Home, Building & Construction

Trades & Construction

The construction industry in Australia generates over $360 billion in annual revenue and produces around 9% of Australia’s Gross Domestic Product (AISC, 2019). It boasts a promising future with statistics by the Australian Industry and Skills Committee Report 2019:

• An annual growth rate of 2.4%
• Most businesses are sole traders or small businesses with 20 staff or less
• Employment is set to increase by 12% between 2019 and 2024
• The top 5 professionals in demand are architectural, building and surveying technicians; contract, program and project administrators; civil engineering professionals; electricians; and carpenters and joiners.

Source: ASIC

At SavvySME, we have thousands of construction businesses in our community who come from all walks of life, and share the same goal of helping each other grow. Whether you’re a plumber, electrician, builder, carpenter or other trade, we’d love for you to join us and make the most of the community for new ideas, advice, peer support and industry experts.

We can also connect you with the right service providers, suppliers, tools and job management software that are relevant to your industry. There is plenty of information and advice in the form of industry news and Q&A where you can share your own experiences with other like-minded business owners. It’s easy to discover new ideas and people who can you grow your business.

Some of our most popular Q&As include:

• How do I start a business?
• What do all successful trades businesses have in common?
• How do I promote my business online?
• How do I attract more customers and do so consistently?
• Which services should I outsource externally?

The construction industry is very broad, but it’s generally understood to be any work carried out in connection with the construction, alteration, conversion, fitting-out, commissioning, renovation, repair, maintenance, refurbishment, demolition, decommissioning or dismantling of a structure, or preparation of a building site. Under the model WHS Act, the term ‘demolition’ includes ‘deconstruction’ (Safe Work Australia).

Most of our trade and construction business members include:

• Builders
• General contractors
• Subcontractors
• Building product manufacturers and suppliers
• Architects and design professionals
• Plumbers
• Gasfitters
• Air conditioning and refrigeration
• Carpenters
• Roofers
• Electricians
• Landscapers
• Fencers
• Painters and decorators
• Boilermakers

What are the top industry associations in construction?

Some of the top associations for the trades industry include:

• National Building and Surveying Alliance
• Master Plumbers Association
• National Association of Women in Construction
• Master Electricians Australia
• Master Builders Association 
• Housing Industry Association

What do I need to consider to start and run a successful trades and construction business?

There are a number of things you need to consider to start and run a successful business, including: 

• Which niche or sector do you want to go into?
• How will you finance your business?
• Who are your key competitors?
• Do you need to apply for specific licenses?
• What tools, materials, equipment and vehicles will you need to rent or buy?
• Where will you operate from and store your equipment and supplies?
• Who will you market your services to?
• What tasks will you do yourself and what will you outsource?

There’s a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes in all trades and you’ll often work alongside a variety of industry professionals. These could be tradies that you hire to do general labour on-site, contractors and subcontractors, civil engineers and architects.

Depending on the type of work you do, these are some of the industry professionals you will work with:

• Suppliers: All businesses need suppliers to source the materials required for a job.
• Contractors and subcontractors: If you need a certain type of tradesperson (also known as a ‘tradie’ in Australia) to finish a job, e.g a carpenter or roofer, you can hire contractors or subcontractors. A contractor is an individual or business that works directly with a client to finish a job. For bigger or specialist jobs contractors may hire others to help them.
• Project managers: Project managers are responsible for hiring and managing staff and ensuring everything runs smoothly. They oversee the whole project from initial planning and estimating costs, right the way through until the job is finished. As a small business owner, you may adopt this role yourself (until you scale and your project needs change).
• Building estimators: Building estimators deliver the estimated costs and resources for a job. This includes materials, equipment and the labour needed.
• Site inspectors: Site inspectors come onsite to check your working conditions and ensure you’re being compliant with health and safety standards.

In addition, we have hundreds of industry experts who share their experiences in a wide range of issues affecting businesses in the industry, such as:

• Skilled labour shortage
• Cash flow issues including debtors
• Struggling to get new clients
• Not knowing how to market a business
• Lack of business planning
• Poor alignment of capabilities
• Suppliers related issues
• Qualifying prospective customers
• Too many unbillable hours

Some of these issues may resonate with you, and we’d love for you to join the conversations. In the process, you’ll discover the latest techniques, tools and technology to help modernise your business to compete in a highly competitive landscape. This includes the latest in branding, digital marketing, pricing, workflow, project management, regulatory compliance and much more. 

With thousands of experts in over 400 solutions, it’s easy to connect with people who can help take your business to the next level. These are industry professionals who specialise and bring significant experiences in helping businesses in the construction industry.

We know how important it is to find good suppliers and service providers for specific projects, so we’ve put together a guide on how to connect with service providers and suppliers in your industry.

You can also connect with other business owners in your industry or post a question to get expert advice on a specific topic.