In this episode of Plumbcast, Jordan sits down with Scott Irwin, founder of Network Plumbing in Sydney, to unpack an incredible journey spanning more than four decades in the plumbing industry.
From starting as an apprentice in the early ’80s and eventually going out on his own, Scott shares how a willingness to dream bigger, take risks and back himself helped transform Network Plumbing from a small operation into one of Australia’s leading service plumbing businesses.
Scott takes us back to the experiences that changed the way he viewed the industry, including travelling to the United States and seeing first-hand just how big a plumbing business could become. What started as a vision became a long-term pursuit built on belief, continual learning and refusing to listen to the noise of people telling him it couldn’t be done.
But the journey hasn’t been without its lows. Scott opens up about navigating the Global Financial Crisis, watching business revenue fall dramatically almost overnight, being heavily leveraged and facing enormous financial pressure, and how he and his team adapted, rebuilt and came out the other side.
The conversation also explores leadership, culture and why Scott believes looking after your people is fundamental to building a great business.
From treating employees as people you work with, rather than people who work for you, to creating opportunities for the next generation of tradespeople, Scott shares lessons learned from decades of growth.
This is a conversation about plumbing, but even more so about business, resilience, taking risks and believing in what’s possible.Whether you’re an apprentice, plumber, business owner or simply someone with a big goal, there’s plenty to take away from Scott’s story.
Listen on Spotify