stu crompton

Nice little job with @jt_brickworkltd today getting a few bits done before we continue with the extension. Customers welcome to join the new app @hardhatway post your jobs and find trades who care. Www.hardhatway.com/get

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1 week ago | [YT] | 253

stu crompton

You walk past it every day and never look up.
Stop for two minutes on Library Street. Lift your head. What you’ll see is one of the finest Edwardian Baroque facades in the North West — red terracotta, Ionic columns, cupolas on every corner.
But here’s what’ll throw you: it wasn’t built as Wigan Town Hall. Not even close.
It was built in 1903 as the Wigan Mining and Technical College — to train the lads who kept the Lancashire coalfield running. The motto carved above the entrance? “Lux Ex Tenebris” — Light out of Darkness.
You’ll never find a more perfect motto for a mining college.
Full story on the app 👇
Get www.hardhatway.com/get
#LookUpHistory #HardHatWay #Wigan #PrideAndQuality

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1 week ago | [YT] | 192

stu crompton

Nice to get out the ground when you been stuck in the mud foe two days! Www.hardhatway.com/get

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1 week ago | [YT] | 271

stu crompton

Warrington School of Art. 1853.
A Victorian art school built to turn young workers into skilled craftsmen — founded by the Warrington Mechanics Institute when Britain was deep in the Industrial Revolution.
Luke Fildes trained here. He went on to illustrate for Charles Dickens and became a Royal Academician. The building itself is a masterclass in red brick and sandstone — baroque pediments, arched windows, leaded glass, and a VR mosaic tile at the entrance that's still there today.
This building is up for sale. Most people walk past it every day without knowing any of this.
This is a brand new feature on my new app Hard Hat Way — the only app built specifically for construction workers and tradespeople. As you lot know, I absolutely love architectural history, so I built a dedicated feature for it right inside the app. It's called #LookUpHistory and it's completely free. It's not behind a paywall, it's not a gimmick — it's just about respecting the craft and the genius of those before us who did unbelievable work that we'll never see again. I genuinely love this feature. You can create a free account, subscribe to #LookUpHistory, and every time I drop a new post you'll get a notification straight to your phone.
Available on iOS and Android.
hardhatway.com/get
#LookUpHistory #HardHatWay #Architecture #TradeHistory #Warrington #Construction #Heritage

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1 week ago | [YT] | 140

stu crompton

Android. Is. Done. ✅

Hard Hat Way is built and ready for Android users.

12 people are getting early access in the next few days. Everyone else who signs up gets priority — you’ll have it before it goes live on my socials.

Comment “ANDROID” and send your google email below, or inbox me your name and gmail if you’d rather keep it private.

The response on iOS has been unreal. We’ve built an amazing community in just a week and a half — the quality of work being posted and the way everyone’s backing each other is exactly what this app was made for. Customers are welcome to post their jobs and will get matched with quality trades already showcasing pride in their craft.

If you’re on iPhone, the link’s below — get on it.

Download now - apps.apple.com/app/hard-hat-way/id6758245195 or link in bio

Android crew, your turn. Let’s go. 🧱#tradesapp #hardhatway follow @hardhatway for updates.

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1 month ago | [YT] | 194

stu crompton

Nice repair after a car crashed into the front of a house. Yeah dont ask. Jobs a good un ❤️🧱#brickwork #construction #uk #bricklaying

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1 month ago | [YT] | 274

stu crompton

Hard Hat Way is live and I couldn't be more proud. 🧱
I built this from scratch for tradespeople — the idea came from my own experience with social media. I post my best work, I take pride in what I do, and customers come to me saying "when can you start?" not "how much?" — because they already know they'll get a good job. That's what I've set up here.
There are three account types — Trade, Customer and Business.
Tradespeople — this is your home. Post your best work and build your reputation. No fake reviews like Checkatrade or MyBuilder. Just a SiteCred score built by posting high quality work, recognised by fellow trades. The people who know best.
Customers — create an account and post the job you need doing. You'll find tradespeople who take real pride in what they do. Browse their work, see their reputation score, and when you find the right fit you get locked into a private thread to quote and manage the job through every stage.
Businesses — there's a dedicated Business account to get your products in front of the people using them every day.
Currently iOS only but Android is in the works — should be with you in the next few weeks. 🤖
It's new so it'll take time to grow but we'll get there. If you're already signed up — please take 2 minutes to leave an honest review on the App Store, it makes a massive difference for a small independent app. And if you spot any bugs or have features you'd like to see, send a screenshot through the Site Office feature on the Tools page — we read every single one.
From me and KC — thank you. 🙏💪
📲 Download now: apps.apple.com/app/hard-hat-way/id6758245195
🌐 www.hardhatway.com

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1 month ago | [YT] | 301

stu crompton

I’m not going to sit here and pretend everything’s been brilliant because it hasn’t.
The truth is the last couple of years have been an absolute struggle. I’ve been carrying debt from mistakes and projects that haven’t worked out, even the trowels have been struggling to make it. I’ve tried so many things hoping for a break and nothing seemed to stick. When you’re already in the hole and then you throw yourself another £20,000 deeper into it trying to build something, things can get dark real fast.
Especially since my little girl was born. You want to provide, you want to do right by your family, and instead you’re lying awake at night wondering if any of it’s going to work.
That AI video I made for the launch — me running through a building site with walls crumbling and collapsing around me — that wasn’t just a cool video for the app. That was a reflection of what the last couple of years have actually felt like. Everything falling apart around you, chaos everywhere, and you’re just running, trying to hold it all together with a laptop under your arm hoping you can build something that gets you out of it. The only way I could see myself getting out of this mess was to create this app. So that’s exactly what I did.
114 days straight. 16 hour days. Teaching myself to code from scratch. A bricklayer with 22 years on the tools sat there building an app line by line because I had no other choice.
HardHatWay is now live and approaching 1,000 downloads. I’m overwhelmed by the response.
I built this because I know what it’s like out there for tradespeople. Platforms like Checkatrade are just lead generation farms where you can buy fake reviews and tradespeople end up in a race to the bottom bartering over every job. That’s not how it should work. Your reputation should mean something. As a bricklayer I know how valuable that is and I know how much customers value it too.
I wanted to put tradespeople first. Built from the inside by one of our own. Everything you need is completely free — find local work, generate quotes, manage your jobs, connect with your industry and much more. No gimmicks, no bartering, no fake reviews. Just real tradespeople building real reputations.
I know people get the wrong impression on social media. Everyone’s always posting positivity and success and we all know most of it’s a load of bollocks. People see through it nowadays and I won’t insult your intelligence by pretending it’s all been a success story. This is what it actually looks like behind the facade of a real working person trying his best.
I’m so thankful to my close family who’ve kept me going, especially my little girl. Without them, without her, I might’ve given up a long time ago. And my dad who’s been there through every single bit of it.
Thank you to everyone who’s supported me through everything I’ve tried and failed at. You’ve been along for the truth of it and that means more than you know.
All I can do is keep working my way out of the mess I created. And I will.
If you’re in the trades, give it a download. It’s free and it’s built for you.​​​​​​​​​​​

Download now - apps.apple.com/app/hard-hat-way/id6758245195

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1 month ago (edited) | [YT] | 479

stu crompton

In 2019 I had a dream to build something for the trades. However, I was quoted a number that stopped me in my tracks. I walked away and thought that dream was dead.
I spent the next few years doing what I know best. Laying brick. Building an audience, launching some of my own bricklaying products to the market. Then in December 2024 my daughter arrived and gave me a reason I'd never had before.
I built this on a couch in my small terraced house. She played on the floor in front of me every single day while I figured it out. My dad KC watched on with pride and still can't get his head around how I did it. Nobody in my family can, and I stopped to think how I managed to do this myself, but when you become a father that reason is enough to understand why.
No team. No office. Just a vision and a reason — to help my family, become all i can and the people in my industry.
Today I get to tick something off a list I've been carrying for years.
HardHatWay is live. The first ever social platform built for tradespeople. Post your best work, Find local jobs, earn and protect your reputation, connect with your industry and customers who are looking for qualty tradespeople.
Download it now on the App Store. apps.apple.com/app/hard-hat-way/id6758245195
Get in early and secure your username before someone else takes it.
This one's for the trades.
Stu

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1 month ago | [YT] | 315

stu crompton

Five minutes until launch

1 month ago | [YT] | 64