Running a plumbing business today takes more than pipes, fittings and invoices. The skills shortage is biting hard, young talent is looking elsewhere and stress levels across the industry are dangerously high.

To thrive, plumbers need a new playbook, one that tackles skills, inclusion, leadership and wellbeing head-on.

I learned this the hard way. In my first business, we scaled quickly but ignored culture, structure and wellbeing. By the time we hit AU$6 million turnover, staff were leaving, stress was sky-high and eventually the business collapsed.

Painful? Yes, but it taught me what really matters if you want to run a plumbing business that lasts.

Skills: Build your own team of skilled plumbers

Every plumbing business owner I speak to says the same thing: “I just can’t find good people anymore.”

The shortage of skilled plumbers is real, and it’s not going away. Here’s what you can do:

• Take on apprentices: Train them your way. A loyal apprentice you’ve invested in will always outperform a “job-hopper” who jumps from site to site.
• Systemise the work: From installation checklists to testing protocols, make sure anyone can step in and follow your methods. This keeps quality and compliance consistent across jobs.
• Upskill your lead plumbers: A great tradesman doesn’t automatically make a great supervisor. Train your best people in management, not just the technical side.

Think of it like a heating system; without the right pipes and controls, the whole system fails.

Inclusion: Attract the right people to your team

The plumbing trade has been slow to change. Young people, women and career changers often look elsewhere because the sector can appear unwelcoming. That’s a serious problem when you need reliable people on site.

Your move:

• Advertise like a pro: Stop relying on word of mouth. Post job ads that highlight career paths, stability and specialist training opportunities.
• Make team culture professional: Respect isn’t optional. Banter’s fine, but exclusion and harassment drive good people away.
• Promote diversity: If your team never changes, neither will your results. Plumbing firms that bring in different perspectives and talent future-proof their businesses.

The best plumbing companies don’t just attract clients; they attract people who want to work with them.

Leadership: From tradesperson to business leader

Too many plumbing business owners still lead the way they work on site: by fixing every mistake themselves and barking instructions. That only works when you’re small. Once you grow, it creates chaos.

Lead smarter:

• Set clear expectations: Don’t assume staff know what you want. Spell it out – drawings, timelines, safety standards.
• Give ownership: Let your senior plumbers make decisions without calling you for every minor detail.
• Lead by example: If you cut corners or ignore safety rules, your team will too.

You’re not just managing jobs, you’re building people who can deliver projects without you. That’s when you truly scale.

Wellbeing: Don’t burn out before the job’s done

Running a plumbing business is stressful: Long hours, demanding customers, emergency call-outs and tight deadlines. It’s no wonder many plumbers burn out, or worse.

Protect yourself and your team:

• Set boundaries: Stop answering calls at 10pm unless it’s an emergency work. Train customers on what’s acceptable.
• Use morning briefings: Ten minutes before the vans leave sets priorities and reduces mistakes.
• Normalise support: Encourage your team to talk about stress, not bottle it up. A healthy team is a productive team.

A strong plumbing business isn’t built on exhausted people; it’s built on leaders who can step back and teams that can thrive.

The plumber’s playbook in action

Think of this like a circuit:

• Skills are the pipes. Without them, nothing works.
• Inclusion is the fittings. It connects everything together.
• Leadership is the boiler. It directs and protects the flow.
• Wellbeing is the insulation. Without it, sparks fly and systems fail.

Miss any of these elements and the whole business weakens.

Action point checklist for plumbers

• Identify your biggest skills gap: Hire, train or systemise it this month.
• Check your hiring: Are you really bringing in new talent or just recycling the same faces?
• Audit your leadership: Are you empowering senior plumbers or micromanaging every detail?
• Protect wellbeing: Set one non-negotiable boundary this week for you and your team.

Plumbing work is tough, but it’s also full of opportunity. If you master this playbook, including skills, inclusion, leadership and wellbeing, you won’t just fix leaks. You’ll build a company that delivers profit, freedom and a legacy that lasts.

Written by Greg Wilkes, founder of Develop Coaching, author of Building Your Future and host of the Develop Your Construction Business podcast.