HVAC Startup Checklist — NSW (Technician-to-Owner Edition)

You can do the trade. The business is the part nobody trained you for.

Most trade businesses don't fall over because the owner can't do the work. They fall over because structure, licensing, insurance, pricing and workflow got patched together instead of built properly. This guide sets it up right — in the order you actually do it — before growth, hiring or a bigger job turns small gaps into expensive problems.

Written for NSW refrigeration and air conditioning techs going out on their own. No fluff. No filler. Just the setup order and the official sources to verify against.

WHAT'S INSIDE (17 pages):

• Start here — the 5 things to lock in this week

• Business structure — sole trader vs company, and when to switch

• Licensing & compliance — NSW AC/refrigeration licensing, ARCtick, supervisor pathways

• Insurance — public liability, workers comp, Home Building Compensation (HBC), and the exclusions that catch owners out

• Banking & financial setup — the three-account system so tax money is never your money

• Software, systems & suppliers — picking a stack your team will actually use

• Pricing, quoting & gross profit — including a real job costed start to finish

• Day-to-day workflow — enquiry → quote → job → compliance → invoice → paid

• 30–60 day action plan — exactly what to do, in order

• Every official NSW link — Service NSW, ARC, SafeWork, SIRA, ATO — in one place

WHO IT'S FOR: refrigeration and AC techs going out on their own, newly-licensed contractors, and small operators who know the setup is held together with tape.

WHAT IT'S NOT: it's not legal, tax or financial advice, and it's not a licence or insurance sign-off. It points you back to the official sources. Use qualified advice when it matters.

Instant PDF download. Reads on a phone, in the ute, or on the desktop. Written for NSW — swap in your own regulator if you're elsewhere.