From Struggling Plumber to $57K MRR w/ Tom Richards

Jun 19

Podcast 44:23 | Download | Spotify| Stitcher | iTunes

From hating life on a Sydney construction site to building a $57K/month agency from Bali, Tom Richards—founder of PlumbElec Marketing—has lived the remote founder arc. In this episode, he shares how niching into plumbing and electrical businesses helped him scale fast, why Google Maps still dominates local SEO, and how he balances agency life with lifestyle design.

You’ll hear Tom’s take on ChatGPT use cases, the best tools for founder efficiency, and whether he’s ready to scale or keep things lean and profitable. Plus, Dan breaks down what might be the most reliable location-independent income roadmap in 2025.

Links from the episode:

Connect with Tom

Daily Huddle template

The 4-Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss

Share your story/sponsor the pod

Connect with 1,000+ generous global entrepreneurs in Bangkok this October

Read Dan’s book “Before the Exit”

CHAPTERS:

Video:

00:00 Intro

02:04 - From Plumber to Agency Founder
04:00 - How Tom Built His First Client Base
04:54 - $57K MRR and the Current Team Setup
07:29 - Why Tradespeople Are the Best Clients
10:11 - Transitioning from Daily Huddles to Weekly Calls
12:23 - The Real Numbers Behind Tom’s Retainer Model
14:06 - Hormozi’s 1-1-1 Model in Real Life
20:17 - Why Google Maps is Still Gold for Local SEO
23:33 - How to Use Case Studies to Supercharge Cold OutreachSurviving the SEO Upheaval in 2025
26:05 - Should You Scale Your Agency or Stay Lean?
31:43 - The Most Reliable Remote Income Roadmap
35:54 - What Agency Life is Really Like
40:08 - Tom’s Favorite ChatGPT and AI Tools
41:45 - Bali vs Thailand: Which Is Better in 2025?

Audio:

(00:02:18) From Plumber to Agency Founder
(00:04:07) How Tom Built His First Client Base
(00:04:58) $57K MRR and the Current Team
(00:07:23) Why Tradespeople Are the Best Clients
(00:09:51) Transitioning from Daily Huddles to Weekly Calls
(00:12:14) The Real Numbers Behind Tom’s Retainer Model
(00:13:38) Hormozi’s 1-1-1 Model in Real Life
(00:18:50) Surviving the SEO Upheaval in 2025
(00:19:25) Why Google Maps is Still Gold for Local SEO
(00:23:34) How to Use Case Studies to Supercharge Cold Outreach
(00:25:59) Should You Scale Your Agency or Stay Lean?
(00:31:31) The Most Reliable Remote Income Roadmap
(00:35:31) What Agency Life is Really Like
(00:39:28) Tom’s Favorite ChatGPT and AI Tools
(00:41:04) Bali vs Thailand: Which Is Better in 2025?

Dan Andrews is the co-founder of Dynamite Circle, author of Before the Exit, host of the Tropical MBA podcast, and an entrepreneur who has successfully launched and scaled multiple 7-figure businesses.

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Past guests on TMBA include Cal Newport, David Heinemeier Hannson, Seth Godin, Ricardo Semler, Noah Kagan, Rob Walling, Jay Clouse, Einar Vollset, Sam Dogan, Gino Wickam, James Clear, Jodie Cook, Mark Webster, Steph Smith, Taylor Pearson, Justin Tan, Matt Gartland, Ayman Al-Abdullah, Lucy Bella.