Founder interview: Josh Mollison on building Living Building Solutions, winning certifiers before a code change and walking away from private equity.
Founder interview · Deals & Reveals, Episode 2. Read the full interview →
Josh Mollison is managing director of Living Building Solutions (LBS), an Adelaide sustainability consultancy for the building sector that he co-founded in 2017 with two former colleagues. LBS now has about 30 staff, an office in Victoria and, by Josh's estimate, around 70% of South Australia's residential energy compliance market.
Its breakout came from a building code change. Josh spent six months off billable work developing LBS's approach, then took the new report to building certifiers and asked them to tear it apart. When the code took effect, certifiers sent builders to LBS, and revenue grew more than 170% that year.
About two years ago LBS was approached by private equity firms and a multinational, and spent six to nine months in due diligence with one before the directors walked away. Josh's reason was people: how he believed his team would be treated. The interview covers that decision, how three very different co-founders work through conflict, and why Josh runs the business on repeat clients and pipeline rather than staff KPIs.
When the rules change, the people who approve the work decide who wins. LBS built its new report with certifiers before the code landed, and the referrals followed.
Knowing roughly what your biggest clients will send in a year makes cash flow predictable and gives you the confidence to hire ahead of demand.
How a buyer's team behaves in due diligence is a preview of how it will treat your staff. A process you walk away from can still teach you what your business is worth.
Read the full interview: 32 chapters, 64 lessons →
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