Q: What are you most proud of in your work?
I am most proud of the team I have created and my AAG family. It is so important for me to have employees who are keen to get to work on Monday morning and who genuinely enjoy what they do and respect both the work and each other. We have a great focus on attention to detail and the quality of our finishes are second to none. I am lucky to work with so many amazing people on the Northern Beaches including other trades, architects and designers; it truly is the greatest place in the world to live and work.
Q: If you had to give your clients ONE piece of advice, what would it be?
Have an open mind. I understand that many of my clients have a very specific idea of what they want when we first meet, which is great – but it is also helpful to be open-minded to other possibilities. It’s a balancing act; but having both a clear idea of what you want and also having an open mind can really make a difference in the finished project as well as making the journey there an enjoyable one.
Q: What is the greatest lesson you have learned from the building industry?
Communication is the key to a successful project. I really can’t stress the importance of this enough. Head over to our blog good communication = successful renovation to learn a bit more about the importance of communication and some tips towards managing this with your own project.
Q: How do you manage running a business by yourself?
To be completely honest with you – I don’t know! Being a Director of a small company as well as Project Manager (let alone fiancé, uncle, brother, son, etc.) can be extremely busy and a very careful juggling act. In the early days of AAG Constructions (circa 2010), I would work 12 hour days, sometimes 7 days a week. I would return home from working on the tools all day to sit in the office and respond to emails and do quotes by hand; I thought that I could do it all. It took me years to realise that this was not beneficial for my clients, or my own mental health.
In 2017 I stepped back off the tools and employed more staff to help me run the business. I absolutely loved working on the tools and it is something that I miss, but it gives me more time to spend with my clients and more time to ensure that my employees, clients and tradesmen are all happy with the way the project is progressing. I enjoy running my own business so much more now and can recognise the importance of self care and delegating tasks.
Q: What do you actually do for self care?
Getting physical is really important for me as it gets me out of my head and back into my body. I surf and love playing and watching sports. I also love getting out in the bush with friends and family and camping as much as possible.
Q: Why did this kind of work interest you in the first place?
I went to a private high school on the North Shore and when I finished school, I took off overseas for a few years and spent a ski season in Whistler, went tree planting in Canada and then flew over to England and worked in a pub for a year and travelled to different parts of Europe during that time. When I came back to Australia I was ready to sink my teeth into a profession and was itching to start my career. Because I had spent some time travelling and getting to know myself, I had spent time thinking about what I wanted to spend my life doing. I started my trade at age 23 (considered a mature age student) – fast forward 12 years and here I am running my own business on the Northern Beaches!
Q: Last meal on earth?
Bucket of prawns…peeled by someone else.
Q: Drink of choice?
Cold glass of Pinot Gris (to compliment my prawns of course)
Q: Greatest fear?
I am terrified of huntsman spiders. Terrified might be a slight understatement.
Do you have a question for our main man Adam? Get in touch to have a chat.
