Episode 26

full
Published on:

1st Dec 2025

Make Work Optional with Jordan Ryan

Get your free copy of The Smart Sales System.

The step-by-step sales framework built for trade business owners.

https://tradesformation.systeme.io/smartsales

In this episode of Transformation Unlocked, Adrian sits down with Jordan Ryan, from Koda Capital, to unpack how trade business owners can turn today’s profit into tomorrow’s freedom and make work optional.

If you’re building a plumbing, electrical, HVAC or other trades business and you’re asking, “How do I actually use this money so I don’t have to work forever?”... this one is for you.

Jordan breaks down wealth creation in simple language: how much you really need, why “65” is a made-up finish line, how to think about super, and what to do before and after a liquidity event when you sell your business.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

-“Work optional” vs retirement

-How much is enough?

-The “retirement smile” why your spending is higher at the start of retirement, drops, then rises again with health costs.

-Superannuation basics for business owners

-Simple tax-win mindset

-All-Weather Portfolio 101

-From accumulation to drawdown

-Self-managed super funds (SMSFs)

-The power of money conversations at home

Episode Highlights

“Stop thinking about retirement. Start thinking, When do I want work to be optional?”

How wealthy people tend to talk more about money – and why your friendship circle might be holding back your financial growth.

The danger of locking 60% of your net worth into a single asset (one property, one fund, one deal) after you sell your business.

In this episode:

00:00 Work optional vs retirement

05:10 How much is enough and finding your freedom number

16:05 Super and tax for trade business owners

23:10 All weather investing and diversification

27:00 Shifting from growing wealth to living off it

30:45 When an SMSF actually makes sense

38:15 Money conversations, concentration risk, and avoiding hype

Connect with Jordan

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordan-ryan-financial-adviser/

jordan.ryan@kodacapital.com

Website: https://kodacapital.com/

Connect with TradesFormation

https://link.me/trades_formation

https://tradesformation.com.au/


Learn to Sell. Build your systems. Lead your team.


Share this episode with another trade business owner who’s talking more about spending than building wealth and start a new kind of conversation.

Disclaimer: These insights are for education only and shouldn’t be taken as financial advice. Your situation is unique, so get proper guidance before making money-related choices.

All Episodes Previous Episode

Listen for free

Show artwork for TF Unlocked: The Tradie Business Podcast

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.