That Home Loan Hub
Welcome to That Home Loan Hub, your ultimate guide to mastering the world of home loans and property. I'm Zebunisso Alimova, here to simplify the complexities of real estate and provide you with expert insights and the latest trends.
Whether you're a first-time homebuyer, an experienced investor, or simply curious about the property market, this podcast is for you. Join me each week as we unlock the secrets to property success and help you make informed decisions. Let's dive into the world of property together!
That Home Loan Hub
What Your Mother Never Told You About Money (But Brett's Did)
Breaking free from financial hardship takes more than just hard work—it requires the right mindset, strategic thinking, and sometimes a little maternal wisdom. Brett Trilford's journey from growing up in a benefit-dependent household to owning multiple successful businesses showcases exactly how this transformation happens.
Brett's childhood was defined by financial constraints. His single mother suffered from rheumatoid arthritis and relied on government assistance while raising Brett and his sister in a house that, while located on Kapiti Coast's million-dollar beachfront, lacked basic comforts like carpet and heating. Their family car sprouted mushrooms from water leaks, and rust holes were patched over rather than properly repaired. Yet Brett recalls this time with surprising fondness, noting it was simply his "normal."
A pivotal moment came when Brett, naturally artistic and offered a scholarship to pursue painting, received straightforward advice from his mother that changed his trajectory: "Name one rich artist... now name one poor plumber." Unable to answer either question satisfactorily, Brett chose the trade route—a decision he credits with enabling his financial independence. Through years of difficult employment situations, Brett perfected his craft, specialized in gas fitting and plumbing, and eventually launched his own business in 2020. Success followed, allowing him to start a second venture specializing in drain unblocking, aptly named "Blockbusters."
What makes Brett's approach to business and money management so effective is his balanced perspective. He values providing quality service and building community relationships over rapid expansion. He treats his employees with flexibility and respect, understanding that family matters take precedence over work. When investing in rental properties, he applies lessons from his own experience as a tenant, allowing pets and giving renters freedom to make the space their own.
Brett's philosophy is simple yet profound: money is an amplifier of who you already are. For those with good intentions, financial success enables greater positive impact. His story demonstrates that with determination, sacrifice, and the willingness to learn from others' successes, anyone can break generational cycles of financial hardship.
Want to hear more inspiring stories of financial transformation? Subscribe to the Home Loan Hub for conversations that help you navigate your own path to financial freedom.
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Hello and welcome to the Home Loan Hub. Today I am joined by Brett Trilford. Hello, brett.
Speaker 2:Hello Ziba Niso, how are you?
Speaker 1:Good, how's it going in your life, Uh?
Speaker 2:cold.
Speaker 1:We're in the middle of winter. What do you expect?
Speaker 2:I'm wearing short shorts. I've got claustrophobic legs so I'm always cold.
Speaker 1:Claustrophobic legs. I've never heard that description before. What does it mean?
Speaker 2:When I put pants on I just feel funny, so I'm always wearing shorts.
Speaker 1:But that's my problem for winter. You sound like my second child. Hey, he wears shorts. 24 7. He's got the same issue claustrophobic legs, claustrophobic legs. I'm gonna use that next time. Um brett, today I've invited you because you are multiple things to me. You are my go-to for anything to do with gas issues and plumbing thank you but you're also a good friend.
Speaker 2:Oh, stop it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and you're also a very good client.
Speaker 2:Oh, thank you.
Speaker 1:You ticked all the right boxes for being an awesome client. You were patient, yeah, you were kind. You were not annoying. And you just did what we told you to do.
Speaker 2:Hey, I try to.
Speaker 1:That was awesome, but you've got a really cool, magnificent story behind you, and I remember we were talking about your story when you dropped by one day and you were doing some stuff for me and we started to talk about your upbringing and your childhood and and this is why I thought you will make a fantastic guest on this show, because what it shows is that with the right attitude and work ethics, you can actually break out of a cycle yeah, so without further ado.
Speaker 2:Go ahead, my friend, and share your story well, I think it starts from when I offered you a sauna and you took it up straight away because I had a spare sauna and I came and built a sauna in your garage so I could get rid of a sauna because I had my garage full of parts and I had a sauna. So Xebedee's got a lovely sauna.
Speaker 1:I was trying to keep it a secret, Brad.
Speaker 2:No, it's broken. That's what it is. It doesn't work. But no, when I was talking to you about it, we were just having a chat and obviously you do our mortgages, yeah, and so I was just talking to you about what my job means to me, which means it gives me an escape from where I have been financially when I was growing up. I come from a single mother household and she has rheumatoid arthritis so she was on a benefit and it's been really hard on her. But now she's bought a house and she's working, so everyone's winning, and it was quite cool that my job has given me the ability to pull out of that system.
Speaker 1:So you like summarized our three-hour conversation into a one-minute summary. Let's dive a little bit deeper. So, growing up, did you guys own a house?
Speaker 2:No, we lived in a house that was so cheap because they owned a bunch of houses on the beach in Rosetta Road, like that's the rich street. You know Rosetta Road.
Speaker 1:In the Rai Bunchy.
Speaker 2:Yeah, exactly the Million Dollar Mile, and we were right beachfront but the guy was just land banking. So there was no carpet, there was no heating, but we had the best views. So I loved it growing up. And we didn't own a house. We had a car. It was a Mitsubishi Tredia and it had a hole that you could see the road and mushrooms were growing in it because it would leak. So on the carpet we'd have to clear the mushrooms out after it rained and there was rust holes in the door. But my uncle was a mechanic so he taught us how to paint and buff and hide the rust Rust holes in the door. But my uncle was a mechanic so he taught us how to paint and buff and hide the rust. So growing up we never had a car with a warrant of fitness or anything. So a little bit illegal, but we're definitely on the lower scale of financial.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:So it was pretty fun. Well, you look back at it, you see it as fun, but at the time you think but it was just my normal, so I loved it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, he's a fun and you have a sister.
Speaker 2:Yep, she is a archaeologist in Auckland.
Speaker 1:That's a cool job.
Speaker 2:It is pretty cool, but she doesn't find. It's not like Indiana Jones, she's not going catching treasure and running around the world.
Speaker 1:I just imagined her like sitting there dusting.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's a bit like that, sitting there and talking to digger drivers, so I don't think it's that cool Nice.
Speaker 1:Okay, so I don't think it's that cool. Nice, okay, so single mama raising you guys making ends meet, and when did you realize for yourself that? Hold on a second. What can I do for myself?
Speaker 2:Well, I've always been the provider for my family, even as younger, so I'd have to fix things and my granddad was a mechanic as well and he taught me to fix things. So always the one I was the man around the house. So it was kind of my life. And then I got a scholarship.
Speaker 2:When I left, was about to leave school, to do art, painting and carving and that and I really, really wanted to, and obviously my mum, with the chip on her shoulder being, you know, financially, she kind of gave me the real chat was name one rich artist that we know I couldn't. Every artist kind of had a great life but they weren't rich. And she said name one poor plumber. And I couldn't. I was like, well, I guess I'm getting a trade. So I went and got a trade and that was the direction that I'm glad I took.
Speaker 2:You know, like we've now built a studio in our backyard so I can have that outlet for art studio in our backyard, so I can have that outlet for art. But if I didn't have my job I couldn't have the outlet, I'd only have the art which would become a job which you don't enjoy. So I'm happy I've gone down the trade route and it's fun having a trade job, but it's definitely taxing on the body. I've just got a cortisol injection in my shoulder. I've had my knees chopped apart and fixed up, but it's fine. Every child comes with a sacrifice.
Speaker 1:And I think this is a very important word here that you've used the sacrifice. This is something I see in a lot of younger generation. I mean, you and I are a bit of dinosaurs here. Younger generation don't like that word. They're like why should I sacrifice my lifestyle? You know I want to have it all.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'm massive on sacrifice. Every apprentice I get a person that works for me. I ask them what their goal is and what they want to do and they tell me they're like this and like that and I was like well, I'll just not pay you then and I was like if you enjoy problem solving, I'll just pay you the bare minimum.
Speaker 2:And I was like you're doing your job for money, it's a financial decision. You're sacrificing time, you're sacrificing your energy, because it is that's what it is, you know. So that's how I look at it, like I've sacrificed a lot, not like any virgins or anything into a volcano, but like I just gave up and just worked, worked, worked, worked, worked. I've done not much traveling, but I'm in a pretty good position now from doing it all.
Speaker 1:So now we're looking at doing some travelling and a bit of fun, and that's the thing, right, like you work hard and then you reap those rewards.
Speaker 2:Oh, absolutely. You see it now that your hard work pays off. Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:So who taught you about money? Who taught you about being good with money?
Speaker 2:Because a lot of like younger people I know that go into trades they earn good money and then they go and waste it all on a Friday, saturday night. Did you do that? Nah, I didn't make good money for a long time, probably until about I was 30-something. I made pretty bad money. More of my employers kind of treated me like shit and didn't give me good money. But that's just how the trade world works. It's 1 in 12 is usually a good employer. A lot of them are just quite hard on you and kind of pushy usually a good employer. A lot of them are just quite hard on you and kind of pushy.
Speaker 2:And so I didn't really have good money and I didn't have good financials. I had cars I couldn't pay for and not that they were flaccid, they just I couldn't pay for it and get paid well. So what that taught me was to work harder, become smarter, become better, and then I could get good money. So then I started making good money in a different company in town and that gave me the opportunity to learn about money, and I'm always a believer that you should learn from someone. So I talk to people that are good with money, and these aren't the people with the gold watches and the flash clothes. These are the people that I look at and think why aren't you at work in the middle of the day and they're out there doing whatever they want and they've got everything you could dream of and they're happy and they're chill.
Speaker 2:And so I learned from them is that money you work with your money, to work for you. You don't just leave it alone, like they're always doing something with their money. So every one of their rental properties they're there making sure it's okay. Every one of their boats they're ensuring it's maintained and kept, and their batches they're constantly got the finger in the pie with everything they do. And that's kind of what I've learned as well. Like they're not just willy nilly and they won't go just do a flash holiday, they'll do a holiday, want to do you know, like. So I was like oh, so that's kind of I've been learning from some people about money just a heap of different people, but, yeah, clients, anyone that's doing. Well, I kind of listen to them.
Speaker 1:That's really interesting, because often I find like, if you're not really, if you haven't been brought up with money education, you know the financial education. It's really hard to try to find your own feet and try to find that information out there. But it's that internal hunger that you suddenly have and you're like I want to learn more. How can I do better in life?
Speaker 2:and that's exactly it. I listen to people, I watch what people do. Not that I'm special, I just know I don't know. So one of my things I've tried to teach myself is I don't know anything. So I'm always learning from people. So I'm like watching how people do things. I won't ask or just I might ask, but I'll just kind of watch how people do stuff and what people are doing and how they're doing it.
Speaker 1:That's a really good attitude to have. I think when you come to things with clear and open mind instead of going. Oh, I know it all.
Speaker 2:Yeah, exactly, and people think they know it all with rentals, like I'm just going to buy six houses and do them up and sell them, and then they buy these houses like, oh, it's not even worth buying to do up. It's a bit of bowling and land banking. So I've seen a lot of people my age trying to do stuff like that and we've kind of I kind of just kind of play it by ear and see what I can find and see if it's going to work. So it's kind of got to tick a few boxes. But imagine if you'd buy the rental that ticks all the boxes or do the financial investment that does everything perfectly. I just don't think it exists.
Speaker 1:No, it doesn't, and that's another mystery that people need to really get out of their heads is that they're waiting for a perfect time, they're waiting for perfect interest rates. They're waiting for perfect economic climate. They're waiting for perfect rental to pop up.
Speaker 2:Yeah, one of my feelings is the best times now. The second best time is 10 years ago. So it's like, well, it's the other way around, but that's how I just do everything. So I was like man, if I'm going to regret this now, I'm going to really regret it in 10 years. So I'm going to jump on it, and that's how I feel. I'm going to jump on it and that's how I feel, unless, you know, I'm not going to go and spend beyond my means.
Speaker 1:You've got a sidekick. I think that keeps you reined in.
Speaker 2:Yeah well she tries to. The other day I bought a taxidermy horseshoe crab because I've got a wall of I call it the kid of curiosity and I just buy stuff I like and I've never seen a horseshoe crab. So I was like, oh, there's a taxidermy horseshoe crab so I bought it. You know the horseshoe crabs, yeah. So I just bought a big it's about half a meter long horseshoe crab. Yeah, it's in my cabinet of cursorities and she's hates it. She hides it down the other end of the house and I love it. It's got my megalodon tooth, my fossilized woolly mammoth bone. It's got heaps of cool stuff in it.
Speaker 1:Lovely.
Speaker 2:She hates it.
Speaker 1:You know what? I've got a glass cabinet. I'm going to gift it to you, so you can display some more cool stuff.
Speaker 2:Heaps of cool stuff.
Speaker 1:And I hope you invite me over too.
Speaker 2:Have a look at my uranium glass collection. I love it. I've got a radium clock. You know from radium girls, the girls that used to paint radioactive stuff on clocks in england stuck on the paint brushes and their faces would dissolve and oh my god, I've never heard, so it's a radioactive clock.
Speaker 1:It's pretty cool I've never heard of that oh yeah that's horrific that's cool, it's really cool, it's just interesting but see the things you could achieve, the things you could buy hey, radioactive clocks and woolly mammoth bones right, and that's the thing like imagine you being a 10-year-old boy thinking crap, I can never buy things I want.
Speaker 2:Well, that's what I think my problem is, because I was that 10-year-old boy and I couldn't have the stuff. Now I'm that 10-year-old man just buying heaps of stupid stuff.
Speaker 2:It's great fun, but I try to involve everybody in the stuff I do like um. At christmas last year I bet our staff that I was the best drone flyer and they said no, no, I'm a better drone flyer, they don't own drones. I was like, so what I did is we went on to grab one and bought heaps of cheap drones about six and we had a massive drone race, but it was drone demo derby. So there was no rules unless your drone can't keep flying you out. So if you can keep flying and you can attack each other with the drones and you can. So we did that and so like.
Speaker 2:Obviously it costs a bit of money, but I involve my staff as well in that kind of playfulness with money. I don't want to just constantly save, save, save. I quite like enjoying it as well. Obviously, I wish I could enjoy it and going traveling the world and not have to worry about it, but in my means I can enjoy it while I can. Stupidly, I know it's a terrible financial decision. You shouldn't say that Go buy drones and play demo derby with drones in the backyard of the workshop.
Speaker 1:Lucky for you, we've got a disclaimer here. This is not a financial advice. This is not a good financial advice.
Speaker 2:This is a terrible financial advice.
Speaker 1:But what you're showing me, Brett, really is look, you work hard, right, and then you want to play hard. There's nothing wrong with that, If you only played hard and played hard then we've got a problem.
Speaker 2:Exactly, and I appreciate my guys that work for us and they work really hard, so I constantly give them that chance where I let them play hard on my ticket as well, so they don't have to spend their money because they've all got families and stuff to look after. I don't want to put that financial stress that I had growing up with a family on them because they do work so hard. I don't want to see it for them.
Speaker 1:So when did you go on your own?
Speaker 2:That was 2020. I think I was working for someone and then COVID hit and I was the only certifying plumber and gas fitter in the company, so everything was under my ticket, which I didn't like. And then what happened is the and then he paid me the bare minimum and I said oh, no, no, no, no, like. But he made me do the call outs. I was still doing all this work, but you're getting paid nothing. And I said I had more about 50 hours worth of perky's a week, which is cash work, which is terrible financial advice. But I hated doing cashies because you don't make good money. You end up working harder. You work weekends and nights, so I just had enough. I said I'm starting a business and see how it goes.
Speaker 2:I had no real business goals and I still don't. It's real weird. People ask us what's your drive? And I'm like getting through the week and that's quite. I quite like having the business like that. I want my business to be for the team and for customers.
Speaker 2:I think our main goal was to be part of a community in business and get that reputation. It's just the name, and people can call us up and have a yarn and we can fix it and it's just that someone can respect their plumber or not respect, but more like you can just contact your plumber like, oh, can you sort it out? And that's the kind of business my business goal is Probably the same with you and your mortgage broker. You're known for it and that's what I want to be as well Known for the plumbing and people can contact us. So that's how I kind of started my business Working for people, and it kind of grew and then I specialised in Certain gas fitting for caravans and boats and boiler rooms and hospitals and then it kind of it's got out of control and that's why I'm always late by the way, guys brett was very late today yeah, the whole 14 and a half minutes yeah, it wasn't 15.
Speaker 1:You're saying 15, but my clock said 14 yeah, yeah, so I do, I do apologize for that um, but look you opened your gas and plumbing business five years ago. Five years ago, now, right, and then earlier this year was it last year?
Speaker 2:you went and decided to open another business yeah, because my love for plumbing is train unblocking, because it's like, have you watched those videos online? And they unblock a drain and you just see that satisfying it just flows away. Do you watch those ones? It's so satisfying, though it's like pimple popping and I can't really go from plumbing to pimple popping.
Speaker 1:I was about to say pimple popping. Yeah, but I love it.
Speaker 2:And it's disgusting work, but it's ah. So we made a good profit on a job and I was afraid because I don't like sitting on profit. I think we should constantly be growing and at some stage you get to that point where you can't grow anymore and we're almost there with some tools but I love buying tools and, um, we decided to open a drain unblocking business called blockbusters and we got too busy to do anything with blockbusters. But the business is set up and we're at that stage now where we're going to start pushing it out there and it's specialized drain unblocking locating with a fixed price.
Speaker 2:So most people people who have a blocked drain don't want to see someone come in and dig up their backyard and fix it, because usually you can unblock it and say hey, this is your problem, this is your solution. We unblock it and we say that to you. We tell you where it is. We can give you a price for the solution, but we get you going and we've had heaps of success. Every job we do is great success. It's just that we haven't been able to push it out there because I've just been too busy, which is the story of my life, so it's just a bit of fun, but I love it. I love blockbusters, that's my favorite.
Speaker 1:I love it we've done it.
Speaker 2:So it's all like 70s theme and in brown, because you kind of expect brown for drone. I'm blocking and I love it. It's my favorite. I could do it full time.
Speaker 1:I love it I was about to say do you want to share the name of the company, because I love the name yeah, the blockbusters, it's good eh oh, it's who came up with that me you did brian, he wanted something a bit more professional.
Speaker 2:I was like nah, let's do. I don't want to get like a plunger on a spring, you know, on ghostbusters they have the ghosts. I want to have that on the top of the van bouncing around and she said no, I was like oh, please, please. So we're going to do it.
Speaker 1:You're going to do it.
Speaker 2:I'm going to have to do it.
Speaker 1:So what's Bryony's outlet for fun?
Speaker 2:Hers is exercise because she's fit and she loves going out for dinners and stuff like that. She loves traveling and we've got a trip booked in Ireland next year with plumbers. They do a thing, so it's quite easy. So she's got that type of stuff and she goes out Quite a lot with her friends For dinners and stuff and I think that's her. She's a real foodie, so she loves that and I'm the opposite. I just can't have noodles or a soup, a water soup, for dinner. I'm not too bothered.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:I just don't like going out. So she's got, she's fine. She goes out all the time. Okay, that's her. She's a real foodie, so she goes out and shopping and gets real nice food. I used to be skinny before I met her Did you know that, but she exercises and you don't. Yeah, because I'm always like at home late and I'm like, oh, I'm tired.
Speaker 1:So question to you what sort of upbringing did Bryony have? Did she have a similar upbringing to you, or was she raised with money?
Speaker 2:no, I think well you know how you look at everybody. Everyone else is raised with money compared to you. But no, she was. She had a hard upbringing. She was um, had her dad working all the time and her mum and her four siblings, and she was the middle kid, so you know. So she kind of pushed herself to dance and exercise a lot more. So she does irish dancing. Have you seen her do it? No, you've got to get it going. It's real funny. She's really really good. So she's representing New Zealand and gone around the world and stuff and done all that type of cool stuff with it. So her upbringing was different, but no one has a good one, but everyone looks back at it and thinks it was fantastic.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you know, but does she know more about money than you?
Speaker 2:I don't know. I think she thinks of it differently. She's a bit more scared about money because her parents didn't talk about it. And that's how I look at it, because my mum always used to tell us you can only have this, because this is literally all I've got. So I was like, okay, so $1 equals $1, you know, and that's how I look at it. So $1 is always $1, no matter which way it goes. So Bryony was a bit. They didn't. Her family never talked about money, but they would go on holidays and she didn't really understand it. I'm not trying to say she doesn't understand about money, but I see it completely different to her. So I think X equals X. She can sometimes see it differently.
Speaker 1:The reason I'm digging into this is because I'm really passionate lately about money and money personalities and how money plays out in relationships, Because did you know like 90% of marriages really break up not because someone cheated, but because the money personalities just don't match.
Speaker 2:I'll be really pissing her off then with horseshoe crabs.
Speaker 1:And that's the thing right. And that's the thing, because people will go and make choices in life because they're driven by their own money upbringing and if they don't communicate well enough with their partner about money, then that creates issues and that stems into other issues. But it all because of money.
Speaker 2:It's true, it's definitely true. We have a few squabbles about money and the rental we bought. Everyone says that if they buy a rental oh my bloody rental. Anyway, it's great, great position, great bones, great everything. But every time you get a rental you say the rental, so we're gonna do a new bathroom, a new kitchen, but I'm the man for the job I was about to say I know exactly and then she's like oh, we want to do it properly.
Speaker 2:He's like we want to do it properly, but it's a rental. I'm a cheapskate at heart. She's the opposite. We could go this color. I was like I like white for a rental because it's cheap and easy, it matches everything and we want to keep it as a rental. It's a fantastic rental location. Make it perfect for someone to move in. So we've got it to a white kitchen, white bathroom, which is cool. It's all going to be new and modern and stuff. But, um, yes, with the we it, with that, with our relationship a lot. And I said, oh, I look at the driveway, it's pretty knackered. And I'm like, oh, my apprentice is going to learn how to use concrete mixes so he can pour the concrete. You know like. So I'm trying to do it cheap.
Speaker 2:Why don't we just get someone in? I was like, because we're not millennials.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I want to, but we all would love to get someone in. But yeah, just being a bit of a cheapskate. It's funny, you know, like the last few months I've spent time in my shop getting the shop office space looking good, right, yeah, so I'm learning the tools. Yeah, I've learned how to paint. I've learned how to jib, I've learned how to buff the walls.
Speaker 2:Look at you go, oh god, I've got some walls you can do. Show me how to do it. I'll give you a couple rooms to do you just, you just show me, I'm like man, you're awesome.
Speaker 1:Let's go, we'll do a barter.
Speaker 2:Yeah, done.
Speaker 1:I'll do the walls for you, you do the plumbing.
Speaker 2:Yeah, sweet easy.
Speaker 1:Because I've got two rentals in the van. I know.
Speaker 2:Well, actually I don't know if it's worth it for your rentals. Rentals of rental horror story. Yeah, totally.
Speaker 1:I haven't even shared mine yet but it's, and that's the thing that you've got to be prepared for.
Speaker 2:Oh, you just go with the punches, eh, like if you could buy the perfect rental, like a mansion house that someone's going to move into and take care of, oh wouldn't it be nice. But that's like the thing with sacrifice. You've just got to go in, give up some of your time, give up some of your money, and then we're getting it to a point so that we can just hand it over to the rental manager and ignore it.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:We want to let someone get in there. It's fully fenced, so one of the customers is one of my kind of financial, not advisor, like. He's kind of like.
Speaker 1:Mentor.
Speaker 2:Mentor, and he directs me and he says I am your financial advisor.
Speaker 1:Can I just insert?
Speaker 2:yeah, that's why I'm like, oh, rentals even so. Nah, I'm kidding um your mentor. Yeah, he's kind of said get a customer with a dog and look after them and leave them alone, because if you can give the right person with the right dog, they'll stay, they'll treat like their house yeah but you don't get the people with the 10 cats. He said dog one, dog, one cat mags are you looking at me now, brad?
Speaker 1:no, no, no, it's just like those people you know.
Speaker 2:You go to some of those houses you're like oh, you don't have 10 cats.
Speaker 1:No, my tenant did Well. We allowed one cat and then we allowed two and before we knew it, all her cats apparently started breeding and she had like 10 cats by the time she was leaving.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so great.
Speaker 1:Rental say, but rental say but see, I was always that sort of landlord as well, where I allowed pets, because when I was a tenant myself, you know 15, 16 years ago, and I wanted a rental place and I arrived at this place and this lady was just so lovely and she was like, yeah, yeah, you can have this, you know, um? And I said, look, I do have a cat. And she went oof, you know, and I could just see the look on her face and I said, look, don't worry, I'll look after the place really well, I've got a well-behaved cat and you know, we'll look after your place and I'm happy to pay for any damages.
Speaker 1:And she said that's fine.
Speaker 2:And my cat never did any damage.
Speaker 1:No, Because you know, like owner, like cat, just saying my cat was awesome and I will become a landlord. I will give that opportunity to my tenants because often tenants are looked down.
Speaker 2:Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 1:If they have a pet, but that pet is not just a pet, it's actually their company.
Speaker 2:It's part of their family as well, and that's why we wanted like we bought the rental for location. Great bones, great everything, but location's always priority one. And if we buy something that's what I'm a big believer in is because you can buy the best house, but it's still just the best house in the worst area, and so it's an awesome spot, and so we're going to try and get a family in because it's walking distance to the schools and the shops and everything.
Speaker 2:So, it's the perfect family home or someone that wants to live closer to the town you know, retiree or something. So we want to give them the chance to have whatever they want. It's a long driveway, three-car garage. We're literally going in with the rubbish truck soon and just throwing everything out, just so we can give them a clean slate. Let them do the gardens. We're going to dig all the gardens out and just mulch it, so leave the fruit trees, just let them do whatever they want and just give them the opportunity. I'm always big in giving someone the opportunity before barking down on them, and and that's what I felt when we grew up in rentals as well that I know what you mean being looked down on.
Speaker 2:It's like that's pretty hard.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I think, see, this is why you're going to do well in life, because you keep remembering your humble roots that are bringing that you had. You know you're not just shutting the door on that and going that didn't happen. I'm now this cool business owner, you know. I've got two businesses and I've got rentals. You know, you don't forget that part of you. It's part of you.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, yeah. It makes me love working. Like when we have time off, I'll get the jitters. After about five days I'm like, oh, I haven't done anything. So when we get back, bryony's always like oh, you'll be in the office for the first few days.
Speaker 2:Tools and do something and I just get jittery and that's just because straight after school I worked and I like working. And it's one of those things that, if everyone doesn't like working but like you, get to that point where you realize you just got to work and it's fine. Not the end of the world.
Speaker 2:And yeah just enjoy your work. So we try to teach the guys to enjoy their work and give them a time to enjoy their work. So one of our first things on all our time sheets is to have to clean their van out. It's just part of it and we allow for that and we pay for it. It's just. I want everyone to have a clean slate every day. Start the day off right so you give people the time to do what they need to do properly.
Speaker 2:We find that they're way more efficient during the day because, they've got rid of their rubbish, they've got all the parts they need for the day and there's no rush, rush, rush. So we see efficiency go up. But we looked at doing that. Have you seen a lot of people do like four-day working weeks and trades? We couldn't do it. I don't know how people can do it. But yeah, we've looked at other people how they do their business.
Speaker 1:But we just decided to do it our way. I think you know the way I look at it and I look at my team often. If they enjoy what they do, it doesn't feel like work.
Speaker 2:No, exactly.
Speaker 1:Like you get exhausted mentally from hating what you're doing, like going to work that you hate, that exhausts you more. Even if you went for three days a week it would still be killing your soul. But if you actually love what you do, like often my team, I have to tell them to shut off and go to sleep because some of them would be working until midnight and I'm like what are you doing? Go away.
Speaker 1:another one will be logging in at six o'clock in the morning and I'm like what are you doing? Go have breakfast, go exercise, and but they'll love it. They love sitting down and working, and especially when it's quiet as well, when there's no external noise of you know the banks calling us the it's the best time to work, eh, when there's no one talking to you.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you start getting in the flow and you're just going for it.
Speaker 1:Exactly, exactly. And look, for a while I was stopping them from it because I was feeling like the worst boss in the world. I'm like I'm not making them work and imagine they'll be chatting with their friend going.
Speaker 2:oh, yeah, I.
Speaker 1:Right, and because I'm from an ex-Soviet country, immediately I have the tech to me of hardworking.
Speaker 2:No, no, I always see you doing nothing, Just always standing around Zibanesi, just absolutely mucking around. You're the opposite.
Speaker 1:Right, maybe that's just your upbringing. Maybe my upbringing. But for those that don't know me, brett is making a joke, but you know what I mean it's really hard because that's what I had to challenge myself with and go, okay, if that's what they want, if that's what works for them, then I let them, but then during the day they might have a doctor's appointment. They might have to go and get their children. They might have to drive their parents to you know whatever, and I let them because I see how hard my team works.
Speaker 2:So I think them, because I see how hard.
Speaker 1:my team works Totally. So I think you and I are on that basis of we just do what works for our business.
Speaker 2:Yeah, every day is different and I tell my guys, like you just got to let me know, just go for it, you got to do.
Speaker 2:You know obviously works, work, because I kind of put it in their head, this is your job. Like this is that's a financial decision. You come here to make money, so I want you here to make money, but your life comes first, your family comes first, all that comes first. You tell me one of my guys has got four kids and he's like hey, one of the kids is sick. I'm like that's it. I know he comes to work when he's sick, but he uses his sick days to look after his kids. I get it, that's the text I get, and I'll text them. Will you be back tomorrow? Is it really bad? And he goes. I'll let you know At the end of the day and there's none of that issues. And they feel comfortable To come in and out of work and they'll do extra work For me as well and it's great and it's that same type Of respect you've got To give them.
Speaker 1:Yeah, exactly, it's give and take right, and I mean I'm sure you and I worked under those people.
Speaker 2:Yeah, totally.
Speaker 1:And again, that's why you know they're bringing help to us to understand money and want to do well in life. And then also working under horrific bosses.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's really helpful. You look back at it now, but at the time you think man Wish I could win Lotto.
Speaker 1:Honestly, like I had to, you know, survive certain things Because I needed visa, I needed residency, you know, and I just had to carry on working in environments that I didn't want to be in. But you just have to do what you have to do.
Speaker 2:Yeah Well, yeah, I wouldn't say mine's as hard as yours, but mine was a bit more. You could imagine trade stuff on site with drain unblocking.
Speaker 1:That's why it's a passion. That's why it's a passion. It's a love job. Yeah, it's a passion. That's why it's a passion. It's a love job. Yeah, if you've learned to love it, I had to. If you can't get over it, I had to get right through it. I love it literally and physically. But, um, what would you share with someone that's in their early 20s looking to get on the ladder? What sort of things they could be thinking of right now? Be a big brother, though.
Speaker 2:Okay, I would say, control your spend is probably what it is. So a lot of people want flash things.
Speaker 2:I finally got a car that gets a warrant of fitness is what I'd say. Like I finally did it. My car before this was a RAV4 and I bought it off my mum because she kind of didn't survive, but then I registered it as a tractor and we used it just to go to the beach and stuff. I've always kind of had shit cars and shit things, except for work stuff. So I'd say, limit your spend and just live Basic. That's going to save you A lot more money and it's not to save you money. It means you can put your money Towards the thing.
Speaker 2:Like I have savings. I do care about savings, but I'm more about buying things properly, because you can have all the savings in the world but it's still. One dollar equals one dollar, but when you buy a house, that makes you more money than that one dollar sitting there in the savings, and so I think you can do that. You have to save up, obviously, for your deposit, but be ready to sacrifice all your time to buy a dungabird of a house, put your effort in to make it worth something and just be prepared to sacrifice everything. Pretty much all I could say wow you know, because that's what we did.
Speaker 2:Like I um, I worked for ages doing nights and weekends, and I pushed my pay up by learning more and more, qualified, more and more, being specialised more and more, which has obviously helped me now, but I wasn't thinking about that when we bought our first house. I keep, keep, keep, trying more and more. I work six days a week in town and I'd be doing massive days. I'd be managing guys. I was the youngest person on site as the head foreman and I hated it Because I had the most qualifications and stuff.
Speaker 2:So it made me good money and that's how we could afford our house. And so that's what I'd say to people Just get prepared to sacrifice everything. And I wanted to buy a house really bad. And why can't I? Of all places? Because I'm staying around Kapiti, because I'd love to go travel the world and whatnot, but my mum's still in Kapiti. I'm still a mumma's boy, so I've got to look after her and she's bought a house in Kapiti. I'm going to do her house up as well, and so it's all. I can't go too far, otherwise it's too much travel fees.
Speaker 1:You're not going to charge your mum travel fees, are you? No, no way.
Speaker 2:Okay, phew, but that's what's quite good about staff. Now that I don't have to go do it, they can just kind of fill the gaps up and go fix my mum's house, which is quite helpful, because working for family Never work for family.
Speaker 1:So, brent, what's next for you?
Speaker 2:What's next is I'm trying to grow our business Differently. I'm trying to Talk about how we want to be the reputation. So I'm reaching out to places I like. So I'm doing it my way is. One of the best business advice I've ever had is don't use business advice at all. Do it your way, and I obviously watch what people do and I take it on and still care about doing it properly.
Speaker 2:I'm not going out now Well, I'm going to be the only plumber with a helicopter kind of bullshit but it's more like I want to invest myself into the community. So we've sponsored rugby clubs. When people like clubs and stuff want something, I'm more than happy to help and we will do it as cheap and best we can. Because it's a non, you know they're not making money out of it. We're trying to be then put signage everywhere, get in the face of everyone, shake hands with people and just to be part of the community so that my business has that footprint that shows it cares about the community. And one of the biggest things we do with business is it's between me and the customer. If we're happy, obviously you get people that you just can't get happy, but if they're valid, completely understand. Okay, I agree, let's do this.
Speaker 1:And we had one recently.
Speaker 2:The lady wanted some spouting done but we forgot to do it and it leaked. We were just very busy at the time, but now we look at it and it's like we learn from mistakes. So her husband recently died and he didn't finish painting the roof and obviously with our harnesses and our ladders, I said look, I want to come and paint your roof, make up for it. I can come and do it, I'll send the apprentice over. She was more than happy. She said that's all I needed to like. I just wanted to know that you take that responsibility. And she's got us doing heaps more work for her.
Speaker 1:And that's how I kind of want to run few things for you to look I know, that's why I brought my ute without my tools.
Speaker 2:You learn these tricks? Oh, I gotta go get my tools. I just won't come back. No, I know what you're talking about okay, all right.
Speaker 1:Um brad, it's been absolute pleasure to have you today thank you I feel like I need to have you more often.
Speaker 2:You just feel Well give me some business advice.
Speaker 1:Fill my cup Business advice.
Speaker 2:What do you think I could do?
Speaker 1:Well, you're already copying me by being in the community.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I know.
Speaker 1:By having your billboards.
Speaker 2:So Maybe I could dress up as a woman and do women's business like you.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I know.
Speaker 2:Bryony does it, but maybe we could double down.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think you just are doing really well. You've got a good reputation and I think personality matters.
Speaker 2:Yeah, massive. So that's one thing I've watched with everybody financially successful. They are the success.
Speaker 1:It's not their money.
Speaker 2:It's them, they're the ones pushing it, they're the ones driving it. They have fingers and pies and every time you see someone with that success step away, you know it's going to kind of crumble. You're like, oh, get back, get back, get back. So you have to be the face and you have to be there.
Speaker 1:You know it's interesting because for me, money is an amplifier right, and you've heard it before. People always say this it amplifies who you are If you're a dude person the money will just amplify that. Yeah, and if you're a good person at heart, the money will amplify that. Like money allows me, if I have the extra money, as you say, I put it back into community. I sponsor sport teams.
Speaker 1:You know, I make sure that if people need something, they get it. I look after my team, you know, and things like that. So it's about giving back.
Speaker 2:Yeah, totally.
Speaker 1:Because then it comes back to you.
Speaker 2:Exactly ten back. Yeah, totally, Because then it comes back to you Exactly. Tenfold, and it's not a financial decision, it's actually. I just want to be able to do it, yeah, and I want to be able to be part of the community.
Speaker 1:And it's.
Speaker 2:Bryony hates it because she's got her head screwed on much more straight than I do and she's like, oh, another one. I'm like, yeah, it's okay, it's okay. But then she sees it, it helps the business grow and that's what I want. It's not just the business, but we are part of a community and she kind of hates it. Sometimes you probably get it. You go to the supermarket, your face is on buses and you're like it's Sunday.
Speaker 1:Oh, honestly it's funny because I've got radio ads and now through this podcast as well, people are starting to get to know my voice. Yeah, so I could be talking, and before I even say who I am, before I even say who I am, people already know who I am.
Speaker 2:It's quite arithmetic, your name. It's like Dr Seuss. Read it Ziba Niso Alamova, dr Seuss. It's like his Dr Seuss name.
Speaker 1:I love it. I love it, he's one of my favorite authors, my favorite book. Recently I've been reading it more and more often with the kids the Places you Go Do you know that one? Oh, the Places you Go. Oh, so good, so good. I highly recommend it's really interesting because, when I look at it from the adult point of view, it goes through motions of it talks about how great your life could be how you can dream of anything, you can be anything, and then you're like you'll be the best of the best, and then one day you're not, and then you drop into this place.
Speaker 1:And I think he talks about a little bit about depression yeah in a kid's friendly way kid friendly depression I know like literally he talks about you know how you're going to be feeling very lonely and how you're going to feel really low and blah, blah, blah and then and then it goes into again a bit of a high. So it's sort of the story is about not giving up and just continue pursuing your dreams. So it's a really good book. I highly recommend it.
Speaker 2:You should be handing that out with your Zevenix Alamova.
Speaker 1:Name on it and then you could steal it, okay, and?
Speaker 2:then you could be like this is my business advice to you.
Speaker 1:Actually, there you go. This is my business advice Go and read Dr Seuss.
Speaker 2:All right, the places you go. Oh, those green eggs and ham.
