Matt Mcquillan
Snapshot:
Industry / Sector: Trades / Technical
Career Type: Business Owner
Education Pathway: TAFE & Apprenticeships
Mid Coast Connection: Born & raised on the Mid Coast
The Blurb:
Matt McQuillan, founder of Mid Coast Stairs, shares his journey from a school leaver at 16 to a skilled tradesman and successful business owner. After leaving school early, Matt completed his apprenticeship with a staircase company in Port Macquarie, then deliberately moved through various joinery shops in Wauchope and the Taree region to broaden his expertise. This strategic accumulation of skills, combined with a management role, gave him the confidence to launch his own business on the side, working evenings and weekends for two years before going full-time.
He discusses the determination required to balance a growing business with the demands of a trade, and explains why he values pride in craftsmanship and the freedom of owning his own destiny. Matt also reflects on the importance of perspective, advising his younger self to view every challenge — good or bad — as an opportunity to learn and grow.
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Current Role – Owner of Mid Coast Stairs, wearing all hats from accounts and invoicing to finding work and executing the joinery and staircase installation himself.
Career Path – Left school at 16; completed three years with a staircase company in Port Macquarie; worked at a joinery shop in Wauchope to expand skills; moved to a joinery shop near Taree (management role); worked in cabinet making/kitchen fitting; started Mid Coast Stairs on the side for 18–24 months before going full-time.
Key Skills – Determination, goal-setting, versatility (handling admin, sales, and technical work), and a commitment to quality craftsmanship.
Challenges Shared – The intense workload of being a sole trader (working afternoons and weekends for two years), the hard work required to grow a business from scratch, and the ongoing need for personal and professional growth.
What He Loves – The pride of looking back at his journey from employee to business owner, the autonomy of doing everything himself, and the satisfaction of caring deeply about his work.
Advice to Younger Self – You can't change a bad outcome, but you can change how you look at it. Treat every situation, good or bad, as an opportunity to learn and grow. Don't dwell on the negative.
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"I wear all the hats that are associated with running the business... accounts and invoicing, getting the jobs out, finding the work and then also doing the work itself."
"It's been 18 months, two years of hard work and afternoons and weekends growing that on the side to get where I am today."
"Being an employee and then now being on my own gives me a lot of pride to be able to see how far I've come."
"Take a lot of pride in your work and what you are doing. Do it to the absolute best."
"Pros being there's a lot of pride in it and you can say that you did it 100% all the way. Cons, obviously there's a lot of hard work."
"You can't change a bad situation or an outcome... take every bad situation or good situation as an opportunity to learn and grow from."
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[00:00] Intro
Today we're joined by Matt McQuillan from Mid Coast Stairs. Matt will share some stories about his journey and pathway to get from his trade to starting his own business and where he is today.
[00:26] So today we've got Matt from Mid Coast Stairs joining our Human Library series. Matt, can you start off by telling us a little bit about what your professional life looks like today?
I'd say my professional life looks like a mixture of roles and responsibilities, being on my own at the moment. I wear all the hats that are associated with running the business. So accounts and invoicing, getting the jobs out, creating, finding the work, and then also doing the work itself. So yeah, probably a lot of different things all at once through every day.
[01:02] Can you tell us a little bit about your pathway and what led you to starting Mid Coast Stairs?
Well, I started my trade when I was young, 16. I left school early and did three years with a staircase company in Port Macquarie. Then after that, I left and went to another joinery shop based in Wauchope to expand my skills and knowledge in other areas of joinery. Then I moved back down this way, closer to Taree, and started with another joinery shop. That sort of led me into a bit of a management role. From then on, I left that place and started somewhere else to expand my knowledge again in cabinet making, some more kitchen sort of role. That also led me into the career path of being able to start my business on the side. So it's been 18 months to two years of hard work in afternoons and weekends growing that on the side to get where I am today.
[02:04] So you've expanded your knowledge from a trade and then started a business. Talk about the skills that you needed and the challenges that you faced.
Probably the biggest skill you could say would be having determination to get to where you want to be. Basically, having a goal and being willing to work for it.
[02:28] What do you love about your job today? Like what do you love about your professional career?
The best thing about my professional life right now would be to be able to look back to where I come from. Being an employee and then now being on my own gives me a lot of pride to be able to see how far I've come.
[02:44] How do you think your values are reflected in your business in starting your own? You mentioned pride; what are some of the values that are important to you in your professional career?
Pride would probably be the top one. Yeah, the big value of caring about what you do. Take a lot of pride in your work and what you are doing. Do it to the absolute best.
[03:08] Can you talk a little bit about the pros and cons of having your own business?
Pros: there's a lot of pride in it, and you can say that you did it 100% all the way. Cons: obviously, there's a lot of hard work and a lot of growth to be had even to get where I am now, and there's still a lot to be had from now on.
[03:30] And what's one piece of advice that you would give to your younger self back in the early days?
Probably the fact that you can't change a bad situation or an outcome. So don't dwell on it, but you can change the way you look at it. So take every bad situation or good situation as an opportunity to learn and grow from.
Please note: All content is correct at the time of recording.
