Blog
Tips on quoting, pricing, and running a profitable trade business.
How to Price Materials Correctly: Waste, Mark-up and Margin
Materials are easy to underprice. This practical guide shows you how to allow for waste, round up to pack sizes, cover hidden costs and choose a mark-up that genuinely makes you a profit.
How to Win More Profitable Work: A Guide for Tradespeople
Busy but not making enough money? This practical guide shows you how to find out which jobs really pay, attract more of them and stop wasting time on work that doesn't.
How to Quote Like a Professional: A Guide for Tradespeople
Your quote is often the only thing a customer compares. This practical guide shows you what every professional quote should include, how to write a clear scope of work, and how to protect yourself once the job starts.
20 Pricing Mistakes Tradespeople Make (and How to Fix Them)
Busy diary, empty bank account? The problem is usually your pricing, not your workload. This guide covers 20 common pricing mistakes tradespeople make, from forgetting overheads and travel time to competing on price and never reviewing rates. Each one comes with a practical fix so you can start charging what your work is worth.
How Much to Charge Per Hour as a Self-Employed Tradesperson
Your hourly rate has to pay for far more than your wages. This guide explains why a self-employed tradesperson must charge well over twice an employee's hourly pay, with a worked example.
How Much Contingency to Add to a Quote: A Guide for Trades
Too little contingency and you pay for every surprise. Too much and you lose the job. This guide shows you how to match your contingency to the real risk on each job.
How to Work Out the True Profit on a Job
The money left in the bank after a job isn't your profit. This guide shows you how to work out the true profit on a job, with a full worked example, and what to do with the answer.
Trade Business Overheads: How They Affect Your Hourly Rate
Your overheads have to be paid from every job you do. This guide shows you how to add them up, turn them into an hourly figure, and adjust your rate when your costs or workload change.
Job Profit App for Tradespeople, Tradies and Contractors
Currency, sales tax and trade language change from country to country. The maths of profit doesn't. Here's how TradeProfit sets itself up for tradespeople in the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the USA and South Africa.
How to Estimate Labour Times Accurately
Learn how to estimate labour times accurately. Break jobs into tasks, allow for hidden time, and compare estimated hours against actual hours.
How to Calculate Your Charge-Out Rate as a Tradesperson
Learn how to calculate the right charge-out rate for your trade business. This guide explains how to include wages, overheads, non-billable time and profit so you can price jobs with confidence.
How to Price a Job Properly: A Simple Guide for Tradespeople
Not sure whether you are charging enough? This practical guide explains how to price a job properly by calculating labour, overheads, materials, expenses and profit before sending your quotation.