Professional Builders Secrets

Professional Builders Secrets brings you an exclusive episode with Owen Gardner, Co-founder of Gardner Construction in Sydney, Australia. Throughout this episode, Owen shares the real story behind building a company over 24 years, from sole trader carpenter to running a full design and construct business with an in-house team of five architects, and the mindset, lessons, and incremental improvements that got him there.

This episode is sponsored by Apparatus Contractor Services, click the link below to learn more:hubs.ly/Q02mNSsG0

INSIDE EPISODE 231 YOU WILL DISCOVER
How Owen transitioned from sole trader to design and construction
Why the biggest breakthroughs come from small, incremental improvements
How Owen protects his business from clients who don't pay
How one difficult client became one of his biggest advocates
Why understanding your numbers is the single biggest thing that transformed Owen's business
And much, much more.

ABOUT OWEN GARDNER

Owen Gardner is the founder of Gardner Construction, a residential design and construct company based in the eastern suburbs of Sydney, Australia. With 24 years in the industry, Owen started as a carpenter straight out of his apprenticeship and has built the company into a full design and construct operation, complete with an in-house team of five architects. He runs the business alongside his identical twin brother Matt, who oversees the day-to-day construction side of the company.
TIMELINE
08:23 More staff, less money (temporarily)
13:12 How builders can unknowingly operate insolvent for years
14:50 The client who refused to pay
17:17 Why Owen brought design in-house and never looked back
32:29 The peaks and troughs of building
38:00 The one thing that transformed the business

LINKS, RESOURCES & MORE

APB Website: associationofprofessionalbuilders.com

APB Rewards: associationofprofessionalbuilders.com/rewards/

APB on Instagram: instagram.com/apbbuilders/

APB on Facebook: facebook.com/associationofprofessionalbuilders

APB on YouTube: youtube.com/c/associationofprofessionalbuilders

Professional Builders Secrets brings you an exclusive episode with Russ Stephens, Co-founder of APB, and Sarah Biben, Director of Product Design at Buildertrend. Throughout this episode, Russ and Sarah dive deep into the financial blind spots that are quietly killing builder profitability, and what the most successful builders are doing differently to protect their margins and run cleaner, more profitable companies.

This episode is sponsored by Apparatus Contractor Services, click the link below to learn more:hubs.ly/Q02mNSsG0

INSIDE EPISODE 230 YOU WILL DISCOVER
Why a busy schedule and healthy bank balance can mask serious financial problems in your building company
What the "construction Ponzi scheme" is and how to make sure you're not caught in it
Why over a third of builders had a discrepancy greater than 10% between their perceived and actual financial performance
How the Work In Progress Accounting Adjustment© can transform the accuracy of your monthly reports
The hidden profit destroyer that most builders completely overlook
And much, much more.

ABOUT RUSS STEPHENS

Co-founder of the Association of Professional Builders, Russ is a data analysis expert who has introduced data-driven decision making to the residential construction industry. Russ is also a proud member of the Forbes Business Development Council.

Connect with Russ: linkedin.com/in/russstephens

ABOUT SARAH BIBEN

Sarah Biben is the Director of Product Design at Buildertrend, where she works with builders, product teams, and engineers to design workflows that connect financials with day-to-day project management.

Connect with Erika: linkedin.com/in/sarah-biben-86183b40/

TIMELINE
05:20 The stat that should concern every builder
12:45 The construction Ponzi scheme
19:30 The Work In Progress Accounting Adjustment© explained
31:10 The hidden profit destroyer: timeline
38:45 Profitable on paper, broke in real life
46:20 What the best builders all have in common

LINKS, RESOURCES & MORE

APB Website: associationofprofessionalbuilders.com

APB Rewards: associationofprofessionalbuilders.com/rewards/

APB on Instagram: instagram.com/apbbuilders/

APB on Facebook: facebook.com/associationofprofessionalbuilders

APB on YouTube: youtube.com/c/associationofprofessionalbuilders

Professional Builders Secrets brings you an exclusive episode with Andy Skarda, Head Coach at APB. Throughout this episode, Andy reveals the real data behind how APB's Elite Mentoring clients performed in 2025, and breaks down the practical lessons every building company owner can take from the industry's highest performers and apply to their own business.

This episode is sponsored by Apparatus Contractor Services, click the link below to learn more:hubs.ly/Q02mNSsG0

INSIDE EPISODE 229 YOU WILL DISCOVER
The key Elite Mentoring difference
How Elite clients are increasing revenue by ~40%
Why doing less work is the key to scaling profitability
How Elite clients improved their quality of life, relationships, and physical health alongside their business results
What the pathway looks like to join Elite Mentoring in 2026
And much, much more.

ABOUT ANDY SKARDA

Head Coach at the Association of Professional Builders, Andy specialises in helping business owners in the building industry identify and implement the skills and systems they need to be successful, without needing to go back to school. Or more importantly, without going bust.

Connect with Andy: linkedin.com/in/andy-skarda-92a6875/

TIMELINE
4:02 What mentoring really means for builders
10:31 The client who refused to work Tuesdays and Thursdays
16:50 What well-led building companies actually look like
20:08 Contract value Up 36.2%
23:47 You can make more money by doing less work
38:40 The quality of life results that go beyond the business metrics

LINKS, RESOURCES & MORE

APB Website: associationofprofessionalbuilders.com

APB Rewards: associationofprofessionalbuilders.com/rewards/

APB on Instagram: instagram.com/apbbuilders/

APB on Facebook: facebook.com/associationofprofessionalbuilders

APB on YouTube: youtube.com/c/associationofprofessionalbuilders

Professional Builders Secrets brings you an exclusive episode with Rob Swanson, Director of Swanson Constructions. Throughout this episode, Rob shares his journey from carpentry apprentice to award-winning renovation builder, revealing how he transformed his business from a stressful, inconsistent operation into a systemised, profitable company with strong marketing, solid financial management and genuine work-life balance.

This episode is sponsored by Apparatus Contractor Services, click the link below to learn more:hubs.ly/Q02mNSsG0

INSIDE EPISODE 228 YOU WILL DISCOVER
Rob’s journey from apprentice to specialist
Why fixed price contracts work in renovations
How detailed prelims reduce risk and protect profit
The health wake-up call that forced major change
How systems, CRM and marketing created consistent lead flow
Why Google Ads outperformed word-of-mouth alone
And much, much more.

ABOUT ROB SWANSON

Rob Swanson is the founder of Swanson Constructions, a specialist renovation and extension company. With over 20 years in the industry, he’s transformed his business from burnout and inconsistency into a systemised, award-winning operation focused on fixed price contracts, strong financial management and sustainable growth.

Connect with Rob: linkedin.com/in/the-robert-swanson/

TIMELINE
3:00 How Rob went from apprentice to launching his own building company
4:59 Surviving a cyber attack and COVID back-to-back
7:10 Why they specialise in large renovations and offer fixed price contracts
13:45 The health wake-up call that forced major change
17:25 Implementing systems, CRM and marketing to stabilise lead flow
22:01 The financial discipline behind winning Financial Management of the Year

LINKS, RESOURCES & MORE

APB Website: associationofprofessionalbuilders.com

APB Rewards: associationofprofessionalbuilders.com/rewards/

APB on Instagram: instagram.com/apbbuilders/

APB on Facebook: facebook.com/associationofprofessionalbuilders

APB on YouTube: youtube.com/c/associationofprofessionalbuilders

Professional Builders Secrets brings you an exclusive episode with Varant Bomoushakian, Head of Operations at APB. In this episode, Varant breaks down what it really means to become an AI First building company in 2026 and beyond. He shares why most businesses are getting AI wrong, how leadership must drive adoption from the top down, and the practical steps builders can take to move from chasing shiny tools to embedding AI into daily habits, workflows, and team culture.

This episode is sponsored by Apparatus Contractor Services, click the link below to learn more:hubs.ly/Q02mNSsG0

INSIDE EPISODE 227 YOU WILL DISCOVER
What “AI First” actually means (and what it definitely doesn’t)
The three biggest mistakes builders are making with AI right now
Why leadership and culture determine whether AI adoption succeeds or fails
How to move from shiny AI tools to real operational ROI
Practical examples of how AI can increase output without increasing headcount
and much, much more.

ABOUT VARANT BOMOUSHAKIAN

Varant is an operations strategist with over 15 years of experience, specialising in driving operational innovation and excellence across various industries, from startup ventures to established companies. Oriented towards continuous improvement and not afraid to get ‘hands-on’ to develop and achieve transformation, efficiency, and growth strategy targets.

Connect with Varant: linkedin.com/in/varantb/

TIMELINE
5:22 What AI First isn’t (and the myths holding builders back)
7:30 The true definition of an AI First company
9:01 The three levels of AI integration in a building business
10:45 Why margins and rising costs make AI urgent in 2026
16:00 The 3 biggest mistakes builders are making with AI
36:05 Why AI must become a daily habit, not a one-off initiative

LINKS, RESOURCES & MORE

APB Website: associationofprofessionalbuilders.com

APB Rewards: associationofprofessionalbuilders.com/rewards/

APB on Instagram: instagram.com/apbbuilders/

APB on Facebook: facebook.com/associationofprofessionalbuilders

APB on YouTube: youtube.com/c/associationofprofessionalbuilders