Our Story
Tradewise Group was founded on a straightforward observation: trade business owners are exceptional at their trade — and chronically underserved when it comes to the business side of running a business. We set out to fix that.
The Problem We Saw
Australia's trade sector is the backbone of the built environment. Plumbers, electricians, builders, concreters — these are the people who keep homes running, hospitals functioning, and cities growing. And yet the owners of these businesses are consistently undervalued, undersupported, and overworked.
Most trade business owners start as skilled tradespeople. They're exceptional at what they do on the tools. But running a business requires a completely different skill set — one that nobody teaches you and that doesn't come with the trade licence.
The result is a generation of business owners who are asset-rich and time-poor, building significant value in their businesses while having no clear path to realising it.
Why We Exist
Tradewise Group was founded to be the business management partner that trade owners have always needed but never had access to. Not a consultant who visits once a quarter. Not a bookkeeper who files the BAS. A dedicated, embedded team that handles every business function — so the owner can do what they're actually good at.
We work with trade business owners across HR, Finance, Systems, and Marketing — the four pillars that determine whether a business can grow, scale, and eventually be sold for what it's truly worth.
Our goal is simple: to return time, clarity, and value to the people who built something real — and to help them exit on their terms when the time comes.
How We Work
We exist to serve trade business owners — not corporates, not consultants, not investors. Every decision we make is filtered through one question: does this help our clients build better businesses?
We're not interested in busy work. We measure ourselves on results — revenue growth, margin improvement, time returned to owners, and businesses successfully sold. Activity without outcome is just noise.
We'll tell you if we can't help. We'll tell you if you're not ready. We'll tell you if something isn't working. We'd rather have a hard conversation early than a bad outcome later.
We don't believe in consulting from a distance. Our team works in your business, in your systems, alongside your people. That's what makes the difference between advice and actual change.
The Team
Founder & Head of Operations
Kate founded TradeWise on one conviction: trade business owners deserve corporate-quality back-end support without the corporate price tag. With a Masters in Project Management, 15+ years of senior leadership, and a background across construction, hospitality, and operations, she has built the systems and teams behind multi-million dollar operations.
What Kate leads at TradeWise:
Every service TradeWise delivers is built on the foundations Kate designed.
Head of Finance
Jordan brings 20+ years of CFO-level experience and a tech-forward approach to trade business finance — cutting through the jargon to give owners real clarity on their numbers. Xero, payroll, BAS, job costing — handled and integrated.
What Jordan does for you:
No more guessing your numbers. Just clean financials and a partner who knows your industry.
Head of People & HR
Brooke brings 15+ years of senior HR leadership and employment law expertise — turning reactive people management into confident, structured leadership for trade business owners at every stage of growth.
What Brooke does for you:
Your crew is your business. Brooke makes sure they are set up to perform.
Head of Systems & Operations
Troy combines 14+ years of ICT and operations experience with hands-on construction and project management — the rare blend that means Troy doesn't just set up your software, Troy understands how your business actually runs.
What Troy does for you:
Your systems should work as hard as you do. Troy makes sure they do.
Head of Sales & Marketing
Alex combines 15+ years of national account management with AI-driven marketing — focused on one outcome: getting trade businesses more work, without more chaos. Sales strategy, brand positioning, pipeline automation, and follow-up — handled.
What Alex does for you:
No guesswork. No wasted budget. Just a smarter way to grow.
Head of Admin
This role is coming soon. Our Admin function will handle inbound calls, job logging, scheduling, and invoicing — so trade business owners never have to.
* Jordan Blake, Brooke Rhodes, Troy Callahan, and Alex Mercer are TradeWise AI agents — built from the combined expertise of trusted industry professionals to deliver consistent, expert-level support to every client, every day. See our Disclaimer for details.
The best way to understand what Tradewise can do for your business is a real conversation. Book a free session and meet the team.
Book a Strategy Call