WHY SOME MEMBERS CRUSH IT & OTHERS GET STUCK
Learn the Key Differences That Separate Growth from Stagnation
Ever wonder why some tradies seem to take off while others spin their wheels? After years coaching inside the Academy, Greg Allan breaks down exactly what makes the difference—and it’s probably not what you think.
This is your roadmap to stop feeling stuck and start moving forward with real momentum.
OVERVIEW
The difference between success and stress often comes down to awareness. Greg sat down with both high-performing members and those who cancelled their membership, and the pattern was clear: the members who grew fast made time to learn and track what matters most.
Below are the critical insights revealed in this talk—and what you can do to apply them in your own business.
① Get Laser-Clear on Your Financials
"Everything starts with your financials. Without that awareness, you're flying blind."
Here’s what crushing members do:
Close off the month with accurate data—labour, materials, wages, and overheads.
Progress claim properly so income and costs match.
Know their P&L inside out to make micro-changes and avoid big blowouts.
Stay aware of liabilities like GST, super, and PAYG—just because there’s cash in the account doesn’t mean it’s spendable.
🛠️ Action Step: Book in with a finance coach or re-watch the Financials Masterclass to get confident.
② Price for a Team—Not for Yourself
"You can't quote like you're doing the job anymore. You're building a business now."
Growth stalls when members:
Quote as if they’ll do the work themselves.
Don’t account for average speed/efficiency of staff.
Fail to include enough time for labour, overheads or extras.
On the other hand, growth takes off when members:
Build in fat for an average tradie—not a unicorn.
Upskill their team to go faster (but don’t expect them to be you).
Quote with confidence using the Profitable Pricing Masterclass.
🛠️ Action Step: Revisit your pricing structure. Reverse engineer your break-even and target profit margins for every quote.
③ Measure Job & Day Productivity
"If you’re not hitting your time targets, your profits are getting eaten alive."
Top performers:
Track billable hours vs hours paid.
Look at job productivity and day productivity.
Flag early when jobs blow out or extras go unbilled.
Review every job before invoicing to ensure it's profitable.
🛠️ Action Step: Add billable hours % tracking to your daily ops. Aim to exceed your day productivity target by scheduling smart and quoting sharp.
④ Empower Your Team to Step Up
"If you’re doing everything for them, they’ll never grow—and neither will your business."
Winners in the game:
Hire average tradies and coach them to be excellent.
Use levelling systems to give staff a roadmap to earn more.
Let go of micromanaging—empower staff to make decisions.
Encourage upsells, ownership, and self-improvement.
🛠️ Action Step: Introduce a levelling system in your business. Show your team how they can earn more and take responsibility.
⑤ Prioritise High-Impact Tasks
"You're too valuable to stay stuck on low-value work. Your job is to think, plan, and lead."
Stuck members:
Stay reactive, overwhelmed, and too busy to think.
Miss out on coaching calls, planning time, and sales opportunities.
Keep quoting low because they don’t have time to build trust with customers.
Crushing members:
Book boardroom sessions and strategy time like it’s non-negotiable.
Prioritise awareness and delegation over busy work.
Focus on sales, pricing, and profitability—not just ticking off tasks.
🛠️ Action Step: Block out non-negotiable time each week for strategy, pricing, and boardroom sessions. Your business depends on it.
make it happen
Every single member has the ability to grow, scale, and succeed—but only if they lean into the right support, track what matters, and prioritise smart decisions.
You don’t have to figure it all out alone.
The Tradies Success Academy is here to give you the awareness, tools, and coaching you need to build the business you actually want.
