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The Site Shed | Systems, Strategy and Growth for Tradies and Contractors

The Site Shed | Systems, Strategy and Growth for Tradies and Contractors

Written by: Matt Jones - Helping Tradies Build Smarter Scalable Businesses
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The Site Shed is a global podcast for tradies and contractors who want clearer systems, stronger strategy, and steadier business growth. Each episode is designed to educate and inform around the topics that matter most in running and scaling a modern trade business.

Hosted by former plumber and digital agency owner Matt Jones, the podcast dives into real-world conversations on marketing, operations, apprenticeships, technology, hiring, leadership, finance, and more, all tailored to the trades and construction industry.

You’ll hear practical insights, honest lessons, and expert perspectives from across the globe.


Whether you work as a tradie, contractor, builder, electrician, landscaper, or run any service-based business, you’ll find ideas and experiences you can put into action straight away.


If you're ready to work smarter, not harder, The Site Shed gives you the tools, frameworks, and viewpoints to help your business move forward with confidence.

© 2026 The Site Shed | Systems, Strategy and Growth for Tradies and Contractors Economics Leadership Management & Leadership Marketing Marketing & Sales
Episodes
  • Your Customers Don't Want a Sales Pitch (Give Them a Diagnosis Instead) | ft. Chris Fresh | Ep. 511

    Your Customers Don't Want a Sales Pitch (Give Them a Diagnosis Instead) | ft. Chris Fresh | Ep. 511
    Aug 11 2026
    🫱🏻‍🫲🏼 Book a Free Strategy Call with Tradie Web Guys: https://tradie.wiki/tssytMost plumbing businesses are losing jobs before the technician even picks up a wrench — because they're selling when they should be diagnosing. Matt Jones sits down with Chris Fresh from The Plumbing Sales Coach to break down why the traditional hard sell is costing trade businesses revenue, reputation, and repeat customers. Chris spent seven years inside a plumbing operation — first as a customer who hated the experience, then as the person who rebuilt it from the inside. Now he coaches hundreds of plumbing companies across the US, Canada, Australia, and the UK on a service-first approach that's turned $238 average tickets into $1,400-plus.This episode unpacks Chris's four-step diagnosing framework (symptom, cause, connections, and what else works just like it) and the three-option system that's pushing some of his clients past 96% close rates without a single pressure tactic. You'll hear why every call should trace from the fixture to the main, how to present repair-replace-upgrade options that let the customer decide, and why call-out fees become irrelevant when your conversion rate is high enough. If you've ever wondered how to increase your average ticket without feeling like a used car salesman, this one's worth your time.🎬 Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/-Yky8V4j4iwKEY CHAPTERS00:00 - Introduction01:54 - Meet Chris Fresh02:37 - Looking for Problems Is Your Obligation07:31 - Maximising Customer Lifetime Value09:23 - Unreasonable Hospitality in Plumbing12:22 - The Four-Step Diagnosing Framework14:25 - Natural Progression vs Checklists16:40 - Photo-Based Diagnosing Process19:16 - Increasing Average Ticket Size21:26 - Spend More to Win the Customer23:49 - The Seventy Thousand Dollar Lifetime Value25:24 - When Customer Retention Falls Away29:04 - Lessons from Car Dealerships34:18 - The Call-Out Fee Debate35:34 - Fixing Conversions With the Three-Option System41:31 - Memberships That Actually Work45:04 - Closing Remarks and ResourcesAbout the Guest: Chris FreshChris Fresh is the founder and CEO of The Plumbing Sales Coach, based in Indianapolis, Indiana. A former carpenter turned home service operator, he spent seven years running and rebuilding a plumbing business before launching a coaching programme that now works with hundreds of plumbing companies across the US, Canada, Australia, and the UK. His approach centres on diagnosing over selling and giving customers the information they need to make their own decisions.Website: https://www.theplumbingsalescoach.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopher-fresh-2a375076/CONNECT WITH THE TRADIE WEB GUYS!Website: https://www.tradiewebguys.com.au/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TradieWebGuysOfficial?sub_confirmation=1Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TradieWebGuysOfficialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/tradiewebguys/LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/company/tradie-web-guysMatt's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/iamthemattj/If you enjoyed this podcast, please take a moment to leave us a review:⭐ https://lovethepodcast.com/TheSiteShedLove the audio version of this podcast? Subscribe to the link below:⭐ https://followthepodcast.com/TheSiteShed#podcast #thesiteshed #tradiewebguys #plumbingsales #salesprocess #customerexperience #tradesbusiness #serviceoversales #closingdeals Your Next Step:Join Tradie Academy, our free community packed with templates, checklists, and resources shared by podcast guests, coaches, and successful tradies.👉 Join free and grab your next growth tool here: https://tradie.wiki/podFollow The Site Shed:Facebook: The Site ShedInstagram: @thesiteshedLinkedIn: Matt JonesWebsite: thesiteshed.comYouTube: @TheSiteShedIf you enjoyed this podcast and the series, please take 5 minutes to leave us a review:⭐ https://lovethepodcast.com/TheSiteShedLove the audio version of this podcast? Subscribe to the link below:⭐ https://followthepodcast.com/TheSiteShed
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    48 mins
  • Your Business Will Never Outperform You | ft. Matt Jones | Ep. 510

    Your Business Will Never Outperform You | ft. Matt Jones | Ep. 510
    Aug 4 2026
    🫱🏻‍🫲🏼 Book a Free Strategy Call with Tradie Web Guys: https://tradie.wiki/tssytMost trade business owners are running flat out, grinding through 12-hour days, and wondering why nothing ever seems to get easier. Matt Jones sits down with Matthew Jones from Cube Performance to unpack why no business will ever outperform the person running it. Drawing on 35 years in the business space — including running his own plumbing business and coaching thousands of trade business owners — Matthew lays out the real reason so many owners hit a ceiling: they've accidentally become the engine of their business instead of its architect.This episode breaks down the Personal Operating System — a structured approach to protecting the three things that matter most: energy, focus, and priorities. You'll hear practical takeaways like auditing your sleep for seven and a half hours a night, scheduling 30 minutes of movement daily, blocking deep work into your calendar three times a week, and identifying the one question your team keeps asking you (because that's where your biggest dependency sits). If you've ever told yourself you're "too busy" to work on the business, this conversation will challenge that — and give you a framework to change it.KEY CHAPTERS00:00 - Introduction03:15 - Meet Matt Jones: Cube Performance05:35 - Why Owners Neglect Themselves06:40 - Running A Business Is Brutal08:57 - The Personal Operating System09:54 - Why You Need To Step Away11:23 - More Hours Is Not The Answer19:10 - Energy, Focus And Priorities22:58 - Sleep As The Foundation29:28 - Food, Supplements And Balance34:44 - Movement As Non-Negotiable36:09 - Clear Start And Finish Times39:16 - Focus As Competitive Advantage41:38 - The Pomodoro Deep Work Hack48:08 - Finding Your Vital Few Priorities60:42 - Three Audits To Start Tomorrow65:33 - Cube Performance's Annual Conference67:06 - Closing Remarks and ResourcesAbout the Guest: Matthew JonesMatthew Jones is the founder of Cube Performance and the Institute of Trade Professionals, based in Australia. A former plumber turned business coach, he's spent over 20 years helping trade business owners shift from being enslaved by their business to building operations that run without them. His background includes working with Olympic athletes in sprint kayaking, and he brings that same performance-driven discipline to business coaching.Website: http://www.cubeperformance.com.au/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewjonesthecubeCatch Matt's previous appearances on The Site Shed: From A to B, Mastering Business Mindset, Pricing for Profit, Brand Planning, Managing Guilt and Planning a Profitable Business Exit.CONNECT WITH THE TRADIE WEB GUYS!Website: https://www.tradiewebguys.com.au/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TradieWebGuysOfficial?sub_confirmation=1 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TradieWebGuysOfficial Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tradiewebguys/ LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/company/tradie-web-guys Matt's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/iamthemattj/If you enjoyed this podcast, please take a moment to leave us a review: ⭐ https://lovethepodcast.com/TheSiteShedLove the audio version of this podcast? Subscribe to the link below: ⭐ https://followthepodcast.com/TheSiteShed#podcast #thesiteshed #tradiewebguys #businesscoaching #personaloperatingsystem #tradiebusiness #highperformance #mindset #energymanagement Your Next Step:Join Tradie Academy, our free community packed with templates, checklists, and resources shared by podcast guests, coaches, and successful tradies.👉 Join free and grab your next growth tool here: https://tradie.wiki/podFollow The Site Shed:Facebook: The Site ShedInstagram: @thesiteshedLinkedIn: Matt JonesWebsite: thesiteshed.comYouTube: @TheSiteShedIf you enjoyed this podcast and the series, please take 5 minutes to leave us a review:⭐ https://lovethepodcast.com/TheSiteShedLove the audio version of this podcast? Subscribe to the link below:⭐ https://followthepodcast.com/TheSiteShed
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    1 hr and 5 mins
  • How to Turn a Trade Business Into a Sellable Asset | ft. Shayne Connolly | Ep. 509

    How to Turn a Trade Business Into a Sellable Asset | ft. Shayne Connolly | Ep. 509
    Jul 28 2026

    🫱🏻‍🫲🏼 Book a Free Strategy Call with Tradie Web Guys: https://tradie.wiki/tssyt

    80% of businesses that go up for sale never actually sell. Shayne Connolly is one of the ones who did, and even he wasn't ready for what came after. He thought he'd be popping champagne. Instead, on the day the money hit the bank, he says he's never felt so deflated in his life.

    In this episode, Matt Jones sits down with Shayne Connolly, a returning guest who spent the last few years turning his trade business into something he could actually sell, then went through the process of doing exactly that. Shane walks through the mindset shift from "business owner" to "asset owner," why the emotional side of exiting gets ignored in favour of the mechanics, what he wishes he'd asked himself before signing anything, and why he's now building a platform to help other owners see the asset sitting in front of them before it's too late to plan for it.

    🎥 Watch the full episode: https://youtu.be/WGlussL7LIg

    KEY CHAPTERS

    00:00 - Introduction

    01:56 - Meet Shayne Connolly

    03:38 - Two Life-Changing Events at Once

    04:38 - The Emotional Side of Selling a Business

    06:43 - Knowing Your Exit Number

    07:55 - From Business Owner to Asset Owner

    09:48 - The Golden Handcuffs Problem

    12:00 - Why He'd Rather Build Than Run

    23:12 - The Conversation With His Wife

    25:16 - Selling to Someone He Already Trusted

    34:52 - Did He Even Need to Sell?

    37:47 - Why Brokers Were a Waste of Time

    45:11 - The First Chapter Is: Do You Really Want This?

    46:26 - Closing Remarks and Resources

    About the Guest: Shayne Connolly built his trade business into a genuine asset, one that could run without him, then sold it to a trusted team member rather than going through a broker. He's the author of Exit Plan and is now building OwnerHQ, a platform designed to help business owners understand the real value of what they've built and plan their exit long before they need one.

    Website: https://exitplan.au

    Software (in beta): https://ownerhq.biz

    CONNECT WITH THE TRADIE WEB GUYS!
    Website: https://www.tradiewebguys.com.au/

    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TradieWebGuysOfficial?sub_confirmation=1 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TradieWebGuysOfficial

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tradiewebguys/

    LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/company/tradie-web-guys

    Matt's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/iamthemattj/

    If you enjoyed this podcast, please take a moment to leave us a review: ⭐ https://lovethepodcast.com/TheSiteShed

    Love the audio version of this podcast? Subscribe to the link below: ⭐ https://followthepodcast.com/TheSiteShed

    #podcast #thesiteshed #tradiewebguys #sellingbusiness #exitstrategy #businessvaluation #tradiebusiness #mindset

    Your Next Step:

    Join Tradie Academy, our free community packed with templates, checklists, and resources shared by podcast guests, coaches, and successful tradies.

    👉 Join free and grab your next growth tool here: https://tradie.wiki/pod

    Follow The Site Shed:

    • Facebook: The Site Shed
    • Instagram: @thesiteshed
    • LinkedIn: Matt Jones
    • Website: thesiteshed.com
    • YouTube: @TheSiteShed

    If you enjoyed this podcast and the series, please take 5 minutes to leave us a review:
    ⭐ https://lovethepodcast.com/TheSiteShed

    Love the audio version of this podcast? Subscribe to the link below:
    ⭐ https://followthepodcast.com/TheSiteShed
    Show More Show Less
    46 mins
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