Beau Bugeja knew during high school he was built for the trades. He started his apprenticeship when he was 18, and was qualified by 22.
“I just wanted to get into a trade in general,” Beau said.
“It was pretty hard at the time when I was applying, because there were a lot of people doing the same, which is quite different to now it seems.”
Put a Beau on it
More than 13 years on, Beau’s bringing up the next generation of chippies. His business – Beaumade Builds – operates in Melbourne’s inner east working on plenty of building, reno and extension projects.
Beau said his company’s renovation jobs were something he was particularly proud of.
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“That’s where we specialise in. We enjoy tying new stuff into old, that can be pretty challenging – to make it look like it’s always been there,” he said.
“We love a challenge in making a renovation tie into its roots.”
Beau and his crew are somewhat newer members to Carpentry Australia. Since joining up, however, he’s found being part of Australia’s only trade-based organisation dedicated to chippies to be invaluable to his business.
“We love getting involved as one of the leaders associated with Carpentry Australia,” he said.
“They’ve really helped me out with a few things with managing my team and getting Beaumade out there, which has been really good.”
Having built his business from scratch, there’s plenty of lessons Beau’s learned about what makes a business thrive.
Learn from the best
One of the highlights of running his own operation is that Beau can help train his own apprentices.
“Many of them started with me when they were 18 and now they’re developing into grown men,” he added.
“It’s good to help them hone their skills, I get a bit of a kick out of that.”
This extends to retaining his tradies – creating an environment where each chippy wants to rock up to.
“I want to be building the business every year to be bigger and better,” Beau said.
“That we’re winning good work and the team’s happy and enjoying the job.”
Beau said another advantage in a healthy team is having tradies who want to grow their careers and skills instead of enjoy as many smoko breaks as they can.
“You’ve gotta hire people that want to do better and looking to further their career,” he added.
Mistakes happen
Becoming a tradie is almost impossible without making a few mistakes on the journey. Beau said it was important to use these mistakes to your advantage, whether you’re starting up your business or taking your first steps as an apprentice.
“I learned everything I know on the fly,” he said.
“I got thrown in the deep end when I was a third-year apprentice – my boss just said ‘here’s the plan. Do it’.
“I’ve made plenty of mistakes, but it’s those mistakes that you learn from. I try and provide a pretty fair workplace so the boys can have a good crack and if it doesn’t pull through, then just don’t make the same mistakes next time.
“Developing those skills – you’re gonna have to make mistakes to move forward. If you’re not making mistakes, you’re not trying hard enough.”
Firm yet forgiving
Patience is a virtue, but it’s something Beau’s had to hone as he’s climbed the ranks. He’s admitted a short fuse has gotten the better of him in the past, but tempering his frustrations has led to overall success.
“Something I had to learn was not letting out my frustration out as much as I used to,” he said.
“The building industry is a hard industry, that’s just the way it is.
“You’ve got so many people you rely on, and no doubt you can’t go through it without someone letting you down.
“It’s just about understanding what actually goes so you don’t get stressed out or worry about small things.
“Just get on with it and get the job done.”
You can find out more about Beau and Beaumade Builds at beaumadebuilds.com.au or on Instagram @beaumade.builds