Have you ever felt that tug-of-war between wanting to let go and needing to stay in control?

You know the business can’t grow unless you start trusting your team; but the last time you did, something went wrong. A mistake on a job. A quote that blew out. A client that complained. And since then, your grip has only tightened. Fear keeps you stuck. Because without trust, you become the bottleneck. You stop your team from stepping up.

Today, we unpack how to build that kind of trust. It’s the invisible ingredient every great business runs on.

In this episode you’ll learn:

🔨 Micromanagement often comes from fear, not leadership or effective control.
🔨 Past mistakes shouldn’t dictate your future ability to trust others.
🔨 Real trust is earned through capability, consistency, and clear communication.
🔨 Letting go doesn’t mean losing control, it means creating freedom and growth.
🔨 Without trust, you become the bottleneck that slows your business down.
🔨 When trust grows, your people step up and your business thrives.

… Book a free Strategy Session to start your journey toward building a sustainable business and balanced life: www.strategysession.com.au

And if you’re not already part of The Trade Den please come over to our community on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/thetradeden

Find out more about Pravar Group at www.pravargroup.com or https://www.instagram.com/pravargroup

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Most business owners tackle time the wrong way. They cram more in with new systems, apps or hires, hoping it will fix the chaos. But when your cup is already overflowing, adding more only makes the mess worse.

The real fix starts with one question: What should I stop doing immediately?

When you stop, you create capacity. Then you can start the things that matter and continue what’s already working. The simplest and most effective framework for taking back control of your time and your business is: stop, start, continue. It’s not about doing more. It’s about doing what counts.

In this episode you’ll learn:

🔨 When your cup is full, creating capacity starts with stopping first.
🔨 The first question isn’t what to add, it’s what to stop.
🔨 Eliminating low-value work unlocks time for higher-impact priorities.
🔨 Stopping creates space, starting moves you forward, continuing builds momentum.
🔨 Focus on what delivers value, not on staying endlessly busy.
🔨 Growth happens when you shed what no longer serves your business.

… Book a free Strategy Session to start your journey toward building a sustainable business and balanced life: www.strategysession.com.au

And if you’re not already part of The Trade Den please come over to our community on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/thetradeden

Find out more about Pravar Group at www.pravargroup.com or https://www.instagram.com/pravargroup

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Grant Hateley was winging it as a tradie with zero business systems, charging minimal margin and drowning in debt. With self-reflection and grit, he’s managed to breakthrough and turn it all around, and today he’s leading a high-performance team, managing multi-million-dollar builds, and winning top accolades.

Late 2023 was a face the facts moment, after borrowing $200k from his dad to keep things afloat, Grant made a powerful declaration, took ownership, and rebuilt himself from the inside out. With the right coaching, he’s now leading with confidence, charging what he’s worth, and planning for the future.

Grant’s story hasn’t just turned his business around; he shattered the limiting the beliefs that were holding him bank and stepped into being the leader he was destined to be.

In this episode you’ll learn:

🔨 Pricing clarity was the catalyst that saved his business from collapse.
🔨 Personal ownership marked the turning point in both mindset and results.
🔨 Speaking up and making a declaration created powerful public accountability.
🔨 Coaching unlocked not just profit—but deep personal growth and belief.
🔨 Systems, not hustle, became the foundation for scalable success.
🔨 Changing identity from tradie to business owner reshaped his entire trajectory.

… Book a free Strategy Session to start your journey toward building a sustainable business and balanced life: www.strategysession.com.au

And if you’re not already part of The Trade Den please come over to our community on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thetradeden

Find out more about Pravar Group at www.pravargroup.com or https://www.instagram.com/pravargroup

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Stress isn’t just a feeling. It’s not simply being busy or under pressure, it’s your body’s primal response to threat. The same surge of cortisol that once saved us from a lion still fires when the invoice is overdue, a staff member quits, or the pipeline runs dry.

Why is that a problem? Well, in business that lion never stops chasing us. For months or years, we can stay in fight-or-flight mode, and the cost shows up everywhere: in our health, our families, and our bottom line.

We explore the traps business owners fall into: working harder, avoiding, numbing, and share how to break the cycle through awareness, healthy habits, and smarter strategies. Because you can’t outrun stress. But you can learn to face it, manage it, and come out stronger.

In this episode you’ll learn:
🔨 Stress isn’t just mental: it’s your body’s physical alarm system.
🔨 Constant pressure keeps your body redlining, and something eventually breaks.
🔨 Most people respond by working harder, avoiding, or numbing the pain.
🔨 Real progress starts by naming stress, facing it, and tackling the cause.
🔨 Healthy habits: eating well, sleeping, moving, rebuild your resilience and focus.
🔨 You can’t outrun stress, but you can learn to master it.

If you’re felling stressed or overwhelmed, and need someone to talk, we recommend you reach out to TIACS, a free phone and text counselling service for Australia’s tradies: https://www.tiacs.org/ or phone 0488 846 988.

… Book a free Strategy Session to start your journey toward building a sustainable business and balanced life: www.strategysession.com.au

And if you’re not already part of The Trade Den please come over to our community on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thetradeden

Find out more about Pravar Group at www.pravargroup.com or https://www.instagram.com/pravargroup

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you’ve ever caught yourself saying, “It’s just easier if I do it myself,” you might be caught in the control trap. And it’s likely costing your business more than you think. One of the biggest blockers to growth in trades businesses is the control freak mindset. Over time, it creates dependency, stalls decision-making, and drains time and energy from the owner. Growth slows, stress builds, and the team fails to reach its potential.

The solution lies in shifting from control to capability: setting boundaries, empowering others to think, and accepting that mistakes are part of progress. True leadership isn’t about doing it all, it’s about enabling others to thrive. Letting go isn’t easy, but it’s essential if the goal is a business that can grow without being handcuffed to the owner.

In this episode you’ll learn:
🔨 Micromanagement creates dependency and prevents teams from thinking independently.
🔨 Perfectionism often disguises a deeper fear of losing relevance.
🔨 True leadership means enabling others, not doing everything yourself.
🔨 Delegation requires boundaries, trust, and acceptance of occasional mistakes.
🔨 Control creates a ceiling; empowerment creates momentum and scale.
🔨 Building capability in others frees you to focus on your strengths.

… Book a free Strategy Session to start your journey toward building a sustainable business and balanced life: www.strategysession.com.au

And if you’re not already part of The Trade Den please come over to our community on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thetradeden

Find out more about Pravar Group at www.pravargroup.com or https://www.instagram.com/pravargroup

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What if the smartest move you could make in business… was saying no?

Not just to the wrong jobs. But to the wrong clients. The tempting work that looks good today could wreck your team, reputation, and bottom line tomorrow.

Every successful trade business hits a point where demand outweighs capacity. More calls, more bookings, more “can you just…?” requests. And the gut instinct is to say yes to it all. But the thing is, more isn’t always better. Better is better.

Today, we look at the real cost of saying yes to everything, including the burnout, the bottlenecks and missed invoices. When you learn to say no the right way, your business finally gets room to grow the right way.

In this episode you’ll learn:
🔨 The wrong job at the wrong margin kills long-term profitability fast.
🔨 Overcommitting stretches your team thin and erodes morale and quality.
🔨 Too many open jobs stall invoicing and choke cash flow completely.
🔨 Taking on poor-fit clients risks your reputation and your best customers.
🔨 Saying no strategically creates scarcity, demand, and premium pricing opportunities.
🔨 Every yes is a no to something better – choose wisely, not reactively.

… Book a free Strategy Session to start your journey toward building a sustainable business and balanced life: www.strategysession.com.au

And if you’re not already part of The Trade Den please come over to our community on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thetradeden

Find out more about Pravar Group at www.pravargroup.com or https://www.instagram.com/pravargroup

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Phil Kerr was overworked, frustrated…angry. He was running a seven-day-a-week business that had plateaued, barely paying himself, and missing time with his young family. The breaking point? An honest drawing from his four-year-old son: a picture of his dad as an angry man.

That moment changed everything. Phil realised something had to give. He couldn’t just keep working harder; he needed to work smarter and lead differently.

Fast-forward to today and Phil has transformed not only himself but also Minibeasts Enterprises, the business that ships millions of crickets, mealworms, and rodents to pet stores and zoos across Australia every year. With new systems, stronger leadership, and a renewed focus on culture, Phil turned a struggling operation into a thriving, national enterprise.

In this episode you’ll learn:

🔨 How uncovering blind spots can transform leadership and decision-making.
🔨 The systems that turn a struggling business into a thriving national supplier.
🔨 Why personal growth is often the key to business growth.
🔨 How redefining culture lifts team standards and performance.
🔨 Why hiring for mindset matters more than hiring for skills.
🔨 How becoming more present creates stronger family and business connections.

Check out the incredible business of Minibeasts Enterprises: https://minibeastsenterprises.com.au/

… Book a free Strategy Session to start your journey toward building a sustainable business and balanced life: www.strategysession.com.au

And if you’re not already part of The Trade Den please come over to our community on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thetradeden

Find out more about Pravar Group at www.pravargroup.com or https://www.instagram.com/pravargroup

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The language we use as parents plays a critical role in shaping a child’s mindset, self-belief, and relationship with challenge.

Every time we speak to our kids, we’re either setting them up to grow or teaching them to avoid challenge. It’s not about being perfect parents. It’s about becoming more aware.

From “you’re so smart” to “you tried your best,” we unpack the unintended messages hiding in everyday praise. Whether your kids are little or already grown, the words you choose today could shape their self-belief for years to come.

In this episode you’ll learn:

🔨 Language shapes a child’s mindset more than most parents consciously realise.
🔨 Praising effort builds resilience; praising talent can unintentionally limit confidence.
🔨 Children interpret tone and repetition, not just the words being spoken.
🔨 Avoid labels that suggest fixed ability; highlight perseverance and strategic thinking instead.
🔨 Encouragement should focus on progress, not just outcomes or personality traits.
🔨 Small shifts in language can lead to lifelong changes in self-belief.

… Book a free Strategy Session to start your journey toward building a sustainable business and balanced life: www.strategysession.com.au

And if you’re not already part of The Trade Den please come over to our community on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thetradeden

Find out more about Pravar Group at www.pravargroup.com or https://www.instagram.com/pravargroup

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.