Strong business growth isn’t just about winning more jobs… it’s about building a place where people want to stay and do their best work.
In this episode of The Site Shed, Matt Jones sits down with Chris Koch from Business Development Resources, Inc. to address a topic every trade business owner wrestles with: how to create a culture that attracts, retains, and motivates top performers. They dive deep on practical steps from refining hiring processes to running effective one-on-ones and building a real sense of team unity.
🏗 Why Culture Comes Before Recruitment
It’s tempting to see recruitment as just running job ads and hoping the right people show up. But as Chris explains, it all starts with your culture:
“Would you want to work here? If you feel ‘maybe’ or ‘no’, your team probably does too. Culture is infectious, good or bad.”
It goes beyond ticking a box with ‘vision and values’ on the wall. The real secret? Hiring and managing to those values, recognising people who embody them and coaching (or letting go of) those who don’t.
A strong culture attracts quality candidates organically where current team members and even customers become your biggest recruiters.
🔍 Making Your Hiring Process a Two-Way Filter
The episode covers a robust, intentional hiring process that weeds out poor fits. Key points include:
- Always have a role scorecard: Clearly define the job’s outcomes, KPIs, and necessary competencies before you advertise.
- Make the process hard on purpose: Screening steps like video introductions, personality assessments, and structured interviews filter out those who aren’t genuinely invested.
- Be consistent: Ask every candidate the same questions and score them quickly while the impressions are fresh.
💡 Pro tip: Leverage your team’s networks! Chris and Matt both recommend incentivising referrals. A high-performing tradie probably knows others who would be a great fit.
📈 Retaining Top Talent with Clarity, Accountability & Recognition
Turnover can ruin a business. Chris reveals what the best trade businesses do:
- Crystal-clear targets: Team members should always know how they’re measured and how much they can earn (keep KPI/incentive structures simple).
- Regular 1-on-1s: Meet monthly, keep it personal and professional, set small improvement goals, and actively listen.
- Public praise, private coaching: Celebrate wins tied to your values at meetings; handle corrections in private.
The payoff? Higher performance, better attitudes, referrals, and a team that recruits for you.
🤝 Real-life Team-Building That Actually Works
Culture doesn’t stop at words. Meaningful connection happens through:
Team BBQs, breakfast toolboxes, or quarterly celebration events
Involving families in gatherings, thank the partners who support your staff
Empowering staff to help shape events, contests, and rewards
Chris explains, “If people like working together, they’ll go the extra mile, even referring their friends and making your business the ‘employer of choice’.”
🚩 What to Avoid:
The ‘Just Get Anyone In’ Trap The temptation to hire the next available person out of desperation leads to greater issues down the road. Chris stresses the importance of:
Not skipping your process, even when short-staffed
Protecting your brand with rigorous vetting (skills can be trained, cultural fit can’t)
Embracing tough conversations, even letting go of strong revenue producers if they destroy team morale
🛠️ Tactics to Take Away Ready to take action?
Here’s where to start:
Audit your own business: Would you want to work there? Why/why not?
Define (and live by) your mission, vision, and values, and hire to them.
Create job scorecards before advertising roles.
Rethink your interview process: add screener calls, skill/values-based questions, and shortlisting tasks.
Schedule monthly one-on-ones with every team member.
Map out regular, meaningful team-building events.
It’s not an overnight fix, but building an intentional culture means you’ll win and keep star tradies without always scrambling to fill a revolving door.
📚 Resources from this Episode
Chris Koch’s Website: www.bdrco.com
Chris’s LinkedIn
- Business Development Resources, Inc.’s Socials:
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