Episodes
Chance sat in for the big man today and he was asking what's the best thing about your week. Is it your weekly visit to Wickes? That food truck you didn't expect to be next to the site or just a really unique job? Well we were joined by George McKenchie and Reece Stewart to find out what's making their week plus you’ll also hear all the best messages we received and you can also play the pub lunch quiz for your chance to grab yourself 6 points - enjoy!
When running your own business in the trades, how well you’re going to do each year is always uncertain.So today, with the first quarter of the year almost up, I wanted to know how your business is doing. Are you up or down on quarter 1 last year? And did you try any strategies to try and improve you’re business? We talked to good friends of the show Mark and Steve to find out what they are doing to keep beating their records year on year - Plus you can also play the pub lunch quiz for your chance to grab yourself 6 points and you’ll hear the very best messages that we received!
Having the right skill set is very important for success within the trades. But with the average clientwanting more and more I believe that being multi skilled can be a huge advantage.So today, we asked, What skills do you wish you had alongside your core trade skills? Would you like the skills of another trade? Or Do you wish you were a little bit better at the admin? We talked to good friends of the show Alex Burman and Wobbly Bob to find out what other skills they wished they had - plus you can also play the pub lunch quiz for your chance to grab yourself 6 points and you’ll hear the ver...
Today was Lighthearted Thursday and we were talking about all things Fix Fest,in particular we wanted to know your ideas for trade-inspired band names such as this one… Ziggy Sawdust! Plus we also had the pub lunch quiz for your chance to grab yourself 6 points - enjoy!
The Federation of Master Builders is calling for licensing to be introduced for tradespeople, aiming to raise standards and protect both customers and skilled workers. But is this a much-needed step to weed out rogue traders, or just another layer of red tape for businesses already under pressure? Today, we’re asking—would a licensing system improve the industry, or would it make life harder for legitimate tradespeople? And if regulation is the answer, what’s the best way to implement it without creating unnecessary barriers?Clive asked for your views on licensing builders and talked to the...
Construction has come a long way over the centuries and it's always progressing! So today we talked about morden building methods and in particular modular builds. Are they the same standard or just a lazy and cheap way to rush a build? And can they help us hit housing targets or be more sustainable when building? Today we spoke to Martin Halim from Trident Modular Housing and Lucy Yendell from Dan-wood to find out their views. Plus theres also the Pub Lunch Quiz for your chance to grab yourself 6 points and you’ll hear the best messages we received - Enjoy!
Health and safety is very prominent in the trade but even with all the safety measures accidents do happen and apparently 95% of tradespeople will get injured during their career but only 40% have injury insurance and even less have health insurance. So today, we talked about Insurance. We asked if you have invested in injury insurance or health insurance? And If not, why not? We were joined by Jonny McHugh from Direct Line as well as Robin Lush To get their opinions and stories! Plus you can also play the pub lunch quiz for your chance to grab yourself 6 points and as always theres the ver...
Today was Lighthearted Thursday and I wanted to know if it's time to start wearing shorts on site? Is it warm enough to swap a beanie hat for a knee cap? Or do the cold mornings still make you think it's lunacy? We had a great time reading out all the best texts from you and our good friend Glenn from Play To Measure joined us to tell us when he gets his shorts out. Plus we also had the pub lunch quiz for your chance to grab yourself 6 points - enjoy!
A van is arguably the most important tool for every trade - Most tradies would say that when their vans are off the road they are off the job. But how much are you spending to keep your van on the road? Has it gone up? What's costing you more is it Petrol, Insurance or just general maintenance? And are there any ways you can cut costs but keep working? We were joined by Sean Matthews and David Graham from Hendy Group to discuss this. Plus you can also play the pub lunch quiz for your chance to grab yourself 6 points and you’ll hear the very best messages that we received - Enjoy!
With the cost of materials high, running a business in construction might feel a lot harder than it ever did before. And with construction topping the business insolvency table in 2024 it's clear how hard it is to keep your business afloat. So today we talked about insolvency and more importantly how to prevent it!!!I was asking what you’ve done to protect your business. We were joined by Joel Cooke from Rendervate and Rick Smith, founder and MD of Forbes Burton who gave some great ideas to keep your business from going under! Plus theres also pub lunch quiz for your chance to grab yourself...
In the trade your reputation is everything both with customers and with your fellow trades people. But would you risk your reputation amongst the industry if you see work that's just not up to standard either after its been done or while its still being completed. Would you confront a cowboy, inform a unsupecting customer or report them to a trade board. So today, we’re talking about reporting work both on site and in a domestic house and asking: Would you report rubbish work if you see it or would you just ignore it? We were joined by good freinds of the show John and Nick to get their opi...
Today it’s Lighthearted Thursday, and today Clive was asking what’s the most ridiculous thing you've heard on site? Was it something you said? Something a work mate said? Or even something one of your client has said to you? Did you spend the week as the laughing stock on site or do your mates always put their foot in their mouths?!We had a right laugh reading out all the best texts from you. Plus we also had the pub lunch quiz for your chance to grab yourself 6 points - enjoy!
It's International Women's day on Saturday - and before you ask, 19th November is International Men’s Day - it’s also Women in Construction Week this week. Tradeswomen play a vital role in making the trade what they are so today we are celebrating everything they do. We’re asking if there are enough women within the trade? We want to know what we can do to encourage more women onto site? And we’re asking you if there are any misconceptions around women in the trade or even the trade itself that might be hampering more women getting involved! We were joined by some fantastic women in the ind...
Today was Lighthearted Thursday and I wanted to know, if you only had to work 4 days a week what would you do with the extra day - would you start a new hobby, start a passion project or something else? Went through loads of messages from all of you with your own Ideas. Plus we also surprised Benny with the Wickes effect and of course there's also the pub lunch quiz for your chance to grab yourself 6 points - enjoy!
Today we were discussing how you can boost you're productivity. Boosting productivity isn’t just about working harder. It’s about working smarter!The right systems can transform the way we work, from better time management to streamlining tasks with technology. So today, we’re asking what changes have you made in the last six months to improve your efficiency?Have you introduced new processes, adopted AI tools, or found smarter ways to manage your workload?And with technology evolving rapidly, how can trades and businesses make the most of automation and AI to stay ahead without losing the ...
Today I talked about this month marking 5 years since the world shutdown for Covid, But the trades kept going! I asked what you're experience was during lockdown, Were you completly booked up? Were you struggling to get work? How did you find the extra processes? And have they affected the way you work today?I was joined by freinds of the show Dan and Dan to talk about their experiences and takeaways. Aswell as sharing the best messages from all of you. Plus theres also the pub lunch quiz for your chance to bag yourself 6 points.
Now it's inevitable that sometimes you’ll have to hire another tradesperson and Clive believes finding the right person for the job can make all the difference. So today, we were asking what do you look for when bringing someone new on board? What really sets a great tradesperson apart? We were joined by Scott Mullins - CEO of WeFix and Dave Finegan from Elwood Enterprises to discuss how they decide who to bring on jobs - plus you can also play the pub lunch quiz for your chance to grab yourself 6 points and you’ll hear the very best messages that we received - enjoy!
The Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) plays a vital role in shaping the future of the UK’s construction workforce. But with ongoing skills shortages and shifting demands, is the CITB doing enough to meet the sector’s needs?On todays show I talked to Mark Farmer the author of the CITB Review about how he thinks it can be improved and we explored the future of the CITB with CEO Tim Balcon. Aswell as hearing what you think.Plus as always there the Pub lunch Quiz!
Setting clear goals each week can make all the difference in staying focused and productive at work. I believe that having a plan, no matter how big or small, helps turn good intentions into real progress. So today, we were asking about your goals for the week. We recived loads of messages about how you lot are meeting deadlines, developing new skills, and maintaining that all important work life balance. We were joined by friends of the show George McKenchie and Reece Stewart to discuss what their goals for the week are - plus you can also play the pub lunch quiz for your chance to grab yo...
Today was Lighthearted Thursday and Clive wanted to know, if you could go back 10 years - what advice would you give your younger self? We’ve got loads of messages from all of you with your own stories. There’s also the pub lunch quiz for your chance to grab yourself 6 points - enjoy!
According to the latest statistics from the Health and Safety Executive, 1.7 million workers in Great Britain suffered from work-related ill health. While specific statistics for tradespeople were not detailed, we know our industry has higher rates of work-related ill health and injury compared to other sectors! So today we talked about all things Health and Safety - do you take it seriously? Do your employers? And what can we do to ensure we reduce injuries and illness on site? To discuss this issue we had Roy Wilders, Manager of the Registered Safety Supplier Scheme at the British Safety ...
According to the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB), over 250,000 additional construction workers will be needed by 2028 to meet the industry's needs. Clive believes that one way we can plug that gap is through career switching… So on today’s show we explored what it takes to leave one career behind and step onto site. From retraining options to the skills most in demand, we’re asking—what does it really take to start fresh in the trade? And with the industry crying out for new talent, how can career switchers help shape its future? We were joined by Anglea Forbes MBE from Buildfor...
On today’s show we talked about the more ‘unusual’ trades within our industry today. With less than 100 people a year learning skills such as Stone Dressing, we asked what can we do to ensure these trades don’t die out - and just what do they add to our industry and community!We were joined by James The Yorkshire Stone Dresser as well as Thatcher Paul Shelley.There’s also the pub lunch quiz for your chance to grab yourself 6 points as well as the very best messages that we received - enjoy!
Today was Lighthearted Thursday and the day before Valentines Day , so Clive asked - when did you get Valentines Day wrong?! What happened? Were you able to rescue the situation? We also wanted to share the love, by reading out any love filled messaged! There’s also the pub lunch quiz for your chance to grab yourself 6 points as well as the very best messages that we received - enjoy!
On today’s show Clive talked about the hardest parts of our jobs on site! To discuss the challenges they face, we were joined by Lawrence Robinson from Robinson Roofers and Harrison Elliot - AKA The Benchin’ Bricky! There’s also the pub lunch quiz for your chance to grab yourself 6 points as well as the very best messages that we received - enjoy!
On today’s show we talked about retirement plans and chatting about the fact that one in seven small business owners reckon they’ll need to carry on running their business as a side hustle when they begin to draw their pensions. To discuss this issue we had the Chief Business Officer at Pension Bee, Lisa Picardo join us, as well as a friend of Fix Radio - Andy Madden! There’s also the pub lunch quiz for your chance to grab yourself 6 points as well as the very best messages that we received - enjoy!
It’s National Apprenticeship Week, so today Clive wanted you to spotlight your superstar trade apprentices! He was joined by Harrison Mapley who was celebrated as the Construction and Property Apprentice of the Year, plus Newton Robinson who in December 2023 won the Plastering and Finishing category at SkillBuild. There’s also the pub lunch quiz for your chance to grab yourself 6 points as well as the very best messages that we received - enjoy!
Today was Lighthearted Thursday, so Clive asked - if you won BIG - how would you spend the money? Would you be impulsive and splash the cash or think ahead and invest? He wasjoined by friends of the show who shared their responses, plus loads of messages from all of you with your own stories.There’s also the pub lunch quiz for your chance to grab yourself 6 points as well as the very best messages that wereceived - enjoy!
Today Clive wanted to know if you’ve got any exciting holidays lined up that are keeping you going, or if you’ve been too busy to even think about going away!He was joined by friends of the show, Dean Saxton and Sam Blakeney!There’s also the pub lunch quiz for your chance to grab yourself 6 points as well as the very best messages that we received - enjoy!
Today Clive wanted to know if you’re yet to experience winter burnout this year, or if you have, how you’re dealing with it? He was joined by friends of the show such as Sparky Milan AKA Danny Webb, and thePointy Plumber!There’s also the pub lunch quiz for your chance to grab yourself 6 points as well as thevery best messages that we received - enjoy!