Jimmy Talks Construction

Samantha from Blue Dog Cranes joins Jimmy for a conversation about building a crane business, creating a strong team culture and what it actually takes to maintain high standards as a company grows.
Before cranes, Samantha worked in event management, running major e-commerce conferences and events in Australia and Las Vegas. Then, after her husband Ben saw an opportunity to do things differently in the crane industry, they went all in.
They purchased a small crane business with three cranes, battled through finance issues, built their team and eventually grew Blue Dog Cranes to a 12-crane operation across two Melbourne yards.
Subscribe to Jimmy Talks Construction for more conversations with the people building, running and changing the Australian construction industry.

GET YOUR TICKETS TO THE CONSTRUCTION EXCHANGE: https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1612879

Connect with Sam:
🌐 Website: https://bluedogcranes.com.au/
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bluedogcranes/
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/blue-dog-cranes/?originalSubdomain=au
📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bluedogcranes/
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/samanthajind/
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samantha-charlton-006ba123/

Connect with Jimmy:
🌐 Website: https://starbuckgroup.com.au
📺 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@JimmyTalksConstruction
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/starbuckexcavation
📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/starbuckexcavation
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-starbuck-13336546/

Sponsorships + Guest Enquiries: louis@lj-media.com

Send in Business Problems: jimmytalksconstruction@gmail.com

Can content compress a 20-year reputation-building journey into just six?
Charley Li, founder of Plot Joinery, joins Jimmy to unpack how brand, trust and operational discipline helped a young architectural joinery business compete against companies with decades of experience.
Charley shares how he went from studying construction management and failing to win a single client with his first business idea, to launching Plot Joinery with $20,000, progressively building an approximately 14-person team and moving into an 800-square-metre manufacturing facility.
The conversation goes well beyond joinery.
Jimmy and Charley discuss why marketing can accelerate both a great reputation and a terrible one, whether every construction business should be creating content, and how long-form media can build the trust required to win higher-margin work.

Connect with Charley:
🌐 Website: https://www.plotjoinery.com.au/
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/plotjoinery/?hl=en
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/plotjoinery/?originalSubdomain=au
📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/plotjoinery/
📺 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@plotjoinery
🎙️Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sitetostudio/?hl=en
🎙️ Podcast YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@sitetostudiopodcast8482

Connect with Jimmy:
🌐 Website: https://starbuckgroup.com.au
📺 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@JimmyTalksConstruction
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/starbuckexcavation
📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/starbuckexcavation
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-starbuck-13336546/

Sponsorships + Guest Enquiries: louis@lj-media.com

Send in Business Problems: jimmytalksconstruction@gmail.com

Mathew Ryan from Ryan Developments joins Jimmy to explain how turning over approximately $3.5 million forced him to confront the difference between running a busy building company and running a profitable one.
Mathew shares his journey from completing his carpentry apprenticeship in Whittlesea to building Ryan Developments into a specialist custom-home and knockdown-rebuild company operating across Melbourne.
Jimmy and Matt discuss:
Why high turnover does not guarantee profit
The true hourly cost of employing a tradie
Margin versus markup in construction
Why underquoting is sending builders broke
Losing a major project to a builder who quoted $200,000 less
The risks of pricing your own labour below industry rates
Difficult clients, unpaid claims and VCAT disputes
Losing tens of thousands of dollars on completed work
Why builders need to investigate their clients
Finding a profitable niche in construction
Why scaling a business is not always the right decision
Creating a strong culture and looking after your employees
Work ethic, apprentices and expectations on site

Mathew also explains why challenging sites, steep blocks, custom homes and knockdown rebuilds became the right niche for Ryan Developments—and why knowing your numbers is just as important as being a skilled tradesman.
This is an honest conversation about construction pricing, builder profitability, cash flow, leadership, employees and the realities of running a building business in Australia.
Subscribe to Jimmy Talks Construction for more conversations with Australian builders, contractors, tradies and construction business owners.

Connect with Mathew:
🌐 Website: https://www.ryandevelopments.com.au/
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryandevelopments/
📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Ryandevelopments/

Connect with Jimmy:
🌐 Website: https://starbuckgroup.com.au
📺 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@JimmyTalksConstruction
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/starbuckexcavation
📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/starbuckexcavation
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-starbuck-13336546/

Sponsorships + Guest Enquiries: louis@lj-media.com

Send in Business Problems: jimmytalksconstruction@gmail.com

In this episode of Jimmy Talks Construction, James sits down with Michelle Cirson, founder of Subcontractor Legal and The Subbies’ Toolbox, to unpack the contractual and commercial traps costing Australian subcontractors millions.
Michelle explains why retentions are often used to support builder cash flow, how Security of Payment legislation works, why being the “good bloke” can leave subcontractors exposed and when suspending work may be the only way to bring a builder to the negotiating table.

They also discuss:
• A formworker pressured into taking on three high-rise projects with one builder
• How payment claims can be deliberately delayed or reduced
• Why subcontractors need an accounts receivable escalation procedure
• Protecting machinery and equipment through PPSR registrations
• An excavator being withheld after a subcontractor entered liquidation
• Directors’ guarantees, secured creditors and preference payments
• Fixed-price contracts and rapidly increasing fuel costs
• Variations, acceleration claims, delay costs and contractual time bars
• Why relationships alone will not protect your construction business

This is essential listening for subcontractors, civil contractors, trades, plant hire companies, commercial managers, contracts administrators and construction business owners.
This podcast contains general information and discussion only and should not be treated as legal advice.

How to Claim Costs Increases Under Fixed Price Contracts:
https://www.subbiestoolbox.com.au/cost

Connect with Michelle:
🌐 Website: https://www.subcontractorlegal.com.au/
🌐 Website: https://www.subbiestoolbox.com.au/
🎙️Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/68whpTaxxcmIDhWXNdXIu5
🎙️Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/the-subbies-toolbox-podcast/id1663062832
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michellecirson/

Connect with Jimmy:
🌐 Website: https://starbuckgroup.com.au
📺 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@JimmyTalksConstruction
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/starbuckexcavation
📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/starbuckexcavation
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-starbuck-13336546/

Sponsorships + Guest Enquiries: louis@lj-media.com

Send in Business Problems: jimmytalksconstruction@gmail.com

Max Eagles, owner of X1 Plumbing, joins Jimmy Talks Construction to share how his first plumbing business failed—and what he changed before starting again.
In this episode, Max and James discuss:
The difference between being a good plumber and running a profitable plumbing business
Quoting a $40,000 job when the next price was approximately $70,000
The apprentice mistake that flooded an entire basement
Why verbal warnings were not enough during a Fair Work claim
The risks of operating as a sole trader
Calculating charge-out rates, overheads, efficiency and profit margins
Whether taking lower-priced work is better than leaving employees at home
Losing money on a job to protect an important client relationship
Moving from residential maintenance into larger commercial plumbing work
Rebuilding after failure and launching X1 Plumbing
Hiring, leadership and maintaining company culture while growing
Subscribe to Jimmy Talks Construction for honest conversations with the people building Australia’s construction industry.

Connect with Max:
🌐 Website: https://www.x1plumb.com.au/
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/x1plumb/
📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/X1-Plumb-61568419870480/
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/x1-plumb-pty-ltd/?originalSubdomain=au
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/max-eagles-5248822a8/

Connect with Jimmy:
🌐 Website: https://starbuckgroup.com.au
📺 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@JimmyTalksConstruction
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/starbuckexcavation
📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/starbuckexcavation
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-starbuck-13336546/

Sponsorships + Guest Enquiries: louis@lj-media.com

Send in Business Problems: jimmytalksconstruction@gmail.com