Hey Tradies! Podcast

About Hey Tradies! Podcast

Helping Tradies run better businesses Running a trade business isn’t just about being good on the tools — it’s about systems, numbers, decisions, and leadership. Hey Tradies! Podcast is for Tradies who want to run a better business without drowning in admin, working every night, or guessing where the money’s going. Each short, practical episode dives into the business side of trade life — from job management, cash flow, quoting, and getting paid, to systems, leadership, and real-world lessons from other tradies and industry experts. You’ll hear straight-talk advice, honest opinions, and conversations designed to get you thinking differently about how you run your business — whether you’re just getting started or already leading a growing team. No fluff. No corporate jargon. Just practical business thinking to help you build a trade business that actually works. 🎧 New episodes released weekly.

Publisher

Hey Tradies Podcast

Category

business · business

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

17 Feb 2026

Latest episode

22 Sept 2026

Latest episodes

29 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   22 Sept 2026

   29 - You Don’t Have to Win - Why Your Trade Business Should Enter Industry Awards

   You Don’t Have to Win: Why Your Trade Business Should Enter Industry Awards Last weekend, Virtual Coastie was a finalist for Top Performing Virtual Assistant Agency at the 2026 Virtual Assistant Awards. We didn’t win. Did Amanda want to? Of course she bloody did. But walking away without the trophy didn’t make entering a waste of time. In fact, the process highlighted just how much Virtual Coastie has changed in 12 months — and gave Amanda some very useful feedback about where the business can improve next. In this episode of the Hey Tradies Podcast, Amanda shares why she thinks more trade businesses should put themselves forward for industry awards — even if you don’t think you’re big enough, polished enough or likely to win. Because sometimes the real value isn’t the trophy. It’s being forced to stop and recognise what you’ve built. In This Episode Why Virtual Coastie entered the 2026 VA Awards The reality of being disappointed without being devastated about not winning Why entering an award forces you to reflect on the previous 12 months The growth Amanda almost overlooked because it had become the new normal Why Amanda admits her application was a little half-arsed What the judges loved about Virtual Coastie — and where they wanted more evidence Why saying “we’ve grown” isn’t enough: show the numbers The importance of tracking client results, marketing leads and conversions Why smaller businesses shouldn't assume they don't belong alongside bigger competitors How to start preparing for next year’s awards now Why every trade business should have an Awards Evidence folder Don’t Just Tell Them — Prove It One of Amanda’s biggest lessons from the judges’ feedback was the importance of evidence. Don’t say: “We’ve grown.” Show from what to what. “Our customers love us.” Show the reviews and testimonials. “Our marketing works.” Show the leads, discovery calls and conversions. “We’ve got a great team.” Show what that actually means. And, as Amanda learnt this year, check your bloody links before submitting the application. Start Your Next Application Now If there’s an industry award you'd love to enter, don't wait until entries are about to close. Create an Awards 2027 folder now and start collecting: Great project photos Google reviews and testimonials Customer results Team and apprentice achievements Business growth numbers Improvements to systems and processes Training, community work and industry involvement When applications open, you’ll have 12 months of evidence ready instead of trying to remember everything at the last minute. This Week’s Action Step Look at the awards available within your trade or local business community. Choose one you'd be proud to enter. Look at the previous categories and judging criteria, create your evidence folder, and add your first piece of evidence this week. You don't have to decide today whether you'll enter. Just start keeping the proof. Key Takeaway Putting yourself forward means somebody gets to judge what you've built — and somebody else might be better. That doesn't diminish what you've achieved. Virtual Coastie didn't take home the trophy this year. But Amanda walked away with independent feedback, a chance to recognise how far the business has come, and a clear idea of what she wants to do better next time. And yes — she'll be entering again next year. Work With Virtual Coastie Need better systems behind your trade business? Virtual Coastie can help with Fergus Power Hours, Fergus Setup & Implementation, and Monthly Admin & Bookkeeping Support. Find out more at Virtual Coastie. If you got something out of this episode, share it with another tradie. And if you're enjoying Hey Tradies, a quick follow or rating on your favourite podcast app helps more tradies find the show. #HeyTradiesPodcast #TradieBusiness #TradeBusiness #BusinessAwards #NZTradies #BusinessGrowth #VirtualCoastie #Fergus

2. 

   8 Sept 2026

   28 - Stop Letting Your Business Run Your Calendar - How to Actually Plan Ahead

   Stop Letting Your Business Run Your Calendar: How to Actually Plan Ahead If you don’t deliberately decide where your time is going, someone else will. A customer. Your team. An urgent job. Your inbox. And before you know it, another week — or another year — has disappeared. In this episode of the Hey Tradies Podcast, Amanda shares the planning habits that have changed how she runs her business and her life. From her Friday Power Hour and blocking time for the work that actually moves the business forward, to using an A1 annual planner to map out holidays, school holidays, business priorities and everything in between — this episode is about getting out of reactive mode. Amanda also shares why she blocked out time for her 20th wedding anniversary before knowing where they were going or what the budget would look like. That protected week eventually became five days in Samoa. Because sometimes you need to put your life in the calendar first — and then make the business work around it. In This Episode Amanda’s Friday Power Hour and weekly planning routine Urgent work vs work that actually moves the business forward Why important work needs a place in your calendar, not just your to-do list Planning around school holidays, public holidays, team leave and seasonality Using an annual wall planner to see your year at a glance Why holidays and important life events should go in the calendar first Planning business capacity around the days you actually have available Breaking bigger projects into manageable six-week chunks Planning ahead for GST, tax, shutdowns and cashflow Using a weekly team look-ahead to prevent firefighting Why you need some white space in your plan when running a trade business Plan Your Life First Stop putting all the work in first and trying to squeeze your life into whatever is left. Put the important stuff in the calendar — holidays, kids, anniversaries, health, events and experiences — then ask: What needs to happen in the business to make this possible? Want a week off? Work backwards. Who runs the team? Who handles customer issues? Who can quote? Who keeps invoicing moving? Your holiday might actually become the deadline you need to sort your systems and delegation. This Week’s Action Step Get the next 12 months somewhere you can see them. Add the things that aren't moving first: public holidays, school holidays, Christmas shutdown, known leave, birthdays, anniversaries and holidays. Then choose one business priority for the next six weeks, break it into smaller steps and put the first step in your actual calendar. Because if something is genuinely a priority, it needs time allocated to it. Key Takeaway Planning isn't about creating a perfect calendar. It's about deciding what matters before everybody else starts deciding for you. Your business should support the life you're trying to build — not consume the whole bloody thing. Work With Virtual Coastie Need to create more space in your week? Virtual Coastie can help with Fergus Power Hours, Fergus Setup & Implementation, and Monthly Admin & Bookkeeping Support to get your systems and back-office processes working better. Find out more at Virtual Coastie. If you got something out of this episode, share it with another tradie. And if you're enjoying the podcast, follow or rate Hey Tradies on your favourite podcast app. #HeyTradiesPodcast #TradeBusiness #TradieBusiness #BusinessPlanning #TimeManagement #VirtualCoastie #NZTradies

3. 

   25 Aug 2026

   27 - How to Get More Google Reviews Without Feeling Awkward Asking

   How to Get More Google Reviews Without Feeling Awkward Asking How many customers did you actually ask for a Google review last week? Not how many reviews you received — how many people did you ask? Google reviews are one of the most powerful forms of social proof for a trade business, particularly if you're working with residential customers. Before someone even picks up the phone, there's a good chance they've already Googled you, checked your reviews and compared you with other tradies in the area. But getting more reviews shouldn't rely on someone in the office remembering to ask every few months. It needs to become part of your job completion process. In this episode of the Hey Tradies podcast, Amanda shares a simple process for consistently asking for Google reviews without it feeling awkward or pushy — including how to involve your field team, automate your follow-up and make asking for a review part of every suitable job. In This Episode Why Google reviews are so important for residential trade businesses Why you should start asking for a review while you're still on site A simple script your field team can use with customers Why asking once often isn't enough How to follow up by text, email and after payment Using Fergus alongside your email marketing or CRM system to automate review requests Why you should give customers a direct review link instead of making them search for you How to make Google reviews part of your job completion checklist Getting your field team involved — and even turning reviews into a team competition Why you should track how many customers you ask, not just how many reviews you receive Responding to positive and negative reviews professionally Why consistent recent reviews can become an incredibly valuable marketing asset Make Asking Part of the Process Don't wait until you suddenly decide your business needs more Google reviews. Build the request into your normal customer journey: Finish the job → Check the customer is happy → Ask for the review → Send the direct link → Invoice → Follow up after payment → Respond when the review arrives. Your customer might genuinely want to leave you a great review but forget. They're busy too. That's why multiple friendly reminders can make such a difference. Get Your Team Involved Google reviews don't have to be the office team's responsibility. Give your field team a short, simple script they can comfortably use before leaving site and make it part of your job completion checklist. You could even create a team incentive when a customer mentions a team member by name in their review. It's not just about getting another five-star review. It gets your team thinking about the entire customer experience. This Week's Action Step Create one simple Google review script for your business this week. Share it with your team, give everyone easy access to your direct Google review link and add “Ask for Google review” to your job completion process. Once you're doing that consistently, look at how you can automate the follow-up. Work With Virtual Coastie If customer follow-up, invoicing and admin are still relying on you remembering to do everything, we can help you build better processes. Through Fergus Power Hours, Fergus implementation and our monthly support, Virtual Coastie helps trade businesses put practical systems in place so the right things happen consistently — without you having to remember them at the end of another long day. If you enjoyed this episode, share it with another tradie. And if you're enjoying the Hey Tradies podcast, follow the show and leave a quick rating on your favourite podcast app.

Contact Hey Tradies! Podcast

Guest appearances

Does not typically book guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.