Letting go, building a team and saying no – Techpath

Troy Adams is the founder of Techpath, a Brisbane based IT company specialising in managed services, internet provision and cybersecurity.

Techpath was born from Troy’s love of all things IT in his teenage years, and he turned his passion into a business. Some 25 years later he is leading a team of 50 people as they make other business owners lives easier by addressing their IT issues.

Troy provides some great insight into the journey from building the business, the team around him and how he has navigated the scaling of Techpath. Troy gives some great insights into sales, letting go of technical skill and replacing it with leadership and the effect that the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) has had on his business.

Transcript

Murray Smith: Troy Adams, founder of TechPath, welcome to Gripping Business Tales.

Troy Adams: Thank you. I appreciate you having me on.

Murray: No problem. So, Troy—IT company. But before we get into that, let’s start with the traditional questions we ask on Gripping Business Tales. Can you share one personal success and one professional success you’ve had recently?

Troy: Sure. I’ll start with the personal. Through COVID, fitness got a bit off track. So I’m proud to say I’m now back fit and healthy, going to the gym regularly.

Murray: Good on you. Well done.

Troy: Professionally, it goes back a bit, but I’m really happy with how we implemented EOS in a relatively short period.

Murray: I’ve heard a bit about this from your implementer, Carl Pie, and I’m looking forward to digging into that. But first, let’s step back and help our listeners understand where you’ve come from. Tell us a bit about TechPath—what you do and how it came to be.

Troy: Great. I had a passion for computing back in high school—mainly building, repairing, and installing computers. When I was 14, I got a job at a computer shop, mostly assembling and repairing systems. By Year 12, family members were asking me to build computers, so I started a business while still at school.
As soon as I finished high school, I went full-time in the business. That was 25 years ago this August. It started as a hobby and evolved into a real business. Today, TechPath is best known as a managed service provider—we offer a fixed price per user, per month IT support model, mostly in Brisbane. We’re also an internet provider, and we’ve now got a strong focus on security, which is a hot topic at the moment.

Murray: Yeah, hence the password on today’s Zoom call. So Troy, going from hobby to business is something many dream about. How difficult was that transition for you?

Troy: There are various stages of growth. You read about the different challenges depending on business size and staffing levels. I hit a few key milestones where I had to stop and re-evaluate. For example, every decision was running through me, or I was working too hard.
The first major change was getting off the tools, which happened about six years in. Then came the need for policies and procedures. Later, I had to grow a sales team because I was the only one bringing in business. Each step came when I hit capacity and realised I wasn’t the best person for certain tasks anymore.

Murray: How did you know when you weren’t the best person for a task?

Troy: I wasn’t finishing my daily to-do list. I’m very organised—if I say I’ll do something today, I do it. That meant staying up late to finish things. I was working longer hours, and others were waiting on me for decisions.
I’ve always invested in training and coaching for myself and the team. Throughout my business journey, I’ve had mentors or coaches to keep me accountable.

Murray: It’s great that you recognised you couldn’t do it all alone. Going back to that decision to get off the tools—how hard was it to move from being the technical expert to a leader?

Troy: It can be tough. If something goes wrong, your instinct is to dive in and fix it, especially if a client rings you directly. But if you do that, your team doesn’t learn. You need to let go. Thankfully, we had the right people at the right times—technically capable and a good cultural fit.

Murray: Let’s talk about that. How did you find the right people, especially before using EOS tools?

Troy: I’ve always focused on cultural fit. Even without formal EOS processes early on, I had some success identifying the right people culturally. It created a great team environment. That said, we’ve made plenty of hiring mistakes too. The EOS tools and frameworks have definitely helped refine that process.

Murray: You mentioned building a sales team. That’s a pain point for many. How did you navigate it, especially coming from a technical background?

Troy: Sales has probably been the hardest piece to solve. I’ve been lucky—my first BDM hire is still with us 14 years later.
One big lesson was realising that the way I sold—as the business owner—wasn’t replicable for a BDM. That style of conversation is hard to train.
Later, I also realised I wasn’t a good sales manager. My TEC chair kept asking if I was the right person for that role. I resisted at first, worried about cost and whether the team would miss me. Eventually, I stood aside and hired a Sales Operations Manager. That’s one of the best things I’ve done in the last two years.

Murray: And TechPath has evolved—MSP, internet provider, now cybersecurity. How did you manage that evolution?

Troy: We’ve always been product- and innovation-focused. We were one of the first in Brisbane to offer managed services back in 2007.
In IT, clients come to you with a wide range of issues, and it’s easy to say yes to everything. But EOS helped us define our target market. Every quarter, we refine it further.
Right now, we turn away about 50% of leads because they don’t fit our model. Twelve months ago, we would’ve taken them all.

Murray: What’s been the impact of narrowing your focus?

Troy: Operationally, we’ve built a business that best serves companies with 30 to 100 computer users. We don’t take on anyone under 15 users now.
Smaller businesses tend to need a more informal, less structured approach—which doesn’t align with our processes. That caused friction and a poorer customer experience. And ultimately, we made less money.
So saying no helps us stay profitable and deliver a better experience.

Murray: It’s counterintuitive, but saying no often leads to better outcomes.

Troy: It’s still hard. Every call, you want to help. But we’ve built a strong partner network of smaller IT firms we trust. We refer leads to them and often get referrals back. It’s a win-win.

Murray: Let’s get into EOS. Before you started, what challenges were you facing?

Troy: We were a mature business. We had coaches, policies, procedures, a team structure, monthly reports—on paper, everything looked solid.
But there were still gaps. I like following systems, and someone gave me the Traction book. It sat on my desk for a year. I finally read it on holiday and thought, “This is what we need.”

Murray: What’s changed since implementing EOS?

Troy: The biggest change was our leadership team. We had 11 people in what we called our management team—out of 50 total staff. It was too big, and many weren’t in true leadership roles.
In our first session with Carl, we cut it down to five. It was hard but the best thing we did. Those no longer in the room adjusted quickly and embraced the new structure.

Murray: Why was that change so impactful?

Troy: With 11 people, it was hard to solve issues—too many voices, and not all had a reason to be there regularly.
Now, with a clear structure and weekly meetings, we address issues quickly. Before, leadership met monthly, and problems lingered. With the weekly scorecard and lead indicators, we’re much more proactive.

Murray: What are your challenges now, post-EOS?

Troy: We’re more strategic. Issues don’t linger—they’re put on the issues list and handled weekly.
There are still people-related challenges from time to time, but we spot them earlier and fix the process or coach the person. Structurally, the business is in a great place.

Murray: So, you’ve shifted from tactical to strategic.

Troy: Exactly—100%.

Murray: Outside of EOS, what’s one piece of advice you’d give to business owners?

Troy: It’s easy to get caught up and work long hours—especially if you don’t have other responsibilities pulling you away. That can hurt your health and relationships.
I believe in having structure—not just in business, but in personal life. Make time for fitness, for family, and fit business tasks into a normal workweek where possible.

Murray: That’s fantastic advice. Troy, thanks for coming on Gripping Business Tales. It’s been great hearing about your 25-year journey, the evolution of TechPath, and your insights into leadership and growth. I look forward to seeing what’s next.

Troy: Thanks, Murray. I appreciate the invite.