Why Every Builder Needs To Lose Money First

“I had no idea about business.” Adam Antony says it plainly, and it lands because it’s honest. In this episode of The Mindful Builder, Adam breaks down the hard lessons that hit when you go from being a great carpenter to running a building business, where margin, cash flow, quoting, and systems matter just as much as what happens on site. If you’re a builder, carpenter, or construction business owner trying to build a profitable, sustainable business, this one will feel familiar.Adam’s story starts in Goulburn, NSW, and it’s not a straight line. He came up through carpentry in a true start-to-finish environment, learning the sequence of a build because you’re responsible for it all. That mindset becomes the thread of the conversation, because Adam treats business the same way he treats building: there’s an order, there’s a flow, and if you do it out of order you pay for it later. It’s a practical chat about construction systems, leadership, and what it takes to run a tight operation.After his apprenticeship, Adam took a left turn into real estate, spending a year door knocking and cold calling as a prospector. It taught him communication, resilience, and how to hear “no” without taking it personally, which matters more than people think when you’re selling building projects and managing client expectations. He then returned to building, got licensed in his late twenties, and stepped into a partnership that led to a major opportunity: a townhouse development that delivered a solid result, but exposed how easy it is to underprice labour, miss margin, and rely on “it’ll be fine” decision-making.From there, the focus shifts to systems and structure. Adam shares how he rebuilt the business with clearer standards, better processes, and support that actually works because the foundations are solid, including the reality of using VAs in a building company. And just when they’re about to get into the “AI lord” chapter, Hamish tees up part two, where Adam’s move into AI, automation, and smarter workflows gets unpacked properly. If you’re interested in building business systems, construction estimating, and the future of AI in construction, you’ll want to catch the next episode.CHAPTER MARKERS00:00 Introduction04:54 Carpentry Path and All Round Skills07:43 Real Estate Detour and Sales Lessons10:43 Builders License and Going Solo12:47 First Big Partnership Project14:39 Business Mistakes and Pricing Lessons22:00 Starting a New Company23:49 Fresh Start With Systems25:28 Veo Team And Project Scale28:45 Systems Thinking Explained30:58 Making VAs Work33:57 WunderBuild And AI Emails35:12 Leading A Systems Culture38:14 Passive House MotivationOur Sponsors:Pro Clima - https://mindful-builder.captivate.fm/proclimaMEGT - https://mindful-builder.captivate.fm/megtBiz Tech Guru: https://www.biztechguru.com.au/Connect with us on Instagram: @themindfulbuilderpodConnect with Hamish:Instagram: @sanctumhomesWebsite: www.yoursanctum.com.au/Connect with Matt: Instagram: @carlandconstructionsWebsite: www.carlandconstructions.com/