Trade guides
Practical advice for self-employed UK tradespeople - admin, pricing, automation, and more.
Featured guide
Cancellation policy that protects your week
A cancellation policy only needs four lines: how much notice you ask for, what happens if they give less, how to cancel, and what you will do if you are the one who has to move the job. Put it in the confirmation and it mostly enforces itself.
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Storm-season booking plan: emergency slots vs planned work
Hold a few slots each week for storm work, use them only for real emergencies, and make safe first with the full repair booked later. That way a storm brings in work without wrecking the installs you have already promised.
Public liability and tool cover review before winter
Read your policies before winter, not after a break-in. Check what your tool cover pays out, when it applies and what excess you would pay, and check your public liability limit still matches the work you do.
Route planning for shorter days: less driving, more paid time
As the days shorten, plan the week by area and the day by daylight. Group jobs so you drive to a patch once, load the night before, and put outdoor work in the middle of the day.
Autumn damp prep: job types to promote now
Promote the jobs that keep water out, and do it before the rain shows where it gets in: gutters and downpipes, flashing and pointing, seals round openings, and ventilation. September is when customers will listen and the weather still lets you work.
September reset: turn more enquiries into booked jobs
You probably do not need more enquiries. You need more of the ones you already get to turn into bookings. Reply the same working day, follow up after two days, and make it possible to say yes in one message.
Late-summer offers without discounting your value
Do not cut your rate to fill a quiet fortnight. Put two jobs that belong together into one visit, limit the number of slots, and write down exactly what is included. The customer gets more, and you keep what you earn per hour.
How to reactivate old customers before autumn
Message the customers you last worked for 9 to 18 months ago, about one job that fits the season, with two dates to choose from. They already trust you, so one short text can do what a month of advertising cannot.
Before-and-after photos that win local jobs
Take the before photo from the exact spot where you will take the after photo, wide first and then close up, and ask the customer before you share anything. Thirty seconds at each end of the job gives you the best advertising you have.
Which jobs actually make you money? (simple trade audit)
Work out what you kept per hour on each type of job, travel included. One or two job types will be carrying the business, and one will be costing you money. Do more of the first and rethink the second.
Quiet August upskilling: qualifications that pay back fastest
The training that pays back fastest is the course that lets you say yes to work you are turning away now. Next comes anything about to lapse. Start with those two lists, not with a course catalogue.
Chasing unpaid invoices without sounding desperate
Chasing is easier when it is a routine and not a favour you are asking. Put the terms on the quote, invoice the day you finish, send a friendly reminder three days after the due date, and follow a fixed set of steps from there.
School-holiday slowdown: keep work flowing when families are away
The summer holidays do not have to mean an empty diary. Get a yes before customers go away, do the work while the house is empty, fill gaps with past customers near home, and keep a dated list of who to ring when they are back.
Heatwave jobs: rescheduling scripts that keep customers onside
In a heatwave, start early, stop loft and roof work by late morning, and move anything that cannot be done safely. Tell the customer the day before, with a new date, and most will thank you for it.
Summer demand spikes: keep Fridays from becoming chaos
Keep Friday afternoon clear on purpose. Book the morning, set a midday cut-off for urgent work, and use what is left for overruns and a short tidy-up. A Friday with slack in it protects the whole week.
What to put on your booking page so better customers book
Put on the page what a customer needs to make up their mind, and ask only for what changes your time or your materials: the job, the postcode, photos, access and when they are free. Everything else can wait for the visit.
What to do when a customer keeps moving the date
Allow one free move with two days' notice. After that, a second change means a rebooking fee and a place at the back of the queue. Say the rule when they book, so you are never making it up mid-argument.
Deposits: when £25 works and when you need 20%
Use a small flat deposit, around £25, to hold a slot for a short visit. Use a percentage, 20% or more, when you are buying materials for the job. Either way, tell the customer in writing what happens to it if they cancel.
Minimum job charge: the quickest way to stop underpriced small jobs
Set a minimum charge that covers the first hour of your time, travel included, and say it before you agree to come. Small jobs stop losing money the day you do.
No-show prevention: reminder timings that actually work in the UK
Three messages stop most no-shows: a confirmation when the job is booked, a reminder two days before, and a text on the morning with your arrival window. The two-day reminder matters most, because it leaves you time to fill the slot.
May bank holiday rush: same-day booking rules that protect your diary
Take same-day work on your terms: a cut-off time, one or two slots held back for it, and only jobs you can finish from the van. Anything else goes into next week.
How far should your service area be? A profit-first way to decide
Set your area by minutes, not miles. Work out what an unpaid drive costs, cover a core area at your normal rate, charge extra for the ring outside it, and say no beyond that.
Stop losing leads on missed calls (simple text-back workflow)
You do not need to answer every call. You need every missed caller to hear from you within a few minutes, by text, with a time you will ring back. That one habit stops most missed calls turning into lost jobs.
Bank holiday call-outs: when to charge emergency rates
Charge your emergency rate when the job cannot safely wait until the next working day, and only when the customer has agreed the rate before you set off. Everything else gets booked for Tuesday at your normal rate.
Easter backlog clean-up: prioritise jobs without annoying customers
Clear a backlog by sorting it, not by working faster. Urgent and promised jobs first, longest waits next, low-value jobs moved to a later date with a firm day attached. Then tell every customer where they stand.
How to write quotes that get approved without endless back-and-forth
A quote gets a quick yes when the customer can see three things: what you will do, what it costs, and how to accept. Most back-and-forth comes from one of those being missing.
New Tax Year Setup for UK Trades: Week 1 Checklist (2026)
Week 1 after 6 April sets your baseline for the year. Get it wrong now and you'll spend months fixing pricing, admin and messy jobs.