Off The Tools with Wayne and Andy 🔥

Why Great Engineers Can Make Bad Business Owners

In this episode of the Off The Tools Podcast, Wayne Bettess and Andy Jones explore a hard truth in the trades:

Being a brilliant engineer does not automatically make you a brilliant business owner.

Many plumbers, heating engineers, electricians, gas engineers and tradesmen spend years improving their technical skills, learning new systems, buying better tools and becoming excellent on t...

Are Apprenticeships Finally Getting The Respect They Deserve? Why Trades Could Beat Degrees

In this episode of the Off The Tools Podcast, Wayne Bettess and Andy Jones dive into a big conversation around apprenticeships, university, trade careers and the future of work.

For years, young people have been pushed towards university as the “better” option, while apprenticeships and hands-on trades have often been looked down o...

In this episode of the Off The Tools Podcast, Wayne Bettess and Andy Jones dive into one of the biggest shifts happening in the UK trades industry:

Tradesmen using AI are going to win.

AI is not here to replace plumbers, heating engineers, electricians, bathroom fitters or gas engineers on the tools. Robots are not turning up tomorrow to fit boilers, rewire houses or install bathrooms.

But AI is already changing everything that happen...

In this episode of the Off The Tools Podcast, Wayne Bettess and Andy Jones talk directly to UK tradesmen who are thinking about going self-employed, starting their own trade business, or have recently gone out on their own but are struggling to get traction.

Going on your own is often seen as the dream — more money, more freedom, no boss, and full control. But the reality is very different if you start without the right pricin...

In this episode of the Off The Tools Podcast, Wayne Bettess and Andy Jones tackle one of the biggest decisions UK tradesmen face when they start to grow:

Who should your first employee be — an engineer on the tools, or someone in the office?

Many plumbers, heating engineers, gas engineers, electricians and trades business owners hit the same wall: they’re busy, overwhelmed, doing too much themselves, and running out of ti...

In this live Off The Tools Q&A, Wayne Bettess and Andy Jones answer real questions from UK tradesmen about pricing, profit, lead generation, scaling, systems, builders, subcontracting, and how to build a proper trade business.

This session is packed with practical, no-fluff business coaching for plumbers, heating engineers, electricians, bathroom fitters and trades business owners who want more control, better margins and less c...

In this episode of the Off The Tools Podcast, Wayne Bettess and Andy Jones dive into one of the most debated topics in the UK trades industry:

Should plumbers, heating engineers, electricians and trades business owners take payment upfront?

What starts as a general Off The Tools catch-up quickly turns into a powerful discussion around customer expectations, business owner mindset, pricing, trust, reviews, online reputation, job manag...

n this episode of the Off The Tools Podcast, Wayne Bettess and Andy Jones sit down with Daniel Bull, director of Elite Plumbing & Construction, Pro Trades Training Centre, and Get Glowing.

Daniel shares his journey from starting out with a Toyota RAV4, B&M storage boxes and no real plan… to building a fast-growing bathroom refurbishment business completing nearly 700 bathroom projects and around 14 bathrooms a month.

T...

In this episode of the Off The Tools Podcast, Wayne Bettess and Andy Jones dig into one of the biggest hidden problems holding tradesmen back: the identity trap.

Many plumbers, heating engineers, electricians and trades business owners start out as great tradesmen — but never fully make the shift into becoming real business owners. They stay stuck being “busy”, doing everything themselves, avoiding delegation, unde...

🔥Free Live Q&A for Tradesmen: Managing Diaries, Cash Flow & Business Overwhelm 🔥

👊🏻 Register for free - https://streamyard.com/watch/yzh2jq8gxVDH

We're hosting a completely free live Q&A session designed specifically for busy tradesmen struggling with managing their diaries, cash flow, and the overall overwhelm of running a business. Join me and my business partner Wayne Bettess on June 16th at 7:00 PM on Zoom. You ca...

What happens when your body gives up… but your business still depends on you?

In this powerful episode of the Off The Tools Podcast, Wayne Bettess and Andy Jones dive into the retirement trap no tradesman talks about — and why so many self-employed plumbers, heating engineers, electricians and tradesmen unknowingly build themselves a job with no exit strategy.

If you’re a self-employed tradesman, business owner, so...

Is going self-employed really the dream… or is it one of the biggest myths in the trades industry?

In this powerful episode of the Off The Tools Podcast, Wayne Bettess and Andy Jones tackle one of the biggest and most controversial topics in the trade world:

Should you stay employed or go self-employed?

If you're a plumber, heating engineer, electrician, builder, gas engineer or tradesman considering going out on your own &mdas...

In this episode of the Off The Tools Podcast, Wayne Bettess and Andy Jones break down the brutal reality of what happens when a trades business hits breaking point.

This isn’t theory.

It’s real-world experience from running and scaling heating businesses through staffing problems, cash flow pressure, lost engineers, lead shortages, tax bills, burnout, and business chaos.

If you’re a plumber, heating engineer, electri...

In this powerful episode of the Off The Tools Podcast, Wayne Bettess and Andy Jones dive deep into one of the biggest things holding tradesmen back from building successful businesses…

👉 Their ego.

From refusing help…
To trying to be the hero…
To believing “working harder” is the answer…

This episode exposes why so many plumbers, heating engineers, electricians, builders, and trades busin...

Most trades businesses are losing jobs every single week…
Not because they’re bad at the work.
Because their systems, follow-up, and customer communication are weak.

In this episode of the Off The Tools Podcast, Wayne and Andy break down how modern trades businesses are using CRM systems, automations, AI, and customer journeys to close more work, improve customer experience, and massively increase revenue.

This is ...

If your phone’s stopped ringing… this is the episode you need.

In this no-nonsense episode of the Off The Tools Podcast, we break down exactly what tradesmen should be doing when business goes quiet — especially during the summer slowdown.

Most trades business owners panic, sit back, or accept “it is what it is.”
That mindset is exactly why they stay stuck.

This episode flips that on its head.

We cover...

In this episode of the Off The Tools Podcast, we dive deep into the reality of building and scaling a trades business — and why so many tradesmen hit a wall in business, mindset, and growth.

This isn’t theory. This is real-world business coaching for tradesmen, pulled straight from lived experience — from running heating companies to coaching hundreds of UK trades business owners.

We break down:

• Why trades busine...

You’re grafting every day.
Diary’s full. Phone’s ringing. Jobs stacked up…

But when you check the bank account?
👉 There’s nothing in it.

Sound familiar?

In this episode, we break down one of the most common problems in the trades right now — being busy but still broke — and why it’s happening to so many lads across the UK.

We cover:

• Why underpricing is killing your profit (and ...

Everyone’s shouting the same thing…
👉 “I need more leads.”

But here’s the truth most tradesmen don’t want to hear…
You don’t have a lead problem — you’ve got a systems, speed, and customer experience problem.

In this episode, we break down why throwing more money at lead generation is actually making things worse for most businesses… and what you should be fi...