The Site Shed | Systems, Strategy and Growth for Tradies and Contractors
The Site Shed is a global podcast for tradies and contractors who want clearer systems, stronger strategy, and steadier business growth. Each episode is designed to educate and inform around the topics that matter most in running and scaling a modern trade business.
Hosted by former plumber and digital agency owner Matt Jones, the podcast dives into real-world conversations on marketing, operations, apprenticeships, technology, hiring, leadership, finance, and more, all tailored to the trades and construction industry.
You’ll hear practical insights, honest lessons, and expert perspectives from across the globe.
Whether you work as a tradie, contractor, builder, electrician, landscaper, or run any service-based business, you’ll find ideas and experiences you can put into action straight away.
If you're ready to work smarter, not harder, The Site Shed gives you the tools, frameworks, and viewpoints to help your business move forward with confidence.
The Site Shed | Systems, Strategy and Growth for Tradies and Contractors
Should Tradies Franchise Their Business to Scale Faster? | ft. Jon Ostenson | Ep. 485
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
🎯 Free Tools for Growing Trade Businesses: https://tradie.wiki/pod
🫱🏻🫲🏼 Book a Free Strategy Call with Tradie Web Guys: https://tradie.wiki/tssyt
It's no longer just fast food to franchise.
It could also be one of the best ways for tradies to grow without getting too tired.
In this 485th episode of The Site Shed Podcast, Matt sits down with Jon Ostenson, CEO of FranBridge Consulting, to break down what franchising really looks like for trade and service-based businesses.
If you’re stuck in the day-to-day, thinking about growth, or wondering how others scale using systems, people, and capital that aren’t all on their shoulders, this episode is a must-watch.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
✔ The biggest myths tradies believe about franchising
✔ Franchise vs licensing vs alliance models (what’s the difference?)
✔ Why private equity is chasing trade & home service franchises
✔ When franchising actually makes sense (and when it doesn’t)
Key Chapters:
0:00 - Teaser
1:12 - Discussing the dynamics of franchising and non-food franchising
6:04 - Reasons to consider a franchise model for an existing business
10:07 - Limitations and "red tape" of franchising
12:11 - Addressing the perception of increased cost for customers of franchises
15:15 - Expectations and systems within a franchise
17:31 - Legalities and approval around branding and marketing
19:09 - Digital marketing challenges for franchisees
23:21 - Backgrounds of people who join a franchise
25:26 - Support available for franchisees and their teams
27:13 - Choosing between buying an existing business and a new franchise
29:16 - Exit strategy and typical returns for a franchisee
31:49 - Ownership of intellectual property (IP) like customer databases
35:57 - John Austinen's book, *Non-Food Franchising*
38:13 - The typical avatar best suited to the franchise dynamic
📲 Listen On The Go! https://tradie.wiki/listen
🎙 About Our Guest: Jon Ostenson
Jon Ostenson is a leading expert in non-food franchising and the founder of FranBridge Consulting, where he helps business owners scale through proven franchise models. He has collaborated with numerous entrepreneurs and trade professionals to establish scalable, systematised businesses, avoiding the need to start from the beginning.
🤝 CONNECT WITH JON OSTENSON
Website: https://franbridgeconsulting.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JonOstenson1
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/j.ostenson/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonostenson/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@JonOstensonFBC
CONNECT WITH THE TRADIE WEB GUYS!
Website: https://www.tradiewebguys.com.au/
LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/company/tradie-web-guys
Matt’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/iamthemattj/
Your Next Step:
Join Tradie Academy, our free community packed with templates, checklists, and resources shared by podcast guests, coaches, and successful tradies.
👉 Join free and grab your next growth tool here: https://tradie.wiki/pod
Follow The Site Shed:
- Facebook: The Site Shed
- Instagram: @thesiteshed
- LinkedIn: Matt Jones
- Website: thesiteshed.com
- YouTube: @TheSiteShed
If you enjoyed this podcast and the series, please take 5 minutes to leave us a review:
⭐ https://lovethepodcast.com/TheSiteShed
Love the audio version of this podcast? Subscribe to the link below:
⭐ https://followthepodcast.com/TheSiteShed
