G’day Legends
Well you wont believe it but 2 busted ass Tradies celebrated their 5th anniversary in business recently surrounded by their amazing team of staff, community and customers. TradeMutt turned 5 and we can’t believe we have made it this far. Sadly 60% of Aussie businesses fail in the first 3 years so we are fortunate to have such incredible support from legends like yourself. Enjoy the latest edition of the TradeMutt Yarn and have an epic day!
Dan, Ed and the TradeMutt Team
Five Years of TradeMutt
By Ed Ross
March marks TradeMutt’s fifth birthday. On this day 5 years ago Myself and Dan were contacted by Channel 7 news asking us to tell our story on the 6pm news. That moment created a chain of events that in our wildest dreams we would not have imagined. Rather than write a big thankyou to you all I thought I would share an internal email that I wrote for the TradeMutt and TIACS teams last week….
Hey team,
It blew my mind yesterday when I went onto the TIACS website and noticed that we have ticked over 16,000 individuals supported. It really had me reflecting yesterday on where this all started and the reason we do what we do at TIACS.
When Dan and I came up with the original idea, TradeMutt. It was not something that came about through some master plan or strategic thinking. Rather a simple lightbulb moment that happened when we realised that we could use workwear that looked different to possibly start conversations about mental health. At worst it would be deemed as a shit shirt idea to have some fun on site and bring a few laughs and good banter.
Once we finally got our idea to market and had the shirts out and about we knew we wanted and also had to, ensure we were funneling profits we made into creating the social change that was needed. Tradies, improving their mental health. Ironically everything that was in market didn’t appeal to either Dan and I and we felt we could do a better job in creating something that Trades people could relate with. We didn’t want to fear monger, we didn’t want to ram anything down people’s throats and we didn’t want to make just another annual activation. We just wanted to create a relatable service that created real change.
Anthony Bourdain took his life on my birthday in 2018. The 8th of June...
He was someone that from the outside, had so much to live for. A prominent mental health charity posted a picture and a message about the tragedy and how mental health did not discriminate. One of our founding Directors Russell O’Hara saw the post and had a scroll through the comments section. In there he noticed a comment that stood out. A young bloke called Cam had commented the following ‘This is where I am headed’ A call for help!
Russell immediately reached out to him and asked if he could help with anything. Cam went on to tell him that he had recently gone through a relationship breakdown, had lost his job and was not in a good way at all. Russell continued to talk with him and went on to ask if he had reached out to anyone for help? Cam said he had messaged the mental health charity directly that had posted about Anthony, saying he needed help. His response. NOTHING…..
With that Russell wanted to make sure there hadn’t been a miscommunication or a mistake so he too reached out to them and simply asked ‘Hey guys, I have a mate that is doing it tough how can I help him?’ His response. NOTHING….
When Russell told Dan and I this story, we both threw our hands up in the air. ‘This is what is fucking wrong with this entire space, everyone is telling everyone there is a mental health crisis but no one is actually taking any action! It’s all just AWARENESS!!!’
We reached out to Cam directly and through the help of Bretts Timber and Hardware were able to get him into a few free counseling sessions with a clinician via video call in Victoria. A seed had been sown….
‘Why don’t we just hire some mental health professionals and allow people to call them for free?” We said to each other. Seems too simple, can it be done?
Then after a couple years of hard work TIACS was born, our first call was taken in 2020. The date? My Birthday, the 8th of June…..
A young man rang us on that day from a scaffold in Brisbane CBD. He was having an anxiety attack, his work had become overbearing and his relationship with his wife was fractured. He was our first official client. He got our number from a bloke wearing a TradeMutt shirt that had passed on the TIACS details. There, it had become the mental health counseling service that you tell your mates about….
To think that now over 16K people have been through the TIACS service is mind boggling. For context we could fill almost one whole side of suncorp stadium, running end to end…..
Thank you for being on this journey with us. We are creating real change here at TIACS, we are changing lives, saving lives and creating a better life for thousands of people.
Now let’s fill Suncorp Stadium!
Warehouse move
By Ed Ross
We just made a really big change here at TradeMutt. Since 2020 we have been making additional social change through our 3rd Party Logistics partner SendAble. With that commitment we have been able to create over 30k hours of disability employment. An incredible achievement and one that we are immensely proud of! However since 2020 our business has transformed tremendously. Our offering has expanded to wholesale, B2B, Custom and even embroidery. With that change we have had to make to move back to warehousing and managing our own stock at our new wiz bang warehouse and office space. The team put in over 3 months of onboarding with our warehouse management system and have decked out a brand spanking warehouse to now house and dispatch all your favorite TradeMutt products.
Our ex Customer Success team member Chon has stepped up into the Warehouse Managment role and is ironing out al the creases to insure that the customer experience for all TradeMutt supporters is a seamless and enjoyable one. We are committed to ensuring you, the customer are our top priority and that you get the best customer service available.
As we continue to grow we will continue to innovate and ensure that our dispatch capabilities grow with it. We are continually looking for ways to improve speed of dispatch and transparency around order status. Also we are driven to ensure correct stock quantities are represented on our website so that what you order is delivered without delay. That is something that we have wanted to improve for some time.
Also we are often looking for casual warehouse staff to help during peek periods. If you are keen to fling some TradeMutt kit from the warehouse and earn some side coin, please reach out to us at hello@trademutt.com with your details!
Flying Funky shirt Friday @ Five hundred feet!
Adams is a helicopter pilot in Brisbane and in Sydney last week talking to some aircraft engineers about the importance of mental health. I was only in the hangar for 5mins when someone asked “so tell me about the shirt”.
Being able to recognise the signs that someone needs help and knowing who they can call for help is something Adam wishes he knew on 9th of March, 2014 when one of his team members took her own life at home.
“I remember it like it was yesterday. I didn’t see it coming. When I look back, I didn’t make the connections to any of the issues that were totally out of character. Had there been more awareness of what I could have done, I still think there was a chance I could have intervened and maybe got them help.
“I wanted to do something positive so after being a Military Police dog handler for many years, before moving into Safety, I decided to be a puppy raiser and trainer with Empower Assistance Dogs”.
As you all know, Chippie is s TIACS’ therapy dog. Adam raises and trains Chippies Brother, Choppa. Can you guess how he got his name?
“After work, I met up with a mate from Iconic Helicopters and figured a pic at Five hundred feet over the Sydney Harbour Bridge would be good for Funky shirt Friday”.
From a safety perspective, the shirts stand out whether in the hangar, the office or on the flight line. Not only do they get the conversation started, but they’re also a reminder as to why being aware and proactive is important as we try to manage and enhance psychological safety and well-being.
If anyone’s in Sydney and wants a harbour flight, contact stephan@iconichelicopters.com.au from Iconic Helicopter Company. Check out their Instagram: instagram.com/theiconichelicoptercompany
And anyone in Brisbane and after a jolly in a Bell 47, contact adam@bell47australia.com and check out the Instagram: instagram.com/bell47_ptyltd
Regards,
Adam Bernhardt
Tax time? Trademutt time.
Let’s face it, it’s been another tough year of saving where you can, scrimping on life’s small pleasures, and squeezing the last bit of toothpaste out of the tube.
While it’s traditionally kind of nice to get a letter in the mail, we could probably do with fewer letters from the bank, letting us know about the latest rate rise, like it’s the Fast & Furious franchise releasing another unfortunate sequel (no shade to Vin diesel, that man is a treasure.) So what to do? It’s heading towards that time of the year when we all thank the government for the year that was, by signing a healthy tax bill.
Well, Mutters, we’ve got some breaking news: It’s more fun to buy Funky Workwear than it is to pay tax…
That’s right, we’re encouraging TradeMutt fans to slice off a sliver of the EOFY tax bill, to dedicate towards Social Enterprise workwear, accessories and more.
Now, we’re hardly an accountancy firm, but it occurs that a business owner kitting the team out for Funky Shirt Fridays with TradeMutt’s Highly visible workwear, complete with an embroidered company logo, sounds like the exact sort of last-minute tax write-off that our forebears had in mind when they wrote that Iconic & moving piece of Australian literature, “the Income Tax Assessment Act 1936”. Puts a lump in the throat, it does.
So, crunch your numbers, shout your finance bloke a beer, and get your TradeMutt orders in before the end of the financial year - We’ll get your team looking bright & bold, quicker than you can say “This is not Financial advice, dear god, TradeMutt is not an AFS licensee, please don’t sue us for trying to be funny”
TIACS: A service you tell your mates about
“Counselling has broken the deadlock with partner, I have learned how to talk about difficult topics with my girlfriend in calm manner; relationship has greatly improved”
“Thanks a lot. I know it might not have seemed like I was very onboard for these sessions but they’ve helped so much. They have taught me how to communicate what is going on for me, which I find hard to do because I often can’t explain it to myself let alone anyone else. I really appreciate it.”
“I was so looking forward to speaking with you, our time on the phone has shown me the importance of speaking to a counsellor and how important this is for my mental health.”
“It has been really productive for me to call you and chat with you today about all the changes with my wife and my son. It has been so tough; I have felt so alone, and I am so glad that I decided to call you guys today to have a yarn about everything that’s been happening for me.”
“I am glad you guys exist. I thought I would test it out myself before referring my co-worker, I will refer him, thank you for all you do”
“Every other service has told me I am too complex with my trauma background and tried to refer me elsewhere. You are the first person to actually listen and understand and advocate for me. Thank you for what you guys do, I am telling all my friends about TIACS now.”
Need a Yarn? TIACS is a free mental health support service staffed by qualified mental health clinicians. Go to TIACS.org or contact TIACS via text or call on 0488 846 988.
Mon-Fri 8am-10pm AEST
Meet the Team: Shannen
Can you tell us about your role at Trademutt and how you contribute to the team?
For over a decade, I’ve been secretly funnelling money to the Gutierrez cartel, for the procurement of guns, drugs, & rare pokemon cards.
I’m just joking of course, that was my last job. As TradeMutt’s BDM, I connect with companies across Australia, to help them get on board with Funky Shirt Fridays, including Custom workwear patterns!
What unique challenges and opportunities does working with TradeMutt provide?
We’re a Social Enterprise, meaning we’re a purpose driven business – Not only do we donate 50% of our profit, we’re also driven to create meaningful value for our community in the course of doing business.
What is your favourite thing about working with the team at Trademutt, and how would you describe the company culture?
The Company Culture is what I used to call the yoghurt at the back of the office fridge, but now that we’re in a new office, I’d say the Company Culture is one of mutual support, Authenticity, and having a good solid crack at what you do. The best part of my job is waking up on a daily basis, excited to work.
What is your favourite print, and why do you enjoy it?
Hah, my favourite print hasn’t been released yet, so watch this space!
What are some of your favourite activities or hobbies that you enjoy outside of work?
I’m a dad, so that’s like asking me what my favourite superpower is… basically it’s non-existent!
If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why?
Ok, forget what I said above – The ability to fly, mostly just to cut traffic out of my life.
