The sparky who believes in doing right by people
Alan and Martin at the office together | Photo: Builderscrack
Using Builderscrack
Q: How did you end up on Builderscrack?
A: “When I initially went self-employed, there were a few developers I was doing new builds for. Good, steady work — until a few of them went under. From the outside looking in, they seemed solid. But you start hearing rumours about their financial difficulties, they’ve got credit issues with wholesalers. And when I’ve got outgoing costs every month, I can’t rely on one business for my income. So I needed a way into the homeowner market. That’s where Builderscrack came in.”
Q: How has it worked out?
A: “It’s genuinely been a godsend. With these bigger companies going under, the fact that we’ve got Builderscrack as a bit of a safety net — before you know it, you build up that much of a review base that people look and go, ‘These guys are actually very good’. The minute people realise you are who you say you are, you turn up when you said you would, you do what you said you’d do — it just works.
Without Builderscrack, I would have had to be doing things I’d be unhappy doing, without any other options.
It gives you the opportunity to do your own thing — rather than be reliant on one business giving you the contract, and that being all you do.”
Q: What’s your success rate on the platform?
A: “About 8 out of 10 jobs I show interest in, I at least get the chance to quote or meet the customer. All down to reviews built up over time. If you go for a job and you’ve got no accreditation, no insurance, and no reviews, you’re an unknown quantity. When you’ve spent a few years building a good reputation, the success rate just gets better.”
Q: How would you describe Builderscrack?
A:“I wish I bloody came up with it, honestly. It’s just a great middleman to connect the customer and the professional. Simple as that.”
Q: What’s your advice to a tradie thinking about joining?
A:“There are a lot of tradies who are very good at what they do, but nobody knows they exist. If you are good and you want exposure for being good, that’s the way to go. An alternative to waiting for someone to traditionally open a door for you. And once you’re on, respond to leads quickly. If somebody messages you, message them back — people want it yesterday. The work is there. You just have to go and get it.”