Jake Robinson & Amelia Robinson

Jake Robinson and Amelia Robinson, husband and wife team running Robinson Building (small residential, 5 years, one apprentice), join Andy for a wide-ranging conversation about surviving the market downturn, social media for tradies, and the insanity of running three businesses with three kids. Jake brings 17 years of building experience including London high-end work (including Cara Delevingne's family house), while Amelia handles "everything apart from the hammer", quotes, PM, admin, across Robinson Building, The Little Rainbow Hall, and Run Easy. The social media discussion is the standout: Jake got 135K impressions on his first two LinkedIn posts after Amelia pushed him onto the platform, and the couple advocates for tradies overcoming their fear of posting.

Key Topics Discussed

• Market downturn reality. Competitive pricing, race to the bottom, shift to smaller jobs (bathrooms, kitchens) as larger projects dry up
• Social media for tradies (major theme):
• Jake got 135K impressions on his first two LinkedIn posts ("my wife forced me to join LinkedIn")
• 20% of tradies don't post at all (stat from a Master Builder event)
• Start wherever you're comfortable, photos, videos, or writing
• Use ChatGPT for writing copy with custom instructions for brand voice
• Fear of judgment is the biggest barrier; negative comments actually equal free impressions
• Three businesses, three kids. Amelia runs Robinson Building, The Little Rainbow Hall, and Run Easy simultaneously
• Work-life balance. Morning/night shift childcare arrangement; turn the phone off on weekends; "everybody calls us crazy"
• NZ reluctance to change. Compared to the farming sector which is world-renowned for innovation; "she'll be right" mentality blocks tech adoption
• CRL tunnel critique. 3.6km tunnel, 3600+ days, budget blew out from $1B to $5B (5x over)
• NZ not set up for tech innovation. Systemic barriers to adoption and innovation in construction
• Cara Delevingne story. Jake worked on the renovation of her family house during his London years
• Andy's podcast milestone. First video construction podcast in NZ (fact-checked by Attention Seekers)

Notable Quotes

"My wife forced me to join LinkedIn.", Jake Robinson, who then got 135K impressions on his first two posts.

20% of tradies don't post at all on social media., Stat from a Master Builder event.

"Everybody calls us crazy.", The Robinsons on running 3 businesses with 3 kids.

Guest Background

Jake Robinson has 17 years of building experience, including high-end residential work in London. He runs Robinson Building, a small residential firm in its 5th year, with one apprentice. Amelia Robinson manages operations, quotes, PM, and admin for Robinson Building, and simultaneously runs two other businesses: The Little Rainbow Hall and Run Easy. Together they are raising three children.