Built for Commercial Subcontractors
Need to protect your margins, manage risk properly and build stronger builder relationships at the same time?
It's all right here...
Hold your own with the Contract
Use our systematic approach to hold your ground contractually and preserve your right to claim in a predictable, non-threatening way that keeps big-bully builders at bay.
Protect Your Margins and Payments
Manage variations, delays and payment claims with compliant systems that elevate your professionalism. Capture the records you need, communicate clearly and avoid losing margin through preventable gaps.
Maintain Strong Builder Relationships
Protect your position without damaging the relationship. Apply commercial street smarts, keep your threat level measured, and run good-bloke, bottom-up management systems that the builder won’t even realise are being used on them.
Are you carrying more risk than you realise?
Subbies are delivering multi-million-dollar scopes with very little commercial support.
If you are a commercial subcontractor working for Tier 1 or Tier 2 builders, you already know the pressure.
Builders expect you to turn on and off resources, resequencing your work as if you're the McDonald's Drive-through.
Meanwhile, choking your revenue by rejecting your variations, applying unfair back charges and holding your retentions to ransome.
Subcontractors are expected to carry significant commercial risk, without the army of professional paper pushers builders have on standby, whose only job is to run rings around you contractually.
If you are a subcontractor working for commercial builders, this is your lot in life:
- Signing complicated one-sided contracts that default in the builder's favour
- Carrying upstream risk nobody is paying you for - that everyone knows you can't do anything about
- You're regularly forced to beg and fight to be paid your contract sum
- Your "all inclusive" scope of work sees you subsidising the builder's half-baked preliminary design
All while doing the actual building work and managing materials and labour resources.
Even if you do everything right...
...if the builder's house is on fire you'll be the collateral damage, hit with:
- Rejected variations
- Short payments and back charges
- Money-grab liquidated damages
- Dreamt up defect allegations it's on you to prove are false
Too many subcontractors simply do not have a structured commercial support system behind them.
But what if I told you, you could flip it?!
The contracting heirarchy in our industry is stacked against you ...
It's my mission to expose the builders' systems and tactics that are costing you time, money and stress.
It's time to flip the leverage and play a whole DIFFERENT game.
Imagine if...
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You had somewhere to take contract questions before signing, so you know exactly where risk sits and what actually matters.
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You managed variations, payment claims and project records with clear systems behind you, not guesswork.
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When issues surface on a live job, you had somewhere to reality-check your next move before things escalate.
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You could protect your position without damaging builder relationships, because you’re commercially street-smart and staying off the back-foot.
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Instead of carrying all the commercial pressure alone, you’re part of a community of values aligned subcontractors who share their wins and losses in a moderated, safe forum.
Introducing...
The Subbies' Toolbox Membership
What is the Subbies' Toolbox?
The Subbies’ Toolbox is an online membership that gives commercial subcontractors steady, practical support across contracts, payments and project administration.
Inside the membership, you get direct access to:
- Ongoing commercial guidance
- Structured systems and templates
- Weekly access to Michelle
- Monthly deep-dive masterclasses
- Practical tools used on real projects
All designed to help you run a commercially stronger subcontracting business, manage your builders' contracts and get paid on time.
What you get when you join:
Twice-weekly live Q&A sessions with Michelle
Your space to ask questions, reality-check decisions and remain informed on what's happening in the industry
Monthly Masterclasses with Michelle
Each month we go deep on one issue that regularly costs subcontractors money or creates risk
the Toolboxes included in the membership are:
Subcontract Review Toolbox
Step-by-step contract review training videos complete with the Subcontract Review Toolkit (checklist, departure schedule, post tender interview checklist, due diligence checklist, and more).
Subcontract Management Toolbox
Systems, resources, templates and training videos to help you manage and administer your builder's contract in a predictable, routine way that upholds your position.
Security of Payment Toolboxes
Templates, procedures and email scripts, coupled with training videos, designed to be implemented by your accounts team so that you get paid on time and know exactly what to do if you aren't.
24/7 access to the Toolbox Library
Downloadable email scripts, flowcharts, and templates you can use straight away.
Join Now
Choose Your Option
ANNUAL TOOLBOX MEMBERSHIP
$17, 567 Inc. GST
Best Value - Bonus Inclusions
Here’s what's inside The subbies' Toolbox
INCLUDED IN YOUR INVESTMENT
Member Onboarding
You’ll start with a short onboarding process designed to understand how your business operates and where you’re carrying the most commercial pressure.
This helps you get value from the membership straight away and ensures you know exactly where to focus first.
You’ll have a clear sense of how to use the Subbies’ Toolbox to strengthen your commercial position across current and future projects.
INCLUDED IN YOUR INVESTMENT
Twice-Weekly Q&A Sessions with Michelle
Commercial decisions often need to be made while projects are still live.
These sessions give you somewhere to reality-check situations, get clear direction and learn from the questions other subcontractors are asking.
Join live or submit questions in advance.
Come every week or when something arises on a job.
INCLUDED IN YOUR INVESTMENT
Monthly Masterclasses with Michelle
Each month we focus on one issue that regularly costs subcontractors money or headaches.
These sessions give you practical strategies, clearer systems and a stronger approach you can apply across all projects. Helping you to build your commercial capability steadily, month by month.
Attend live or watch the recording anytime.
INCLUDED IN YOUR INVESTMENT
Downloadable Scripts, Templates, Flowcharts and Checklists
Strong systems make commercial decisions easier to manage across every project.
These resources give you practical tools to handle contracts, variations, payment and defects with more structure and consistency.
Download and use as needed.
INCLUDED IN YOUR INVESTMENT
Subcontract Review Toolbox
Builder subcontracts carry significant risk if not reviewed properly.
This toolbox helps you identify key clauses, understand where exposure sits and decide what is worth pushing back on.
Strengthen your position from the outset and use it before signing.
INCLUDED IN YOUR INVESTMENT
Subcontract Review Toolkit
Clear contract review systems make better decisions possible before work begins.
This Toolkit holds the companion templates and downloads that live in the Subcontract Review Toolbox.
Use them on every new contract and know where you stand before committing.
INCLUDED IN YOUR INVESTMENT
Subcontract Management Toolkit
Managing the contract properly across the job protects your margin and position.
This toolkit gives you systems to track obligations, issue notices and stay across the detail from start to finish.
Use it across live projects to stay organised and commercially strong.
INCLUDED IN YOUR INVESTMENT
Subcontract Admin Toolkit
Managing the contract properly across the job protects your margin and position.
This toolkit gives you systems to track obligations, issue notices and stay across the detail from start to finish.
Use it across live projects to stay organised and commercially strong.
INCLUDED IN YOUR INVESTMENT
Security of Payment Toolbox – State Specific
Payment claims must be structured properly to protect your entitlement, and the invoice is just the first step in the process.
Choose the state or territory relevant to your projects and access compliant templates, guidance and processes aligned to that legislation.
Implement a State-specific Accounts Receivable Escalation Procedure.
*Annual Members get 8 Security of Payment Toolboxes (one for each State/Territory)
You might be thinking...
“I Don’t Have Time For This”
“It’s Too Expensive”
“I’ve Got Too Many Staff - What can you offer me?”
“I’ve Worked With My Builders For So Long, I Can’t Suddenly Change My Ways”
“How is the membership delivered?”
“Will I Get Access to Michelle?”
WHY LEARN FROM MICHELLE?
What makes me different from most lawyers is that I see myself as a construction professional first, and a lawyer second.
I’ve spent years inside the construction industry working directly with builders and subcontractors. I understand the commercial pressure subcontractors carry across live projects because I’ve seen it from every side.
Here’s the perspective I bring to the Subbies’ Toolbox:
- I started out as a builder’s contracts administrator, involved in decisions around post tender, contract terms and payment processes. That early experience gave me a clear view of how builders manage subcontractors commercially.
- I’m now a construction lawyer and founder of Subcontractor Legal, where I act exclusively for subcontractors. Every week I see the same contractual pressure points, payment issues and risk-shifting strategies imposed by builders on subcontractors.
- I’m also a registered Adjudicator in Queensland, which means I see first-hand the common issues that turn into full blown legal disputes. That vantage point makes it very clear what could have been handled differently before the parties spent money with lawyers.
Before law, I also worked in client-side project management.
So, I’ve sat in every seat at the table - subcontractor, builder, principal, adjudicator and lawyer.
Over the years I’ve provide done-for-you contract admin for subcontractors across a wide range of trades, helping them strengthen their contract position, protect payment and maintain workable builder relationships.
The guidance inside the Subbies’ Toolbox comes from that combined perspective.
Here’s what members are saying about Subbies' Toolbox…
Jon Doe
“Turned a $1.4M ‘discount’ into a signed deal.”
Jane Doe
“Got a six-figure bank guarantee released early.”
Jim Doe
“Stopped a builder’s backcharge dead in its tracks.”
Your wins could look like this too!
LET'S BREAKDOWN HOW MUCH VALUE IS WAITING FOR YOU INSIDE
The Subbies' Toolbox
Join today and instantly receive access to the most comprehensive and up-to-date essential tools and strategies for commercial subcontractors working for tier 1 and tier 2 builders.
WHAT'S INSIDE
- 2x Weekly Q&A Calls with Michelle
- Monthly Masterclass with Michelle
- Subcontract Review Toolbox
- Subcontract Review Toolkit
- Subcontract Management Toolbox
- Subcontract Management Toolkit
- Subcontract Admin Toolkit
- 24/7 Access to Templates, Scripts and Checklists
- Security of Payment Toolbox - Single State
- 5 User Accounts
PLUS BONUS STACK WHEN YOU JOIN AS AN ANNUAL MEMBER
Best Value Option
- Security of Payment Nation Wide (all States & Territories)
- Negotiation School Course on Demand
- Unlimited User Accounts
- 1 Month Free
Only valid for annual member sign ups
between 23/2/26 10am AEST - 2/3/2026 6pm AEST
Hurry - Join before the promo offer expires!
Your Investment:
$17,567/y AUD
or monthly payments of $1597 AUD
Annual Membership
$17,567/y
Best Value Option
Ready to Manage your contracts and get paid on time?
Run your business from a stronger position
Every project carries commercial risk.
The difference is whether you are managing that risk alone or with the right support behind you.
One stronger contract position can protect your margin.
One properly managed variation can recover thousands.
One early course correction can prevent months of pressure later in the job.
The Subbies’ Toolbox gives you somewhere to reality-check decisions, strengthen your position and deal with issues properly while projects are still live.
This is steady, practical support you can rely on across every contract and every project.
Join now and start running your projects with clearer structure, stronger systems and greater commercial confidence.
