Short posts for small trade business owners, written from what I see in the books each month. No jargon, no theory.
How to read a finished job backwards against its quote in four steps, with a demo builder's job profit table. Where the margin goes and what to change in the next quote.
↓ The one-page sheet: back-cost one jobMost tradies don't decide to do their own bookkeeping, it just ends up on their plate. A quick self-check for working out when it's costing you more than it saves.
It's almost never the big things. Entertainment, the ute, overseas software and second-hand gear: five ordinary expenses that look claimable and aren't, or are and get missed.
The invoice tells you what you charged. It says nothing about what the job cost and that gap is where the profit quietly goes.
Ask it. If it's a good one it'll probably become a post and you'll get the answer either way.
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