#0009 Toolbox Talks - Gary Gilfillan - From £80K A Year In Boiler Sales To £80K Per Month

This is the story of Gary Gilfillan, founder of Thistle Boilers, the heating company built by a man who doesn't waste time thinking twice. Gary spent much of his younger years in the army before coming out and getting into the heating industry from scratch. It wasn't long before he went out on his own, taking the leap into self-employment before his daughter was born. But the road wasn't smooth. Gary got burned, more than once, by ad agencies who promised the world and delivered nothing. Wasted spend, wasted trust, and a growing sense that maybe this was just how it was going to be. He came close to throwing in the towel altogether. Then, in December 2025, he partnered with We Scale Trades after digging out an old email. Within only a couple of months, Gary went from doing £80K in an entire year to hitting £80K months. Not a typo. A year's revenue, now landing monthly. Gary is a serious action taker. He doesn't second guess, doesn't overthink, doesn't sit on decisions waiting for certainty that never comes. He just moves. And if his results are anything to go by, that instinct has served him well. In this episode, Gary talks candidly about his time in the army, the jump into heating, the toll of being let down by agencies who didn't deliver, the big gamble ona £15,000 branding package he could barely afford that he doesn't regret, and what actually changed when he stopped hesitating and started scaling. A raw conversation for trade and home improvement business owners who've been burned before, and are wondering if it's worth trusting someone again.