Ladies with Tradies - WORKIN' THE TRADE, LIVIN' THE LIFE!
Grab a cuppa, or go through the coffee drive through, press play and buckle up Tradie business owners! We will cover things in this podcast that don't shy away from the raw honest truth about business. It is hard, it is raw, and we also wanna deliver you all the tips and tricks you need to learn about business too.
IN LOVE: How are you trekking in your relationship as a couple in business? Are you respecting each other? Are you finding it hard to toe the line between business and home? Do you squabble like husband and wife like you do at home when you are in 'work mode?' It is not easy to maintain a relationship and business at the same time. But the relationship should be #1 at all costs! Learn how to improve on this.
IN LIFE - do you have one or is your business taking over? Many couples need permission to actually have a life. The tradie thinks if he doesn't work he doesn't get paid - but you need some semblance of balance too. So how do you strike it?? First you need to be clear about what you want and how you want your life to look both now and into the future. Otherwise - you can just wander aimlessly with no real plans as to what you want your business to provide.
Ladies with Tradies - WORKIN' THE TRADE, LIVIN' THE LIFE!
EP. 54: Marcus Luscombe Vivid Coats: Less Is More - How Marcus Reclaimed His Time, Income & Family
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PODCAST SUMMARY:
This week on Working the Trade, Living the Life, Kate is joined by one of Ladies With Tradies’ longest-standing clients, Marcus Luscombe from Vivid Coats.
A painter by trade and community man at heart, Marcus opens up about the season where “more” was the answer to everything — more staff, more hours, more jobs, more pressure.
At one point running a team of 10 and working 60–80 hour weeks, Marcus believed that was just the life of a tradie boss. The hustle. The sacrifice. The grind.
But what he discovered over the past three and a half years will challenge everything you think you know about growth.
By scaling back his team, stepping out of roles that didn’t align with his strengths, and redefining leadership, Marcus built a more profitable business — with fewer staff, less chaos, and more time for his wife and three boys.
This episode is about:
Less ego.
Less noise.
Less people-pleasing.
And more impact, more income, more presence, and more legacy.
This is a story about:
- Scaling back to move forward
- Letting go of roles that drain you
- Reclaiming family time
- And building a business that supports your life — not consumes it
What You’ll Hear in This Episode:
- What Marcus’ business looked like at 10 staff and 80-hour weeks
- Why people-pleasing nearly cost him clarity as a leader
- The hard truth about avoiding confrontation
- How hiring the right manager changed everything
- Why fewer staff created more profit and stability
- The shift from “being in the trenches” to true leadership
- How extended family holidays became possible
- The power of community-driven business
- What “less is more” actually looks like in real life
If you think you have to sacrifice family time to run a great trade business — this one might just change your mind.
✨ Key Takeaway
You don’t have to sacrifice family time to build a successful trade business.
More staff doesn’t equal more profit.
More hours doesn’t equal more respect.
More chaos doesn’t equal more growth.
Sometimes the breakthrough comes from doing less — but doing it better.
You can have income and time.
You can lead without burning out.
And you don’t have to live in the grind forever.
🎧 Ready to take your tradie business to the next level?
🚀 Money Junket 2026
Join us for our biggest event of the year—helping tradie couples build profitable, sustainable businesses (without burning out or breaking their relationship).
👉 https://ghl.ladieswithtradies.com/the-money-junket-bne-2026
💡 The Empowered Tradie Business Program (FREE)
Get clarity, structure, and direction in your business—without the overwhelm.
👉 https://ghl.ladieswithtradies.com/empowered-tradie-program
📞 Book a ‘What To Fix First’ Call
Not sure what’s holding your business back? Let’s figure it out together.
👉 https://links.ladieswithtradies.com/widget/bookings/30min_chatdirect