Run the business side of your trade.
Practical, no-fluff guides on pricing jobs, chasing payment, going Ltd and running a trade business — written for plumbers, electricians, builders and other UK trades.
Going paperless as a trade: what to ditch and what to keep
A practical order for getting rid of the paperwork — quotes, invoices, receipts, certificates and job photos — without losing the paper trail that protects you.
Read guide →AdminQuoting from the van: send it before you leave the drive
How to price and send a quote on site instead of at 9pm — the survey routine, the numbers you need to hand, and why speed wins more jobs than price.
Read guide →AdminKeeping records: what HMRC actually wants
What business records a self-employed tradesperson has to keep, how long to keep them, and a monthly routine that takes an hour and saves a weekend in January.
Read guide →Winning workHow to ask customers for reviews (without it being awkward)
A simple system for getting Google reviews as a tradesperson — when to ask, exactly what to say, how to follow up, and what to do about a bad one.
Read guide →Winning workHow to follow up a quote without being pushy
Most quotes are lost to silence, not to price. A simple follow-up routine for tradespeople — when to chase, exactly what to say, and when to let it go.
Read guide →Winning workGoogle Business Profile for trades: the free lead source
How to set up and rank a Google Business Profile as a UK tradesperson — categories, service areas, photos, reviews and posts — so 'plumber near me' finds you.
Read guide →Winning workHow to get jobs without Checkatrade or MyBuilder
Lead sources that don't cost you a monthly fee or a cut of every job — how to build a flow of work from Google, repeat customers, other trades and your local patch.
Read guide →Running the businessWhat you can claim as expenses (self-employed trades)
What a self-employed UK tradesperson can claim against tax — van, tools, workwear, phone, use of home, training — and the common claims that don't hold up.
Read guide →Running the businessDo you need to register for VAT?
When a UK tradesperson has to register for VAT, when it's worth doing voluntarily, what the threshold means in practice, and how the flat rate and reverse charge affect trades.
Read guide →Running the businessBusiness insurance for trades: what you actually need
Which insurances a UK tradesperson genuinely needs — public liability, employers' liability, tools, van, professional indemnity and contract works — and which are optional.
Read guide →Running the businessSelf Assessment basics for tradespeople
A plain-English guide to Self Assessment for UK trades — registering, what the deadlines mean, what goes on the return, payments on account and CIS refunds.
Read guide →Running the businessHow much to set aside for tax when you're self-employed
A simple system for putting money aside for tax as a self-employed tradesperson — what percentage, which account, and how to survive the first-January payment on account.
Read guide →Getting paidGetting paid as a subbie: CIS, applications and payment terms
How payment works on sub-contract construction work — CIS deductions, payment applications and notices, retention, and how to avoid the classic ways subbies get stiffed.
Read guide →Getting paidWhat to put on an invoice (UK trades)
What a trade invoice legally needs, what it should have to get paid faster, and the VAT extras — plus the small details that stop customers finding reasons to delay.
Read guide →Getting paidStaged payments and retentions: getting paid through the job
How to structure staged payments on bigger jobs so you're never funding the work yourself — payment triggers, valuations, and what to do when a customer wants to hold retention.
Read guide →PricingHow to work out your day rate
Work out a day rate that actually covers your costs — billable days, overheads, holiday, sick pay, pension and tax — instead of copying whatever the bloke down the road charges.
Read guide →PricingWhat to charge for a call-out
How to set a call-out charge that covers your time and doesn't scare off work — fixed fees, minimum charges, out-of-hours rates and how to explain it on the phone.
Read guide →PricingHow to price a re-tile
How to price tiling work properly — per square metre vs day rate, prep and substrate, wastage, format and pattern loading, and the extras that eat a tiling job.
Read guide →PricingHow to price a boiler swap
How to price a like-for-like boiler replacement in the UK — survey, labour, materials, system cleaning, certification and the extras that turn a one-day job into two.
Read guide →PricingHow to price a full house rewire
A practical method for pricing a domestic rewire in the UK — points, days, materials, certification and the making-good that quietly eats your margin.
Read guide →Winning workWhy you're losing jobs to missed calls (and what to do about it)
Missed calls quietly cost UK tradespeople real work every week. Here's why it happens, what a missed call actually costs, and the simple fixes — including auto text-back.
Read guide →Running the businessSole trader vs limited company for tradespeople
Sole trader or limited company? A plain-English guide for UK tradespeople on the tax, liability and admin differences — and roughly where a limited company starts to pay.
Read guide →PricingShould you charge for quotes and site visits?
When to quote for free and when to charge for a survey or site visit as a UK tradesperson — how to do it without losing the job, with scripts you can use.
Read guide →PricingHow to write a quote that wins the job (with a template)
A UK tradesperson's guide to writing a quote that wins work — the exact structure, an actual template you can copy, and why speed beats a lower price.
Read guide →PricingHow much to charge to fit a bathroom in 2026 (UK)
Indicative UK labour and total costs for fitting a bathroom in 2026, broken down by job size — plus what pushes the price up and how to make your number stick.
Read guide →Getting paidHow much deposit should you take before starting a job?
How much deposit to take as a UK tradesperson, when to use staged payments, the consumer rules to know, and how to ask for money up front without scaring the customer.
Read guide →Running the businessGoing self-employed as a tradesperson: the first 90 days
A practical first-90-days checklist for UK tradespeople going self-employed — registering with HMRC, insurance, getting paid, tax to set aside, and winning early work.
Read guide →PricingDay rate vs price work: which makes more as a UK tradesman
Day rate or price work? A UK tradesperson's guide to which earns more, who carries the risk, and how to choose the right one for each job — with a worked example.
Read guide →Getting paidCustomer won't pay: your options as a UK tradesperson
A step-by-step guide for UK tradespeople when a customer won't pay — from a firm reminder to a letter before action and the small claims court, with a template.
Read guide →Getting paidChasing late invoices without losing the customer
How to chase late invoices as a UK tradesperson without wrecking the relationship — a stage-by-stage sequence with copy-and-send scripts for each reminder.
Read guide →PricingHow to price a bathroom refit in 2026
A practical, UK-focused method for pricing a full bathroom refit in 2026 — labour, materials, markup, contingency and VAT — without underselling yourself.
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