Jimmy Talks Construction

Dylan from Welsh Industries joins Jimmy to talk about building an earthmoving and civil construction business from the ground up.
From selling firewood while still at school and buying his first machine, to taking on the small jobs bigger contractors didn’t want, Dylan breaks down the journey of growing Welsh Industries into larger civil projects, plant hire and tendered work.
They get into the reality of running a construction business - knowing when to say yes, quoting and variations, learning expensive lessons through tendering, moving from simple quotes to detailed proposals, managing growth, getting off the tools and building a reputation that wins work.
Dylan also shares his experience working on the Longwood bushfire recovery, including the confronting process of cleaning up destroyed homes and some of the unexpected possessions they managed to recover from the rubble.
In this episode:
• Starting a business while still at school
• Buying the first machine and finding work
• Why saying “yes” helped grow Welsh Industries
• Knowing when to start saying no
• Quoting, variations and protecting your scope
• Moving from small jobs into commercial civil construction
• Tendering for bigger projects
• Losing money while learning how to tender
• Why proposals can outperform basic quotes
• Scaling without growing too quickly
• Longwood bushfire recovery and cleanup
• Communication, reputation and relationships in construction
If you work in civil construction, earthmoving, plant hire or run your own construction business, there’s plenty in this one.

Subscribe to Jimmy Talks Construction for more conversations with the people actually building and running Australia’s construction industry.

Connect with Dylan Welsh:
🌐 Website: https://welshindustries.com.au/
📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WelshIndustries/
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/welshindustries/
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dylan-welsh-a99067123/

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

Matt Garland has seen the construction industry from both sides of the fence.
In this episode of Jimmy Talks Construction, Jimmy sits down with Matt Garland from Nawkaw Australia to talk about his journey through construction, from studying construction management and working for major builders to helping establish operations in London and eventually moving from the head contractor side into the subcontracting world.
In this episode:
Matt Garland's journey into construction
Working for Tier 1 and Tier 3 builders
Establishing a construction operation in London
Growing during the COVID construction period
Moving from head contractor to subcontractor
How Nawkaw concrete and masonry staining works
Why colour matching is more complicated than it looks
QA systems and managing client expectations
Avoiding disputes over scope and variations
Building systems that allow construction businesses to scale
Technology and automation in construction
BIM, GPS and modular construction
The problem with construction's race to the lowest price
Why innovation costs money
Investing in the next generation of construction

If you're a builder, subcontractor, project manager, construction business owner or anyone interested in where the Australian construction industry is heading, this is an episode worth watching.

Subscribe to Jimmy Talks Construction for more conversations with the people building Australia's construction industry.

Connect with Matthew Garland:
🌐 Website: https://www.nawkawvic.com.au/
🌐 Website: https://nawkaw.com/en-au/
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nawkawaus/
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-garland-000004b5/

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

Damien and Tara from DA Bricklaying join Jimmy Talks Construction to talk about taking bricklaying from the jobsite to the world stage.
Damien has represented Australia in major bricklaying competitions in Las Vegas, laying an incredible 737 bricks in just one hour. But behind the competition is a much bigger story about building a trade business, managing a crew, working alongside your partner and trying to make the numbers stack up in today’s construction industry.
Damien and Tara break down how DA Bricklaying began, why a trip to compete overseas helped pull Damien back into the industry, and how they went from running a bricklaying company to developing and launching their own bricklaying tool.
They also get into some of the bigger issues facing Australian trades - falling margins, competing against operators with lower overheads, skills shortages, short-form trade qualifications, licensing and whether enough value is being placed on experienced tradespeople.
Plus, there are a few lessons from Las Vegas… including why going out until 3am before a bricklaying competition probably isn’t the best preparation.
In this episode:
• Competing against some of the world's best bricklayers
• Laying 737 bricks in one hour • Building DA Bricklaying
• Turning a bricklaying tool into a product business
• Recalling a product after a manufacturing issue
• The real cost of running a trade business
• Why competing purely on price doesn't work
• Running a business with your husband or wife
• Australia's bricklaying skills shortage
• Trade qualifications and licensing
• The difference between Australian and US masonry businesses
• What the next generation of Australian bricklaying needs

Subscribe to Jimmy Talks Construction for more conversations with the people building, operating and changing Australia's construction industry.

Connect with Team Amuso:
🌐 Website: https://www.dattools.com/about-us
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teamamuso/
📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/teamamuso/
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tara-amuso/

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

Aaron Witt - the man behind BuildWitt and one of the biggest names in the “Dirt World” - joins Jimmy for a wide-ranging conversation about construction, business, leadership, social media and where the industry needs to go next.
Aaron takes us back to working on the railroad, launching BuildWitt in 2017 and turning a passion for construction photography into a business and brand recognised across the industry. He explains why authentic content cuts through, why construction companies are struggling to attract people, and why better leadership, training and technology will be critical to moving the industry forward.
Jimmy and Aaron also get into the less glamorous side of business - running out of money, making bad decisions, managing people, building trust, staying consistent when motivation disappears and learning from things that simply didn’t work.
Aaron shares how Dirt World Summit grew from around 700 attendees to 1,500 and sold out six months ahead of time, why real relationships still matter more than scalable marketing tactics, and why sometimes the most valuable things in business are the things that don’t scale.
They also discuss construction influencers, brand deals, authenticity, BuildWitt’s growing software ambitions and Aaron’s latest Australian trip through the Pilbara, Bowen Basin, Gladstone and Snowy Mountains.
If you work in construction, run a business or are trying to build something for the long term, there’s plenty in this one.
Subscribe to Jimmy Talks Construction for more conversations with the people shaping the construction industry.

Connect with
Aaron Witt
https://www.instagram.com/aaronwitt/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaronwitt
BuildWitt
https://buildwitt.com/
Dirt Talk Podcast
https://megaphone.link/IDWOO2325207760

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

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