Practical guides for running project-based work.
No fluff and no sales pitch - just straight, experienced advice on quoting, job costing, variations, stage invoicing, CIS and running several live jobs at once. Written for people who run jobs for a living.
How to quote a fit-out project properly
A fit-out quote that's wrong by 5% doesn't just cost you 5% of the job - it can wipe out the whole margin. Here's how to price one properly, section by section.
Read the guideHow to track job costs and protect your margin
Most contractors find out a job lost money weeks after it's finished, once there's nothing left to do but write it down as a lesson. Here's how to set a proper cost plan and track it as the job runs, so you catch the problem while you can still fix it.
Read the guideHow to capture and manage supplier receipts on a construction project
Supplier receipts are where project margin quietly disappears: the site buy nobody logged, the VAT nobody checked, the cost that never made it onto the job. Here is a simple routine that catches every receipt at the moment of spend and gets it onto the right project.
Read the guideHow to reconcile supplier invoices on a construction project
On a busy construction project you can have dozens of supplier invoices landing against a handful of purchase orders and deliveries. Here is a straightforward way to reconcile them, catch the errors that cost you margin, and keep your month-end painless.
Read the guideHow to handle variations on a construction project
A variation is any change to the agreed scope of work - and every one of them needs pricing and agreeing in writing before you pick up a tool, or you're doing it for free.
Read the guideHow to run stage or milestone invoicing on a project
Getting paid steadily through a long job means agreeing how and when you'll invoice before you sign the contract, not working it out as you go. Here's how to structure staged or milestone payments so cash keeps moving and disputes stay rare.
Read the guideHow to set up CIS correctly as a subcontractor or contractor
CIS trips people up not because it's complicated, but because it's fiddly - the wrong deduction rate or a missed monthly return is an easy way to lose money or land a penalty. Here's how to set it up properly, in the order HMRC actually expects.
Read the guideHow to manage multiple building projects at once
Running one job well is hard enough. Running five or eight at once without dropping any of them means changing how you work, not just working harder.
Read the guideHow to manage site photos and documents across live jobs
If a photo or drawing lives only in someone's phone or a WhatsApp thread, it doesn't exist as far as the job is concerned. Here's how to file it properly, without it becoming another chore nobody does.
Read the guideHow to move your trades business off spreadsheets and WhatsApp
Spreadsheets and WhatsApp get most trades businesses off the ground, but growth exposes the cracks fast. Here's how to spot the moment you've outgrown them, and how to move on without a chaotic big-bang switch.
Read the guideHow to scale a fit-out or refurbishment business
Plenty of fit-out and refurbishment firms grow their turnover and end up worse off than when they started. Here's what actually needs to be true before you take on more work.
Read the guideHow to choose job management software for a trades business
There's no single 'best' job management software - there's only the right one for how your business actually works. This guide is about figuring that out before you sign up, not after.
Read the guideRun your projects, not your paperwork.
One system for every enquiry, job, quote and invoice - built for the way project-based trades actually work.