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:
Tradie Business 101: A guide to finance
Remember the days of trade school? Still half asleep as you shuffled in to 7-Eleven to grab a coffee and a sausage roll for brekky before knuckling down to learn. When it comes to the world of tradies — whether plumbing, electrical contracting, HVAC installation, landscape construction, carpentry, or residential building — trade schools are the entry to technical education. TAFEs and vocational schools equip tradies with the practical skills and technical know-how required to excel in their chosen field. However, as tradie business coaches one of the most common things we hear is, “I didn’t learn how to run ...
LeavePlus (CoINVEST) & Incolink: What Trades Businesses Need to Know
Please note: This information article is written by a business coach exclusively for business owners to understand their obligations. If you are a worker/tradie, please contact LeavePlus (formerly CoINVEST) or IncoLink directly: Click for here for LeavePlus (CoINVEST) or call them on 1300 264 683 Click here for IncoLink or call them on (03) 9639 3000 What owners of trades businesses need to know about IncoLink and LeavePlus (formerly CoINVEST) Staying on top of employee obligations is a major concern for many of the business owners I mentor in my role as a business coach. There are, of ...
How to Grow a Plumbing Business: Do This, Not That
Running a plumbing business in Australia is a challenging feat. With over 30,000 registered plumbers in the country, competition is fierce. However, you can grow a thriving plumbing operation with these six strategic do’s and don’ts. As business coaches with over 20 years of business coaching experience helping plumbers and various trades, we've seen what works and what doesn't when scaling a plumbing business. DODON'TDO: Find a profitable niche and build your business around itDON'T: Be a One-Size-Fits-AllDO: Work with the right clientsDON'T: Get stuck with bad clientsDO: Get recruitment rightDON'T: Hire fast, fire slowDO: Prioritise your websiteDON'T: ...
Software for Electrical Contractors
Job Management Software for Electrical Contractor: A business coach’s guide I’m often asked which software systems I recommend for an electrical contracting business. It might seem like a strange question to be asked, so let me explain; My role as a business coach for electrical contractor is to help business owners understand their options and make informed decisions that align with their business goals and needs. Over the years, I've worked closely with numerous electrical contracting business owners, guiding them through the maze of software options. Choosing the right software for your electrical contracting business can significantly enhance efficiency and ...
Economic Insights for Australian Small Business Owners: 2 Indicators to Watch in the Next 3-5 years
Not everyone loves reading about geopolitical pressures or government spending. As business coaches, we take on the responsibility for monitoring economic trends and reading widely so we can bring you the highlights and the points you need to know. In this briefing: Economic update: what we're seeing ahead Getting ahead of the pack Two indicators to watch in the next 3-5 years: Australian government spending China outlook Many business commentators only look ahead 1 to 3 months out to advise you on how to position your business. As you know, we think this is pointless because most of your ...
Recruitment Outlook for Specialist Trades in Australia
In this briefing for small-medium business owners in Australia, I want to explain why we’re expecting recruitment for specialised trades to continue to be a challenge for several years to come. While we can see demand for jobs in other industries starting to moderate, we don't believe this is likely to be the case in specialised trades.Firstly, this graph shows there are on average 300 job ads for plumbers in Melbourne on Seek at any one time. This level is around the highest it has been since Tenfold started tracking construction job ads in mid-2021 when recruitment started becoming a ...
Understanding recent insolvency events in Australia
It seems like the last couple of weeks have been full of headlines of builders going bust. First there was the residential builder, Porter Davis and their 1,700 customers and all of the trades that have lost money as a result of their insolvency. This was followed by the commercial building group Lloyd Group and then the other week it was Mahercorp (brands: Urbanedge and Eight Homes), another residential builder. But it isn't confined to the construction industry; the food delivery service Providoor went into liquidation last week as well. There are also many other stories of lesser-known companies succumbing. ...
Australian property prices: Which way are they going? And why it matters to your business
There has been much talk about the Australian economy and how it is tracking. We've written extensively about the economy in previous briefings (See: Outlook for 4 Key Sectors of the Australian Economy, 3 Long-term Risks Australian Businesses Should Be Thinking about Now, Outlook for Australian business (May 2022) ). In this briefing, I want to focus on Australian house prices specifically because there is a lot of noise in the media about how much house prices have dropped and how much further they have to fall. As you know, at Tenfold Business Coaching we like to go to the ...
3 ways to use ChatGPT in your business to save you time
ChatGPT is the latest innovation, and some of you have probably jumped on to try out the artificial intelligence program in recent months. What I want to show you today is how you can use ChatGPT in your business to speed up the tasks you do, get more done and remove some of the grunt work that many business owners don't enjoy. When using ChatGPT in your business, think about it as a trainee admin assistant. It’s not a replacement to your superstar office manager, but more like someone who has a reasonable level of knowledge to understand your requirements ...
Australian economy: outlook for 4 key sectors in 2023
Many Australian businesses we coach are planning important business decisions for 2023. Whether it is signing a new lease, agreeing to a large consignment of goods, purchasing a new factory, or upgrading your fleet of vehicles. These are all significant decisions that require a level of foresight into how the economy will perform. While we business coaches don't have answers, we do trawl various industry and economic reports, assess the data and separate the fact from the hype. Today's briefing lays out some of these facts for you. There's a lot of information about how the Australian economy is tracking, ...
