Episode Details

Are you hiring to keep up, or hiring to grow? In this episode of the UpScale Business Podcast, Erina and Riley break down one of the most common dilemmas trade business owners face: knowing when the timing is right to bring on a new team member.

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Hear from tradies who’ve done it, and learn what it really takes to grow a successful trade business. https://www.upscalecoaching.com.au/success-stories/

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Riley shares his take from an operations perspective, looking at how efficiently a current team is working and whether billable hours are being maximised before pulling the trigger on a new hire. Erina flips it around with a firsthand story from the early days of UpScale, when getting an office before it felt "necessary" completely changed the way the business was taken seriously from day one.

Together they cover the real cost of hiring too soon (or too late), why your onboarding process can make or break a great new hire, and how to use lead generation as a lever to fill capacity rather than scramble to find it after the fact.

You'll also hear about a client who hired two people at once because he couldn't choose between them, then worked harder than ever to justify it. Spoiler: it paid off, but it's not a strategy for everyone.

In this episode you'll learn:

How to know if your team actually has capacity before you hire, the difference between hiring reactively versus proactively, why onboarding is just as important as the hire itself, a simple formula for calculating lead generation hours based on team size, and how to build a hiring system so good it works every time you scale.

Whether you are a solo tradie thinking about your first hire or a trade business owner with a growing team, this one is worth a listen.

Connect with your hosts:Erina: https://www.instagram.com/erinaroxx/Riley: https://www.instagram.com/mitchvan_/

We've got the tools you need to scale your business, automate, hire, and delegate. Book your call with our team to talk strategy and learn more about our program.

A note from the UpScale Team: This year, we are lacing up for the Gold Coast Marathon to raise funds for TIACS, a charity providing free mental health support to tradies and blue collar workers. If you want to cheer us on or chip in, you can find our fundraising page here: https://fundraise.tiacs.org/fundraisers/upscalegoldcoastmarathon2026

Follow UpScale Business Coaching:Daily content for trade businesses on Instagram: @upscalebusinesscoachingBook a free session with our Growth Specialist:

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