Episode 17

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Published on:

27th May 2025

From Grind to Great with Will | Proximity Plumbing

FROM GRIND TO GREAT - PROXIMITY PLUMBING

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What does it really take to go from one-man van to a 20-plumber powerhouse that owns its local market.

Adrian Fadini sits down with Will Demirdonder from Proximity Plumbing to dive into it.

Will breaks down how he grew Proximity Plumbing in Sydney’s eastern suburbs using obsessive execution, daily discipline, and a tight local branding strategy. He opens up about the early days juggling high-rise work with private jobs, how his partner Emily became the engine behind operations and marketing, and how coaching helped him shift from technician to business owner. This is a raw look at what it takes to build a serious plumbing business, not just a busy job.

When you combine focus, discipline, and smart branding, you stop chasing work and start becoming the go-to choice in your market.

What You’ll Learn

  • How obsessive execution and daily routines compound into serious growth
  • Why being unemployable can be an asset when you build your own plumbing business
  • How Proximity Plumbing used tight local branding to dominate a specific area
  • The crucial role Emily plays in operations, marketing, and keeping standards high
  • Simple gratitude and goal-setting habits that keep the whole team locked in
  • How coaching and training fast-track the shift from technician to true business owner
  • Smart ways to choose and serve the right customer segments

In this episode:

00:00 From one-man van to 20-plumber team

05:10 High-rise work, private jobs, and the birth of Proximity Plumbing

12:30 Obsessive execution, routines, and being unemployable

19:45 Emily’s role in operations, marketing, and brand consistency

27:20 Daily training, gratitude, and goal-setting with the team

34:40 Coaching, mindset, and shifting from technician to business owner

42:15 Choosing the right customers and dominating a local market


Follow TradesFormation

https://link.me/trades_formation

https://tradesformation.com.au/


Connect with Will Demirdonder

Website: https://proximityplumbing.com.au/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/proximityplumbing/

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About the Podcast

TF Unlocked: The Tradie Business Podcast
Sell. Scale. Systemise - The no BS podcast for Home Service Tradies
TradesFormation Unlocked with Adrian Fadini - the tradie business podcast for Plumbing, Electrical, HVAC, and home service business owners who want to grow with confidence.

This is your wake-up call. Your line in the sand. The moment you stop grinding through jobs and start building the business you know you’re capable of.

If you’re in the home service trades - Plumbing, Electrical, HVAC, and beyond this podcast cuts straight to what actually shifts your results: selling with confidence, leading with clarity, tightening your systems, and creating growth you can sustain.

Every episode gives you real stories, practical tools, and the kind of insights that get you out of your head and into action.

It’s time to step up.
It’s time to take control.
And it’s time to build a business that works without burning yourself out.

About your host

Profile picture for Adrian Fadini

Adrian Fadini

Adrian Fadini built Plumber To The Rescue from the ground up and turned it into one of Sydney’s most respected service trade businesses. He knows what it takes to build something that lasts—because he’s lived it.

After selling the business to his biggest competitor in 2012, he stayed on for two years, securing major commercial accounts—strata firms, pub groups, and businesses needing ongoing plumbing and electrical services.

Through it all, Adrian learned the power of training—not as a nice-to-have, but as a non-negotiable. It’s how he levelled up his team, created consistency, and built a business that could grow without him in the driver’s seat.

For over a decade, Adrian’s been coaching tradies across the service trades—plumbing, electrical, HVAC—you name it. He’s worked with clients at every stage, from solo operators trying to get off the tools to multi-million dollar businesses chasing serious scale.

Now, he brings all that experience to the table—real-world strategies, proven systems, and a genuine drive to help other tradies sell better, scale stronger, and systemize for long-term success.