04/08/2026
Does anyone know Ash?
I’d genuinely love to catch up with him for a b**r. My shout.
I’d just like to explain to Ash how hard it is running a small business in today’s world.
You put contingencies in place. You put safety measures in place. You stay up late, get up early, work hard for your family, try to set a good example for your kids, and just keep grinding every single day. Then, out of nowhere, you get sideswiped by a one-star review from someone who has nothing to do with your business.
This morning we received this review from our first job of the day. It was a really difficult site in a cul-de-sac with very limited parking and a mountain of tree debris to process. The boys worked flat out for 3 hours.
As soon as I saw the review, I rang the crew and asked them to send me photos. Everything checked out. The amber lights were on, the cones were out, the work zone was set up professionally, and the boys were working hard.
I still wasn’t satisfied, so I drove there myself. I knocked on doors, spoke to a few neighbours, took my own photos and videos, and genuinely hoped I could find Ash and have a conversation. Unfortunately, I couldn’t.
I drove away with a heavy heart because this is one situation I genuinely don’t know how to prevent and I know it happens to others too.
We’re not perfect, and we’ll make mistakes. But whatever happened to a simple conversation? Why is the first reaction in 2026 to jump on a keyboard instead of talking to someone?
That one review doesn’t just affect me. It affects my crew, my family, and everyone who turns up every day trying to do their best. To be completely honest, I hate how much it can get into your heart, despite knowing we’ve got more than 550 five-star reviews from amazing customers.
To all the other small business owners out there, how do you deal with this? How do you stop these things from getting to you?
And Ash, if you happen to read this, I hope your day improves. The b**r offer is genuine 🍻
Setup
Setup
Before
After