Meet Luke Said – Double Diploma in Building and Management

Luke Said is a homeowner, business owner, tradie. Three months ago he moved into the house he built himself. As the owner of Impact Build and a fully qualified builder, Luke has the freedom to work on the kind of jobs he wants. Currently, he has three apprentices working on site with him. Together they can put up a house in a week and a half, quicker if it’s prefab.

“It’s easy on days like today when it’s good weather,” Luke says.

It’s a sunny winter’s day and we visited Luke to talk with him about being a leader, growing a business and improving opportunities with a qualification through BAA. Here’s what Luke said.

What Luke Said Has to Say

One of the most important things for Luke is growing his business, Impact Build. For Luke, this meant doing his Double Diploma in Building and Management with BAA and going on to become a fully qualified builder.

“It’s good knowing I can build, basically, whatever I want now – within my insurance of course.”

“I didn’t want to be governed by only a certain amount of things I can do. I was sick of having to put off work, turn down jobs.”

Luke had been thinking about a qualification for a while. When a mate of his, Brian Cole, told him that BAA was offering night classes, he decided that it was time to stop putting things off.

“I thought it’d be the perfect opportunity to go out and do it without impacting work during the day. If I was working during the day that I’d have to give up, then I probably never would have done it.”

Luke was also able to fast track some things from the Certificate IV in Building and Construction (Building) by opting for the Double Diploma instead.

“If you did the Dual Diploma, you didn’t have to do some aspects of the builder’s course. I skipped a multiple-choice test and preliminary interview.”

“That takes a lot of stress out of it because going to the Victorian Building Authority (VBA) to sit exams is pretty stressful in itself.”

The ability to fit in around work was essential for Luke. After all, when the aim of the qualification was to help him build his business, it doesn’t make sense to put his business on the backburner. Luke says that the teachers were very helpful in making sure that studies didn’t impact his work.

“Kaan was awesome. He was great to deal with, everyone got along with him. It was really easy to ask questions, even after hours I’d call and he’d have no issue responding.”

As an owner who is training three apprentices of his own, and of course as a former apprentice, Luke really valued being able to improve on his management skills in a place where the leaders actually walked the walk.

Nature Vs Nurture: What Makes a Good Leader?

Luke’s always been a hard worker. This helped him get his start as a carpenter.

“I’d just finished school and I had a mate who worked for a guy, Rick Eagan, who was looking for another apprentice. He liked my work ethic. I ended up doing my apprenticeship with him.”

This kind of roll-up-your-sleeves attitude is important for anyone looking to do a trade, and it is absolutely essential for someone who’s starting their own business. However, when it comes to leading other people, managers need to work smarter, not harder.

This means, being able to delegate tasks, and trust that your workers have the tools, skills and support to get the job done properly, particularly when it comes to apprentices.

“When I first put on apprentices, I probably had a bit of a poor approach, where I would just tell them how to do things, I wouldn’t really show them. Whereas now, I show them and find that they’re really able to take the information a lot easier and quicker.”

The Double Diploma, more so than other courses, has a real focus on improving management skills. This has really improved the way Luke manages workers, allowing Impact Build to finish jobs quicker.

“Now, I’ve even got a first-year apprentice who can be on a frame by himself and I pretty much don’t have to tell him what to do, because he’s done so many of them and he’s been taught correctly.”

“You do a lot of project management. It’s not just about looking after yourself, it’s about looking after your employees.”

“It was good to skip go straight into the management side of things. Working for myself, and having worked for myself for about seven or eight years, and that’s such a big part of the value it adds for me.”

His advice to other business owners is to get the right qualifications and learn the right knowledge as soon as possible.

“Try and get it done as soon as you can. Be able to take on bigger jobs, be able to do our own houses, renovations, extensions, under your own name.”

New regulations coming in in Victoria next September have made Luke grateful that he’s already finished with the course, so now he can focus on work.

“In September next year, you’re not even going to be able to a builder without a limited license, so at some point you’re going to have to get it.”

“I’d say get in before the rush happens.”

Looking to take the next step in your career in building and construction with a certificate or diploma? Contact our team at 1300 LEGEND (1300 534 363) or request a callback and we will get back to you with all the information you need.