In an industry where long hours and thin margins still feel normal, Tasmanian builder and educator Kyle Zanetto is pushing a different message: builders can run calmer, more profitable businesses without losing craftsmanship.

Zanetto, founder of Zanetto Builders and co founder of builder education platform FutureBuilder, joined The Good Builder Podcast to talk openly about the moment his own business hit the wall, what he changed, and why he now shares the playbook with other builders instead of guarding it.

The conversation moves fast, but the themes are consistent: builders need business foundations earlier, clients want clearer trust signals, and technology is no longer a nice to have. It is leverage.

A builder who did not plan to become one

Zanetto says he grew up around business and hard working people, but did not set out to become a builder. He fell into the trade early, then discovered he was wired for output and urgency. He described himself as direct, high pace, and impatient with slow progress.

That pace helped him build momentum quickly, but it also created pressure. Zanetto shared that during a period where he was pushing training and work to extremes, he was on site through the day, then back on the computer late into the night. It looked disciplined from the outside, but it hid a problem builders know well: the business can be “busy” while still being unstable.

The lag that catches builders in year three

Zanetto’s most pointed industry observation is one many builders will recognise. The early years often feel fine. Jobs are flowing, the phone is ringing, and the work is getting done. Then, often around year three or four, the delayed impact of tax, cash flow gaps, poor pricing, and weak systems catches up.

He says that is exactly what happened to him. Around 2020, he hit burnout, mental health strain, and a major business crash despite working harder than ever. His takeaway is blunt: effort is not the same as control. If the numbers and systems are not right, more hours just speeds up the damage.

Why he went all in on coaching and learning

After that low point, Zanetto says he invested in three business coaches in the same month. It was a line in the sand. He describes the next several years as obsessive learning and testing, with a simple filter: if something works in a real building business, keep it. If it does not, say so and move on.

He estimates he has invested about $200,000 in professional development over roughly six years, alongside “thousands of hours” of podcasts, books, and training. That learning was not left on a shelf. He says he ran it through his own company first, then packaged what worked for other builders.

This is where FutureBuilder began to take shape, alongside co-founder Luke Davies from Davies Construction. Zanetto credits Davies as a major part of the thinking and structure behind the platform.

A plug in model for builders who are already overloaded

A key part of Zanetto’s argument is that most builders do not need more theory. They need implementation.

He says many programs expect builders to sit through long videos, then build their own spreadsheets, processes, and templates from scratch. That approach breaks down because builders are already being dragged between site problems, client questions, and admin.

FutureBuilder, as he describes it, aims to work like a plug and play operating system. He openly shares templates, estimating structures, examples, and documents that builders can apply immediately. The value, in his view, is not just education. It is speed to a working system.

One of the examples Aaron Ng raised in the interview was feedback from builders who have used Zanetto’s systems and described them as “done for you”, including estimating and back end structure that would normally take years to build.

Transparency as a sales tool, not a risk

Zanetto’s approach to customer trust centres on open book building and clear qualification.

He described how he thinks about the customer journey through a builder website. In his view, a client needs instant clarity: who you are, what you build, how you build, and whether they are suitable to work with you.

He explains that his website and enquiry process is designed to filter early. He makes it clear he does not tender against other builders, that he prices open book, and that he expects clients to have a meaningful cash or equity buffer so the project does not fall over at finance approval time. His logic is commercial: fewer leads, but higher quality leads, and fewer dead end quoting cycles.

On pricing, he described showing clients where every dollar goes instead of handing over a lump sum. In his words, clients want to trust the builder and understand the build up of costs. He says that when he walks through totals, overheads, margin targets, and cost categories, most questions disappear because the quote explains itself.

His wider point is that transparency reduces disputes later. It also positions the builder as fair and professional, not defensive or vague.

Better building for longevity, not trends

Zanetto also spoke about why he moved toward higher performance building and passive house principles. He credited early exposure through YouTube and builders sharing better practice in Australia, then tied it back to a business goal: building a legacy company that lasts 100 years.

His reasoning is practical. He says the most common issues in homes often come back to water ingress and moisture management, including failures around windows, vapour control, mould, and bathrooms. To reduce that risk, he introduced a wall and roof wrapping standard in his business around 2020 or 2021, using a Pro Clima weather resistive barrier system as the minimum standard rather than an optional upgrade.

The key is not branding. It is defect prevention and future proofing, which protects both clients and the builder’s reputation.

He estimates that 15 to 20 per cent of his homes now sit in the higher performance category, with ongoing education shaping what comes next.

Technology as leverage: from weeks to hours

If the first half of the conversation is about trust and foundations, the second half is about speed.

Zanetto describes technology as leverage, using a simple analogy: you cannot lift a car with your hands, but you can with a long arm jack. His view is that AI tools are becoming that lever in construction business.

He shared a detailed example of helping a builder friend whose filing system and estimating were messy and scattered. Zanetto says he pulled the job data together, extracted information using AI tooling, and produced a multi million dollar proposal broken into 100 categories, including labour categories and subcontractor and material categories, within the hour.

He claimed the same task manually would have taken four to five weeks.

He also explained how he is building estimating workflows that reuse data across completed jobs, jobs in progress, and previous estimates. Instead of creating a quote that is used once and binned, he is aiming for a living estimate model, versioned and improved over time.

On time savings, he claims a contract estimate that once took 100 to 150 hours can now be completed in about 10 to 12 hours of his time, and early budget estimates can drop from six to eight hours down to about 15 minutes, depending on data quality.

He also pushes voice dictation and transcription as a practical shift for builders who hate typing, calling out tools like Whisper and meeting recorders that capture notes, summaries, and actions.

Scaling without adding overhead

Zanetto’s business lens is clear: if he can lift the productivity of the off site team, he can scale on site operations without doubling management costs. That means higher revenue without the usual overhead creep, and stronger net profit outcomes.

He also notes that smaller businesses can be more agile than large corporate builders. If he decides to change a process, he can roll it out quickly, train the team, and move. In his view, speed of learning and speed of implementation are becoming competitive advantages.

Why he shares the playbook

Ng asked if Zanetto felt a responsibility to share once he figured things out. Zanetto linked it back to his 2020 crash and mental health struggles. He said he knows many builders are going through similar pressure now, and that suicide awareness needs more attention in the industry.

His message is simple: if you have learned the hard lessons, you have a duty of care to help others avoid the same cliff.

The next move: a “Jarvis” style app for builders

Zanetto also teased a major project in development with Davies and a team of developers: an app designed to centralise a builder’s operating systems and diagnose business health.

He described it like “Jarvis” from Iron Man, bringing tools together, scoring business health, and then guiding what to do next. The idea is to reduce overwhelm by telling builders where to start, based on data and a clear business framework, rather than generic advice.

He suggested it will roll out to FutureBuilder members first, then expand broader.

Advice for young builders: learn business before you start

Zanetto’s most practical advice is aimed at builders who want to go out on their own. He believes builders should invest a year in learning business fundamentals before starting, including tax, structure, ideal customer, brand positioning, lead generation, and profitability basics like overhead, work in progress, and recognising revenue.

He also makes a point that professional development should be treated as a business cost, not a personal burden. If builders think they cannot afford training, he suggests they either cut waste in spending or build it into pricing as an overhead, because the return can be many times the cost.

What makes a good builder: become the full loaf

When asked what makes a good builder, Zanetto offered a metaphor that landed: a good builder is not a single slice. It is the full loaf.

In his view, builders need more than technical ability. They need relationship skills, business control, data interpretation, marketing understanding, and the emotional intelligence to handle people and pressure.

But the first slice, he says, is health. Sleep, water, training, and personal discipline matter because stress makes builders rushed, anxious, and more likely to make bad decisions.

In short: get yourself right, then build everything else on top.

Author: TGB Editorial