You’ve probably heard the saying, “Bigger isn’t always better.”  Well, in this week’s chat with Kenny Myers from MyCladders, we reckon he made a great case for it.

Kenny’s been in the game for a while. He started out lugging furniture, found his way into roofing and cladding, and now leads one of the most respected cladding outfits in Brisbane. His jobs have hit magazines, YouTube, and realestate.com.au, but that’s not what matters most to him.

We’ll cover some of Kenny’s great projects at a later stage. For the moment, we wanted to share this piece on finding the balance between culture and taking on too much.

What matters is doing good work. With good people. For the right reasons.

“When we had 22 guys… it was the hardest, most stressful time I’ve ever had.”

“We’re not trying to grow [MyCladders]. We tried that, and it nearly broke us.”

That’s Kenny talking about the time he tried to grow too fast. Big team, big turnover, big headaches.

So he scaled back.

Refocused on culture.

Backed his crew, and he hasn’t looked back since.

“We just said, let’s stop chasing jobs and focus on doing the ones we’ve got really well.”

Why size matters (or does it?)

Everyone gets it. There’s pressure out there. More work. More hires. More cash flow. Bigger margins? Not necessarily.

When you grow too fast without the right team, culture, or systems, things fall through the cracks. As we’re beginning to hear quite often, the builder-tradie relationship is usually the first to cop it.

“You need to deliver for the customer,” Kenny said.

“If a builder’s just trying to get it done, we’re the wrong company.”

These days, MyCladders has an informal “red flag” policy. If the job’s only about speed or price, they walk.

Here’s the thing. Your clients aren’t just buying a house. They’re building their dream. That deserves trades who care not just about the install and the payment terms but the outcome.

Relationships.

Kenny reckons strong relationships are the difference between a good build and a great one. Here’s how he makes it work,

 “We keep the same guys with the same builders so they understand each other,” he said. “It works. The builder knows what to expect from us, and we know how they work.”

Kenny’s team often gets involved before a build starts. They’ll look at the drawings, flag issues, and offer fixes, like how to transition from render to cladding or solve dodgy window flashing. Kenny’s also got jokes,

“I stopped looking at plans… because half the time, the plans don’t show how you’re actually going to finish the job.”

So instead, they talk. On site. With the builder. With the client. Real collaboration.

“One of my guys said to me, ‘I love coming to work, it’s like hanging out with my mates.’ That’s the culture,” Kenny said. “And that extends to the builders we work with.”

Worth thinking about

You might not need a massive crew or a hundred jobs on the go to build something great.

Kenny’s story is proof that keeping things tight and keeping your relationships solid can take you further than fast growth ever will.

At the end of the day, it’s not about how many square metres you’ve done. It’s about whether you’re proud of the work, the people beside you, and the way you’re showing up.

That’s part of what makes a Good Builder.

That’s the kind of building we reckon’s worth sticking with.

For more from Kenny and his crew, check out the video below or view their gallery here.

Author: Jonathan Tibbits

Starting his career as a lawyer, Jonathan transitioned into project management, compliance, and certification for companies throughout the industry supply chain in Australia and New Zealand. With international experience in green building, sustainability and stakeholder communication, he is passionate about innovation and building transparency and trust.