Reviewed by Tony France, General Manager
Published 18 June 2026 · Last reviewed 11 July 2026
The first year of business ownership is rarely quiet.
There are machines to prepare, customers to serve, bookings to manage, and late nights where tomorrow’s jobs need to be ready before you can switch off.
But when the business starts moving, the effort starts to make sense.
That is the story from Diggermate Sunbury.
The Sunbury story is a good example of how the Diggermate system can help a new owner get organised quickly. The local business has the backing of the brand, website infrastructure, localised marketing support, proven systems, training, proven campaign wireframes and the wider franchise network. The owner still has to bring the organisation, follow-through and customer service locally, but they are not starting with a blank page.
From Landscaping and Fencing to Diggermate
Before joining Diggermate, Mathew had worked in landscaping and was running his own fencing business.
He saw Mick’s (Founder of Diggermate) videos online and started looking into the opportunity. With machinery experience already behind him, the model made sense.
The more he looked into it, the more exciting it became.
That is often how good business opportunities feel. At first, it is just an idea. Then the numbers, market and model start to line up.
A Strong Local Market
Sunbury has plenty of building activity, which creates strong demand for machinery hire.
The customer mix includes builders, landscapers, plumbers and DIYers. That gives the business multiple sources of enquiry rather than relying on one type of customer.
For a local hire business, that variety matters. It helps keep the phone ringing across different job types and customer needs.
The Reality of the First Year
Mathew is honest that the business can be hectic.
Running the business during the day, then coming home and preparing machines for the next day, can get busy quickly.
But there are also days where two or three machines are going out, the business is rolling, and people are starting to hear about the brand.
That is the momentum every new owner wants to feel.
After just over 12 months, the business is now fairly consistent, with a mix of bigger months and smaller months.
That first-year momentum has shown up in the numbers too. Within roughly nine months of the first recorded Sunbury booking, Diggermate Sunbury had a month of more than $20,900 in booking value across 39 bookings. For a new local operator, that is a useful sign of what can happen when a growing market, practical support and consistent local effort start working together.
Every Diggermate business is different. Some owners push hard and grow into larger multi-machine or multi-location operations. Others prefer a smaller, more flexible local business. The figures shared here are historical booking value examples, not profit, owner income, forecasts, or guaranteed results.
Why Support Matters
The main reason he joined Diggermate was support.
Marketing, admin and systems were the areas he did not want to struggle through alone. Diggermate gave him backup and structure around those parts of the business.
That support matters because technical ability alone is not enough. You can know how to operate machines and still need help with marketing, bookings, systems, admin and building a recognisable local brand.
Thinking About Starting Your Own Diggermate?
If Mathew’s first-year story has you thinking more seriously about Diggermate, the next step is to understand the model behind the momentum. You can learn more about Diggermate training and support, see how Diggermate franchise marketing support helps generate leads, or explore more Diggermate franchise owner stories before joining the next webinar.
Related Diggermate franchise resources
If you are researching whether Diggermate could be the right fit for you, these guides can help you understand the support, systems and first-year pathway behind the franchise model:
- No experience? How Diggermate training and support works
- How Diggermate franchise marketing support helps franchisees get leads
- How Diggermate’s booking system helps franchisees save time
- Can you run a Diggermate franchise as a side hustle?
- Diggermate vs starting your own mini excavator hire business
- More Diggermate franchise owner stories
- Diggermate franchise cost: fees, setup and what’s included
