Episode Overview
Adrian Fadini doesn’t give up.
After starting out as a plumber, he ran into a financial struggle that caused him to have to sell the family home. Instead of accepting defeat, Fadini used his experience to transform his business approach.
It worked. He refined the business model, ultimately sold a successful company and pivoted to opening his TradesFormation coaching business.
Fadini was among the speakers on his home turf at the inaugural World of Titans event (April 3-4, 2025) in Sydney, Australia.
His advice these days, in part, is to be consistent but don’t consistently make the same mistakes.
“ Stay the course, but don't keep doing the same thing over and over again,” Fadini says. “Some people might say, ‘I've got 20 years experience,’ but do you just have one year of experience that you've repeated 20 times, or are you growing? Are you evolving?”
Looking back at his low point, when he had to start over, Fadini recalls what it was that inspired him to get back up and keep going.
“ The best motivator in the world is pain,” he says. “It's not pleasant, but it is by far the best motivator. When you are in pain, you will learn things.”
By all measures, Fadini is a good bloke (an Aussie compliment) but he’s learned to run a company that balances positive intention with data-driven processes.
“ Don't let your empathy and compassion run a business because it won't last very long,” he says. “You need to have a nice balance between compassion and empathy and data…Always look at the numbers.”
Adrian Fadini recently joined ServiceTitan’s Jackie Aubel on the “Toolbox for the Trades” podcast, which included Fadini’s thoughts on:
[2:08] Why your willingness to evolve matters more than experience
[11:30] Pain being the best motivator
[13:04] Pivoting from plumbing to coaching
[15:02] Balancing empathy for your team with data-driven decisions
[26:49] Quality questions you should be asking during every sale
To hear more stories from the trades, subscribe to “Toolbox for the Trades” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, or anywhere you get podcasts.
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