Running a building business today takes more than bricks, mortar and margins. The skills shortage is biting hard, young talent is looking elsewhere and stress levels across the industry are dangerously high.

To thrive, builders need a new playbook, one that tackles skills, inclusion, leadership and wellbeing head-on.

I learned this the hard way. In my first business, we scaled quickly but ignored culture, structure and wellbeing. By the time we hit AU$6 million turnover, staff were leaving, stress was sky-high and eventually the business collapsed.

Painful? Yes, but it taught me what really matters if you want to run a building business that lasts.

Skills: Build your own team of skilled builders

Every building business owner I speak to says the same thing: “I just can’t find good people anymore.”

The shortage of skilled builders is real, and it’s not going away. Here’s what you can do:

• Take on apprentices: Train them your way. A loyal apprentice you’ve invested in will always outperform a “job-hopper” who jumps from site to site.
• Systemise the work: From installation checklists to testing protocols, make sure anyone can step in and follow your methods. This keeps quality and compliance consistent across jobs.
• Upskill your lead builders: A great tradesman doesn’t automatically make a great supervisor. Train your best people in management, not just the technical side.

The best building companies don’t just attract clients; they attract people who want to work with them.

Inclusion: Attract the right people to your team

The building trade has been slow to change. Young people, women and career changers often look elsewhere because the sector can appear unwelcoming. That’s a serious problem when you need reliable people on site.

Your move:

• Advertise like a pro: Stop relying on word of mouth. Post job ads that highlight career paths, stability and specialist training opportunities.
• Make team culture professional: Respect isn’t optional. Banter’s fine, but exclusion and harassment drive good people away.
• Promote diversity: If your team never changes, neither will your results. Building firms that bring in different perspectives and talent future-proof their businesses.

The best building companies don’t just attract clients; they attract people who want to work with them.

Leadership: From tradesperson to business leader

Too many building business owners still lead the way they work on site: by fixing every mistake themselves and barking instructions. That only works when you’re small. Once you grow, it creates chaos.

Lead smarter:

• Set clear expectations: Don’t assume staff know what you want. Spell it out – drawings, timelines, safety standards.
• Give ownership: Let your senior builders make decisions without calling you for every minor detail.
• Lead by example: If you cut corners or ignore safety rules, your team will too.

You’re not just managing jobs, you’re building people who can deliver projects without you. That’s when you truly scale.

Wellbeing: Don’t burn out before the job’s done

Running a building business is stressful: Long hours, demanding customers, emergency call-outs and tight deadlines. It’s no wonder many builders burn out, or worse.

Protect yourself and your team:

• Set boundaries: Stop answering calls at 10pm unless it’s an emergency work. Train customers on what’s acceptable.
• Use morning briefings: Ten minutes before the vans leave sets priorities and reduces mistakes.
• Normalise support: Encourage your team to talk about stress, not bottle it up. A healthy team is a productive team.

A strong building business isn’t built on exhausted people; it’s built on leaders who can step back and teams that can thrive.

The builder’s playbook in action

Think of this like a circuit:

• Skills are the footings. Without them, nothing works.
• Inclusion is the frame. It connects everything together.
• Leadership is the roof. It directs and protects the flow.
• Wellbeing is the insulation. Without it, sparks fly and systems fail.

Miss any of these elements and the whole business weakens.

Action point checklist for builders

• Identify your biggest skills gap: Hire, train or systemise it this month.
• Check your hiring: Are you really bringing in new talent or just recycling the same faces?
• Audit your leadership: Are you empowering senior builders or micromanaging every detail?
• Protect wellbeing: Set one non-negotiable boundary this week for you and your team.

Building work is tough, but it’s also full of opportunity. If you master this playbook, including skills, inclusion, leadership and wellbeing, you won’t just build homes. You’ll build a company that delivers profit, freedom and a legacy that lasts.

Written by Greg Wilkes, founder of Develop Coaching, author of Building Your Future and host of the Develop Your Construction Business podcast.