About this episode

Adrian Fadini discusses the findings of the Australian State of the Trades Report for 2026, focusing on operational realities for contractors in Australia.

Adrian Fadini , founder of TradesFormation and one of Australia and New Zealand's top trade business coaches, returns to the podcast to dissect the key findings of the Australian State of the Trades Report for 2026. Surveying over 1,000 senior decision-makers across Australian trade businesses, the report highlights a critical shift: while demand remains steady and over 40% of businesses continue to grow revenue, contractors are redlining their capacity and turning their focus inward. Adrian breaks down why fixing business model root causes beats putting out operational fires, how to solve the surging 57% accounts receivable pain point by transitioning from hourly billing to upfront pricing, and why adopting AI requires a clear business vision rather than tactical chasing. Join us as we discuss: [1:57] Why cross-shadowing between departmental roles is critical to your business [7:31] Identifying blind spots and fixing your business model instead of patching symptoms [10:42] Achieving a holistic view of your operations and the number one pain point for Aussie contractors in 2026 [17:27] How a tailored Pricebook can save you from hidden costs and hourly vs flat rates [26:14] Why…

People in this episode

Guest: Adrian Fadini

Topics covered

• trade business coaching
• operational challenges
• business model improvement
• pricing strategies
• AI adoption
• financial management

Keywords

• trade business
• operational fires
• accounts receivable
• upfront pricing
• AI tools
• business vision
• fuel costs
• interest rates

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: TradesFormation

Places: Australia, New Zealand

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