Jimmy Talks Construction

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:

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

• H...

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:

In this episode of Jimmy Talks Construction, Jimmy sits down with Paul Tzimas for a wide-ranging conversation about construction culture, leadership, EBAs, unions, safety, productivity and the changing landscape of the industry.

Paul shares his journey from starting out as a carpenter during the GFC, to working on major commercial projects, becoming involved in the union movement, and now working with businesses through safety, industrial relations and consulting.

This episode explores the construction industry from multiple perspectives — workers, subcontractors, builders, unions and business owners. Jimmy and Paul discuss the importance of communication, hard conversations, respect on...

In this episode of Jimmy Talks Construction, Jimmy sits down with Andrew Deveson, co-founder and director of Kapitol Group, for one of the biggest conversations we’ve had on the podcast.

Andrew shares the full story behind Kapitol Group’s rise — from starting with zero employees, zero revenue, and putting everything on the line, to building one of Australia’s most talked-about construction companies with 550 full-time staff and a projected $1.5 billion in turnover.

This conversation goes deep into what actually separates high-performing construction businesses from the rest: customer obsession, losing tenders the right way, managing variatio...

In Episode 52 of Jimmy Talks Construction, Jimmy sits down with Rhys Cooper, Managing Director of Cooper Civil, a southeast Queensland civil excavation business known for GPS excavation, Cat Next Gen gear, late-model machines and high-quality operators.

Rhys shares his story from growing up in New Zealand, working in forestry, travelling across Australia operating machinery, spending years in the mines, and eventually starting Cooper Civil with almost nothing behind him. From buying his first excavator to growing into a fleet of machines, Rhys opens up about the highs, lows, pressure and reality of building a civil construction business.<...

In Episode 51 of Jimmy Talks Construction, Jimmy sits down with Garath Vella from Lorden Vella to talk about the real business of building: margins, risk, hiring, subbies, COVID, cash flow, and what it actually takes to start and grow a construction company in Melbourne.

Garath shares his path from plumbing, site supervision and project management into co-founding Lorden Vella during one of the most unstable periods the construction industry has seen. He opens up about starting with no work lined up, navigating COVID, dealing with shut-down businesses, and building a company from the ground up.

...

In Episode 50 of Jimmy Talks Construction, Jimmy sits down with Joel Griffs from Heidi Build for a brutally honest conversation about carpentry, construction business, insurance work, and why scaling isn’t always the answer.

Joel shares how Heidi Build has carved out its place by taking on custom carpentry, structural steel, excavation, concreting and insurance repair work, rather than following the usual online advice to “niche down” or remove yourself from the business. The conversation covers the reality of running a trade business in Australia, why margins are getting tighter, how equipment costs have changed, and why simply...

Jimmy sits down with Mitch from Slimline Excavations to talk about leaving underground coal mining, buying a 1.7T digger and building an excavation business. They cover coal mining, subdivisions, mountain bike trail projects, helicopters in construction, training operators, hiring the right crew, pricing mistakes, business mentors and why you cannot be half-in when running a construction company.

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

Send in Business Problems: jimmytalksconstruction@gmail.com

Connect with Mitch:

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/slimline_excavations/

📘 Facebook: https://www.facebo...

In Episode 48 of Jimmy Talks Construction, Jimmy sits down with the three directors of Arrow Civil to talk about starting a new civil construction company in Melbourne, leaving a major contractor the right way, building a business with integrity, and backing yourself in a tough market.

A great episode for anyone in civil construction, earthmoving, subdivisions, infrastructure, project management, estimating, subcontracting or anyone thinking about starting their own construction business.

Connect with Arrow Civil:

🌐 Website: https://arrow-civil.com.au/

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/arrow-civil/?originalSubdomain=au

💼 Na...

In Episode 47 of Jimmy Talks Construction, James Starbuck sits down with Daniel from Complex Facade to talk high-rise construction, facade installation, scaling a subcontracting business, labour productivity, and the brutal reality of growing from apprentice to operations manager in the tier one construction space.

This episode dives into Daniel’s journey from being the boss’s son and a self-described ordinary apprentice, to becoming Operations Manager inside a serious construction business. The conversation covers the pressure of installing glass hundreds of metres in the air, the evolution of prefab facade systems, importing windows from China, labour productivity, rewo...

James Starbuck sits down with Emmanuel Al-Jinavo, founder of Feed4Ward, for a raw construction business conversation about tradies, subcontractors, cash flow, unpaid invoices, and bad clients in the Australian construction industry.

Emmanuel shares his journey from running a plumbing business to building Feed4Ward, a platform designed to help tradesmen review clients, avoid serial non-payers, and protect small trade businesses from cash flow pressure.

This construction podcast episode covers late payments, debt collection, 45, 60 and 90-day payment terms, the reality of running a trade business, subcontractor stress, business growth, client relationships, and why getting paid...

Dirty Business Bonus Episode, live from Las Vegas. In this special bonus episode, we sit down with Brian Hayden, winner of the CAT Global Operator Challenge, to talk all things operating, heavy equipment, and what it takes to compete at the highest level.

Brian breaks down how he got started in the industry from a young age, growing up in the family business at Hayden Excavating in Maine, before working his way through the local dealer event, the regional competition, and finally the global finals in Vegas.

The conversation covers:

How Brian got...

In Episode 45 of Jimmy Talks Construction, James Starbuck sits down with Toby, Managing Director of C&N Plumbing Services, a South Australian commercial plumbing contractor celebrating 10 years in business.

Toby shares his journey from apprentice plumber to commercial plumbing business owner, including the hard lessons learned through domestic plumbing, commercial projects, remote work, civil drainage, tendering mistakes, cash flow pressure and growing a team.

This episode gets into the real issues construction business owners face every day — unpaid variations, “you’ll get paid when we get paid,” pipe shortages, labour challenges, culture, leadership, and the mental w...

In this episode of Jimmy Talks Construction, James Starbuck sits down with Steph Apostolides (Melbourne Chippy Chick) — carpenter, content creator, and founder of Trady Lady Hire.

Steph shares her journey from working with her dad on-site to becoming one of the most recognised female tradies in Australia. The conversation dives into the realities of working in construction, the challenges women face on-site, and why initiatives like Trady Lady Hire are reshaping the industry.

They also break down:

Jordan Chivers runs WL Chivers Plumbing - a 17-man Melbourne maintenance and emergency plumbing business that turns up in under an hour, 365 days a year.

From a 14-year-old operating a Takeuchi TB108 to running one of Melbourne's go-to emergency plumbing outfits, Jordan has been on the tools since before he was out of Year 9. In this episode, Jimmy sits down with him - Managing Director of WL Chivers Plumbing - to talk about the reality of running a reactive, no-BS trade business: being raised by his old-school maintenance plumber dad Wayne, talking his way into an excavator...

In this episode of Jimmy Talks Construction, James Starbuck sits down with David “Alfie” Alford, Managing Director of DBA Haulage and one of the most experienced operators in Australia’s heavy haulage industry.

Alfie shares the raw reality of building a business from scratch, losing everything early on, and fighting back through some of the toughest lessons in construction and transport.

From running trucks at a young age to being buried under debt, dealing with liquidation, and working his way back into major heavy haulage projects — this episode dives deep into what it...

Episode 41 of Jimmy Talks Construction features Illan Samuel, Managing Director of Samuel Property Group, breaking down the reality of property development in today’s market.

From running multi-residential projects worth hundreds of millions to navigating rising costs, delays, and financing challenges, Illan shares what it actually takes to survive — and grow — in the development game.

This episode dives into the real pressures developers face, including interest rates, construction escalation, red tape, and why time is the biggest cost in any project.

The conversation covers:

In Episode 40 of Jimmy Talks Construction, Jimmy sits down with Jesse Campbell, Construction Manager at City Circle — one of Australia’s largest demolition and recycling companies.

This episode dives deep into the reality of modern construction, from the shift away from traditional builders to project management-driven companies, through to the challenges of scaling large infrastructure projects across Victoria and Australia.

Jesse shares insights from over 20 years in the industry, including his transition from tier-one building into demolition, and how City Circle has scaled to process nearly 2 million tonnes of concrete annually through demolition, recycling, and mate...

In Episode 39 of Jimmy Talks Construction, Jimmy sits down with Jake Gorry, founder and director of Proline Group — one of Australia’s fastest-growing cladding and façade contractors.

Jake shares his journey from starting as a young carpenter working with his dad, to building a multi-division business delivering large-scale commercial cladding projects across Melbourne.

The conversation dives deep into how Proline identified an opportunity in architectural metal cladding, mastered a niche skillset, and scaled from small residential jobs into working with Tier 1 builders on major projects.

Jake breaks down the realities of building a con...

In Episode 38 of Jimmy Talks Construction, Jimmy sits down with Shane Coleman, founder of Coleman Earth Industries and a former top-tier mining excavator operator.

Shane shares his journey growing up in North Queensland, learning to operate machinery from a young age, and eventually working his way through Australia’s mining industry operating some of the largest excavators in the world.

The conversation dives deep into the mindset required to become an elite digger operator, the importance of work ethic on mine sites, and how performance and reputation follow you throughout the industry.

Shane ex...

In the grand finale of Dirty Business, live and recorded during Conexpo week in Las Vegas, Jimmy Starbuck sits down with David Nicoll, CEO of SANY America, to discuss the future of construction equipment, global manufacturing, and the rapidly evolving heavy equipment market.

David shares his journey through nearly three decades at Caterpillar before joining SANY and leading the company’s expansion in North America. The conversation dives into the challenges of breaking into established equipment markets, building strong dealer networks, and delivering reliable machines and support to contractors.

Recorded during ConExpo in Las Vegas, th...

Episode 4 of the Dirty Business podcast series was recorded live during ConExpo in Las Vegas and features a panel of construction industry leaders sharing their real experiences running businesses in the heavy civil and excavation industries.

Jimmy sits down with:

Devin Dyer (@dirtgearco)

Matt Stanley (@mttstanley)

Eric Jumper (@eric_jumper)

Missy Scherber (@missyscherber)

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

The group discusses the pressures of running a company, managing crews and equipment, balancing family life with business...

Dirty Business continues in Las Vegas with another construction industry roundtable hosted by Jimmy Starbuck.

In Episode 3, Jimmy sits down with:

Stephanie Dailey (@stephaniebuildsit)

Dane Cotten (@dcexcavation)

Caleb Auman (@aumanlandscapellc)

Sean Coghlan (@shamrockseanj)

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

Powered by

Each guest brings a unique perspective from across residential construction, landscaping, and excavation. From building luxury homes and outdoor living spaces to running excavation companies, the panel discusses what it actually takes to operate...

Dirty Business continues in Las Vegas with another roundtable hosted by Jimmy Starbuck.

In Episode 2, Jimmy sits down with:

Taylor White – https://www.instagram.com/kwc2000/

EJ Herron – https://www.instagram.com/dig_it_digital_gps/

Zach Taylor – https://www.instagram.com/_taylorthings/

Tom Gardocki – https://www.instagram.com/the_dirt_ninja/

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

Filmed during CONEXPO week in Las Vegas, the panel dives into the real challenges contractors face — from scaling companies and buildi...

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...

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...

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.

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 t...

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...

In this episode of Jimmy Talks Construction, Jimmy sits down with Daniel O’Callaghan, Director of Nature Build in Bendigo, to unpack a raw and honest story of growth, pressure, passion, and resilience in the construction industry.

Daniel shares how a regional Australian builder ended up building a world-class pond for Aquascape in Georgia, USA — for Shaquille O’Neal, the reality of scaling a business to seven staff, and the moment the pressure nearly led to a nervous breakdown.

This isn’t a highlight reel. It’s a real conversation about what happe...

In this episode of Jimmy Talks Construction, Jimmy sits down with Toby Glass, Director of Tascon Civil Construction, who’s flown over from Wellington, New Zealand, to talk business, growth, and the realities of surviving in the Tier 1 civil space.

Toby breaks down his journey from growing up around concrete and infrastructure work, studying construction management, walking away from uni frustration, and eventually buying into the family business at just 23 years old. Now six years in, Tascon operates in a tight niche delivering specialist structural concrete, retaining walls, and complex civil packages for Tier 1 and Tier 2 contractors.

In this episode of Jimmy Talks Construction, Jimmy sits down with Brenton Davey, Managing Director of Control Tech Solutions, to unpack a no-BS story of how a business scales from shovels and a trailer to running vacuum excavation trucks on major projects.

Brenton explains how working in NBN fibre rollout led to his first opportunity, why new safety requirements pushed the industry toward NDD / vacuum excavation, and the moment unreliable subcontract trucks forced a make-or-break decision: buy the first vac truck or stop moving forward.

This episode dives into the real...

In this episode of Jimmy Talks Construction, Jimmy sits down with Phil Yates, founder of Versatile Plant Hire & Contracting, to talk about what it really takes to build and operate a successful plant hire and contracting business in regional Western Australia.

Operating out of Kalgoorlie, Phil shares insights from the frontline of civil construction, mining support, and heavy equipment hire, where reliability, reputation, and resilience matter more than hype.

If you enjoyed this chat, don't forget to like, subscribe, and share the podcast. Follow James and Phil to keep up with...

George Passas (Founder of Pascon & Builder Elite) - Jimmy Talks Episode 29

In this episode of Jimmy Talks Construction, Jimmy sits down with George Passas, founder of Builder Elite and Pascon, for an honest, no-BS conversation about the realities of running a construction business when everything goes wrong.

George opens up about being locked into high-risk construction contracts during COVID, how poor contract structures nearly destroyed his business, and the brutal reality of losing over $1,000,000 in a single year. He breaks down what that period taught him about risk management, cash flow...

In this episode, Jimmy has a chat with Colm Phibbs, the MD at Cono Services. Colm talks about first moving from Ireland to Australia during the Global Financial Crisis, and building his business from then, to now being a large company which offers bulk excavations, civil, and plant hire services in some of Sydneys biggest projects.

If you enjoyed this chat, don't forget to like, subscribe, and share the podcast. Follow James and Colm to keep up with more stories, insights, and behind-the-scenes of building successful businesses from the ground up.

...

In this episode, Jimmy has a chat with Mark Kelly. They first met at CONEXPO a few years ago, where Mark was trying to kick start some small business education for himself. They also dive into culture behind business’, especially the importance of manners.

If you enjoyed this chat, don't forget to like, subscribe, and share the podcast. Follow James and Mark to keep up with more stories, insights, and behind-the-scenes of building successful businesses from the ground up.

Connect with Mark:

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-kelly-27427223a/ <...

In this episode, Jimmy has a chat with Jim Penman. An Aussie icon founder of Jim’s mowing, and the wider Jim’s group. Jim discusses why he chose the franchise model and how he built a business that has created more millionaires in Australia, than any other. He also touches on politics and his most recent research project he has been funding.

If you enjoyed this chat, don't forget to like, subscribe, and share the podcast. Follow James and Jim to keep up with more stories, insights, and behind-the-scenes of building successful businesses from the ground up.<...

In this episode, Jimmy sits down with Alastair, former partner of Doherty's Gym, now owner of Victims of Ink, and a welder, to unpack his journey through business and the construction world, navigating some troublesome situations and crowds, including running from the police, dealing with the underworld, and his two-cents on Derrimut gym's.

If you enjoyed this chat, don't forget to like, subscribe, and share the podcast. Follow James and Alastair to keep up with more stories, insights, and behind-the-scenes of building successful businesses from the ground up.

Connect with Alastair:

📸 Ins...

In this episode, Jimmy sits down with Cameron Bongers, co-director of Civelite and LandUrban, to unpack his journey through the civil construction world. Cameron dives into scaling Civelite, the lessons learned building high-performing teams, and the mindset behind growing sustainable businesses in the civil and track building spaces.

If you enjoyed this chat, don't forget to like, subscribe, and share the podcast. Follow James and Cameron to keep up with more stories, insights, and behind-the-scenes of building successful businesses from the ground up.

Connect with Cameron:

🌐 Website: https://www.civ...