Brad Acheson had his builder's licence before his 21st birthday. Possibly the youngest in New South Wales at the time. He spent the next two decades building under his own name in Dubbo, up to 35 homes a year, with a reputation the whole town knew.
Then he handed that name over and joined Stroud Homes Dubbo.
Not because the business was failing. Because he was the business. Every answer, every decision, every holiday booked around which hotel had the best Wi-Fi. He wanted systems that would set him free.
Three and a half years on, Brad came back from a week away and was caught up by 11am. The business had run without him.
In this episode he sits down with Az to unpack what that shift actually took. Systemising a building company without losing what made it his. Why a franchise community beats going it alone. And the moment that caught the host off guard: the first guest to thank his wife on the show.
Asked what makes a good builder, Brad doesn't reach for volume, margin or systems. He says empathy. Anyone can build a house. Not everyone builds it for the person who has to live in it.
Listen now.
In this episode:
- Getting a full builder's licence at 20 years and 11 months, and what the trade looked like coming up through TAFE and on-site training
- Twenty-odd years running his own company off his own back, and hitting the ceiling every solo builder hits
- The real reason he joined a franchise: not failure, but the fact that he was the business and couldn't step away from it
- Systemising a building company so the work doesn't depend on one person holding it all in his head
- The holiday test: a week away, then caught up by 11am the day he got back
- Why the franchise community beats going it alone, and what builders share when there's no competition in the room
- The role his wife Lisa plays, and the first wife shout-out in the show's history
- What actually makes a good builder, in Brad's words
The line that sticks: anyone can build a house. Not everyone builds it for the person who has to live in it.
Guest: Brad Acheson, Stroud Homes Dubbo
Host: Az, The Good Builder
For more: https://franchise.stroudhomes.com.au/
Podcast sponsor:
This episode is proudly supported by MyConstruct. The Aussie Construction Software Built By Aussies Builders.
Try it free for 30 days at
myconstruct.com.
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