We have a lot of amazing clients at Trade Risk, but one of our more unique ones is TradieSpec Ute Hire.
Unlike most of our clients who are in the trades, these guys provide an innovative service to the trades.
We caught up with their team recently to find out a little more about the business.
When did Tradie Spec launch?
Tim: We launched the business in December 2018.
Who are the team behind the business?
Richard: Tim, Matt and myself. We were all working together in other business and knew we could each bring something unique to Tradie Spec.
What gave you the idea of launching a ute hire business?
Tim: Our office is located along on a major commercial thoroughfare between Peakhurst and Mortdale in Sydney’s South West. Every day we would watch hundreds of tradie utes drive past our window and knew there had to be better way for tradesmen and women to have access to a modern and reliable trade ready vehicle while still providing the flexibility of a no lock in contact.
What areas are you currently servicing?
Matt: We are currently servicing the greater Sydney region however we have had inquiries from Coffs Harbour right down to Geelong in Victoria. It appears the power of social media knows no bounds with our posts being shared with customers much further away than Sydney.
What areas are you looking at expanding into?
Matt: We have set quite ambitious growth targets for the business. We would like to build on the solid demand we have in Sydney and then look towards establishing a presence in the other eastern states. We are currently working on a deal which will see our vehicles based down in North Melbourne to service several large civil contractors and we are confident we can get that across the line.
What has surprised you most about the business so far?
Tim: The two things that surprised us about the business are the length of hire that our customers are requiring our utes for and the power of social media to generate leads.
Our previous experience with the hire car industry saw customers hiring vehicles for between 1-5 days. The bulk our inquiries are from customers requiring a more permanent vehicle solution, generally between 6-12 month.
The other surprising factor is the power of social media. We have been experimenting with Facebook and Instagram advertising and it is amazing how many people you can reach for a relatively small amount of money.
What type of people and businesses are using Tradie Spec utes?
Richard: Small business owners represent the bulk of our inquiries. Tradies that run a team of between 2- 20 employees.
What has the feedback been like from clients?
Richard: The feedback has been outstanding! Not only are our customers very happy with utes we provide but they can relate to us on a personal level. We are just 3 blokes having a go which is exactly what most of our customers are doing day in, day out. One of our customers recently came back to the factory asking for some Tradie Spec business cards because of all the questions he was being asked about his new ute. I must admit that was a pretty good feeling.
When is a tradie most likely to hire a Tradie Spec ute?
Matt: Tradies having mechanical issues with their existing vehicles is a common occurrence. You would be surprised at the amount of diesel engines which suddenly just stop working. The longer-term hire inquiries are also on the rise since we began our social media campaign which is typically for tradies who want the reliability of a new trade ready vehicle but don’t have means to purchase one outright. The vehicle helps generate revenue for their business and puts them in a better position financially.
With the longer-term hires, why would a tradie choose to hire a ute rather than financing their own?
Matt: The flexibility that our vehicles provide is a major reason why more tradies are choosing to rent instead of own utes. Not having the fixed expense of a commercial vehicle hanging over the business when staff leave, or work slows down provides our customers with piece of mind. The other factor is the convenience of having all the fleet management aspect taken off their hands. One of our clients operates 10 vehicles for his plumbing business and was sick to death of the time he was allocating to ensure his vehicles were eligible to be on the road. The time he has saved can now be spent on his business or with his family.
What gives you the most satisfaction out of the business?
Tim: It is very gratifying to know that you are helping tradies and small businesses complete their work and earn a living. Our very first client was an electrician whose Hyundai iLoad had blown up in the run up to Christmas. He was fully booked with work and now left without a vehicle. Knowing that we got him out of trouble with a trade ready ute and kept his business on the move was a great feeling. Seeing our vehicles out driving around on the road is an awesome feeling too!
What are your future plans for the business?
Richard: We feel there are some terrific opportunities in the tradie space. Primarily we are focused on the growth of the long-term hire market however we would eventually like to expand into working with tier 1, 2 and 3 contractors and insurance companies to provide vehicles. We have witnessed how critical a tradie spec vehicle is to the successful running of a business and would like to help as many tradies as we can.
If you’re interested in finding out more please click here to visit their website or call them on 02 9533 2393.
You can also check them out on Instagram and Facebook where you should get a laugh out of some of their content!
