Four years ago, Scott Wrigley could not step away from his business for a two day conference. He spent it with the phone glued to his face, barely present. This year, he has taken a week at Hamilton Island with his family, trips to Sydney, Melbourne and the Sunshine Coast, and his business kept running.

Scott is the Head Building Certifier and Managing Director of ACT Certification in Canberra. He left school for a carpentry apprenticeship, but a busted shoulder that took about two years to recover from pushed him toward codes and compliance. Today he runs his own business with a growing team behind him.

His advice for tradies who can’t imagine stepping away is simple. Try a morning or an afternoon. Then build up to a day a month, a day a fortnight, and eventually a morning a week, which is where he is now.

He admits the guilt never fully goes away. Recently he booked a day off for a tattoo, finished early, and still caught himself calculating how many hours he could squeeze in at the office. His takeaway is that time for yourself leads to a better result for the business, your mindset and your family. He doesn’t pretend you can fully disconnect either. He takes his laptop on trips, ticks off the must dos at the airport, then switches off and is present with his family.

Meanwhile, Canberra’s land releases are changing the building market. Scott says the ACT has had the worst residential approval rates nationally, and the next two to three suburb releases will be medium to high density only, with no detached homes at all. He believes that leaves little choice for families who want a backyard.

Builders are adapting. Many who focused on custom homes and contract work are now taking on decks, pergolas and alterations they would have skipped when times were good, though Scott says they are not saying yes to everything.

So how does he spot shifts early? He educates himself. That means filtering out the noise, skipping what “my mate Jim told me”, attending sector meetings and listening directly to bodies like Master Builders and HIA. Then he forms his own opinion and lines it up with his business values, which makes it easier to say no to the wrong work.

Looking ahead, Scott is recruiting, building a bigger team and looking to push further into New South Wales. Because his team handles the day to day, he can focus on growth and the next opportunities.

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