Helping good tradies build great businesses
A free network for Victorian HVAC contractors. No corporate mumbo jumbo. No motivational speeches. Just practical advice that helps you work smarter.
- Run by someone with more than 30 years in the industry
- Independent. Does not install, does not sell equipment
- Start with the free 25 question survival guide
What is keeping you awake at night?
It is probably not installing air conditioners. It is running the bloody business.
Most HVAC contractors are bloody good tradies. What nobody ever taught you was how to win more of the right work, negotiate with suppliers, market the business, or build systems that make life easier.
- Losing jobs because someone undercut you by a couple of hundred bucks.
- Wondering whether you are paying too much for equipment.
- Sending quotes that disappear into thin air.
- Dealing with customers that suck the life out of you.
- Trying to sort out a problem job without it turning into a bigger headache.
- Working out what the latest VEU changes actually mean.
- Working six days a week and wondering why there is never enough money left at the end.
Eight things we help with
The business side of HVAC. The part the apprenticeship never covered.
Turnover impresses your mates. Profit pays your mortgage.
Kevin James, Chapter 6Why bother with this one
There is no shortage of people willing to sell tradies advice. Here is what is different.
It is independent, and that is the whole point
HVAC Advantage does not install, it does not sell equipment, and it is not a supplier's marketing arm. Nobody is steering you toward a brand. The moment it reads like an ad, it stops being useful.
Both sides of the desk
More than 30 years in HVAC, mostly in equipment supply with a stint in contracting. Kevin has sat across the table from hundreds of contractors and seen what the good ones do differently, and what quietly costs everyone else thousands a year.
Real mistakes, not theory
Rather than generic business coaching, the advice comes from real jobs and real businesses, including the jobs that went wrong. There are three of those in the free guide, told properly, with the numbers.
No corporate mumbo jumbo
No motivational speeches. No pie charts. No synergising your value proposition. If a sentence needs reading twice, it gets rewritten.
Three jobs that taught Kevin something expensive
These are in the guide, told properly, with the numbers. They are his, not somebody else's case study.
We had an installation booked and the customer had taken a day off work. The afternoon before, I found out the unit had not been delivered to our workshop. Instead of ringing him straight away, I convinced myself it could wait until morning. Big mistake. He was furious, and he had every right to be. If I had called the moment I knew, he still would have been disappointed, but he could have changed his plans instead of wasting a day of leave.
Customers can usually handle bad news. What they do not forgive is finding out too late to do anything about it.A week before an upstairs ducted install, the customer asked to add an outlet to the rumpus room. I said yes and increased the unit size for the extra load. Then summer arrived and the house would not cool. I had allowed for the rumpus room, but not for the rooms the return air had to travel through on its way back, picking up heat the whole way. We replaced a brand new system with a larger one at our own expense.
Never assume. Five minutes of advice can save you thousands of dollars.Harry was my biggest customer. Truckloads every week, enormous hours, money made on volume. Ray bought two or three units a week and never qualified for the supplier incentives. My job was to convince Ray to grow. One day he explained why he did not want to. Harry made around $250 a system and needed 20 a week. Ray made closer to $1,500 and needed two or three.
Ray earned a good living, spent more time with his family, and slept well at night.How it works
Four steps, and you can stop after any of them.
- Join, freeTell us who you are and what your business does. It costs nothing and there is no card.
- Kevin confirms youEvery membership is approved by hand. This is a network of contractors, not an email list.
- Read the guideThe HVAC Contractor's Survival Guide. 25 questions, three stories, and the numbers behind them.
- Have a chat, if you want oneNo obligation. No PowerPoint. No sales pitch. Only if you want it.
Joining is free, and this is what you get
- The HVAC Contractor's Survival Guide, as a PDF
- The network's Facebook group and LinkedIn page
- Monthly newsletters with practical business tips
- Industry news and product updates
- An invitation to put your own questions up for discussion
- The Friday funny pic competition
Questions
What does it cost to join?
Nothing to start. The Network level is free and there is no card at signup. If you want more, there are two paid levels, Business and Professional. See the membership page for what each one includes and costs.
Who is it for?
Victorian HVAC contractors, and especially the newer and smaller ones. The one and two van operations. People who are good on the tools and are now discovering that running a business is a completely different trade, one nobody taught them.
Are you going to try to sell me equipment?
No. HVAC Advantage does not install and does not sell equipment, and it is not a supplier's marketing arm. That independence is the reason the advice is worth anything.
Is this business coaching?
Not in the usual sense. There are no motivational speeches and no frameworks. It is practical lessons from real jobs and real businesses, including the ones that went wrong.
How do I actually get the guide?
Fill in the form. Kevin confirms every membership by hand, so it is a person reading your details rather than an autoresponder, then the guide is yours to download.
What happens to my details?
They are used to confirm your membership and to send you the newsletter and the resources. They are not sold and they are not passed to suppliers.
What if I am not in Victoria?
You are still welcome. The network starts in Victoria because that is where Kevin's contacts and the VEU knowledge are strongest, but most of what is covered applies anywhere in Australia.
What is a Let's Have a Chat?
A confidential conversation about your business. No obligation, no PowerPoint, no sales pitch. Just another set of experienced eyes on what you are dealing with.
Fancy another set of experienced eyes on your business?
No obligation. No PowerPoint. No sales pitch. Just plain speaking, practical advice from someone who has been around long enough to know what works.