Jimmy Talks Construction

Angus Walker started ANA Asphalt in his early 20s with a mate, a bobcat, a couple of rollers and a plan to make some extra cash. Today, the business employs more than 100 people, runs multiple paving and profiling crews, a sizeable fleet of trucks and equipment - and is taking its next step into asphalt manufacturing.
In this episode of Jimmy Talks Construction, Jimmy sits down with Angus to unpack what actually happens between starting small and building a serious construction business.
They talk about scaling too quickly, going backwards to go forwards, building the right team, the nightmare of middle management, vertical integration, why good people are worth holding onto and learning to let others solve problems better than you can.
Angus also shares some of the brutal lessons along the way - including a three-night stretch that cost the business around $170,000 - and why those moments eventually forced him to stop trying to do everything himself.
They also get into asphalt logistics, paving in the rain, trucking, building an asphalt plant, technology and AI in construction, incentivising staff, working from home, leadership and why staying curious has remained one of Angus’ biggest drivers.
No textbook business advice. Just two construction business owners comparing notes on what it actually takes to build, scale and keep the wheels turning.
Subscribe to Jimmy Talks Construction for more conversations with the people actually building Australia’s construction industry.

Connect with Angus:
🌐 Website: https://www.anaasphalts.com.au/
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anaasphalts/?hl=en
💼 LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/company/ana-asphalts
💼 LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/in/angus-walker-6a066719a

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

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