About the Author: Ashley Thomson
Professional Journey
Ashley started in business improvement in 1998, working for an Australian consulting company. He honed his skills by optimising corporate giants like Coles Group, Myer, ANZ Bank, Telstra, and Zurich Insurance. This hands-on experience gave him practical insights into the workings of great businesses and the pitfalls of poor performers.
Accolades and Awards
Ashley’s exceptional coaching prowess has earned him a place in the prestigious Coaching Hall of Fame (2019). Additionally, his achievements have been acknowledged through multiple awards, solidifying his reputation as a world-class business coach. He leads a team of award-winning business coaches at Tenfold, setting the gold standard in the industry.
Expertise Across Industries
With diverse experience spanning FMCG, manufacturing, wholesale, distribution, construction, trades, retail, and professional services, Ashley has successfully coached businesses across various sectors. His expertise lies in coaching mature businesses with revenues ranging from $5M to $50M, guiding them through complex financial structures, marketing strategies, operational improvements, and leadership development.
Innovative Problem Solver
Ashley’s background as a convergence task force manager and project manager at leading organisations like Show Ads and NewsCorp – PMP Print equipped him with the skills to streamline complex business functions. His ability to sift through data, identify key business drivers, and provide agile financial models enables businesses to thrive in competitive markets.
Published Author and Global Authority
Ashley’s influence extends far beyond his coaching practice. He co-authored “The Quiet Sales Genius,” a definitive guide to effective sales strategies. He has been featured in prominent publications, podcasts, and conferences, cementing his status as a thought leader in the coaching community.
Ashley’s influence reaches across the globe, with features and accolades from esteemed platforms such as:
Tenfold Client Briefing: Petrol Prices, Recession Prediction and Actions to Take Now
Many Tenfold client businesses and other SMEs are already feeling the impact of the situation in Iran, mostly through rising petrol costs. This is being driven by ongoing disruption to global oil supply, and high fuel prices are now impacting the cost base of businesses.In this briefing I’ll provide context and explanations but the key points to understand are:High fuel prices are not temporary – petrol prices will stay highYou need to plan now to protect your margins without damaging relationships - work with your coachBusinesses that plan and are prepared for the possibility of recession are best-positioned to get ...
Rising Fuel Costs: How to Tighten Operations in Your Trades Business to Protect Margins
In the third part of our action plan for managing rising fuel costs, I'm turning the focus on internal operations with practical advice for how to handle price rises to protect your margins. As a business coach for trades, I know that every function of operations is under pressure right now. And the Australian Institute of Petroleum’s weekly petrol and diesel reports, and the broader inflation context reflected by the ABS explanation of fuel in the CPI all point to the same commercial reality: fuel prices are likely to stay high for a while. Businesses that rely on vehicles, site ...
Rising Fuel Costs: How to Manage Supplier Price Increases AND Good Relationships in Your Trades Business
In the second part of our action plan for managing rising fuel costs, I'm going to give practical advice for how to tackle price rises from your suppliers. The war in the Middle East is creating surge pricing at the bowsers but escalating fuel costs are affecting more than your own vehicles. They are also shaping how suppliers deliver, price, batch orders, recover freight, and respond to urgent requests. The ACCC’s current monitoring of fuel prices and the Australian Institute of Petroleum’s weekly reports make it clear that fuel prices AND availability remains volatile. For a trades business, that means ...
Rising Fuel Costs: How to Protect Margins Without Damaging Client Relationships in Your Trades Business
As of March 2026, Australian trades businesses are dealing with a real fuel-cost problem, not a temporary inconvenience. The ACCC’s current fuel monitoring updates show recent price rises have varied sharply across cities, and the Australian Institute of Petroleum’s weekly pricing reports continue to show elevated petrol and diesel prices nationally. If you run service vehicles, quote jobs across metro areas, or rely on regular site visits, fuel does not sit neatly in one overhead line. It leaks into call-outs, travel time, delivery charges, quoting behaviour, scheduling, and customer expectations. Having coached businesses through other crises - the GFC ...
We Bought the Business and Inherited the Team: How to Reset Standards in an SME Without Losing Good People
When owners come to me after buying a business, the same challenge comes up repeatedly. They have inherited a team that has operated a certain way for years, and now they need to improve performance without losing the people who keep the wheels turning. Improving team performance after acquisition is one of the most common coaching conversations I have with owners in trades, construction, and manufacturing. The opportunity is real, but so is the risk. Resetting standards in an SME is a delicate balance of commercial discipline, operational clarity, and people leadership. I coach owners through this transition because the ...
Taking Over an Established Business: A Decision-making Framework for Hiring, Expansion, Equipment, and New Services
When owners come to me after taking over an established business, they usually arrive with the same mix of excitement and pressure. They have purchased something that already works, employs people, has clients, and has a reputation. At the same time, they want to improve it. They want to grow it. They want their managers to step up so the business can operate at a higher level without breaking the parts that are already performing. In this article, I share the decision-making framework I use when coaching owners taking over established businesses in trades, construction, commercial services, and manufacturing. Whether ...
Improving Operations After You Buy a Business: How to Make Changes Without Breaking What Works
When you take ownership of an established business, the first 12-24 months set the tone for everything that follows. I often see it among new owners in trades, construction, fabrication, and commercial services. You buy a business because it has potential, but once you step in, you quickly realise the operational reality is more complicated than the handover suggested. Improving operations after you buy a business is not as simple as tightening a few processes or introducing new systems. If you move too fast, you risk breaking the parts of the business that actually work. If you move too slowly, ...
Got the Keys to the Business? The 6 Drivers of Profit You Must Control After You Take Over
When you buy an established business, the handover period feels deceptively calm. The previous owner walks you through the jobs board, quoting system, team structure, and financials. You get the keys, shake hands and step into your new role. Then the real work begins. In the first year of ownership, the biggest challenge is not learning the technical side of the operation. It is taking control of the six core drivers of profit that determine whether the business grows, stalls or quietly slides backwards. As a business coach working with owners in trades, construction, fabrication and commercial services, I see ...
Bought the Business, Inherited the Pricing: How to Lift Margins Without Losing Sales
When I coach owners who have recently bought an established business, one pattern shows up almost every time. You take over the operation, inherit the pricing structure that came with it, and quickly realise the numbers do not stack up. The rates are outdated, margins are thin, and the previous owner's quoting habits continue to shape how your team prices work today. For owners in trades, construction, fabrication, and commercial services, this becomes a real barrier to growth because the business cannot fund the level of performance you want from your managers or your team. In the first year of ...
The Unstoppable Forces: A 3-5 year Perspective
As business owners, it’s necessary for us to keep up with global and local events so we can make informed decisions in our businesses. In this briefing I want to provide some perspectives on four forces that I believe will be highly relevant for the next 3-5 years. In 2025 we read about the threat of US tariffs on Australian businesses and strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities. At the time, many people were worried that these global events could impact Australia and our businesses. Now that we’re in early 2026 we can look back at 2025 and it’s clear ...
