From Making $1,000,000+ Mowing Laws at 17 to Becoming One Of The Fastest Growing New Engineering Businesses in Australia

On Episode 34 of the “Future of Australia” podcast, I speak with Luke Brown, the Co-Founder & Managing Director of Keeden Contracting, who provide civil infrastructure services to both the private and public sectors of the construction and mining industries, which grew 558% last financial year, and did close to $10 million in annual revenue.

This made Keeden Contracting, on the Financial Review list of 100 fastest growing new companies, one of the FASTEST GROWING new business in Australia.

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We Discuss...

• How he and his business partner Nathan became close friends in school decided to start a small business after high school, before starting studying or taking a gap year
• Working in construction and finding they were quite good at it, starting as a project administrator and working up to being a Project Manager, learning a lot from their parents
• How he and his Co-Founder both enjoy taking on risk, tendering projects, putting their knowledge and experience on the line, which being an employee did not scratch that itch

• Finding a gap in the market that was too small for the Sydney market, and too big for the central NSW market
• Landing a large hospital job from the state government, long term project that was complex and exactly what they were looking for
• Having almost too much work in their second year of business, and nearly crossed the line of getting too big too quickly
• Building up a great team, that values the culture you want to achieve, and why HR challenges and managing personalities is one of the hardest but least spoken parts of running a business
• “You need to understand the whole game to be an entrepreneur” and why university students learn one role and aspect, but not the entire process
• Why the construction industry does not look attractive to a lot of young people from the outside, causing many people to be there by accident, not by design
• “There are plenty of learning opportunities in the construction industry” and why you can earn comparably good money compared to other industries, and why it is a sustainable industry, even during difficult times like the coronavirus
• “People are happy to pay good money if you will solve their problems, or take issues off their hands”
• Why you should interview you clients as much as they are interviewing you
• The natural next step of controlling more of the supply chain, and having their own projects to fill the gaps between other projects

[Click Here to Listen to the Podcast in SPOTIFY, or Listen in iTunes, or Listen in SoundCloud, or search 'Future of Australia' or 'Derek Stewart' in your iPhone or Android podcast app]

Podcast Episode History:

Episode 1: "Family Business & Real Estate: How Husband and Wife QLD Entrepreneurs Found A Gap in The Market"

Episode 2: "Law & Accounting Firm A.I and Automation + Doubling Revenue TWICE in 12 Months"

Episode 3: "Expat Entrepreneurship & Maximising Your Marketing Dollars"

Episode 4: "Turning a Hobby Selling Quirky Gifts Online Into a Multi-Million Dollar Business"

Episode 5: "Owning 20+ Properties In His 20s to Buying 40 Per MONTH for Clients"

Episode 6: "Engineering Entrepreneurship and Managing BILLION Dollar Assets"

Episode 7: "One Day Away From Shutting Down to 1000% Annual Growth"

Episode 8: "From Losing Your Co-Founder to 59% Growth the Next Year"

Episode 9: "Female Entrepreneurship And Starting a Business 11 Days After Giving Birth"

Episode 10: "From Door-To-Door Salesman To $11 Million Annual Revenue Within FIVE Years"

Episode 11: "From Podiatry Intern to 60+ Employee Health SuperCentre"

Episode 12: "From Selling Burned CDs to $350mm in Annual Revenue"

Episode 13: "Developing a Growth Mindset and Perth Entrepreneurship Going Global"

Episode 14: "From Army Officer to $23mm Annual Revenue Canberra Consultancy in 3 Years"

Episdoe 15: "How High School Best Friends Created One of The Fastest Growing Media Agencies in Australia"

Episode 16: "Creating Entrepreneurs, Corporate Innovation and Helping 10 Year Olds Make $1000+ Per Month"

Episode 17: "From $200,000+ in Credit Card Debt to Seven Figure Annual Income"

Episode 18: "How Construction Consulting Became a Multi-Million Dollar Niche Success"

Episode 19: "Why A Fast Growth Law Firm Embraces Tech and Teaches Its Entrepreneur Clients How to Negotiate"

Episode 20: "From Neuroscience PhD to 70 Employee Fast Growth Consultancy"

Episode 21: "From Inspirational Facebook Posts to the Fastest Growing New Apparel Business in Australia"

Episode 22: "From Sleeping on the Factory Floor to 3rd Fastest Growing New Business in Australia with $40mm+ Annual Revenue"

Episode 23: "From Graduate Finance Job at 18 to Growing Revenue $55 MILLION in 12 Months"

Episode 24: "Paying Drivers MORE The Secret to the Fastest Growing New Logistics Company in Australia"

Episode 25: "From Kicked Out Of High School to Published Author Running A Multi-Million Dollar Digital Growth Agency"

Episode 26: "From $1,000,000+ in DEBT to 6th Fastest Growing New Business in Australia

Episode 27: "How EMPLOYEE-OWNED Consultancy Became 10th Fastest Growing New Business in Australia"

Episode 28:"From Cold Calling in a New York City Phone Booth to Australian Public Company CEO"

Episode 29: "How a Direct-To-Consumer Leak Proof Underwear Business Became The 8th Fastest Growing New Businesses in Australia"

Episode 30: "Why Helping People Lose 6kg+ in TWO WEEKS Made Shark Tank Invest"

Episode 31: "From Road Tripping Around the USA in a Van to Running One of The Fastest Growing Digital Media Agencies in Australia"

Episode 32: "How Predicting Technology Trends Enabled Vamsi to Build One of The Fastest Growing New Businesses in Australia"

Episode 33: "Becoming One Of The Fastest Growing New Recruitment Businesses in Australia While Having Two Weddings and Five Pregnancies in the Founding Team"

Hi, my name is Derek. "FUTURE OF AUSTRALIA" is a project I am running to interview the Founders, CEOs and Entrepreneurs behind the FASTEST GROWING new businesses in Australia. 

"FUTURE OF AUSTRALIA" is about interviewing, celebrating and sharing the knowledge, aspirations, struggles, goals and achievements of these people with a broader audience.

If you are interested in contributing, learning more of keeping in the loop with our updates and email newsletter, email me at [email protected], or give me a call or text on 0404 689 897.

www.FutureOfAustralia.com