Tradie Wives & Partners, The Real Backbone

We shine a light on the tradie wives and partners who carry the unseen load that keeps small businesses alive, from late-night admin to steadying the family when cash flow wobbles. We call out the quoting trap, the toll of late payments, and the daily practice of real gratitude.

• invisible work that keeps operations moving
• admin, scheduling, BAS and compliance burdens
• the cost of free quoting and tyre-kickers
• late payments, cash flow stress and boundaries
• family sacrifices, early starts and missed plans
• practical ways to show daily respect and thanks
• stronger systems built together as true partners

If you like what you hear on today’s show, make sure you share this podcast with your mates who are electricians or who are involved in the tradey world
I want to reach out and help as many tradies as I can with this podcast
I want to help tradespeople break through to the next level in their career and in their lives
I'll put the links to these in the show notes
And don't forget to follow the show and leave a review

https://www.facebook.com.au/dylkoelectrical
https://www.instagram.com/dylkoelectrical
https://twitter.com/dylkoelectrical
https://linkedin.com/in/dylkoelectrical
https://www.electricianwauchope.com.au

Transcript

The Invisible Work At Home

Unseen Admin That Runs The Business

Why Endless Quotes Hurt Tradies

Real Estate Agents And The Race To The Bottom

Cash Flow, Late Payments, Shared Burdens

Gratitude For Partners And A Dedication

Families, Sacrifice, And Missed Moments

Daily Respect And Better Partnership

SPEAKER_01 0:06

Hello everyone and welcome back to my podcast show called Sparky's Life. I'm your host Brandt Gilko, electrician by trade and electrical contractor by choice. So if you're new here, welcome. And if you're a regular listener, welcome back. Now today's show is called The Real Backbone, Trading Wives and the Partners Behind the Business. So today's episode it is not about tools, it's not about bikes or toys that you might have as a hobby, and it's not about invoices or motorcraft. Today's episode is about all the people who don't get enough credit. I'm talking about your wives and partners and sometimes family. The people in our lives that we call the trade wives or our tradey partners. The husbands, the girlfriends, the long-term partners and the family members. The ones or people behind the scenes. The ones who don't always wear the boots or carry the tools that carry just as much weight. This episode is about the unforgotten heroes of small trade businesses. Because if you're running your own trade business, chances are you're not doing it alone. So let's dive into the show and unpack and unravel what running a small business or a small trade business is all about. The invisible work invisible work is like a magic show. I'll give you a classic example. There's a basket full of washing and sometimes it may be overflowing. Everyone in the family ignore the fact that it may be overflowing, but the next day the washing basket is empty. Clothes have been hung out, brought back in, folded and sometimes ironed and put away. No one knows how this is done, but it happens. The same thing can be applied to dirty dishes in the sink. Everyone goes to bed with a sink full of dirty dishes and a messy kitchen, and the next morning the kitchen is cleaned and the sink is empty. It's got to be magic. It's magic, right? It has to be. Or some mystical fairy like creature comes into the house late at night and does it when everyone is asleep. So here is the thing about tradey partners. Most people don't see what they do. They see the van or tradey vehicle every day around the streets that they travel or constantly around the town that they live in. They see that bright and attractive logo on all the trade vehicles. They see the same worker or workers on site and driving around in their logo signed work vehicles. They also see all the workers in a uniform advertising that particular business that employs them. But what they don't see are the late night or multiple late nights doing bookkeeping and all the scheduling to keep the business running and their workers busy. All the tax paperwork to keep the business compliant with the ATO, preparing the paperwork to go off to their accountant to prepare for the monthly or quarterly BAS to be sent off and lodged with the ATO. Or the conversations of, did you send that invoice off? So the point I'm making here is that behind a lot of successful tradies and successful small trade businesses is a partner quietly holding the administration of that business and the day-to-day operations of that same business together. And here's the truth most tradies aren't wired for paperwork. Some are just not good at it at all. Or they just struggle to keep up with it. We are wired for problem solving with our hands. We are the ones on the tools making it happen, fixing things, and making things work. But someone still has to manage the back end of the business. And often that someone is our partner or wife. But don't forget if that tradie is a female, then that someone could be their husband or partner or family member in the background. Emotional support. They hear all about the bad customers or bad builders that have just done work for or the ongoing issues with these people. The jobs that blow out, those jobs that went over time or over budget, or just didn't quote enough time, material, andor for the labor for that particular job. The quotes that didn't get accepted. Now, I just want to pause here on the quotes that didn't get accepted. I want to talk about this topic a little dip deeper. This is a big thorn in my side just here. Tradies can waste a lot of time and money with doing endless quotes because there are a lot of tire kickers out there that just want to waste everyone's time. In my opinion, these people include the following real estate agents, builders, and a small percentage of the general public. I figure since this is my podcast show, that pretty much gives me permission to to to talk about anything I want. So with that being said, let's start with the real estate agents. Especially in the property management area. I understand the real estate agents are working for the landlord, but there has to come a time when common sense needs to raise its little hand and question why. Why do they need to waste everyone's time on getting endless quotes for the same job? Oh, I know why. Because the landlord doesn't want to spend any money on their own investment property to fix it up. And the real estate agency thinks it's coming out of their own budget. This is just causing a very big problem in the tradey world because some tradies don't know their own worth. And some tradies are trying to break through into the world of contracting themselves. And so they just start undercutting everyone just to get the work. In doing this, it causes a ripple effect. Then other tradies start doing the same just to get work. Now those tradies that get that work are particularly doing it for no charge. It's a race to the bottom of the barrel. You get what you're paid for, which is absolutely awful work. And work that is substandard, not compliant, and isn't legal sometimes. And it's probably not legal, as per the Australian wiring rules or building codes. From my experience, if the client is also getting multiple quotes, probably it's because they don't have the money to be to begin with, or they don't want the job done properly, or just want it done as cheap as possible. You can often find these people on Facebook asking, does anyone know whatever trades person they're looking for? Okay. Now that I've had my say on quotes that weren't accepted, I just had to express my opinion on that matter. As it's my pet hate. If clients are calling us for quotes, my response is you have called the wrong trade person. Or you obviously obviously cannot afford us. Okay, we can now move on and talk about money stress. The stress of worrying about will we have enough money in the bank at the end of the month to pay our monthly creditors, such as our suppliers, our monthly car payments, the vehicle leases, or the monthly fuel bill. So you can see how it doesn't take much, or a compound of little things can cause money stress. What about physical exhaustion? Your trade wife, tradey husband, tradey partner, or tradey family member can also be subjected to physical exhaustion and mental exhaustion with the day-to-day running of the tradey business. They see the frustration before anyone else does. They see when we're flat, they see when we are angry, they see when we are worried, and often they carry it quietly because when you run a trade business, there's rarely a clear line between work life and home life. The stress follows you through the door, and sometimes all the time, so they have to live with all of that. Hi there, I'm Grant Dilko. If this is your first time here at Sparky's Life, welcome. It's great to have you here. And if you're back here for more, welcome back and thank you for your loyalty and support. If you like what you hear on today's show, make sure you share this podcast with your mates who are electricians or who are involved in the tradey world. I want to reach out and help as many tradies as I can with this podcast. I want to help tradespeople break through to the next level in their career and in their lives. The financial pressure they share. But when you run a trade business, income can fluctuate. And some clients treat you like a bank or some finance financial institution and they automat automatically think they have instant credit for either a 30, 60, or 90 days to pay your invoice. Those days are gone. They are long gone. But clients just love to f follow that old practice like you're a big corporate company, and some clients just enjoy stringing you along. When you do work for someone, you should get paid within 24 hours. I'll give you an example. You hire a lawn mowing person to do your lawns. You pay them cash straight away or do a bank transfer. You might also hire a pest control technician or a carpet cleaner. You pay them straight away or do a bank transfer as well. So there should be no difference between them and a trained and licensed tradesperson when paying the invoice. It's like going to your local corner store to buy your food and groceries, or going to your local hardware store in your town. You get to the checkout and say, Yeah, I might pay you next week or in a month's time or over the next few months. Yeah, it all depends if I have the money really. And this uncertainty of waiting to get paid is just not on. It's a big burden. And it isn't just your burden, it's shared. It's a shared burden. Trade partners live with irregular cash flow, tax bills, equipment purchases, ban repairs, and insurance renewals. And that's just a few examples. They feel the risk too. They have invested their time and energy and their hearts into the business. And that is something we do not always acknowledge enough. So I'd like to take this opportunity now to thank all those hard-working wives, husbands, partners, and family members who dedicated their lives in around these tradey businesses in Australia and around the world. Most of all, I sincerely thank my partner Helen for her involvement in the business and all the behind scenes. I dedicate this episode to Helen. Raising families around the trade business. For all the tradey families out there in the world, work hours aren't always predictable. There are all those early starts, the late finishes, emergency call outs, and the weekend jobs. Who fills the gaps? Do you know who fills the gaps? It's often the tradey wives or tradey partners. They cover the school runs, doing the school lunches, the dropping off and picking up of children to and from school, organizing all the doctors' appointments, doing all the daily logistics, and sometimes they may get to do their own jobs as well, on top of supporting the business. It's a balancing act, and it's not always easy. There are many sacrifices that people don't talk about. It's the missed holidays and weekends spent working and all the cancelled plans. You try and plan ahead to have some time for the family life or some time to yourself, and work always seems to get in the way. The money is reinvested into the business instead of spending it on your life balance like into your own personal lives and hobbies. All the stress is carried quietly, and the stress becomes a burden and weigh you down. So supporting a trade business isn't just cheering from the sidelines. It's living the ups and downs too, and sometimes they put their own goals on hold just to help yours. That's loyalty and that's partnership. Why gratitude matters? As tradies we're often focused on the next job. Where will the next job come from and how to get that next job? Or it may be the next tool, you might need a specialized tool to do that next job, or you have been waiting for the right time for the next tool that the business needs. And the next payment syndrome, just waiting for that invoice payment to come in to proceed or to move forward. We forget to pause and acknowledge the support system behind us. Gratitude is not a weakness, it is awareness. If your partner answers all the business calls and returns missed calls and messages, does the books such as preparing for BAS or end of financials to go off to the accountant, and also helps with quoting and invoicing, supports your stress and encourages you when you doubt yourself, that deserves recognition. Not just once or just on anniversaries. They deserve recognition on a daily basis. How to be a better partner as a trade. This is not just praise. It is responsibility. If you are a tradee running a business, you need to communicate clearly on a daily basis. Try to separate work stress from home when possible. I know it's hard to leave all that stress behind you as you pull up the driveway. Try and leave it all in the van. Share both your plans and financial goals together. Just say thank you. And most of all listen. You can learn a lot just by listening. Your partner isn't your employee, they're your teammate, and teammates deserve respect. Stronger Together. A strong trade business is often built on a strong relationship. It is built on trust, on both of your shared goals. On resilience. Trading partners do not always wear hives and wear PPA. But they are just as invested in the outcome. And in many cases, the business would not survive without them. So I hope you enjoyed today's show. I have a little story to share with you. A friend once said to me, You run your own business? That must be stressful. I said, Yeah, but my wife runs me, so we are even. He laughed and said, So who's the boss at home? I said, I'm just a worker on site, but at home, I'm just the apprentice. If you have just listened to this podcast episode, and you have a partner that is supporting your trade business, tell them thank you. Not casually, tell them properly. Because behind a lot of strong tradies are even stronger partners, and they deserve to be seen and heard. So catch you next time on Sparky's Life. So that's all for now, folks. But before I go, if there is anything you'd like me to talk about on future episodes, maybe want to ask a question or be on the show, you can do this by contacting us on any of our media sites. I'll put the links to these in the show notes. And don't forget to follow the show and leave a review. Thanks for listening to Sparky's Life. I'm your host, Grantulco. Keep safe and catch you on the next one.

Stronger Together And A Light Joke

SPEAKER_00 23:54

But you know the moment it happens Everything will be okay. But you feel like family to me. Finding you is just like finding home. Cause you feel like family to me. To me You the reason I wake up with a smile and feel enough. I don't know what I would do with you. Every day I want you more. Tell me I'm forever yours. Let me know it as I stand before you. True the don't come around, baby of time. It's like shut up to the ray. But you know the moment it happens. Everything will be okay. But you feel like family, feel like family.

Closing Thanks, Links, And Reviews

SPEAKER_01 26:17

Oh, and I have one more thing to mention. It's the legal language. This podcast is presented solely for entertainment and educational purposes. I'm just your host. I am not a licensed therapist. And this podcast is not intended as a substitute for the advice of a physician, a professional coach, a psychotherapist, or other qualified professionals. Talk to you soon on the next episode of Saraki's life.