You’re booked solid for weeks. The phone doesn’t stop. You’re leaving the house at 7am and getting back at 6pm. And yet at the end of the month there’s barely anything left in the bank. Being busy and being profitable are two completely different things – and confusing the two is one of the most…
Most tradespeople set their day rate by looking at what the person down the road charges and going similar. The problem with that approach is that the person down the road might be undercharging too, and now you’re both working harder than you need to for less than you deserve. Your day rate shouldn’t be…
Most tradespeople know they should be charging more. Materials are up. Fuel is up. Insurance is up. Van costs keep climbing. But the day rate hasn’t moved since 2021. That gap between what things cost and what you’re charging is where your profit disappears. Raising your prices feels risky, but staying where you are is…
No matter how good your work is, at some point a customer is going to complain. It might be justified. It might not be. Either way, how you respond matters more than the complaint itself. A complaint handled badly becomes a negative Google review, a dispute, or worse, a small claims court claim. A complaint…
Waiting days for a bank transfer after finishing a job doesn’t have to be normal. The right payment app gets you paid on site, the same day the job is done, by card, by link, or by tap. Here’s what’s worth using in 2026. What to Look for in a Payment App Transaction fees Most…
If you’re still starting jobs without taking a deposit, you’re carrying all the financial risk yourself. Materials bought, time committed, diary blocked – and if the customer turns difficult or disappears, you’re the one out of pocket. Taking a deposit before you start work is standard practice across the trades. It protects your cash flow,…
Every tradesperson has a story. The customer who queried the invoice after the job was done. The one who went silent when payment was due. The one who asked for a quote, had you round for an hour, then never replied. It’s one of the most frustrating parts of running a trade business – and…
Finding new customers takes time, money, and effort. Getting an old customer to book you again costs almost nothing. Yet most tradespeople spend all their energy chasing new work and do very little to hold onto the customers they’ve already got. If you’re a sole trader or running a small trade business in the UK,…
You don’t need a £2,000 website to get work from Google. You need a website that loads fast, looks professional on a phone, clearly states what you do and where, and has enough content for Google to understand what searches it should show up for. Most tradespeople can build something that does all of that…
Your Google Business Profile is the single most powerful free marketing tool available to a UK tradesperson – and most tradespeople are using it at about 20% of its potential. A basic claimed profile with a phone number and a handful of reviews is a start. But there’s a significant gap between a profile that…