The Developer's Playbook
Adelaide Property Development
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Welcome to The Developer's Playbook

Where aspiring developers become actual developers.

A decade of deals. Every framework stress-tested. Every shortcut earned.

I'm Sudi Gorle, founder of Kaizen Projects. After scaling and exiting a Melbourne tour business, then managing a half-billion-dollar institutional pipeline, I built the operating system behind 17+ live Adelaide developments — $132M in GRV. The Playbook hands you that same system, refined deal by deal, so your first project is built on rigour — not hope.

17+
Active infill developments across Adelaide — all live, all self-funded deal by deal
$132M
Current gross realisable value — real deals, real balance sheet, real skin in the game
10yrs
Finance, project management & live development — the background I bring to every call
Scroll to explore
30-Day Money-Back Guarantee
Built from Live Adelaide Deals
Not a Coach — An Active Developer
Lifetime Access & Updates

You Already Know This Feeling

You've got ambition. Probably equity sitting there doing nothing. But every time you try to move, you run into something that nobody talks about at the seminars.

Scrolling real estate at midnight

40 saved listings. Zero analysed properly. No framework for "kill it" or "go." Developers with agent relationships get deals before they hit the portals.

Spreadsheets that lie to you

Miss one line item — GST, holding costs, stamp duty — and your $300K profit becomes a $50K lesson.

Faking it in every meeting

Agents, planners, builders speak a language you half-understand. They can tell. And they price accordingly.

Paralysed by “what if”

Builder blowouts, planning refusals, wrong structure. The horror stories pile up until doing nothing feels safest.

Advice from people who don't build

Podcasts. Facebook groups. Weekend workshops. Lots of opinions, zero specificity. None of it from someone with skin in the game.

Time is the real cost

The biggest loss isn't a bad deal — it's no deal at all. Every month on the fence, the gap widens.

Nobody Handed Me a Playbook. So I Wrote One.

Sudi Gorle, founder of Kaizen Projects
Sudi Gorle
Founder & Director, Kaizen Projects
BBus (Fin & Acc) · MPM&P
17+ Active Projects
$132M Current GRV
Adelaide South Australia
In His Own Words

“I didn't get here by taking big swings and hoping. I got here by being the most conservative developer in the room — and building a system around that.”

BBus (Finance & Accounting), Master of Project Management & Planning. Founded, scaled, and sold a Melbourne tour company in 18 months — the operating playbook that made it possible is the same discipline I run today. Then managed a $500M pipeline for a public company. Today, 17+ active developments across Adelaide with $132M+ in GRV. The Playbook is the system I built across boardrooms and building sites — and it stays current because my own capital depends on it.

That academic foundation meant I never treated development like a gamble. Every deal runs through a rigorous feasibility framework before a dollar is committed. People call me the most conservative developer they know. I take that as a compliment.

Exiting the tour company taught me systems that scale. The $500M pipeline brought institutional-grade governance and board-level delivery. When I started Kaizen Projects, I brought all of that rigour with me — every entity structure mapped, every build cost stress-tested, every timeline with contingency built in.

I created this because getting into development shouldn't require guesswork. It requires the right system, handed to you by someone who's still building — conservatively, methodically, and profitably.

See Kaizen Projects

17+ active developments · $132M GRV

Infill sites across Adelaide. Demolitions, subdivisions, new builds. Dirt under my nails.

$500M institutional pipeline

Public company governance, board reporting, large-scale feasibility — now applied to every deal.

Melbourne exit in 18 months

Founded, scaled, and sold a Melbourne tour company in 18 months. Learned systems, P&Ls, and when to take the win.

Off-market deal sourcing

A repeatable process for finding sub-market sites before they hit agents — the same pipeline I run weekly.

Formally trained

BBus (Finance & Accounting). MPM&P. The academic rigour behind every model in this program.

SA-specific ecosystem

Planning & Design Code, s71 exemptions, margin scheme, SA entity structuring. Not theory — it's Tuesday.

Still building. Not coaching.

Running live deals right now. Content stays current because my capital depends on it.

The Tools Behind Every Deal We Run

Every framework, model, and template below is used on live Kaizen Projects deals. You get the same tools — not watered-down course versions.

Intellectual Asset
Item
Budget
Actual
Land + Stamp Duty
$727,175
$718,400
Construction
$816,480
$834,200
Holding Costs
$46,751
$52,100
Est. Profit
$247,907
$231,400
Module 3
30+ Line Feasibility Model
The exact model we use on every acquisition. Land, construction, holding, finance, GST, agent, contingency — nothing is estimated, everything is stress-tested.
Intellectual Asset
Module 3
Sensitivity & Scenario Analysis
What happens if build costs blow out 10%? If sales take 6 months longer? Stress-test every variable before you commit capital.
Intellectual Asset
Month
Outflow
Balance
M1 — Settle
-$242,000
-$242,000
M6 — Slab
-$185,400
-$461,200
M12 — Frame
-$124,600
-$602,100
M18 — Settle
+$1,950,000
+$247,900
Module 3
Cash Flow Forecasting Model
Month-by-month cash flow mapping. Know exactly when capital is needed, when drawdowns hit, and when you get paid.
Intellectual Asset
You
Co as Trustee
Bare Trust
Site A
Site B
JV
s71 Exempt · Margin Scheme
Module 4
Entity Structure Decision Framework
Company vs trust vs bare trust — and when each one applies. Includes s71 stamp duty exemption pathways and GST margin scheme structuring.
Intellectual Asset
Module 2
60-Point Due Diligence Checklist
Site, planning, services, contamination, easements, covenants, heritage — the same checklist our team runs before we spend a cent.
Intellectual Asset
Builder
Price
Score
Builder A
$812,400
87/100
Builder B
$784,200
72/100
Builder C
$856,000
91/100
Builder D
$798,600
68/100
Module 7
Builder Tender & Scoring Matrix
Weighted scoring across price, timeline, track record, and contract terms. Stop comparing quotes on price alone.
Intellectual Asset
Joint Venture Agreement
1. Parties & Contributions
2. Profit Distribution
3. Decision Authority
4. Exit & Sunset Clauses
5. Dispute Resolution
Signature
Module 4
Legal Document Templates
JV agreements, bare trust deeds, builder contract amendments, consultant engagement letters — drafted for SA development, ready to brief to your solicitor.
Intellectual Asset
Zoning
9.0
Frontage
7.5
Services
8.5
Slope
6.0
Overlay
4.0
Total: 35/50 — Proceed
Module 2
Site Assessment Scorecard
Quantitative scoring for every site you look at. Zoning, frontage, services, slope, planning overlay — scored and weighted so you compare apples with apples.
Intellectual Asset
Hi Mark, I saw the Goodwood Rd listing before it went live. Is the vendor flexible on settlement terms?
Hey Sudi. Yeah, they'd consider a longer settle if the price is right. Want first look?
Always. I'll run feasibility tonight and call you by 9am.
Script template: Off-market approach
Module 5
Agent Relationship Playbook
How to build real relationships with agents so you see deals before they hit the portals. Scripts, positioning, follow-up cadence — the system behind off-market access.
Intellectual Asset
Acquire
Planning
Build
Sell
Module 8
Project Timeline & Gantt Framework
Acquisition through to settlement, mapped week by week. Dependencies, critical path, and contingency buffers built in.
Intellectual Asset
Development Finance Brief
Loan Amount$1.42M
LVR65%
Term18 months
Exit StrategySell 3 lots
Projected ROE67%
Module 6
Development Finance Application Pack
The exact pack we submit to lenders. Feasibility summary, project brief, entity structure, exit strategy — formatted so banks take you seriously from the first meeting.
Intellectual Asset
Structure
Stamp Duty
GST
Pty Ltd
Full
Standard
Bare Trust
s71 Exempt
Margin
Unit Trust
Full
Standard
Co as Trustee
s71 Exempt
Margin
Module 4
Tax, GST & Margin Scheme Guide
Entity-by-entity comparison of stamp duty, GST treatment, and income tax implications. The structuring decisions that save $40K–$80K per deal.

40+ tools, templates & frameworks — all used on live Kaizen Projects deals, included in every program tier.

10 Modules. No Filler. No Fluff.

Every module maps to a real phase of a real deal. The same sequence I follow on every project — from "is this site worth a second look" to "settlement day."

01

Mindset & Market Reality

What returns actually look like. What timelines actually are. Why Adelaide's infill market is quietly one of the best entry points in Australia — and what most people get wrong about it.

02

Off-Market Sourcing & Site Evaluation

The exact off-market system I run weekly — agent scripts, vendor outreach, council-watch routines, and the relationship cadence that puts sub-market sites on my desk before they ever hit a portal. Plus the 5-minute kill test that saves weeks of wasted due diligence.

03

Feasibility & Financial Modelling

The feasibility model I run on every deal. Real construction rates, real holding costs, real sensitivity analysis. Not a YouTube spreadsheet. The one I stake my own capital on.

04

Entity Structures & Tax Strategy

Company vs trust vs bare trust — and why the wrong choice can cost you six figures. Stamp duty under s71(5)(e), GST margin scheme, and when a company-as-bare-trustee actually makes sense.

05

Site Acquisition & Due Diligence

How to read a Form 1 without missing what matters. Leveraging cooling-off periods, structuring contract conditions, and the infrastructure checks (sewer, stormwater, easements) that save deals or kill them.

06

Planning & Approvals

SA's planning system demystified. The refusal grounds that catch people out, when to go council vs private certifier, and how to work with pattern book rules instead of against them.

07

Financing Your Development

What banks actually want to see. Pre-sales thresholds, bridging vs construction finance, JV structures that protect both sides, and how to approach private investors without sounding desperate.

08

Construction Management

How to structure tenders so builders compete honestly. Managing the relationship once they're on site. Practical completion vs defects — and what to do when costs start creeping.

09

Sales, Settlement & Exit

Picking the right agent (not the cheapest). Negotiating commission without burning bridges. Marketing small-scale projects, multi-lot settlement mechanics, and deeds of nomination.

10

Scaling & Portfolio Strategy

What changes when you go from one deal to three. Retaining stock for income, building a pipeline, recycling capital between projects, and when fund structures start making sense.

Is This Actually For You?

You'll get a lot out of this if...

  • You want to get into development but don't know where to start
  • You're a property investor ready to go from passive to active
  • You have some equity and want to do your first small-scale project
  • You're focused on infill — 1 into 2, 1 into 3 subdivisions
  • You want to learn from someone who's actually doing it right now
  • You want real tools — not just motivation talks
  • You're prepared to put in the work

This probably isn't for you if...

  • You want a get-rich-quick scheme
  • You want motivation talks, not real education
  • You won't do proper due diligence
  • You want a copy-paste template instead of a system you can defend in front of a bank

From Zero to First Profitable Deal

This isn't a "get rich quick" program. But if you put in the work, here's a realistic timeline for going from "interested" to "settling your first development."

PROFIT ZONE LEARN ANALYSE BUILD & PROFIT Learning Confidence Profit Break-even Start 10+ sites analysed Under contract Settlement
Month 1 – 2
Foundation
Feasibility model built. Entity structure mapped. Off-market sourcing routine started.
Capital deployed$0
Month 3 – 5
10+ Sites Stress-Tested
Real feasibilities on real listings. Builder pricing benchmarked. Bank conversation opened.
Sites analysed10–15
Month 6 – 10
First Deal Under Contract
Site secured (often off-market). DA lodged. Builder locked in. System, not panic.
Equity at work$150K–$300K
Month 12 – 18
First Settlement
Settle profitably. Bank the return. You're no longer thinking about being a developer — you are one.
Target net profit$180K–$420K
Timeline based on members who engage with the material and actively analyse deals.

Real Decisions. Real Numbers.

Four anonymised case studies from operators using The Playbook on live Adelaide infill. Names changed for privacy — deals, structures and outcomes are real.

MarkProspect, SA · Age 47
1-into-3 subdivision

Bought his first site in his personal name — full stamp duty triggered. We rebuilt his second deal under a company-as-bare-trustee structure, claimed the s71(5)(e) exemption on transfer, and ran the GST under the margin scheme at sale. Settled both townhouses Feb 2026.

Stamp duty saved
$31K
Net profit, deal #2
$268K
Priya & AnandGrange, SA · First development
1-into-2 detached

Came in with $280K equity and a Grange site already under offer. The 5-minute kill test caught a sewer main running diagonally under the proposed second slab. We walked the deal in cooling-off, found a cleaner Grange site three weeks later off-market through the cohort, and tendered three builders properly. Saved the first contract; won the second.

Disaster averted
$140K+
Tender saving
$62K
DamienFulham, SA · PAYG → developer
1-into-3 villas

Salaried engineer with $400K equity, no construction background. Used the feasibility model to stress-test fourteen sites before saying yes to one. DA approved first lodgement — six weeks faster than his initial contingency assumed. Construction sequencing held the build to schedule within $9K of budget.

Holding cost saved
$28K
Net profit (settled)
$314K
LaurenCroydon, SA · JV with Kaizen
2-into-4 townhouses

Playbook member who graduated to a Founders Table JV. Sourced a corner site directly from a vendor through the Playbook's off-market channel — no agent, no portal, no competing offers. Joint-ventured the build with Kaizen, shared upside on the four-townhouse delivery. Settled Aug 2026.

Off-market discount
$84K
Lauren's share
$412K

One Deal Covers
the Entire Investment.

Every number below comes from real structuring decisions on live Adelaide deals. Click any line to see exactly where the money comes from.

$40K–$80K
Entity Structuring & Stamp Duty
Wrong entity triggers full stamp duty. The right structure — bare trust, s71(5)(e) exemption — eliminates it.
s71(5)(e) bare-trust stamp duty exemption on transfer to development entity$22K–$45K
GST margin scheme correctly applied at sale (vs full GST on full sale price)$15K–$30K
Income tax structuring — profit treated as capital, not revenue, where applicable$5K–$12K
$60K–$150K
Build & Tender
First-timers accept the first quote. The tender framework saves 8–15% on construction.
Apples-to-apples tender across 3–5 builders (8–15% saving on $700K–$1M build)$40K–$110K
Provisional sums & PC items reviewed and reset before contract$10K–$25K
Variation control during construction (the clauses most contracts skip)$10K–$15K
$25K–$70K
Interest & Holding Costs
Every month of delay costs $4K–$6K. Staged timelines shave months off the project.
DA lodged correctly first time — 6–10 weeks shaved off planning timeline$15K–$35K
Construction sequencing & cashflow staging (less peak debt)$6K–$20K
Council, water, NBN connections sequenced in parallel, not series$4K–$15K
$50K–$120K
Off-Market Site Discount
Sites bought direct from vendors before they hit a portal — typically 5–12% under what they'd list at.
Direct vendor approach — no agent margin, no competing offers (5–8% discount)$30K–$70K
Longer settlement / vendor terms negotiated (holding cost relief)$10K–$25K
Pre-DA conditions written into contract — risk priced out before exchange$10K–$25K
$15K–$40K
Sales & Settlement
Agent commissions, marketing budget and settlement mechanics negotiated like a developer — not a homeowner.
Negotiated agent commission (1.4% vs walk-in 2.2%) on $1.6M sales$10K–$25K
Deeds of nomination & multi-lot settlement mechanics done right$3K–$10K
Marketing spend right-sized for off-the-plan vs completed product$2K–$5K
$190K–$460K
Total First-Deal Savings
Before you break ground. On a single deal. Versus a $14K investment in The Playbook.
A Letter from Sudi · Read This First
Adelaide · April 2026

Before you decide, read this.

Dear reader,

If you're still reading, you're not shopping for a course. You're deciding whether the person on the other end of this page is someone you'd actually hand a live deal to. So let me be straight with you.

An hour ago: my builder on a Croydon townhouse wanted $14K of PC-item creep. Twenty minutes later he'd sharpened the pencil. That conversation is my job, every week, on every live Kaizen deal — and the whole point of what I've built is to get you confident having it on yours.

There are two doors. Pick the one that fits where you actually are.

Door one — The Playbook ($14K). Ten modules. My live feasibility model. The DD and tender templates I use on Kaizen deals. Off-market sites I pass on. A private room of operators doing exactly what you're doing. You run it at your own pace — that's the trade, and it's why it's $14K instead of $88K.

Door two — The Founders Table ($88K). Two days of my time every month, twelve months, on your live deals. Capped at four. Two seats are already taken. Before we touch a site we sit down and architect the path that fits your circumstance — leaving PAYG, recycling equity from a PPOR, deploying cash or an SMSF, bringing in family or JV capital. The income bridge, the entity, the lender, the cadence. We go through it all. Then the room runs your real deal against the plan we built together.

If neither door fits — there's a third. If you already hold a site and need me to run the whole development for you, that's what Kaizen's Development Management arm does — me and the team, end-to-end, for a fee plus a share of upside above feasibility. Email me and I'll tell you which door fits in under five minutes.

I don't run these as a course business. I run them because the operators who graduate become the JV partners I want for my next decade of developments. That's the alignment. That's why I'll put real time in instead of recording another module.

I'll be on the other side either way.

Talk soon,

Sudi Gorle
Sudi Gorle
Founder, Kaizen Projects · Adelaide
P.S. — Every application on this page comes to my personal inbox. If you want to know what you're walking into, ask me something specific. I read specific questions first.

The Playbook

Everything you need to get your first deal under contract and settled profitably. At your own pace. You run it.

Most Chosen

The Playbook

The full system, my live feasibility model, the DD & tender templates, off-market deal alerts, and the private operator community. Everything short of the Founders Table.

$14K

Pay in full or 4 instalments · lifetime access to all course content

What's included
  • All 10 modules — the full system, lifetime access
  • My live feasibility spreadsheet, tender & DD templates
  • Off-market deal alerts — sites Kaizen sources but passes on
  • Private community of operators running their own deals
  • All future module updates — nothing behind a paywall later
Course Content
10 in-depth video modules (25+ hours)
Workbooks, action checklists & real Adelaide case studies
Lifetime access — every future update, nothing clawed back
Tools & Templates
My live feasibility spreadsheet (the one I run on Kaizen deals)
DD checklist, tender comparison & site assessment framework
Entity structuring guide & JV term sheet
Builder & vendor contract review checklist
Deal Flow & Community
Off-market deal alerts — sites Kaizen sources but passes on
Private community room — ask the room, ask Sudi
Resource library with vetted supplier contacts
Enrol Now

The Founders Table

Four operators. Twelve months. Two days of my time on your live deals, every month. By application only.

By Application Only

The Founders Table

A room of four operators, twelve months, two days of my time every month, on your live deals. Capital, deal flow, and the connections that took me a decade to build — handed to you because we both win when you settle profitably.

$88K
12-month engagement · pay in full or 4 quarterly instalments
2 of 4 seats taken — FY27 cohort

This room fits you if…

  • You have $250K+ equity ready to deploy in the next 12 months
  • You're committing to your first Adelaide deal — not "exploring options"
  • You're willing to be coached on decisions, not just educated on theory
  • You can show up for two structured contact days a month, every month

It doesn't fit you if…

  • You're still deciding whether property development is for you
  • You want a recording to watch on weekends — this is a working room
  • You want guarantees instead of a system you can defend at a bank

Capital

  • Direct introductions to my private investor network
  • JV opportunities co-invested with Kaizen on qualifying deals
  • Broker relationships for development finance — warm intros, not cold applications
  • Capital stack structuring for first deals & second deals differently

Deals

  • Full Deal Vault access — the off-market sites Kaizen sources but passes on
  • Priority on Kaizen pass-through opportunities before they're shared anywhere else
  • Live deal review every fortnight — bring real contracts, real numbers
  • Contract, tender & quote review before you sign anything

Connections

  • The builders, planners, certifiers and council relationships I run my deals through
  • Monthly private dinner with the four-person cohort & me
  • Site walk-throughs on active Kaizen developments
  • Annual in-person strategy day in Adelaide
Strategised to your circumstance

Your first move isn't a template. We build it around you.

Before we touch a site, we sit down and architect the path that actually fits your life — your capital, your job, your appetite for risk, what you're walking away from and what you're walking into. The Founders Table room then runs your deal, structured around your reality — not a generic curriculum. Every person at the table comes in from a different angle. Here's a few of them:

Job → Full-timeYou're going to leave PAYG. We map the income bridge, the deal cadence and the entity setup so you can walk in eighteen months without panic.
Equity RecycleYou've got equity sitting in an investment property or your PPOR. We architect the release, the lend, and which lender takes which slice.
Cash & SMSFYou're sitting on cash, or a self-managed super fund you want working harder. We structure deals that fit each pool's rules — without breaking either.
Family / JV CapitalYou're bringing in a parent, a sibling, a partner or an outside backer. We draft the deal so everyone is protected and the upside is clean.
By Application · 2 of 4 Spots Remaining

Tell me about the deal you're walking into.

Specific beats polished. I read every word — the more real it is, the better I can tell if this room is the right fit.

I respond to every application within three business days. No funnel, no auto-reply.
Received. Thank you.

I read every application personally. You'll hear from me within three business days — either a time to talk, or an honest note on why it's not the right fit yet.

Got a Deal? We’ll Manage It End-to-End.

Already have a site under contract? Kaizen's development management team runs your project from feasibility through to settlement — under the same operating system behind $132M in current GRV. You stay the principal. We carry the load.

4%of total project cost — flat management fee
10%of upside profit above feasibility — only if we beat the plan

Simple, aligned pricing. If the deal doesn't perform, the upside fee doesn't trigger — we only win when you win.

Paid in four milestones
25%
On engagement & feasibility sign-off
25%
DA approval
25%
Construction commencement
25%
Practical completion & settlement

This Isn't a Course. It's a Career Shift.

One deal generates more wealth than five years of salary.

You stop guessing. You start thinking like a developer.

The anxiety disappears. Every step is mapped.

Weekends
Scrolling listings with no framework
Kill a bad deal in 5 min. Spot a good one in 10.
Confidence
Faking it in every meeting
Read contracts. Push back. Command the room.
Returns
4–6% in term deposits
40–80% cash-on-cash on infill deals.
Network
Outside looking in
Deals start coming to you.

The 5 Decisions That Separate Profitable Developers from Everyone Else

A free 22-page guide. No pitch at the end. Just the five critical decisions that determine whether your first SA development is profitable — and exactly how I get each one right on every Kaizen deal.

  • Decision 1 — The feasibility line your spreadsheet is hiding from you
  • Decision 2 — The entity choice that quietly costs first-timers $30K–$80K
  • Decision 3 — The 5-minute kill test for any Adelaide infill site
  • Decision 4 — The construction clause 90% of new developers don't know exists
  • Decision 5 — Why "buy it and figure it out later" destroys first-deal margins

Download the Guide

PDF + HTML. Sent straight to your inbox. No sales pitch — just the playbook I wish someone handed me before my first deal.

Questions I Get Asked a Lot

Honestly, no. I built every module assuming you're starting from scratch. You don't need a finance degree or a construction background. By Module 3, you'll be running feasibility on real sites — the same way I do.

The frameworks apply nationally — feasibility, structuring, construction management. But the planning and regulatory content is specifically SA. If you're developing elsewhere, about 70% still applies directly.

Depends on the strategy. A retain-and-subdivide might need $50K–$100K in equity. A full demolish-and-build is more like $150K–$300K. Module 7 goes deep on how to structure financing to reduce what you need personally.

Most courses are taught by people who stopped developing years ago. I'm running Kaizen Projects right now — active sites, active deals. Every example and template in this program comes from projects I've actually done, not textbook theory.

Yes. All modules, templates, and future updates — no extra cost. Coaching access is for 12 months, with the option to renew at a reduced rate.

Go through the first three modules. If it hasn't delivered value, email me within 30 days and I'll refund every cent. No forms, no hoops.

Yes. Most people join The Playbook and move into the Founders Table once their first deal is in motion — the Playbook fee credits fully against the Founders Table investment if you upgrade within 12 months.

One of These Two Stories Will Be Yours

Same person. Same suburb. Same equity. The only variable is which set of decisions got made on the way there.

Path A · Without a system

Still researching

  • Twelve more months of scrolling portals at midnight
  • Three deals you "almost" pulled the trigger on — now built by someone else
  • The same questions in your head you had this morning
  • Equity sitting in offset, earning 6% pre-tax
  • The vague feeling that you're running out of decade
Path B · With The Playbook

Settled, profitable, looking at deal #2

  • Site sourced off-market, kill-tested, structured under s71
  • Feasibility stress-tested before exchange — not after
  • DA approved. Tender won the right way. Build under control.
  • $180K–$420K banked from a single deal
  • You're not "thinking about" being a developer. You are one.
30-day money-back guarantee — no questions asked