Built. Trusted. Chosen.
Featuring proven leaders and marketers in trades and construction
Real, unscripted, unedited and raw lessons from trades and construction founders, leaders and marketers. We dig into growth, scaling, hiring, margins, and how to be built, trusted and chosen.
Built. Trusted. Chosen.
Hire Ops Before Sales, the Trade Business Move Most Owners Get Wrong | Peter Wesley
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If you run a trade or construction business, you’ve probably felt it: plenty of work, plenty of effort, but cash is tight, the phone never stops, and the business only works when you do.
In this conversation, I’m joined by Peter Wesley to unpack what actually changes when a contractor moves from “muscle and hustle” into a business that runs with clarity, consistency, and breathing room. We’ll talk about the predictable growth ceilings Peter calls the “valleys of death”, the hires that matter most, and the simple operating rhythm that makes cashflow and delivery far easier to control.
You’ll take away:
- Why contractors hit a predictable ceiling around $2–3m turnover, and what “systems” really means at that stage
- The smarter hiring sequence: admin support first, then ops leadership (before sales)
- Peter’s 3 C’s framework (Capacity, Clarity, Consistency) for stabilising cash and reducing stress
- A practical cadence for control: Monday forward planning, Friday job review, plus daily key numbers
- How culture directly impacts profit through rework, client trust, and team behaviour
- Why “70% done” is a trap, and how to execute improvements sequentially to 100%
Guest bio
Peter Wesley is the founder of Better Back Office, helping trade and contracting businesses get control of their numbers with cleaner systems, stronger cashflow, and better reporting. He’s best known for practical, operator-first back office support across bookkeeping, payroll/BAS, and Simpro workflows so owners can scale without the chaos.
· https://betterbackoffice.com.au/
· https://www.instagram.com/peterwesleytcos/
Host bio
I’m Wes Towers, founder of Uplift 360 and host of Built. Trusted. Chosen. I help trades and construction companies be built, trusted, and chosen online through high-performing websites and Search Everywhere Optimisation, so the right clients find you and choose you with confidence. https://uplift360.com.au/
Want to be a guest on Built. Trusted. Chosen.? Book here: https://uplift360.com.au/built-trusted-chosen-podcast-guest-booking/