Running a trade business,without it running you.
Less chaos. Better systems. More control.
I bought a glazing business with almost no money down, built the systems by hand, ran it from another country, and sold it to someone who'd never touched glass. Now I'm building the next thing and showing the work as it happens.
Follow the Build
11 years
owning a glass business
5 years
running it remotely
2,000km
from Queenstown to the shop
Sold in 2026 to a buyer who'd never touched glass.
Three things that make this different
Proof, not theory
Bought a glass business with almost no money down, ran it from 2,000km away, and sold it to a buyer who'd never touched glass. Every claim here has a receipt.
Systems over hustle
No 5am club, no grind talk. The systems were so the business could run without me in the room, not so I could work more hours.
Building in public, live
Glass Hub and the next chapter are being built right now. What's working, what's not, and the stuff-ups all show up here.
I didn't learn this from a book.
I trained as an apprentice glazier in New Zealand. Years later I bought a struggling glass business with almost no money down, spent the first five to six years building systems by hand, then ran it remotely for the last five, three of those from another country. It kept running through COVID without anyone needing to change how they worked. I sold it this year to a buyer with zero glass experience, because that was the whole point: if the systems are good enough, anyone can run the business.
Read the Full Story
Follow the Build.
The real version, not the highlight reel.
“Gene and the team went above and beyond to help our building business, the investment in ourselves has been the most profitable thing we could have done.”
Joel, Builder
Want to know where your week actually goes?
One call. I look at how your business actually runs and you leave with a written list of what to systemise first. $497, and if I can't find you 5 hours a week, it's free.
See the AI AuditWhat I actually talk about
Freedom
Remote operations, stepping back, owner life.
Systems
Quoting, job management, the tools that actually hold up.
Trade Realities
Staff, pricing, cash flow, customers, the hard parts said plainly.
Building in Public
Glass Hub decisions, wins, and failures as they land.
Life Integration
Queenstown, routine, what the business actually funds.
First posts landing soon. Follow the Build and you'll see them before they're on the blog.
Questions worth answering upfront
Who is this for?
Any trade business owner running things themselves, glaziers, builders, sparkies, plumbers, painters, tilers. If you're the one carrying every quote, job, and problem, this is for you.
Is this just for glaziers?
No. I came up as a glazier and the proof story is a glass business, but the systems and the content apply to any trade. If a post only works for glaziers, it goes on Glass Hub instead, not here.
What do you actually offer right now?
One paid thing: the AI Audit. It's $497, and it's a call plus a written report showing where your time's going and what would get it back. If I can't find you 5 hours a week, it's free. Everything else here is the newsletter and the build-in-public content, and that stays free.
Is this a pitch for Glass Hub?
No. Glass Hub is a separate, glazier-specific product. This site never sells it directly. If it's ever relevant to you, it'll come up on its own, not as a pitch.
How often do you send the newsletter?
Every two weeks. Follow the Build, real stuff from the fortnight, not a highlight reel.