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UpScale Business Coaching

The #1 Business Podcast for Service and Trade-based business owners who want to take control of their lives and understand the Road Map towards financial Freedom through their business. Join Industry-leading Coaches Mitch Van and Erina Roch with world-class experts as we discuss all things business, Marketing, leadership, Growth and more. Get instant access to tools, tips, tricks and hacks that have helped to explode thousands of businesses just like yours.

  1. 3d ago

    Busy Now, Broke in January? Here’s How to Fix It - Ep 378

    Every trade business feels the January slump, but most of it starts with what you do in November and December. Use This Free Guide To Turn Your Busiest December Into Cash That Lasts Right Through January  https://www.upscale-coaching.com/dont-go-broke-in-january-organic We've got the tools you need to scale your business, automate, hire, and delegate. Book your call with our team to talk strategy and learn more about our program. Need help growing your business? Follow us on IG for daily Content for your Trade Business @upscalebusinesscoachingBook a free session with our Growth Specialist: upscale-coaching.com/schedule-podcastWatch insights and tips on YouTube: upscale-coaching.com/upscale-youtubeFind out where your business stands with our Tradie Quiz: https://upscale-coaching.com/application-podcastHear from tradies who've done it, and learn what it really takes to grow a successful trade business. https://www.upscalecoaching.com.au/success-stories/ Live Coaching Events 2026:https://www.upscale-coaching.com/upscale-live-events In this episode of the UpScale Business Podcast, Mitch (@mitchvan_) sits down with UpScale coach Riley to talk about how not to go broke in January. Riley shares what owners in the $250K plus room are doing right now to get ahead of the new year slowdown. Most of them are hiring one or two tradies, and they're still pushing hard on lead gen while everyone else is flat out. They also talk about why "I'm too busy" is really a people problem, why summer is the time to lift your rates, and why taking the whole Christmas break off might be costing you more than you think. In this episode, you'll hear: Why the smartest owners start hiring in October, not JanuaryHow extra staff lets you pick up the customers your competitors are too busy to call backThe fear that stops tradies from hiring, and how to get past itWhy February and March go quiet, and how to put cash aside in DecemberHow to keep your business ticking over the break instead of restarting it in JanuaryWhy you should take your time off when demand is low, not when it's at its peakThis one's for plumbers, electricians, builders, sparkies, air con techs and any trade business owner who's sick of the January money stress and wants next year to start strong. We've got the tools you need to scale your business, automate, hire, and delegate. Book your call with our team to talk strategy and learn more about our program.

  2. Nov 4

    Success Mindset: What Every Tradie Can Learn From Scaling Revel Saunas - Ep 377

    What does it really take to build something from nothing? In this episode of the UpScale Business Coaching podcast Success Mindset series, Riley sits down with AJ Williams, founder of Revel Saunas, to unpack the mindset behind his journey. AJ grew up in public housing, left home at 14 and worked everything from bricklaying to unloading containers before spending 13 years learning the ropes at a fitness equipment company. He then launched Revel Saunas with a website and no stock on hand, hit $3 million in sales within the first three months while running the business on his own, and has since made his exit. AJ doesn’t hold back. He talks about the businesses that didn’t work, the mistakes he’d never repeat, and why looking after customers is the thing that grows a business faster than any ad spend. In this episode: Why consistency beats going flat out and burning outHow AJ tested his business idea before the product even existedTurning angry customers into raving fans by putting yourself in their shoesWhy negative feedback is worth more than praiseUnderpromise and overdeliver: how a few extra weeks on lead times changed the customer experienceWhy word of mouth is the most powerful marketing a trade business hasHiring people better than you instead of people below youLearning to say no, giving up alcohol and protecting your energyWorking out what your perfect day looks like and building your routine around itWhy chasing the next goal means nothing if you miss time with the people who matterIf you run a plumbing, electrical, air conditioning, building or other trade business and you want the mindset to keep showing up when things get tough, this one’s worth a listen. Need help growing your business? Follow us on IG for daily content for your trade business: @upscalebusinesscoachingBook a free session with our Growth Specialist: upscale-coaching.com/schedule-podcastWatch insights and tips on YouTube: upscale-coaching.com/upscale-youtubeFind out where your business stands with our Tradie Quiz: https://upscale-coaching.com/application-podcastHear from tradies who’ve done it, and learn what it really takes to grow a successful trade business: https://www.upscalecoaching.com.au/success-stories/ Live Coaching Events 2026:https://www.upscale-coaching.com/upscale-live-events

  3. Nov 1

    Don’t Scale a Mess: How to Know When Your Trade Business Is Ready to Grow - Ep 376

    Does your business have to be perfect before you scale it? No. But you can’t scale a mess either. Need help growing your business? Follow us on IG for daily content for your trade business: ⁠@upscalebusinesscoaching⁠Book a free session with our Growth Specialist: ⁠upscale-coaching.com/schedule-podcast⁠Watch insights and tips on YouTube: ⁠upscale-coaching.com/upscale-youtube⁠Find out where your business stands with our Tradie Quiz: ⁠upscale-coaching.com/application-podcast⁠Hear from tradies who’ve done it: ⁠upscalecoaching.com.au/success-stories⁠Live Coaching Events 2026: ⁠upscale-coaching.com/upscale-live-events⁠ In this episode of the UpScale Business Podcast, Mitch (@mitchvan_) and Tom talk about the line between messy and good enough. UpScale client Cody Fahey said it best in his Having a Yarn series: you can’t scale a mess. So how do you tell when your trade business is ready to grow, and when you need to sort things out first? Mitch and Tom cover: Why waiting for perfect means you’ll never growHow UpScale brought on 3 new coaches at once, even with some systems still being worked onWhy operations is the glue between your leads, sales, site work and invoicingHow fixing one part of the business can create a mess somewhere elseSimple ways to find what’s messy, like writing it down, journaling and spotting your biggest bottleneckGiving every team member a clear number so they know what a good job looks likeA simple test before you scale: will your customers feel it if you grow right now?Why you can’t scale a business that isn’t profitable, and how a pricing calculator helpsThis episode is for plumbing, electrical, air conditioning, building and other trade business owners who want to grow without everything falling apart. We’ve got the tools you need to scale your business, automate, hire and delegate. Book your call with our team to talk strategy and learn more about our program. Need help growing your business? Follow us on IG for daily content for your trade business: @upscalebusinesscoachingBook a free session with our Growth Specialist: upscale-coaching.com/schedule-podcastWatch insights and tips on YouTube: upscale-coaching.com/upscale-youtubeFind out where your business stands with our Tradie Quiz: upscale-coaching.com/application-podcastHear from tradies who’ve done it: upscalecoaching.com.au/success-storiesLive Coaching Events 2026: upscale-coaching.com/upscale-live-events

  4. Oct 28

    Could Your Trade Business Run Without You for 2 Weeks? - Ep 375

    What happens to your trade business when you switch off completely for two weeks? In her first solo episode, Erina shares five business lessons from a kiteboarding trip to a remote island in Fiji with almost no phone reception. We’ve got the tools you need to scale your business, automate, hire, and delegate. Book your call with our team to talk strategy and learn more about our program. Follow Erina on Instagram: @erinaroxxFollow us on IG for daily Content for your Trade Business @upscalebusinesscoachingBook a free session with our Growth Specialist: upscale-coaching.com/schedule-podcastWatch insights and tips on YouTube: upscale-coaching.com/upscale-youtubeFind out where your business stands with our Tradie Quiz: https://upscale-coaching.com/application-podcastHear from tradies who’ve done it, and learn what it really takes to grow a successful trade business. https://www.upscalecoaching.com.au/success-stories/ Live Coaching Events 2026:https://www.upscale-coaching.com/upscale-live-events Erina spent two weeks living in a straw hut in a village homestay in the Yasawa Islands and kiteboarding every day. The emails, WhatsApp messages and work chats went quiet, and that’s when her best ideas started to come. When she got home, the business had grown, new staff had started, the bills were paid on time and the team hadn’t needed her at all. In this episode, Erina explains why your brain needs quiet to come up with good ideas, and how to set up your business so it keeps running while you’re away. She shares the to do list system from Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman that has taken a lot of pressure off her. She also tells the story of a client who went back on the tools after staff left. He and one subcontractor turned over the same revenue a team of five used to. Erina closes with an honest look at the tough conversations every business owner has to have. In this episode, you’ll hear: Why cutting back on inputs makes you more creative and productiveWhat would stop in your business if you disappeared for 2 weeks, and how to fix it nowThe open and closed list method for working on 10 things at a timeHow a “not to do list” helps you finish what you startThe ladder trick: why one sparky goes up 50 times while others go up 200Why headcount isn’t the best measure of how well your team performsHow to be clear in hard conversations without feeling like the bad guyIf you’re a tradie who hasn’t had a real break in years, or you feel like everything stops when you step away, this episode is for you. Ready to build a business that runs without you? Book your call with our team today.

  5. Oct 25

    How This Builder Quotes $300K Jobs in One Week Using AI - Ep 374

    How long does it take your business to get a quote back to a client? Melbourne builder Mitch Harris went from four to six weeks on a $300,000 tender to having it done in one week, using AI. We’ve got the tools you need to scale your business, automate, hire, and delegate. Book your call with our team to talk strategy and learn more about our program. Follow us on IG for daily Content for your Trade Business @upscalebusinesscoachingBook a free session with our Growth Specialist: upscale-coaching.com/schedule-podcastWatch insights and tips on YouTube: upscale-coaching.com/upscale-youtubeFind out where your business stands with our Tradie Quiz: https://upscale-coaching.com/application-podcastPodcast: Sparky Explains: 55% Increase in average job value with AI - Ep 357 Hear from tradies who’ve done it, and learn what it really takes to grow a successful trade business. https://www.upscalecoaching.com.au/success-stories/ Live Coaching Events 2026:https://www.upscale-coaching.com/upscale-live-events In this episode, Antoine @antoine.ryan , the Applied AI Specialist at UpScale, sits down with Mitch from Kelmar Projects, a builder who left school in year 10 and went on the tools at 15. Since joining UpScale, Mitch has grown from $5K to $10K months working solo to 3 full time carpenters, 30 to 40 subcontractors and a best month of $167K. Over the last four months he has brought AI into the business, and he still runs it without an admin or an estimator. Mitch explains how he uses Claude Code, his AI agent he named Donna after the character from Suits, to read plans, write clear scopes of work, send them to the right trades and pull the quotes into one professional proposal. Before he even reaches his car after a client meeting, the scopes of work for 50 trades are ready. He also talks about why faster quotes win more jobs, how one client got her loan sorted before the next interest rate rise, and why small trade businesses have the advantage over big companies right now. In this episode, you’ll hear: The real difference between ChatGPT and a coding agent like Claude CodeHow Mitch cut a six week tender down to one weekWhy trades now quote faster than suppliers when the scope of works is clearHow fast, professional proposals put you in stage two talks while other builders are still quotingThe QA checklist that lets the boys check their work without Mitch on sitePete Griffiths’ QR code quotes that take deposits on the spot [link to Episode 347]How to get started with Claude Code and why plan mode mattersThe first “Claude Commandment”: if you’re unsure, just askIf you run a building, electrical, plumbing or any other trade business and you’re still writing quotes at night after a full day on the tools, this episode is for you. Ready to grow? Book your call with our team today.

  6. Oct 21

    Great Tradie, Struggling Business Owner? Here’s Why - Ep 373

    Being great at your trade doesn’t make you a great business owner. They’re two different skill sets, and most tradies find that out the hard way. Need help growing your business? Follow us on IG for daily content for your trade business: ⁠@upscalebusinesscoaching⁠Book a free session with our Growth Specialist: ⁠upscale-coaching.com/schedule-podcast⁠Watch insights and tips on YouTube: ⁠upscale-coaching.com/upscale-youtube⁠Find out where your business stands with our Tradie Quiz: ⁠upscale-coaching.com/application-podcast⁠Hear from tradies who’ve done it, and learn what it really takes to grow a successful trade business: ⁠Success stories⁠ Live Coaching Events 2026: ⁠upscale-coaching.com/upscale-live-events⁠ In this episode, Leon and Geggsie sit down to talk about the mindset shift that happens when a technician or tradie starts running a business. Leon studied sport and performance psychology and has coached trade business owners for years, so he brings plenty of lessons from the sporting world and the tools. If you’re flat out on the tools, reacting to every quiet week or busy spell, and wondering why the business still doesn’t feel like yours, this one is for you. What we cover: Why a tradie’s task by task approach stops working once you own the businessHow to time block your calendar for the work that never finishes, like lead generation, systems and learningSetting clear goals and breaking them into quarterly, monthly and weekly stepsWhy “potential” can turn into a frustrating word if you never act on itMoving from reactive to proactive, so you stop having that “we’ve got no work next week” momentUsing a simple SWOT analysis to look back at last year and plan the next 3 to 6 monthsHow to get ahead of the Christmas rush, protect your cash flow and avoid a rough JanuaryWhy hiring is a skill you can learn, and what to do when you think there are no good workers out thereBuilding a team culture you’re proud of and holding firm on your standardsSpotting your key players and getting clear on roles with an org chartFixing the weak spots in your business, whether that’s no systems, no hires or work that isn’t profitable Free resource:Grab our free guide, Don’t Go Broke in January. It walks you through what worked last year, what to build on and what to fix, so you head into the new year with a plan. We’ve got the tools you need to scale your business, automate, hire, and delegate. Book your call with our team to talk strategy and learn more about our program.

  7. Oct 18

    Success Mindset: Fail Fast, Learn Faster - Building a Trade Business From Scratch - Ep 372

    Andy Wells (https://www.theadventuregarage.com.au/) ran an engineering consultancy with seven offices and around 80 people. It was successful, and he was close to burnout at 40. So he stepped back, rented a shed, and started working on Land Rovers. In this episode of the Success Mindset series, we visit Andy at the Adventure Garage in the Northern Rivers, a workshop full of Land Rovers, custom motorbikes, surfboards and a coffee shop out the back. He tells us how a weekend hobby turned into a business with sponsors like Royal Enfield, Motul and Pirelli, even though he had no mechanic’s background and had never run a workshop. If you run a trade business and you’re stuck planning, doubting yourself, or running on empty, there’s a lot here for you. What we cover: Why Andy sees problems as part of the build instead of a reason to stopHow he handles the voice that says “give up”, and why he ignores itStepping back from a business that was burning him outWhy he chose to keep his team small and stop taking work nobody wanted to doHow he handles the jobs he hates, like timesheets and invoicing, by finding people who cover his weak spotsLanding big brand partnerships when you’re still a small businessFilming the messy, frustrating days along with the finished productTaking on work that suits your goals once your reputation can support itWhat 7,500 kilometres on a bike through the Kimberley taught him about getting through setbacksWhy failing and learning is the thing that keeps him movingWhether you’re a few years in or thinking about a big change, Andy’s approach to risk, learning and building a team around your strengths is worth a listen. Hosts:@erinaroxx@mitchvan_ We’ve got the tools you need to scale your business, automate, hire, and delegate. Book your call with our team to talk strategy and learn more about our program. Need help growing your business? Follow us on IG for daily content for your trade business: @upscalebusinesscoachingBook a free session with our Growth Specialist: upscale-coaching.com/schedule-podcastWatch insights and tips on YouTube: upscale-coaching.com/upscale-youtubeFind out where your business stands with our Tradie Quiz: upscale-coaching.com/application-podcastHear from tradies who’ve done it, and learn what it really takes to grow a successful trade business: Success stories Live Coaching Events 2026: upscale-coaching.com/upscale-live-events

  8. Oct 14

    The Big Dog Effect: Why Successful Tradies Pull Away When Life Gets Hard - Ep 371

    In this episode, Erina sits down with Mitch and Brandon Lewis to talk about something most trade business owners feel but rarely say out loud: the pressure to always have it together. Mitch opens up about a tough few months, from taking a step back in the business to training for an Ironman and a marathon, and how the two things collided into what he calls the "Big Dog Effect." The idea is simple but hits hard. Once you reach a certain level as a business owner, people start looking up to you. You don't want to let them down, so when things get tough, instead of leaning on the people around you, you withdraw. Mitch, Erina and Brandon unpack why this happens, why it's often the ones who look most "successful" who struggle the most in silence, and what it actually takes to break the pattern. You'll hear real talk about: Why pulling away from your support network makes hard times harder, not easierThe difference between people who work through their problems and those who avoid themWhy admitting "I need help" feels so uncomfortable for business owners, and why it shouldn'tHow to spot the right people to let into your corner, the ones who'll hold you accountable instead of just telling you what you want to hearWhy community isn't a nice to have when you're building a business, it's often the thing that keeps you in the gameIf you've ever felt like you're supposed to have all the answers because you're the one running the show, this episode is for you. Growth isn't a straight line, and the tradies who make it aren't the ones who never struggle, they're the ones who don't go through it alone. Connect with the hosts:Erina: @erinaroxxMitch: @mitchvan_Brandon: @brandonlewis.co We've got the tools you need to scale your business, automate, hire, and delegate. Book your call with our team to talk strategy and learn more about our program. Need help growing your business? Follow us on IG for daily content for your trade business: @upscalebusinesscoaching Book a free session with our Growth Specialist: upscale-coaching.com/schedule-podcast Watch insights and tips on YouTube: upscale-coaching.com/upscale-youtube Find out where your business stands with our Tradie Quiz: upscale-coaching.com/application-podcast Hear from tradies who've done it: upscalecoaching.com.au/success-stories Live Coaching Events 2026: upscale-coaching.com/upscale-live-events

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The #1 Business Podcast for Service and Trade-based business owners who want to take control of their lives and understand the Road Map towards financial Freedom through their business. Join Industry-leading Coaches Mitch Van and Erina Roch with world-class experts as we discuss all things business, Marketing, leadership, Growth and more. Get instant access to tools, tips, tricks and hacks that have helped to explode thousands of businesses just like yours.

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