Built on a market garden. Tested on the biggest sites in the country.
I did not grow up with a plan handed to me. I grew up watching people build something out of nothing, and I have spent thirty years doing the same thing, on construction sites, in boardrooms, and on stage.
The market garden taught me more than any classroom did
I grew up on a two and a quarter acre market garden in Spearwood, Western Australia, the eldest grandchild of Croatian immigrants who arrived in this country with a suitcase, a work ethic most people will never understand, and an unshakeable belief that sacrifice today builds a better life for the people who come after you.
Those values were not taught to me in a classroom. They were lived, every single day, in the people around me. I learned what real work looked like before I was old enough to understand what work meant. I learned that community is built by showing up for people without being asked.
I also started guitar lessons at six. Quit at eleven. Came back at fourteen when my cousin and I formed a band, and from there I played weekly across the Perth pub and club scene, performed overseas and recorded original music. Standing in front of a crowd with an instrument in your hands teaches you a presence that stays with you long after the band breaks up. I have drawn on it every time I have stood in front of an audience as a speaker since.
At university I chose dual degrees in Civil Engineering and Commerce at UWA, deliberately. I could see that the person I wanted to become needed both the technical credibility and the commercial fluency to lead at the highest level. Most of my peers picked one. I did both.
The path from site engineer to founder
Not a straight line. A build, tested repeatedly, and still standing.
Meeting Angeline
Met my wife Angeline at a nightclub in Fremantle on Christmas Eve. She has been the constant behind every business risk, every hard season and every success that followed.
Cyclone Vance
At 25 years old, made the call as a young engineer to evacuate a remote construction crew from Exmouth ahead of Severe Tropical Cyclone Vance, a Category 5 system. Zero casualties.
London
Relocated to London at 28, secured employment within a week, and was handed a Project Manager role within weeks of arriving.
Twenty years on the ground
Worked from site engineer to general manager across gas plants, iron ore mines, air force bases and major bridges, including the Perth to Mandurah rail network, a major North West Shelf gas plant package, and the Matagarup Bridge, delivered three weeks ahead of a government-mandated deadline. Became the person serious operators called when things had already gone wrong.
Walking away
At 41, with a wife, three children and no real plan, I walked away from a senior corporate career to build something of my own, backing myself on conviction alone.
Building JDN
Co-founded JDN Contracting and Electrical Services with my brother Daniel and business partner Nik. Navigated voluntary administration and seven-figure losses from clients who went under, and grew the business to eight-figure revenue in under five years without walking away.
Stop Screwing Your Business
Wrote and published my Amazon bestselling book in twelve months, while running multiple businesses and raising three children.
Prizstine, PAVE, and what's next
Co-founded Prizstine Consulting and built the PAVE Framework, spoken internationally on leadership and business performance, and now split my time between advisory clients, investment opportunities, and the stage.
Three things I hold to, regardless of who is in the room
Structure beats effort
Most business owners do not have a motivation problem. They have a structure problem. Working harder inside a broken system just delays the breakdown.
Responsibility is the price of success
Your capacity to accept responsibility for your own outcomes is the measure of how much success will ever come to you. There is no version of this that skips that step.
Composure is a practiced skill
Genuine leadership is not about having all the answers. It is about maintaining clarity when the people around you have lost theirs. That is trained, not inherited.
Credentials and standing
Qualifications & Memberships
- Bachelor of Civil Engineering, University of Western Australia
- Bachelor of Commerce, University of Western Australia
- Member, Australian Institute of Company Directors
- Member, Institute of Advisors
- Member, Engineers Australia
Roles & Ventures
- Co-Founder, Prizstine Consulting
- Creator, PAVE Framework
- Co-Founder, JDN Contracting and Electrical Services
- Author, Stop Screwing Your Business (Amazon Bestseller)
- Certified Coach and Mentor, Aaron Sansoni coaching ecosystem