe that if everyone in the industry knew their overheads, knew their roles and responsibilities, were were getting paid the appropriate salaries that the cost of building would come down.

SPEAKER_05 27:41

Um it might just be more predictable.

SPEAKER_00 27:43

Be more predictable, be more efficient, people would feel more valued, people get more done in time because they're more efficient. Like it's just the benefits are far outweigh the other way.

SPEAKER_04 27:53

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 27:54

Um tell us, like, you've come a long way in the last two years. Um you were uh on one of our Live Life Build calls only yesterday and um with one of our mentors, and the the exercise was to reflect on how far you've come this year. And like you've done like when you took the time to sit down, I think you had two pages of things, and it they all don't have to be massive things, but like you must be super proud of how far you guys have come in the last couple of years.

Roles, Value And Plugging Profit Leaks

SPEAKER_05 28:27

Yeah, no, it was really good exercise to sit down and just sort of reflect back um on all the things we've implemented um since joining Live Life Build. Um I think one of the biggest um impact items um was getting sober curious. Um I just I probably cut back um drinking by 75% because I still drink. Um but I just um I think too, just with aging and whatnot, just the hangovers were just getting harder. It was just getting harder to recover and my sleep was getting really impacted, and um I just knew there was a better way. Um, so um I actually found this really good book, Sober Curious. I highly recommend it. Um, because I don't really identify with like sober sober or you know, AA programs and things like that to each their own. I'm not knocking that, um, but I couldn't really relate. I just knew there was a better way, or I had more in me, basically, for what I wanted to give to SX constructions and to my family. Um, I just knew I couldn't do it when I was just sleep deprived and cranky and not feeling well. Um, so that was huge, and it just sort of gave me a lot of um energy and clarity um to put into the business and also myself and just started um endurance running of all things.

SPEAKER_00 29:55

So that was that something you've always done, or you no, not really.

SPEAKER_05 29:59

I've always been a runner, but just like three to five Ks, just a little like half an hour run before work or something like that.

SPEAKER_00 30:06

Um, but that's just made me feel really shit. Oh, really? Because you that's just a warm-up. Well, when when was it? Back in was it April? I did the 48k cacao challenge walking. Yeah, you ran it.

SPEAKER_05 30:23

Yeah, I did 30k's, right?

SPEAKER_00 30:25

You did 30k's, but it took us 13 odd hours, and I think you said you were back having lunch at the pub. So I I thought you had been this runner for years and bloody no October last year. I need to get my act together.

SPEAKER_05 30:45

October 24 was my first ever event since like you know, high school um sport or whatever. Yeah, so I did a half marathon at actually um Brett run Queensland Brett's event, the Black Hall 100.

SPEAKER_01 31:00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 31:01

So I did it, I did the 21, so I did the smallest event. Um and that was in the hills. That was in the hills, yeah, basically, yeah, running basically yeah, I can't remember the elevation, but about 1200 meters elevation or whatever. Um, and it was really boiling hot, very, very hot um conditions. And then yeah, I guess six months later or so did the 30k Kakoda.

SPEAKER_01 31:25

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 31:26

And then just a couple of months ago, I went um and did the 50k event at Black Hall 100. Um, so that was that was huge. Um, probably just the training for that. Um, the what was a solid sort of four months um through winter. Um, and again, you know, I guess it filled a bit of a gap, gave me something else to do. Um easier to come home um on a Friday, you know, if you're bit stressed from work, you know, the old me would have just had a few beers and whatever, you know, unwound like that. But if I'm gonna get up to go trail running in the morning, um that might be 3:30, called to four, like pretty early. You don't really, I can't really be drinking beers and that on a Friday night. So it really all leant into each other, gave me something else to do and to look forward to because I was running with like amazing women. Um and yeah, just I don't know, talked dribble, you know, that was our social um catch-up too, and then just kept really fit. It was hard though, because um just a busy life, not a lot of recovery time. Yeah, so you know, go and punch out a four or five-hour run and then come home, shower and go to soccer and be soccer mum or whatever, and then just w washing and then the next minute you're preparing for work again Monday. And um, yeah. So that was probably harder than the event was keeping up the schedule. Especially the last four weeks, I was sick of it. Uh like I was, so it's really hard. But um it's just can you know one of the biggest lessons. I did it because I wanted to teach myself discipline and what it means to show up when you don't want to, but just to do it anyway. Yeah, um, so consistency has just been super powerful. Um yeah, just with our business, with our family, um and just with yeah, with running too. You just gotta keep showing up.

SPEAKER_00 33:23

The running helps give you like I feel the more sort of challenging things I do personally, the the better my business becomes. Like I just I feel like I get more clarity, I'm more structured, and and like you just said, like if I like I yeah, it's probably pretty similar. I've never actually really thought about it, but yeah, I know that if I want if I have to get to a certain fitness level to do a a trek or something, then I yeah, I can't be having a big night and just wasting a day. Like I need to be fresh, get up early.

SPEAKER_05 33:53

No zero day, like you just can't.

SPEAKER_00 33:55

Those early mornings. I don't know, I just find so much clarity being out in the bush and the birds and the wind and just nothing in my ears.

SPEAKER_05 34:04

Um, it's very cleansing, forest forest bathing, they call it.

The Hidden Cost Of Unpaid Labour

SPEAKER_00 34:09

That's a good yeah, that's a good word for it. But it definitely makes you I'm not sure how what you do. Like, I'll quite often come home from those walks, I'll do some journaling, or I've seem to find my best ideas, or I might like something might have happened at work that week that I'm not quite sure. And like and I finish a walk on a Saturday or Sunday morning, I'm like, yep, got that. Like, we're gonna do this.

SPEAKER_05 34:31

Yeah, it gives you processing time. Yeah, remember reading in a book, can't remember which one, about Winston Churchill through the wars and whatnot. A lot of his um leadership through war was, you know, decisions were made on morning walks and things or late night walks. Yeah, there's something about it just moving forward in a forward motion outside. I do a lot of beach running too, just that the oxygen levels on the edge of the ocean, like it's so good for you. I love it. I'm gonna live at the beach. Steve wants to move to the country and have a big shed, but it's just not no the way uh the way you guys are going, you'll you'll have both. Well, that's what I said weekender for sure, but you won't get me there um long term, not yet, anyway.

SPEAKER_00 35:15

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SPEAKER_05 37:35

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 37:36

Like there's a lot going on.

SPEAKER_05 37:38

Yeah, that's a work in progress too. Like that's been really exciting. And another thing, um, you know, I've just jumped in two feet first, not really ready. But um I think one thing I've learned over the years is to don't wait till you feel ready to do things because you know the time will never really c come or it doesn't know. So um we hired a VA when I didn't really have any documented systems whatsoever. Um, and the plan was to do it together, and that worked to a degree. Um, but then that also highlighted, I guess, other areas of our business that needed systemization that was beyond me and that and the VA. It was, you know, really um needed to involve our whole estimating um sales and estimating process as well as our site processes. Um so yeah, and we've also migrated, changed software a fair bit, and the VA's done a pretty good job at keeping up with it all. But um I'm I'm hanging on to the vision that that soon it's just a work in progress still, I guess, is what I'm trying to say. But um there's certainly a lot of tasks in the web there that um like the in like the um it's like a web, like a collage, isn't it? You know, the whole it's so many moving parts to it all.

SPEAKER_00 39:05

But a VA is like an incredible tool, isn't it, for someone that's um running a building business and feel like they might might feel like they're sort of cannot possibly fit any more in.

SPEAKER_05 39:17

Like it's yeah, well, it's been really um exciting, I think, to really learn the value of systems. Um, once, you know, I've been able to really get a few things better down with her that I was like, because I've been at a crossroads of like, oh, do I hire an another like a project manager, you know, to really take some pressure off me, but then that's another big chunky overhead, you know. And and do we really need that? Or do we just need better systems so that we can just split this load a bit better? So that's what we're we're trialing at the minute because more can be possible without having to, you know, have another six-figure hire in in your office, sort of thing.

SPEAKER_00 40:00

So VA is a definitely an e economical way to um yes, like if anyone listening hasn't heard it, we did the podcast with um Greg and Tamson from the Doing Co. Like that uh is yours through who's yours through. Yes, through the doing co.

SPEAKER_05 40:13

Yeah, they've been super supportive um through you know various changes. And um I probably I know I would not have done it without their support.

SPEAKER_00 40:22

I think it's um amazing what they do, like the support, the ongoing training. If you're having an issue, you can let them know and they help educate the VA on what they need to be doing.

SPEAKER_05 40:30

And oh, I wouldn't have done it without them. Um it's still, you know, it just it does take a lot from from me. At the end of the day, you get you get out what you put in. Um, and so it's on me really to um you know to let it grow from here, but I'm pretty optimistic that next year we're gonna have it sweet.

SPEAKER_00 40:50

Yeah. Um and you're currently well the last few months you've been putting a lot of time into um implementing Wonder Builder. Yeah, Wonder Build as well.

Sober Curious, Running And Consistency

SPEAKER_05 40:58

Yeah, so that's been the thing. So we've been migrating um from Build Exact to Wonder Build. Um, and so when we got the VA um on board, we were a Build Exact builder. Um, and so the move has been um tricky, just sort of re you know, re-documenting various systems and and whatnot. It's not just the software you're learning to, but how your business operates with it and who does what within the you know all the various tasks and everything. So that's sort of what we're nutting out at the minute. But um Wonder Build has certainly been a game changer just with regards to even just the the team having um timesheets in their pocket on their phone, group chats like per job. Um so that's been really helpful. Um the boys even share their like the photos of the the whiteboards on site in the group chat, little notes to each other. Um the schedule is live for each job and everyone can see it. Um yeah, there's been lots of benefits and just the client communications is easier, the portal. Um, I find it's just it's it's live and in the cloud, and yeah, it's just been yeah, lots of benefits. So all of that I think is um yet to really flourish in our business, but it's just another big chunky change that we've been going through the last few months, and it's never easy to change your operating software. And like I said, there's never a good time in the middle of a massive job. I'm like, oh, but I didn't want to wait till that job was finished, it'd be another year. Yeah, I'm not putting it off for a year, so we've just done the work to move the job.

SPEAKER_00 42:36

Yeah. And then how have you gone getting all your team on board with that?

SPEAKER_05 42:39

Good, I love it. Finally, get rid of pen and paper timesheets and whatnot. Um, yeah, that was a really clunky. I'm sorry, build exact people, if you're listening to this, but this is why we left was the timesheet thing. Um, and deputy thumbs down, sorry, it just wasn't working for our business. Um, so to get the um basically line item timesheet allocation accurately, um, it was a manual entry into Build Exact, line by line, person by person.

SPEAKER_01 43:08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 43:09

So um it's now automatically just synced from the boys app on their phone, free app, um, all the way through Wonder Build and through to um Zero.

SPEAKER_00 43:19

So, like a couple of years ago, would you have had the confidence to be playing around with softwares and implementing new things into the business?

SPEAKER_05 43:27

No, I just wouldn't have had the energy for it to be honest. It just would have just all too hard, like you know, I would have just been dealing with other fires to put out, you know, not really thinking about you know impro improvements and expanding and things like that. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 43:43

Um, from what I see now, like you're you just jump at it, like you're you're you're asking questions, you're looking at what can like possibilities and you're you're you're seeing like as well as getting everything you need to get done, you're also putting time and energy into actually implementing, growing, making the business more efficient.

SPEAKER_05 44:01

Yeah, it's hard to do, but well, it's it's a lot. There's a lot of hours that go into it, and I'm really trying to be disciplined to not do those hours after dinner. Yeah. Um, so that's the that's the thing. But I've just um I've learnt my lesson with um evening work and it's you know, terri totally broke my cicading clock. Just terrible. So now if I do need to catch up on anything, um it'll be a Saturday or a Sunday for a couple of hours during the day. Um, and I'll just weave it in um in between, you know, family stuff or social things or housework or whatever. I'll go, right, I just two hours, I'll just smash this out. And it's just better for my health that I do it that way. Um, I used to have this sort of sacred image of the weekend that it was absolutely for, you know, me and the family and friends, and you know, absolutely no work on weekends, but I would smash myself at night through Monday to Thursday, getting everything done so I could have that weekend time, but I was wrecked, you know, the sleep was terrible. So I've this is just very personal, but that just works better for me.

SPEAKER_00 45:09

Give us your opinion, I guess, on the work-life balance. Like there's uh a lot of people that focus on work-life balance aren't really good at either of them.

SPEAKER_05 45:19

So that was that was me. I had um a mindset that work was work and play was play, and you know, they were two very separate um parts of the week. So the weekend might have started at you know four o'clock on a Friday. And then I was back on duty whatever eight a.m. on a Monday, and then I very rarely did any work-related things. Oh Steve would for years work Saturday mornings out on site, you know, but I would be just doing all the house, you know, whatever, shopping, washing, cooking, all the house uh keeping. Um and then yeah, we just um I don't know, got terrible anxiety and insomnia and you know, I was hiding in my weekends. I think um I used to think because I didn't drink during the week that um, you know, alcohol wasn't a problem. And it's not that it wasn't a problem, but it not that it it was just giving me brain fog and whatever just from the sleep you know, sleeplessness, um you know, just aging and um, you know, just being brutal. Honest, it was just a not a good way to be. So I've just really turned all that on its head and just been more open-minded about going into the office or even just working on the laptop at the dining room table if I have to, just for a couple hours on a Saturday or a Sunday. Getting really um strict with weekly planning. Um, so I do mine on a Sunday at Avo, and then Steve and I will meet at about 10 past six, about precisely 10 past six on a Monday morning at the coffee shop. So he can't get it out of it. So we're like coming home from the gym, he's leaving to go to site, and um 20, 30 minutes, and we just smash out the week and have a yeah, a plan for the week. And that includes um kids' stuff too, you know, like if one of us has to pick up another, you know, one of the kids that's sort of out of normal routine or whatever, we've got personal medical appointments or something else that needs juggling.

SPEAKER_00 47:19

Personal planning is so like totally, it's been super helpful.

SPEAKER_05 47:26

And I think even just I don't I love the routine, even if we get out of it for a couple of weeks, and Steve just had an um an operation and couldn't drive and whatever. And so we were just sort of doing our planning on the fly or making it up because you know, I just sort of I think we both didn't uh we both underestimated, I guess, the impact of um Steve's recent surgery. So yeah, I really noticed how much I missed it, just having that regular structure, regular weekly planning.

SPEAKER_00 47:54

So by the time freedom does it give you about knowing that it's not up here, you're not trying to remember everything, and it's just there. You can both look at it, like Steve doesn't have to contact you, you can look at the schedule, you know what's going on, you vice versa.

SPEAKER_05 48:06

Like it's just a matter of execution, then yeah, you just get on with your week.

SPEAKER_00 48:11

And do you find you get way more done by having that schedule?

SPEAKER_05 48:14

Yeah, absolutely. And also helps me to not brush important things off because I'm can be guilty of that. Oh, you know, another email, like I'm the inbox is still a big problem for me. It's a big distraction. I had to turn it off the other day. We were trying to estimate and go, you know, these email, like just because it's urgent for this other person, right? And they're harassing you for this thing, it's like, well, actually, you know, that can wait.

SPEAKER_00 48:38

Does your VA manage your emails?

SPEAKER_05 48:40

Not yet. Not yet.

SPEAKER_00 48:41

Oh, that's a big one you need to go to.

SPEAKER_05 48:43

Yeah, it's on the vision board, Dwayne.

Sponsor: Highwood Timber Healthy Homes

SPEAKER_00 48:45

Yeah, like well, that can be one that's done pretty easily. Like, number one, just get them to go through it every morning and get rid of all the sales brochures and all the bullshit that you don't need, and then they can like put them into your boxes or whatever, so that you only you ain't like I I do this um a little bit. Camille's VA looks after her inbox, but like just going through your emails, get rid of all the shit, all the junk, um, delete, gone, never need to see it. Uh putting all your emails into job folders so that you literally have to go to that job, go through those emails for that job, move to the next job. You're not getting distracted by seeing all this different stuff.

SPEAKER_05 49:25

Yeah, that's still a big um bugbear for me. Trying to work through that. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Definitely it's a work in progress. Like you'll have to find what works for you, but started it copying her in on a lot of correspondence so she can kind of get the feel of who's who in the zoo. Um, so that's as far as I've got with that.

SPEAKER_01 49:42

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 49:43

Um, but yeah, just the weekly planning helps to keep my eye on like what was important for me on Sunday afternoon when I'm looking ahead to the week. It's like, oh yeah, okay, I need to get, you know, basically all the quote requests done for that set of plans by whatever Thursday, close a business. And so that I know if things are piling up Wednesday things like, no, you've got to you know stay focused. Yeah, yeah. So it's really important. Um, otherwise, yeah, if you just end up going with the flow, you miss deadlines and you get delayed and behind.

SPEAKER_00 50:17

Yeah, we talk about this all the time. Like people's priorities become your priorities, even though and those priorities are always gonna be very different to the priorities that you should be working on.

SPEAKER_05 50:25

Yeah, that's right. Oh, um, and it's yeah, important to sort of I guess get get awareness around that and try not to panic when someone else is panicking at you.

SPEAKER_00 50:35

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah. Um, so what I guess what what's some advice you may have for like females partners that are maybe not feeling a little bit overwhelmed by working in the business or maybe undervalued or something like I think just educate yourself, upskill and stay strong with it.

Hiring A VA And Systemising

SPEAKER_05 50:57

Um I think I um it wasn't until I really just took myself off to that course. It was run by the HIA at the time, and it was um it was sped up. I don't know, you know that they you know deliver them in a shorter period of time than if you were to go off to TAFE or whatever. So it was um every Saturday for a couple of months. I can't really remember the delivery, but it was something like that, so I could still work. Um and we yeah, we had the two kids, might have been, I don't know, prep age or whatever. So it was pretty busy, and then I'd do that every Saturday. It just gave me a lot of confidence, like knowledge is power. Um, so I think if um yeah, there's any women listening to this that feeling a bit sort of flustered, like you're floundering, and you know, and that can lead to being defensive too, if you are making mistakes and your partner has a go at you or imp you know, um I don't know, it just might highlight an area that you need to upskill, go and learn and figure it out. Um, and if it's not from an industry bot like a formal thing, like just from other people, um, you know, friends and family, I just ask questions. Yeah, and then that might lead to whatever a short course, or even just like a podcast or a you know, an audio book course, something that's just gonna help, you know, you get to the next step and the next step. Um, yeah, because it's certainly a journey.

SPEAKER_00 52:28

Yeah. If um, I guess if you're a uh builder's wife or partner or you're a builder that maybe your wife works in the business too, you can always reach out to uh Live Life Build because we like I said, we've got a lot of wives and partners in the community. We've got a that separate channel for you guys as well.

SPEAKER_05 52:42

Oh, there's heaps, there's so many women. I think when we first started that, there might have been half a dozen.

SPEAKER_00 52:48

Yeah, no, there's 30 or 40 or something in there now that are um getting it getting involved in it, but um, which I think is absolutely fantastic. I think uh, and like I said before, I'm not in that. Like um other team members run that side of it, but from what I hear, a lot of it like obviously there's a lot of good conversation there, people asking questions and things, but a lot of the um feedback about that group is that a lot of wives and partners feel like they're on their own.

SPEAKER_05 53:12

So having that group to be able to ask questions and just relatable having, you know, and I think too, because most of us have just made it up as we've gone along, you know. There's I I don't really know of anyone in the group, not that I know everyone, but you know, like we've I think we've all got that sort of shared journey where we don't all really know what we're doing all the time. Yeah, and um it's a well do us folks, really. Well, there's that, but exactly Google it, find out. Um, but it's a really generous group. So um there's a lot of people that are really more than happy to share, you know, templates or ideas or their experiences. Um there's you know, some gun marketers in the group um that have been really helpful for others going, oh, what do I do? Should I do this or that? And it's just a sounding board of really just sort of like-minded um people, and it's a very safe place. Um I think just speaking for myself, being in like the broader group with the rest of the um elevate members, it can feel a bit weird just again being you know a female in a male-dominated space.

SPEAKER_01 54:25

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 54:25

Whereas the partners chat um is not that, you know, it's sort of probably where I think women feel more comfortable by speaking up and asking questions that's more related to the office generally. Um whereas in the broader chat it can be um, you know, it's the but it's a broader, you know, range of topics and things like that. Yeah. So yeah, I highly recommend it. It's um worth its weight and gold. I don't know. A lot of the girls say it's the best part of elevators, the group chat.

SPEAKER_00 54:52

Yeah, like I there's so much value in um having a safe community.

SPEAKER_05 54:58

Totally. And just some it's just right there in your pocket if you just need to like ask a question or you know, you're feeling a bit flat or you share something hilarious, like everyone's up for it. So it's it's just accessible. Um and everyone's so spread out, I think, too, like you know, all over Australia, which I think's amazing too, because um I don't know a whole heap of I guess you know, women in a similar sit no like I'm just trying to think, probably can on one hand, you know, of women I know in my personal life that work with their husbands in the construction industry. You know, most of my friends are not that, so it's hard to have a a conversation with a friend who can relate and understand with what you're going through, but all these women fully get it.

SPEAKER_00 55:46

Yeah, well, and not only that, again, from what I hear, like it's quality. Yeah, there is there's a lot of uh what builders wives and partners group and like on Instagram and Facebook and things, but like I see them on my socials, and some of the shit that I see getting talked about, I'm like, holy shit, like what is going on here? Um so it's it's quality as well.

SPEAKER_05 56:07

Like you're not super supportive, and I think it's you know, a lot of it's um I don't know what the word is, but almost like care caring for the for the person, like person first, sort of support, not necessarily uh how do you set out your invoices and you know, like that sort of stuff. Um there are some you know awesome little templates and things that are shared, but it's more just about um I don't know, running your running your life really, or your business, or like I don't know. Today the chat was about the full moon and all went a bit woo-woo thanks to Amelia.

SPEAKER_00 56:48

Yeah, so so what what's next for SX instructions or what's next for you? Like what what's your plans?

Switching To Wonder Build And Adoption

SPEAKER_05 56:56

Well, uh the big the big um cherry on top next year is our own home. Um so we're super excited to um do a knockdown rebuild for our family. Um it's been 10 years since we've built for ourselves, so it's not a something that we do all the time. So we're really excited. We've got a nice um corner block near the beach. Um we've been living in a knockdown for three years, so well and truly ready. Um, and then we're just using it um as a bit of a training ground for ourselves, too. So we just ran the PAC process on ourselves um just to help clarify our budget and our borrowing capacity and things like that, or what you know that um so that's been really helpful um in even just growing our sk skills in delivering the PAC process for our clients. Yeah, um, because surprise, surprise, the plans came back over budget. Um, we've got no one to blame but ourselves for that. A little bit bigger, a little bit more. Um, but it does a good exercise to do. But every meter, you know, costs. So um, and every little decision and every little extra you put in, even for us, like it costs.

SPEAKER_00 58:09

So um So when you when you were pricing that we're like, oh I'm sure I can do that cheaper.

SPEAKER_05 58:15

Come on. No, we were very disciplined. I wasn't, we were charging ourselves overheads and prop doing it properly. Um, and so we cut off the top level. So we've gone from a double story home to single story. Um, so that's possible because we do have a bit of land. So it's not possible for every, it's not a solution for every site. Um, so we were fortunate we didn't have to chop the house in half, so to speak, but um that's been a really big um saving for us. And it'll be interesting to do like a before and after evaluation on it too, to sort of um try and just yeah, we're just leading into uh future builder developer vision for SX. So um a lot of the um I guess well, the key thing we need to really learn is the feasibility study on sites and projects and things like that. And a lot of it's to do with your before and after values and you know, sale prices and things like that. So we can just use it as a little guinea pig in the here and now. Best way to learn is to do it, just get in and do it and really, yeah, just trying to capture the as much data as we can on it so that we can learn from it and do the next next one.

SPEAKER_00 59:26

No, although uh look, I really look forward to seeing your growth. You've come an incredible way in the last two years, so I can only like well, I can't even imagine what the next two years are gonna bring. So I really hope you guys keep pushing it and uh personally and business because you're you're both getting more time for your personal stuff as well. So um really appreciate you coming on. Before you get out of here, is there anything else you'd like to talk about with a bit well to do with women in construction?

SPEAKER_05 59:53

Oh, just the world is your oyster. And like I said before, don't sit around and wait for your partner or husband to do things. Like if you see something that needs to be done or something that you want, just go and get it and make it happen.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:08

Yeah, I actually quick story before we get out of here, but uh a builder mate of mine that's wife came into his business, they had a really hard time and to a point where she she was convinced that a building business couldn't make money and she just hated it, caused a lot of friction and whatever. But anyway, they knuckled down and they they educated themselves, she did some training, um, and they managed to turn their business around. But to a point where she became very, very good, she left their building business and actually went and got a job for a really big company as a project manager. Wow, and is earning a lot of money.

SPEAKER_04 1:00:45

Right. Um, the thoughts crossed my mind. Don't you worry, I've been on seek and I always come back.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:56

Yeah, I I think it's a good message because yeah, the world is voices. Like the the the reality is the construction industry needs more females. You you bring a different level of skill set to the table, you definitely bring a different attitude, different mindset. Like at the end of the day, females and males are very different, and I think it needs a mix of that.

SPEAKER_05 1:01:17

I agree, and especially for our client relationships. Um yeah, I just you know, uh naturally just form good um chats with the with the women. I was gonna say just the women, it's not just the women, but a lot of it's the detail, you know. You know, Steve's busy with the you know, the project um structure and the bigger picture, I guess, but then I'm sort of um handling a lot of the detail. Um and the women I find tend to feel more comfortable to come to me with like, oh, do you think you know this fridge or that fridge or um I'd rather not talk fridges, but can you talk to your interior designer?

SPEAKER_04 1:01:55

I'm sick of fridges.

SPEAKER_05 1:01:57

But um, yeah, it is nice to be able to be available for um and make yeah, the our female clients feel more comfortable to reach out with stuff they feel embarrassed to bother Steve with, I guess, is what I'm trying to say. Yeah, no, you add a lot of value, I think.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:13

Yeah, no, look, I take my hat off to you. You're doing incredible things, keep it up, look forward to seeing where you uh go with your running. I'm gonna have to do it for my ass out now to uh Yeah, come on.

SPEAKER_05 1:02:24

What's the only reason why I'm not doing your your 10 peaks things because you're not running.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:31

No, but look, I appreciate you coming on, Samoan. Keep doing what you're doing, love your work, and um, you and Steve deserve everything you get. So well done. All right, thank you very much. Um guys, as always, make sure you go check the DuanePears.com website out. Get on board with your merch so we continue to grow the level up movement. Um, join our mission to create a new building industry. Make sure you like, share, subscribe, all of those types of things, and we'll see you on the next one.