Structure, Mindset and Tough Love: Building a Better Trades Business | Michael Carbonneau

Being good at your trade doesn’t automatically make you good at running a trades business. Contracts, cash flow, difficult clients, employees, leadership and financial pressure can teach some incredibly expensive lessons. In this episode of Built. Trusted. Chosen., I speak with Michael Carbonneau from Coaching by Rosewood about the lessons he learned over more than 15 years as a general contractor, including building a multi-million-dollar renovation business. Michael started young and admits he learned plenty the hard way. One contract dispute alone cost him around $50,000. We talk about how that changed the way he approached contracts and expectations, why contractors can end up financing their customers without realising it, what happens when your highest-performing employee damages the culture, and why Michael now describes his coaching approach through three pillars: structure, mindset and tough love. You’ll take away: Why clear contracts and expectations need to be established before the work starts How payment terms can create cash flow problems even when the business looks profitable on paper Why client changes need to be managed rather than simply saying yes to everything Why culture can matter more than having the most technically talented person on the team Michael’s approach of hiring slowly, firing quickly and promoting good people faster Why business owners sometimes need tough accountability from somebody who has actually lived the same challenges One of Michael’s biggest early lessons came from a contract dispute that cost him around $50,000 when he was still in his early twenties. It was painful, but it permanently changed the way he approached contracts, client expectations and risk. We also get into something almost every growing trades business eventually discovers: you can have plenty of work, a large team and impressive revenue while still constantly worrying about cash. Michael’s approach is direct, practical and drawn from actually having run construction businesses himself. If you’re building a trades or construction company and want fewer expensive lessons learned through trial and error, there’s plenty to take from this one. About Michael Carbonneau Michael Carbonneau is the founder of Coaching by Rosewood and a business coach specialising in trades and blue-collar entrepreneurs. He brings more than 15 years of general contracting experience, including building a seven-figure construction business, along with experience in financial services and a strong focus on business structure, cash flow, leadership and accountability. Website: https://coachingbyrosewood.netlify.app/ LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/michael-carbonneau-03101b3b1 About Wes Towers I’m Wes Towers, founder of Uplift 360 and host of Built. Trusted. Chosen. I help trades and construction companies be built, trusted and chosen online through high-performing websites, content and Search Everywhere Optimisation. https://uplift360.com.au/ Want to be a guest on Built. Trusted. Chosen.? Book here: https://uplift360.com.au/built-trusted-chosen-podcast-guest-booking/