About Us

The business was established in 2017, and I guess there were a few stories about how it all began. My name is Matt, and this is how we started Too Hot To Handle.

It all started when a mate’s mum said she couldn’t get anyone to install a roof on her bungalow for a reasonable price. She had received quotes for around $17,000. So Ned, my future business partner and I decided we could take on the project and complete it for a reasonable price. We organised the materials and completed the job that day for around $2,200. Our mate’s mum was wrapped and gave us some money for beers at the local pub.

After a few beers, we decided to start something ourselves. There were a lot of negative stories out there about tradies, excessive prices and the poor quality of work and we felt we could be better. So, we decided to quit our jobs on Monday. Ned called me after lunch on Monday and told me he had quit his job. I had forgotten about the conversation from the night before, but I thought to myself, “This is really happening”, so I went to tell my boss I was leaving.

Growing up in Geelong, we knew a lot of people. So, we started letting them know we had started a new Heating and Cooling business. Geelong being such a small place, we started getting more and more work just from word-of-mouth. After 4 months of working from the boot of a VS Commodore and a trailer, we decided it was time to hire our first apprentice. 

Our apprentice’s name was Clayton. Ned and I knew what it was like to be an apprentice, and how poorly we were treated back in the day. So we made a promise to each other to be better than that, and to create a culture we could be proud of. Everyone in the team, regardless of their experience, is treated with respect and embraced by our friendly culture. We believe a supportive team creates a great learning environment for our apprentices. And because of that, Clayton is still with us today as a fully qualified plumber.

With strong referrals and an increase in business, we bought our first van.

Geoffrey was our ex-boss and put both Ned and I through our apprenticeship. He decided he wanted to come and work for us, I wasn’t even sure we had enough work to cover an extra worker. But we worked it all out and Geoff got the van, and the apprentice. Both Ned and I went back to working from the commodore.

The next 3-4 years were all word-of-mouth jobs and we grew more, and more each year. Our business is based on integrity and has always been about honesty and quality of work. Each new team member was another mate to the fold, who contributed to the happy, and easy-going company culture.

COVID-19 was a challenging time for everyone, with the enforcement of rules and restrictions making it impossible for trades to keep working. With many workers in the industry being made redundant, some of our staff who were concerned about their jobs approached me. I simply said, “No one is losing their job! I’d rather lose my house than put anyone off”. During this time, I re-mortgaged my house and we kept all the guys working the best we could. We didn’t lose one member of the team during this time. 

When Covid restrictions eased, the building industry took off. People were working from home and needed tradesmen. Too Hot To Handle was the only company with the capacity to complete the work, as we hadn’t laid off any staff.

Today we have 22 full-time staff working for Too Hot To Handle including, plumbers, mechanical plumbers, refrigeration mechanics, electricians, plasterers, bricklayers and painters. We are now the highest-rated company on Google in Geelong, completing approximately 50 installs per week.  

7 years later we still haven’t received one resignation. We owe all the positive reviews, and our company reputation, to each one of our team members. Every member takes so much pride in what they do, and it shows in their work every day.