TradeMutt’s Edward Ross is flipping script on tradies’ mental health
Winner of the 40 Under 40 Game Changer Award, Edward Ross is revolutionising the workwear industry while tackling mental health issues in blue-collar communities.
In 2014, Edward Ross began a mature-age carpentry apprenticeship in Brisbane. It was during this time that he met Dan Allen, the man who would later become his best mate and business partner.
The two nurtured an idea for changing up the workwear they saw all around them on the job. “It was something that we felt was a big opportunity in the blue-collar space, because no one had really done anything with workwear,” says Ed.
“It had always been pretty standard. We felt there was a way that we could bring a bit of colour, a bit of vibrancy, and a bit of a new look and feel to the workwear game.”
The trajectory of their vision was altered in late 2015 when Dan lost a close friend to suicide.
“This was the first time either of us had been affected by a tragedy this close to home,” says Ed.
“We realised just how big an issue the mental health space was within the construction blue-collar industry, and how men especially weren’t reaching out for help. So we tied the two ideas together, and launched TradeMutt in 2018.”
TradeMutt is a social enterprise company that makes colourful eye-catching workwear that aims to help start conversations about mental health and “make the invisible impossible to ignore”.
Ed and Dan recognised that while encouraging peer-to-peer conversation was one important factor improving mental health in blue-collar communities, another step was dismantling the physical and financial barriers that prevent people from seeking professional counselling.
So they also established TIACS, a professional tele-mental health counselling service designed for the blue-collar industry, which offers up to eight free sessions per client with the same counsellor over phone call or text.
Now, 50 percent of TradeMutt’s profits are donated to TIACS, helping the service deliver more than $3-million worth of mental health services for free to more than 18,000 clients since June 2020.
With two successful businesses under his belt, Ed also found time to co-found home bedding brand The Lad Collective, which he says aims to tip the bedding industry on its head and make “innovative changes to the way we make the bed.”
The 40 Under 40 Game Changer Award recognises individuals who have re-written the rules of business to challenge, inspire and spark significant change. Ed says that receiving this honour was “very humbling” and an “amazing, amazing experience.”
“I’ve just always had a fascination with business,” he shares. “I find it intriguing how people have made a living in certain businesses over the years in niche markets, or just had a different line of thinking. I’ve been fortunate enough to come across a couple of different opportunities within the business world to make a great deal of impact and make some really cool stuff that has created communities and got lots of people involved.”
In the future, Edward is focused on building and strengthening that community element. “The next evolution for TradeMutt is more of an on-site application for further education and training people to help foster that relationship between the TradeMutt shirts, the culture on job sites, and people’s willingness to reach out and get help through TIACS,” he says.
Edward would encourage people to get involved in the 40 Under 40 Awards, saying “there’s no downside.”
“If you’re lucky enough to get a spot, it’s a great way to get yourself and your business and your cause up in lights and share the message about what you’re doing and be in the circles of people who are doing other amazing things within the community. It’s kind of a no-brainer in my opinion.”
To see the full list of this year’s 40 Under 40 winners, head here.