The Daily Dose #355 | Why More Staff Doesn't Always Mean More Profit | Cheyne Hall, Build Launch

Growing a building business should mean more opportunity, more profit and hopefully a little less pressure on the owner. But as many builders have discovered, more work and more staff don't always deliver those results. In this episode of The Good Builder Podcast, Az sits down with Cheyne Hall, founder of Build Launch, to talk about one of the biggest challenges facing growing construction businesses: getting the right people into the right roles without letting overheads get out of control. Cheyne knows the pressures firsthand. After growing his own construction business to 60–70 staff across multiple states, he experienced the challenges of managing people, maintaining quality, controlling costs and keeping a growing operation profitable. Those lessons eventually led him to establish Build Launch, a business helping Australian builders access trained offshore talent for roles including estimating, contract administration, project support and finance. But this conversation goes well beyond offshore staffing. Az and Cheyne discuss why builders often hire too late, how poor onboarding and training can undermine even the best recruits, and why saving money on back-office roles could allow builders to invest more in the supervisors, construction managers and tradespeople delivering the work. They also explore the growing role of AI in construction, the importance of having proper systems before introducing new technology, and a surprisingly simple question every builder should ask before deciding to grow. It's a conversation about building a better business, not necessarily a bigger one. In this episode: Why growing headcount doesn't guarantee growing profit The hidden costs of scaling a construction business Which roles builders should consider keeping in-house How offshore teams can support estimating, administration and project delivery Why training, mentoring and management matter more than where someone works The risks of hiring when your business is already overwhelmed Where AI and automation genuinely fit into a building business How to make better decisions about growth, staffing and your own future Whether you're a one-person operation looking for your first team member or an established builder trying to get your overheads under control, there's plenty worth considering in this conversation. Guest: Cheyne Hall, Founder of Build Launch Build Launch: https://buildlaunch.com.au/ Host: Az Ng, The Good Builder The Good Builder: https://thegoodbuilder.com.au/ #TheGoodBuilder #AustralianBuilders #ConstructionBusiness #BuilderProfitability #BuildLaunch