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We have now well and truly reached 2022. The streamers are safely tucked away in the bin along with the empty champagne bottles from New Year’s Eve. So, will this be a big year for your trade business? With the proper diligence, there is no reason why it can’t be your most notable year yet. Here is your ultimate checklist for running your trade business. From organising your finances, through to managing your tax, we’ve got you covered. Pro tip: Look out for our little snippet on the upcoming Uber Tradies – something to keep your eyes peeled for. Understand the changes to taxation that are coming at the EOFY Every year, when the calendar flips over to July 1, a raft of legislation changes come into effect. This is partly because of the previous year’s Federal Budget. Many of these changes will directly impact you and your business. Because of these amendments, it is important you are aware of what will be different in the second half of this year. Here are some of the changes you can expect at the EOFY 2022: Your top tips for tax time EOFY can be a stressful time. There’s a lot of paperwork and several tax obligations that need to be met. But when managed well, it’s also a chance for your business to earn a healthy return. You can then reinvest that return into your trade. Here are some tips to help you make the most of it: Talk to your customers Let’s talk about millennials because they are going to take up a major portion of your business clients moving forward. This generation does things differently to their predecessors. They are reliant on technology and live a fast-paced life. They also have a much shorter attention span, crafted by years of consuming bite-sized portions of information. Millennials also lack trust They are used to having advertising campaigns targeted at them on a regular basis.  Because of this, it takes a lot to make them believe the hype. What millennials desire is authenticity. If you can be transparent in all of your dealings and provide unique stories, they will listen. Embrace their requests and personalise the communication, and you will break through the barrier. The good news is that most millennials are likely to stick with a brand for the long-haul, once their trust is earned. If you have not got social media accounts, do it now One in six Australians use Facebook consistently. In actual fact, over 15 million Aussies log onto the social media platform every month. This is an enormous market, yet it is one that many tradies ignore in favour of traditional methods of advertising. If you have not created a Facebook page yet, we recommended you jump on the bandwagon. It’s a highly effective advertising platform that allows you to access a directory of those seeking out your services. Google AdWords is another digital advertising method to consider if you are not using it already. This will push your business up the rankings in Google searches, landing your brand smack-bang in front of those who matter most. Attend industry events Showing up to industry events and trade shows will help build your network. It will also allow you to learn about the new trends and innovations in your industry overall. This can be a valuable opportunity to get on the ground level of new work opportunities before they take hold. Position yourself as an experienced expert when this new work stream becomes popular with the general population. There are thousands of industry events across the country each year and many that will relate specifically to your trade or industry. While seeking out local events is beneficial, and a great networking opportunity, consider seeking out some of the bigger events in the major cities as well to broaden your horizons. Look for new markets and opportunities Nothing stays the same forever. Many industries have been majorly disrupted in the digital age, and it could be your trade that is next to change dramatically. What Australians want in the near future, according to a recent survey, is Uber-style tradies tracked by GPS, rated by reviews from past customers, and booked and paid for through a smartphone app. That would change the way trades industries operated entirely, and those savvy with how it would operate would succeed before those who were late to the party. While Uber Tradies might not be a real thing yet, it is an obvious need and could very likely become a reality. So, keeping abreast of surveys and information streams like this will prove beneficial, as they can give you a window into the future. By preparing for these changes, gaining early experience and marketing before the rest of the pack, you can assert yourself as an industry leader. Adopt mobile payment platforms Most tradies can attest to the pain point of their job that is invoicing. Paperwork soaks up valuable time that could be better spent on the job and can result in delayed payments and constant calculations to determine your revenue stream. Luckily, these days, there are many ways you can accept payments on-the-go, with mobile platforms built right into your phone or tablet. Combined with invoicing software, you can invoice and receive payment on the spot at each job site, to simplify the paperwork side of your business. Who doesn’t want to watch their cash flow speed up? Speak to your financial provider about the applications that your bank offers and how you can install them into your device. Turning your smartphone or tablet into a mobile POS machine allows you to power up your process across the board. Manage your workload It can be easy to say “yes” to every job that comes your way. When times are good, and business is booming, accepting jobs from all angles seems like a great way to build revenue and grow your brand. But there are some inherent dangers in doing this.

Some equipment, like power tools, are dangerous for obvious reasons. But most things without a motor, like wheelbarrows, can seem harmless. But, it’s still possible to injure yourself while using a wheelbarrow. That’s why wheelbarrow safety is so important. Never thought about preventing wheelbarrow injuries? It’s not too late to get started. In this guide, we’ll show you exactly what you need to do so you don’t get hurt while using a wheelbarrow — keep reading to learn more. 1. Posture Matters No matter how heavy or light your load is, you should always think about your posture while using a wheelbarrow. Of course, the heavier the load is, the greater your risk of injury will be. The right posture stacks your shoulders above your hips and your hips above your knees. You shouldn’t be hunched over or leaning forward, even though this might feel like an easier way to push. It will add more strain on your back, increasing the chances of injury. Before you lift the handles of the wheelbarrow, stand between them with your back straight. Plant your feet with one a little bit in front of the other. When you lift, use your legs, rather than your back. Use the same method to dump the wheelbarrow and push it, and you won’t run into back problems. 2. Make Several Trips If you have heavy material or a large load, don’t hesitate to break it up into several trips. In the construction world, you’re often pressured to work fast under tight deadlines. But if you injure yourself, you’ll lose more money when you have to take time off to recover. It’s much better to take a little bit more time to work safely than to pay for the consequences of getting injured. 3. Check Your Path Before you start pushing a wheelbarrow load, make sure the path you need to follow is free and clear of obstacles. Move any equipment or other roadblocks out of the way before you get started. Make sure other employees and anyone else are safely out of the way, too. Surprise obstacles can make situations more dangerous than they need to be. 4. Use Proper Storage Even when you’re not actively using a wheelbarrow, it can pose a danger if it’s not stored correctly. When you store a wheelbarrow on a job site, make sure it’s clear of stairways and pathways. Keep them away from any emergency equipment that you might need to reach fast, too. 5. Remember Wheelbarrow Maintenance Even though wheelbarrows don’t have motors that can break down, they still need some maintenance. If the handles start to splinter or become split, replace them with new ones. Always inflate the tires to the proper levels. Add lubrication as needed to keep your wheelbarrow rolling smoothly. You should regularly check the nuts and bolts of your wheelbarrow and tighten them up as needed, too. If you forget these maintenance steps, you might end up with wheels or a handle falling off. Then, a tipping or runaway wheelbarrow can easily injure other people on the site. 6. Use the Right Tires Not all wheelbarrow tires work well on all surfaces. For example, solid rubber tires can last a long time, but they only work on surfaces that are already smooth, like a concrete walkway. If you won’t have these surfaces prepared on your construction site, make sure to look for the right kind of tires. Tires with air in them take more maintenance, but they can travel over rough terrain without any issues. As long as you keep them filled properly, these tires will help you move all kinds of different loads as needed. 7. Load Up Carefully The way you load your wheelbarrow can help prevent wheelbarrow injuries. Keep your load to the front of the wheelbarrow, and make sure it’s balanced so it won’t tip over. Don’t load material too high, even if it’s light. You need to make sure you can see over and around the wheelbarrow as you move. For larger loads, make sure you secure them so they won’t fall over or shift around. You want the material to stay stable so you can maintain control of it. 8. Have a Warning Signal Sometimes, unexpected things happen and you’ll lose control of the wheelbarrow. Work with your team and anyone else on the site to agree on a warning signal in case this happens. That way, anyone can get out of the way quickly when they need to. 9. Wear Proper Equipment Even though you’re only using a wheelbarrow, you should still wear protective gear, just in case. This includes a hard hat, durable clothing that covers your body, safety goggles, construction boots, and heavy gloves. You might need to make adjustments to your gear as needed, but always wear the basics when you’re on a job site. 10. Don’t Go Too Fast Stay with a walking speed, even when you’re moving light loads over easy ground. This way, you’ll always keep control of the load. Try to stay at a steady pace, and don’t start or stop any more than you need to. 11. Use Right Angles If there’s an obstacle that you need to cross, like a plank on the ground, cross it at a right angle. That way, the wheel won’t get caught and make your load fall. Make Your Job Sites Free From Wheelbarrow Injuries In Australia there are many injuries at construction sites. Approximately twenty-four percent of injuries are due to pushing, pulling, or lifting objects. If you follow all of these steps, you should never have any wheelbarrow injuries on the job. Make these things a habit, so using a wheelbarrow properly will feel like second nature. You won’t even need to think about it. Don’t forget to replace old, worn-out wheelbarrows regularly for safety, too. Check out our wheelbarrow selection here.

Construction is the third most dangerous job in Australia. And yet, the industry is important. It pushes the world forward, literally building economies from the ground up. So how can you ensure that you are building an amazing world while keeping your workers safe? We’re going to take a look at the key essentials to construction safety and help you ensure that your site stays safe and effective. What safety factors must be considered during the construction? Slow Down Construction sites face loads of time-related challenges. It’s a deadline-based industry, and being on a time crunch is just the nature of the beast. The problem with this, of course, is that rushing can lead to shoddy work and unsafe conditions. So how do you balance the two? You have to meet deadlines, and you want to keep your workers safe. Can you do both? Of course. The key is planning and communication (as well as hiring good workers). Anticipating possible slow-downs and prioritizing worker safety can ensure that you stay on target without sacrificing worker well-being. It can also be vital to take a step back, as a site supervisor, and realize that, in a worst-case scenario, finishing slightly behind schedule is better than a sew of dead workmen. Maintain Fall Protection So often, workers have spent their whole careers on construction sites. They are comfortable on high scaffolding and other heights. Which can be great. Training a nervous new kid is no one’s idea of a good day. You want your workers to have confidence. And yet, that confidence can also mean a death sentence, especially many meters in the air. Over-confident workers may begin work before proper fall protection is in place. And even with all their experience, one misstep can spell disaster. It can also be tempting as a site supervisor to allow “just a bit” of work before proper railings and fall protection is in place. Especially if those precautions have faced the delays so common in the construction industry. After all, with a good crew, what’s the harm? The problem is, a fall takes just a single mistake. Even a workman who has never stumbled can, though no fault of their own, find themselves plummeting to their death simply because the proper precautions weren’t followed. When must you wear a hard hat? This is another outcome of workers being over-confident. The excuse may be heat, inconvenience, or some other excuse, but there can be no exceptions in the case of hard hat policies. These are some of the most helpful pieces of protective equipment on a site. Think of it this way: Falls are deadly, but they aren’t comparatively common. However, items fall all the time. A wrench from a piece of scaffolding, a tool from a workers belt. And from any kind of height, even a small piece of equipment or tool can land you in the hospital with a nasty concussion. So insist upon hard hat protection, every day, from anyone on the site. Now, keep in mind that Safe Work Australia makes a very clear distinction regarding personal protection equipment (PPE). According to them, PPE is designed to a supplement, the last line of defence against injury. They are designed to be the fail-safe in case everything else goes wrong. In other words, you should always wear your hard hat, but you should also make sure things aren’t falling on your construction site, to begin with. How do you maintain your equipment? Machine malfunction is one of the top causes of injury on a site. This can be from tools, improperly maintained scaffolding or electronic malfunction. Regardless, equipment malfunction can lead to injury and death in very short order. It can be expensive and inconvenient to maintain every piece of equipment on your site, but to restart old and poorly maintained equipment can be as dangerous as unguarded scaffolding. Keep a record of equipment repairs, and check over everything after every job, from trestles to drill bits. Leave nothing to chance when it comes to your equipment. After all, these are the literal tools of your trade. If they aren’t kept up, not only will your site become dysfunctional, but dangerous as well. What makes a good communicator in a workplace? This one is vital. Communication on your site must be top quality at all times. As workers move throughout the site, as they pass one another on scaffolding, and as decisions are made that impact workman safety…all of it should be communicated. No man on a site is an island, and everyone has to be maintaining a safe environment for the good of the crew. As a site supervisor or employer, you must lead the charge here. Insisting that site safety procedures be followed to the letter, every day, and following them yourself sets the example for your workers. Communicating clearly and constantly ensures that everyone is on the same page in terms of safety and goal. A communicative work site is a safe work site. Make Sure You Wear Your PPE Sometimes Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) may not be the trendiest attire going around. But at least it keeps you safe. You’re not going to look too great if you are all bunged up from falling tools that land on your head. Or if you end up in hospital from silicosis from breathing in construction dust. So, do the smart thing and wear your PPE. Correct safety measures can ensure a long work life as a tradie without injuries such as safety boots, earmuffs, face masks, protective eyewear and other PPE. Keeping Construction Safety Your Top Priority Construction sites are dangerous places, but you can do so much to mitigate that danger. With 35 fatalities in 2016 and 13,000 serious claims, Australian construction workers walk a dangerous line. And while falls are the most common killer of construction workers, according to safe work Australia they aren’t the only cause for mayhem on a construction site. Electrocution, burns, suffocation from collapsed trenches and injuries from machine malfunction are common on sites. Good communication,

More individuals than ever are taking control of their own destiny and starting their own business. In times like these, with major layoffs and big businesses providing less job security while demanding more from their employees, it makes a lot of sense to become your own boss. You spend more awake hours at work than anywhere else so why spend it doing something you hate like sitting in a cubicle or standing at a cash register when you’d rather be enjoying the great outdoors. If you want to be surrounded by nature than answering to a boss that doesn’t appreciate you then starting your own landscaping business may be a dream come true. Keep reading to discover what you need to begin making that dream a reality. Create a Landscaping Business Plan A business plan can be the key to success and is often the difference between companies that make it and the 50% of companies that close their doors within the first five years. Creating a business plan will help you succeed by allowing you to figure out the answer to problems before they happen. You’ll want to include things like: Business Summary and Overview Your business summary and overview will explain what you hope to accomplish, your business mission and vision. Financial Plan This will explain how are you going to pay for the necessary equipment for your landscaping business. It should give details on what money you’ll need and where you’ll get it. Competition and Market Facts It can be very helpful to understand the landscaping market in your area. Research who your competition is and how they are earning their money. Knowing this will help you figure out where to put your energy and resources. Products and Services It’s important to decide what services and products your company will offer to customers. If you try to do too much or do not offer enough services you may not be able to do your best and miss out on profits. Equipment Needs You don’t want to be on a job and realize you don’t have the equipment and supplies you need to do it right. Ensuring you have all the business, landscaping and safety equipment necessary will make it easier to be successful. You’ll need office supplies to run the business. This may include a laptop and software to keep business records or paper invoices, writing supplies, file cabinets, and office space to do your paperwork. You’ll also need tools of the trade such as lawn mowers, log splitters, shovels, trowels and other supplies to be able to get down and dirty and do your job. Sales and Marketing Plan One of the hardest parts of running a business is finding customers. Creating a plan to advertise your business will help you do that. Whether it’s going door to door or creating a website to market your services, you’ll need time and people available to do so. This will help you figure out what you need to do and how you’re going to do it. It’ll also help if you decide to seek outside financial investments or loans. Learn the Business There’s more to running a landscaping business than just grabbing a lawn mower and cutting some grass. Clients will expect you to have some knowledge of lawn care, trees, weeds, fertilizers and more. You’ll want to research what plants grow the best in sun or shade. There’s a lot of safety information you’ll need to make sure you and your employees are not injured while working. The more you know, the easier it will be to successfully run your business and offer the best services to your clients. Networking You’re going to need to build business relationships to be successful. This will include suppliers, customers, contractors, and others. Your landscaping business will need a place to get plants, saplings, fertilizer, and other supplies. Since you’ll need a lot of these things on a regular basis you may be able to get a discount by creating a partnership with a gardening or greenhouse business in the area. Local business networking events or trade shows can be a great way to meet with other entrepreneurs. Social media and online communities are also a valuable resource for connecting with local businesses and potential customers or suppliers. Get the Word out You’re Open for Business Now that you’ve created a plan and have the equipment and supplies you need it’s time to get customers. But how do you do that? There are lots of ways to get the word out that you’re ready for business. Website and Social Media Profiles One of the fastest and easiest ways to announce to the world that you’re in business is online. More than 88% of Australians are active internet users. Setting up a website and creating social media profiles let you reach the masses without having to even leave the office. You can be found 24/7, and customers can come to you. LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram can be effective ways to attract visitors to your website and find potential customers. Creating regular posts about your company and information related to landscaping can help you attract the right visitors to your site and build your business clientele. Business Directories and Online Communities Listing your business on local directories and participating in online communities related to your neighbourhood can be one of the most effective ways to get customers. They allow previous clients to leave reviews of your business. People trust online reviews just as much as word of mouth recommendations from friends and family. Business directories also help those searching from their mobile devices find you more easily. Listing your physical address on each directory can help you rank higher in search engine results and drive even more potential customers to your business site. Flyers, Signs and Decals Hanging flyers on bulletin boards at local hardware stores, community centres, malls, and other local gathering places can help find those you don’t reach online. Have current and

The construction sector is one of the oldest industries in the world, and it’s constantly changing. In order to stay successful, you have to be able to adapt to these changes. It’s important that you stay up to date on the newest industry trends coming down the pipeline. We’ve gathered together ten of the construction industry trends we think will define 2019. Check them out. 1. Rising Costs Risings costs are nothing new, unfortunately. The cost of materials, permitting, labour, and the land itself is all going up. But with home loan rates at all time lows it will be interesting to see how the effects of the economic downturn vs the low rates will effect the construction sector. Right now building materials themselves are one of the biggest contributing costs. The shortage of qualified workers is another thing really driving up costs. Builders are finding it more and more difficult to properly staff their job sites. Skilled workers such as trained bricklayers, welders, and electricians are especially in demand. 2. Sustainability It’s very clear, sustainability is in for the long term. Modern consumers want to know the provenance of the places they live, work, and shop. They need to know that building a new structure didn’t hurt the environment. Look for materials that were sourced sustainably and fairly. Avoid anything that produces excessive pollution or waste in the building process. Where possible you should always try to use carbon neutral building materials. 3. Modular and Prefabricated Designs Modular structures are becoming ever more popular in the building trades. They allow you to shift the construction of many portions of your job to a centralized manufacturing plant. This allows you to get the scale benefits that mass production provides. Materials are built to tighter standards and come out more uniform. It’s possible to simply slot many items together and complete jobs more efficiently. Because much of your structure arrives mostly completed you save time on the site as well. You don’t have to rough out the materials and fully assemble a structure. In some cases, you can simply place and secure modular rooms and buildings. 4. Labour Shortages With the market in general up, it becomes more and more difficult to find good workers. Let’s face it, construction is a hard job that not everyone is suited for. Many young men and women coming up would prefer an office or shop job to that of a skilled tradesman. As the economy continues to be on fire job sites around the country are finding it harder than ever to source staff. With a lack of workers, companies are forced to raise pay and other benefits to attract new hires. Not only does this raise costs in general but it can lead to some companies trying to make do without a full staff. 5. Green Building Practices Are Huge Construction Industry Trends Alongside sustainability in materials comes green building industry practices and design. Consumers are increasingly looking for structures that work more seamlessly with their environments. Better quality insulation installed more thickly is becoming the norm. They want to know that they can spend less on heating and cooling while also saving the environment. The use of natural lighting is huge. Placing windows at the proper angles and locations to take advantage of natural heating during the winter. You also need to make certain that there are plans in place that allow for green demolition at the buildings end of life cycle. 6. Futureproofing Internet connectivity is becoming more and more integral to everyday life. It’s estimated that there are now more than 20 million internet-connected devices in the world. Taking internet connectivity and other technological advancements into consideration is absolutely essential. Before you ever begin building you need to have planned out the location and density of fibre optics cabling and other broadband connectivity. Buildings will last a long time. It’s important that you futureproof them as much as possible. 7. Information Modeling Information modelling is a fancy way of describing the kind of planning construction companies have been doing for decades. It combines all the parts of a project together to present you with a unified plan. These can include things like road access and route placement as well as the permitted structures on different areas of a site. Using information modelling makes it much easier to keep track of what’s happening. 8. Technological Advancements There are lots of new or emerging technologies that are beginning to have a big impact on construction. Construction project management software and drones are just two of these advances. Project management software makes it possible to bundle together the majority of your administration and other tasks. Scheduling, job site planning, pay, and many other tasks can now be completed with nothing but a laptop. Drone technology is still in its infancy for commercial projects but there are already lots of interesting developments. You can perform a site survey and get aerial photographs of your progress. Many companies are beginning to incorporate drone inspections into their build process as well. 9. Safety Equipment Advances Safety has always been the name of the game in construction. New IOT technologies and materials are finally being applied to construction safety equipment, making this one of the most important construction trends. If you are asking yourself what construction safety gear should you always have on site, then read more here in our blog. Things like fitness trackers are being incorporated into heavy duty work boots. This allows you to better track the movement of workers and can keep a log of when they go out of bounds. New clothing materials allow for better moisture wicking and warming/cooling. This allows your guys to longer, safer during hot summer days and cold winter nights. Advances in helmet safety are also coming into their own. New material studies are allowing manufacturers to make lighter, stronger helmets. 10. Slow Growth The industry has been on a growth tear for the last few years. Like