Jimmy Talks Construction

Dirty Business, powered by SANY, launches in Las Vegas with a powerhouse construction roundtable with:

Aaron Witt – https://www.instagram.com/aaronwitt/ Amy Underwood – https://www.instagram.com/the_digger_girl/ Ryan Goodfellow – https://www.instagram.com/rockstructures/ Brian Dietz – https://www.instagram.com/bob_dietz_and_sons_inc/

Powered by SANY (https://www.instagram.com/sanyoceania/)

Releasing through CONEXPO week, this episode dives into the real impact of social media, leadership, growth, and building modern construction companies in today’s market.
In this episode, we discuss:
• How social media transformed our construction businesses • The difference between personal brand and company brand • The dark side of online exposure (and what people don’t see) • Growing too fast vs growing right • Leadership, delegation, and hiring better people than yourself • Market conditions across the US, UK, and Australia • Why people — not equipment — are the future of construction • Charging properly for transport, mobilisation, and overhead • Family businesses and balancing work with life

From underground diamond mines in Canada to $60M homes in Utah, this conversation covers what’s really happening inside the construction industry.

This is not a scripted panel.
This is Dirty Business.

If you’re a contractor, operator, business owner, or industry leader — this episode is for you.

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/

Subscribe for the full Vegas series.

In this episode of Jimmy Talks Construction, Jimmy sits down with Martyn Matenga, mining project manager and third-generation earthmover, to unpack what it takes to operate at the highest level in the mining industry.
Martyn has driven everything from 1.5-ton excavators to 1,400-ton rope shovels, commissioned some of the first 60-15 and 60-20 machines in Australia, and held documented production records on Liebherr 996 shovels — moving over 66,000 BCM in 24 hours.
This episode covers:
– Breaking world production records in mining
– What separates elite shovel operators from average ones
– Fuel burn, bucket wear and why bad operators cost millions
– Leadership lessons from supervising 300–900 personnel
– Why modern mining rosters have softened the industry
– Building MESA: Mining Shovels & Excavators Australia
– The viral 395 excavator leak before ConExpo
– Growing up in a third-generation earthmoving family
Martyn shares honest insights into operator culture, mentorship, discipline, and how to build production without destroying machines, morale, or teams.
If you’re in mining, heavy equipment, earthmoving, project management, or leadership, this episode is packed with real experience from the top end of the industry.
Connect with Martyn:
🌐 Website: https://www.raywell.com.au/
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/martynmatenga/?hl=en
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/raywell_contracting/?hl=en
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/raywell-contracting/
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/
Buy CONEXPO 2026 Tickets NOW, and don’t miss my small business workshop on the Friday!
https://www.conexpoconagg.com/attend-the-show/registration-and-pricing
Use code STARBUCK20 to save 20% (valid through to March 2).

In this episode of Jimmy Talks Construction, Jimmy sits down with Corey Tomkins from Ideal Group Australia (Brisbane) to break down what it really takes to scale a contracting business without losing your mind, your margins, or your family time.
Corey runs a carpentry contracting business working with Tier 1 and Tier 2 builders across Southeast Queensland, with around 26 staff. He shares the full story — starting his apprenticeship with his old man, learning painful business lessons early (ATO debt, unpaid super, and old-school realities), then building his own company through the chaos of COVID and the pressure of growth.
This episode dives into the real stuff construction business owners deal with:
Pivoting during COVID from renovations to contracting
Scaling aggressively (to ~16 guys fast), then nearly burning out
The personal load behind business stress (family, cancer diagnosis, marriage, first child)
The late payment reality and “45 days end of month” terms that crush contractors
Building systems and admin support so the business isn’t held together by the owner
Managing risk as jobs get bigger (scope, responsibility, and decision-making)
Leadership lessons: letting go of control and empowering people to do their job
Employee entitlement, labour shortages, and what the next generation needs to understand
If you’re a contractor, builder, carpenter, business owner, or you’re trying to scale beyond a small crew, this one is full of lessons on growth, cash flow, leadership, and staying in the game long enough to win.

Connect with Corey:
🌐 Website: https://idealgroupaustralia.com/
📺 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@OnsiteInsightPodcast
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ideal_aus/?hl=en
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ideal-group-3b3a67182/

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/

Buy CONEXPO 2026 Tickets NOW, and don’t miss my small business workshop on the Friday!
https://www.conexpoconagg.com/attend-the-show/registration-and-pricing
Use code STARBUCK20 to save 20% (valid through to March 2).

In this episode of Jimmy Talks Construction, Jimmy sits down with Ben Graham, Director of Civil Contracting Solutions QLD, for a brutally honest conversation about building a civil construction business in Queensland.
Ben shares his journey from working on tier one basement projects in Brisbane to being told he couldn’t work in the city for 12 months — and what it actually took to start again from scratch with a 5.5-tonne excavator and tipper combo while raising young kids.
This episode gets into the realities most contractors only talk about off camera:
– Walking away from tier one work and starting over
– Finding work with no following (door knocking, noticeboards, and flyers)
– The expensive lessons that come with bad finance decisions
– Why rates in QLD can destroy margins if you’re highly leveraged
– Wet weather planning, build pads, and selling solutions instead of just machines
– The difference between being busy and actually making money
If you’re in civil construction, earthmoving, excavation, plant hire, subdivisions, or thinking about going from PAYG to running your own gear, this episode is packed with real-world lessons you can actually apply.
If you enjoyed the episode, don’t forget to like, subscribe, and share the podcast - it helps bring bigger guests and better conversations to the channel.
Connect with Ben:
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/civilcontractingsolutionsqld/?hl=en
📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Civil-Contracting-Solutions-QLD-PTY-LTD-100086025881406/
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-graham-2a11347b/?originalSubdomain=au
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/

Buy CONEXPO 2026 tickets now and don’t miss the small business workshop.
https://www.conexpoconagg.com/attend-the-show/registration-and-pricing
Use code STARBUCK20 to save 20% at checkout (valid through to March 2).

In this episode of Jimmy Talks Construction, Jimmy sits down with Jeremy Trengove, founder of Dirt Cartel, to unpack what it actually looks like to go out on your own in earthmoving — when you buy a machine first and worry about work later.

Jeremy shares the real story behind buying a 36-ton excavator with no confirmed contracts, having a major job pulled at the last minute, and making thousands of phone calls just to keep the machine working. From mining to civil, wet hire vs dry hire, equipment finance panic, and the brutal learning curve of hiring your first operator — nothing is sugar-coated.

This episode dives into the realities most operators don’t talk about:
Buying big gear before you’re “ready” — and the debt pressure that comes with it
Losing work after contracts get undercut by bigger players
The mental stress of repayments when the phone stops ringing
Why versatility (wet hire, dry hire, regional work) keeps small operators alive
Mining vs civil: freedom, lifestyle, and why Jeremy walked away
The truth about Chinese machines vs Tier 1 brands (and what actually matters)
Why effort, attitude, and adaptability matter more than machine colour
Hiring operators, site politics, and how one bad fit can lose you a job

If you’re an excavator owner-operator, earthmoving contractor, civil operator, mining operator thinking about going solo, or anyone considering buying machinery, this episode is a must-watch. It’s an honest look at risk, resilience, and backing yourself when there’s no safety net.

If you enjoyed the episode, don’t forget to like, subscribe, and share. These conversations only happen because operators are willing to speak honestly about the hard parts of the job.

Connect with Jeremy:
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedirtcartel/
📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jeremy.trengove/
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremy-trengove-99ba10318/

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/

Buy CONEXPO 2026 Tickets NOW, and don’t miss my small business workshop on the Friday!

https://www.conexpoconagg.com/attend-the-show/registration-and-pricing

Use code STARBUCK20 to save 20% at checkout.
Valid through to March 2nd