Rueben Taylor

Rueben Taylor Helping Perth trade and service business owners who are stressed and stuck in the day-to-day get their life back - more time, more profit and more freedom.

Because being in business should give you more life.

Most business owners plan from where they are.Today's cash. Today's team. Today's problems.And then they wonder why noth...
08/10/2026

Most business owners plan from where they are.

Today's cash. Today's team. Today's problems.

And then they wonder why nothing really changes.

Here is the thing about planning from your current reality - it traps you in it.

If your starting point is "I don't have enough time", every plan you make gets built around not having enough time.

If your starting point is "I can't afford to hire", every decision gets made inside that constraint.

The business you want to build never gets built. Because you never started from it.

The owners I work with who make the biggest shifts do something different.

They start from the end.

Not from where they are. From where they want to be.

It sounds simple but it changes everything.

Here is how it works in practice.

Step 1 - Get clear on what you actually want your life to look like.

Not the business. Your life. Home many hours per week? How many days off per year? What does a normal week actually look like for you? What are you doing that you love? What have you stopped doing that you miss?
Most owners have never answered these questions properly. They have been too busy running the business to think about what the business is supposed to give them.

Step 2 - Work out what the business needs to look like to give you that life.

What revenue? What margin? What team? What structure? What needs to be true about the business for that life to be possible?
Now you have a destination.

Step 3 - Work out what needs to be delivered this year.

Not everything. The top two or three things that close the gap between where you want to be and where you are now.

Step 4 - Work out what needs to happen this quarter.

One clear focus. One set of priorities. A 90-day plan that moves you toward the life you want - not just toward a busier version of today.

Because most of what feels urgent stops mattering the moment you are clear on what you are actually building.

This is all about clarity.

Get clear on the end first. Everything else follows.

If you’d like some help building a game plan that maps the path from where you want to be back to right now - comment PRIORITIES below and let's set something up.

Because being in business should give you more life…

When it comes to growth, almost every new client I work with says the same thing.I need more leads.Almost none of them d...
06/10/2026

When it comes to growth, almost every new client I work with says the same thing.

I need more leads.

Almost none of them do.

Not yet anyway.

There are 4 revenue levers in your profit engine.

Pull all 4 and your revenue (and profit) multiplies fast.

Most business owners are only pulling one.

#1 - Convert more of the quotes you are already doing

You have already done the hard work. The phone rang, they reached out, you went and met with the client. If you are converting 3 out of 10 quotes and you get that to 4 out of 10 - your revenue goes up 33% without a single extra lead.

Most owners have no idea what their conversion rate is. Start there.

# 2 - Increase your average dollar sale

What else could you offer every customer you are already working with? An upgrade, an add-on, a service they did not know you provided. A small increase in the average job value across every customer compounds quickly.

# 3 - Get your existing customers coming back more often

Your past customers already know you and trust you. Getting them to buy again costs a fraction of finding someone new. When did you last follow up a past customer just to check in?

# 4 - Generate the right type of new enquiries

This is where most owners start. And it is the most expensive and slowest of the four.
Not wrong - but the last lever to pull, not the first.

Here is what makes this powerful.

These levers do not just add to each other. They multiply.

Work on two of these and the numbers will surprise you. Improve all four and your business looks completely different.

More leads will not fix a leaky bucket. Plug the leaks first.

Comment PROFIT below and I will send you a copy of the calculator I use with clients to show exactly how much each lever impacts your business.

Because being in business should give you more life…

It was my toughest week I business.We were sitting down in my accountant's office going through our cash situation.What ...
01/10/2026

It was my toughest week I business.

We were sitting down in my accountant's office going through our cash situation.

What we owned. What we owed. What was due to come in. And the gap.

And it was a big one! 1 million dollars.

We had been relying on investment coming in from China to cover it.

But the harsh reality was it wasn't coming.

The gap was growing every day and we didn't have the cash to cover it.

It was time to face the facts. As ugly as they were.

I walked away from that meeting knowing what I had to do.

But didn’t like it.

It was horrible. I didn’t sleep that night.

The next day I had to let 8 great people go just two weeks out from Christmas.

These were loyal people who had bought into our vision.

You may have the heard the saying - if you find yourself in a hole, stop digging.

I had dug a million dollar hole. And at the time there was just $2,000 a month of income coming in.

I felt like a failure.

How could someone so successful at growing businesses end up where I was?

And on the outside, I was still acting like everything was okay.

I kept showing up. Kept performing. Kept smiling.

That is what we do, isn't it?

While inside, everything was falling apart.

A few weeks later I went on holidays with my family.

I was there physically but not mentally.

Several times on that trip I thought about ending it all.

You see, too often in business we try to go it alone. You don't have to.

But through my faith and the support of the people around me, I started to rebuild.

I negotiated with our suppliers and investors to pay them back over time.

And through the grace of God we were able to put payment plans in place with everyone.

It’s nearly four years later and we’ve paid close to $750,000 back.

It’s not over yet. But it has taught me so much.

Face the facts.

Make decisions on what is actually there - not what you are hoping for.

Own your mistakes and make a plan.

And the big one… ask for support.

If you are sitting in that chair right now, know you are not alone. And it is not the end.

Because being in business should give you more life…

Success comes from saying no.Like Mark who has a subcontractor he's been meaning to let go for six months.Not a bad pers...
29/09/2026

Success comes from saying no.

Like Mark who has a subcontractor he's been meaning to let go for six months.

Not a bad person. Just not the right fit.

Too slow. Wrong attitude with clients. Jobs that need to be redone.

He keeps saying yes to putting him on because he needs the bodies.

But every week it costs more than it saves.

He knows it. Has known it for months.
But saying no feels hard.

Here's what I've noticed after 25 years working with business owners.

The decisions that cost the most - the most money, the most time, the most stress - almost always trace back to a yes that should have been a no.

The subcontractor who wasn't ready.

The client who gave you a bad feeling in the first meeting but seemed keen.

The job you underquoted because you needed the revenue.

The supplier you stayed with too long because switching felt complicated.

In every case, your gut already knew the answer. The yes overruled it.

Most owners believe their problem is that they don't do enough.

So they put in more hours and more effort.

What I actually see is the opposite.

They've said yes to too much - and they're buried in the consequences.

Saying yes to everything is usually what happens when you haven't decided what you're actually building.

Because when your priorities are clear - It becomes obvious when ‘no’ is the right answer.

You stop taking clients that don't fit because you know what a great client looks like.

You stop hiring before the role is ready because you know what the business actually needs.

You stop chasing margin-killing work because you know what healthy margins feel like.

The owners who get their lives back aren't the ones who did more.

They're the ones who got clear on what they were building - and let that clarity do the work.

Success isn't built on what you do. It's built on what you decide not to.

What's one thing you need to say no to right now?

Let me know in the comments below.

Because being in business should give you more life…

One of the things I love most about being a business coach is the moment a client comes back from a holiday and says:"I ...
25/09/2026

One of the things I love most about being a business coach is the moment a client comes back from a holiday and says:

"I didn't look at my emails once. First time I've ever done that."

That's what Tony told me last week.

He'd just come back from a trip to Bali and said he was expecting fires everywhere.

There weren't any.

Instead things were under control.

This is what I aim for with every client I work with.

The goal is four to six weeks away, phone off, and coming back to things under control.

Here's how it happened for Tony.

In the lead up to stepping away we identified one priority: get the right design consultant in place and induct them properly.

Julian, his new design consultant, went through a five to six week induction - learning the clients, the standards and the way Tony does things.

I call it the brain-surgeon technique.

First the trainee brain surgeon watches the experienced surgeon at work.

They then work on a brain together, with the experienced surgeon leading the way.

Finally, the trainee works on a brain under the supervision of the experienced surgeon.

It takes an investment of time - but it works.

And Tony got on a plane having handed things over.

And Julian delivered.

Whilst Tony was away, Julian had signed three new design clients on his own.

Tony said it well: "I'm confident in his abilities now. I can take some time off."

I always say it - it tests the business when you go away. That's the point.

You do the work, put the right things in place, and then the trip becomes the proof.

Tony did the work. The business passed the test.

So here’s the lesson:

Find the right person. Give them a proper induction. And then have the courage to actually get on the plane.

What's the one priority that, if you got it right in the next 90 days, would let you do the same?

Comment PRIORITIES below and let's work it out.

Because being in business should give you more life.

Here's 5 numbers to check every week to know if you're actually on track, or heading for a cash flow surprise.Most busin...
23/09/2026

Here's 5 numbers to check every week to know if you're actually on track, or heading for a cash flow surprise.

Most business owners find out too late.

Nobody ever sat them down and showed them exactly which numbers to watch.

So they watch the wrong ones. Usually revenue.

And while that is important, it is only part of the story.

Here's what to check instead.

And best of it all it takes just 10 minutes, once a week.

1. Cash at bank. Not what's coming in eventually. What's sitting there right now, today, that you could spend if you had to.

2. Debtors. Who owes you money, and how overdue is it. Not a vague "I have a few invoices outstanding " – what’s the actual number?.

3. Creditors. What you owe, and when it's due. Wages, suppliers, tax. If you don't know this number, you can't trust the first one.

4. Revenue vs breakeven. Did the business bring in enough this week or month to cover what it costs to run? Not what you hope, what you know.

5. Profit vs profit breakeven. This is the number most owners skip. Covering costs isn't the same as the business actually paying you properly. Did you hit the number that means you're not just surviving, you're getting ahead?

5 numbers. 10 minutes. Make it a habit every week.

Want the checklist so you can start this week?

Comment NUMBERS and I'll send it through.

Because being in business should give you more life…

Rueben

Ready for a fun day of planning, growth and learning at our next Quarterly Growth Day.
22/09/2026

Ready for a fun day of planning, growth and learning at our next Quarterly Growth Day.

The most dangerous words in business aren't "we're losing money."They're "I'll look at that later."I've watched too many...
21/09/2026

The most dangerous words in business aren't "we're losing money."

They're "I'll look at that later."

I've watched too many trade and service owners say that for 26 years.

Every time, they tell themselves it's about being busy. It's not.

They're avoiding the numbers because they don't understand what they're looking at.
And often it’s because staring at a screen full of figures that don't mean anything to you feels like sitting a test in a language nobody taught you.

And avoidance is the fastest way into trouble.

Not just in business. Anywhere.

Here's what I tell every owner who says "I'm just not a numbers person."

You don't need to be an accountant.

You need to understand how five numbers work in your business, and check them every week.

1. Cash at bank.
2. What's owed to you.
3. What you owe.
4. Whether you hit revenue breakeven.
5. Whether you hit profit breakeven.

That's it. Ten minutes, once a week.

The businesses that get into real trouble aren't run by owners who are bad at maths.

They're run by owners who stopped looking, because looking felt worse than not knowing.

I get it. When the number's bad, it feels personal.

Like it says something about you.

So the laptop stays shut, the invoice pile grows, and the only time the numbers get looked at properly is when the accountant calls in a panic at tax time.

By then it's not five numbers anymore. It's a mess.

You don't need a degree in accounting. You need to stop hiding from five numbers you can check in ten minutes.

Want help getting on top of these five? Comment NUMBERS and I'll send you the checklist.

Because being in business should give you more life.

Rueben

For years, I told myself I was doing it for my family.Long hours. Late nights. Working weekends.All in the name of "prov...
18/09/2026

For years, I told myself I was doing it for my family.

Long hours. Late nights. Working weekends.

All in the name of "providing" and "building a better future."

That's what I believed.

But the truth? I was saying the right things while living something completely different.

Then one spring day, it all hit me.

My daughter Allegra - she would have been about three - was outside playing in her cubby house.

I went over and asked, "Can I join in?"

She looked up and said, "Sorry Daddy, I can't now. I'm working."

That hit hard.

Guess where she learnt that from!

And she was three.

She was copying me.

And in that moment, I didn't like what I saw in the mirror.

That day changed everything. I realised saying "family comes first" only matters if my choices reflect it.

So I rebuilt. Put systems in place. Hired a team I could trust.

Created real boundaries so my life came first, not last.

Now when I say my family is my priority, it's not just something I say. It's how I live.

Saying family comes first only matters if your choices reflect it.

So what does "family first" actually look like in your week right now?

9:47pm. A subcontractor’s texting him about tomorrow's start time.He answers.Then checks his invoicing app "just quickly...
16/09/2026

9:47pm. A subcontractor’s texting him about tomorrow's start time.

He answers.

Then checks his invoicing app "just quickly."

Then he's replying to a supplier email that could've waited till Monday.

His family's in the room next door on the couch.

He might as well be at his factory unit.

Here's what nobody tells business owners about time: you don't find more of it.

There isn't more of it hiding somewhere.

You stop losing the time you've already got.

That's what EADF is for. Four questions, run in order, against every single task:

ELIMINATE.
Why are you even doing this? Half of what fills a business owner's day exists because it's always been done, not because it needs to be.

AUTOMATE.
Could software or a system handle this without you touching it? Invoicing, reminders, scheduling - most of it can.

DELEGATE.
Could someone on your team do this? Not "could they do it exactly like you" - could they do it well enough that it's off your plate.

FOCUS.
What's actually left that only you can do? What are the highest value tasks that you should focus on? That's the game and the key to getting ahead in business.

Get the low value stuff off your plate and focus on the high value.

Run your week through these four filters and most owners find 10+ hours they didn't know were leaking.

You don't need more hours in the day.

You need fewer things on your plate.

And it happens one task at a time.

Comment TIME and I'll send you the EADF one-pager – to help you pinpoint where your time is leaking this week.

Address

45 Ventnor Avenue
Perth, WA
6005

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Thursday 8:30am - 5pm
Friday 8:30am - 5pm

Telephone

+61894298894

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