According to research commissioned by job management software specialists Fergus, despite the digital revolution of the past 30 years, over 75% of tradies are still using manual, paper-based processes to manage their businesses.

The research shows that too many tradies are still reliant on paper-based systems and other processes, such as email, which aren’t joined up. Sadly, when things get busy, it becomes all too easy for things to slip through the cracks, such as late payments or invoices, and that makes running a business laborious, ultimately leading to poor cash flow, lower profits and stress for the business owner.

“No one said being a tradie would be easy, and the sense of achievement a business owner feels is all the greater for knowing they’ve worked hard to achieve it,” Fergus founder Dan Pollard says.

“But there’s no need to make things more difficult than they need to be. Burnout is always a risk for the small business owner and a healthy work life balance is important.”

Fergus was founded by veteran plumber Dan Pollard, in New Zealand in 2014 and launched the software in Australia in 2017. He developed the software as a way to set out to solve the problems that had plagued his business for years. Dan named the software after his dog, because it became his best friend, giving him back precious time and control over his business.

So how do you go about working hard, but also having the quality time needed for family, friends, and leisure activities? Thankfully there are some processes you can put in place, and even better, automate them, so that you have even more time free for the good things in life.

1. Get the basics right

Always know your day-to-day costs and what you need to cover equipment hire and wages. You should always have the minimum your business needs in your account and never go below this. Keep a close eye on your accounts and payments in and out. Know when a customer has failed to pay an invoice, or when you’re due to pay a supplier, or when a late payment needs chasing. Spend some time every day on your accounts and file receipts and invoices as soon as you get them.

2. Control your overheads

Keeping abreast of costs allows you to control your overheads, which helps eliminate waste. Fergus, for instance, integrates all aspects of your business and gives you to a powerful, and easy to read, visual overview of your business in its entirety. You can see the status of a job, from quote to completion.

By giving you the power to plan ahead, you can employ subbies when you need them and hire equipment when necessary. You can assign staff to jobs in seconds by just dragging and dropping them onto it. They’ll automatically receive notification through the app, and there’s no need to phone or meet with them.

You can build bespoke quotes in minutes, adjusting pricing or mark-ups on materials, or offer discounts where necessary; create digital job cards which can be seen anywhere and by anyone on your team, by just logging into the app; fill out templated gas and electricity certificates; log hazards and on-site incidents, and record sign offs, all within the app.

3. Tackle problems fast

Problems can arise on any job and if not dealt with fast, they can escalate. This can then delay completion and eat into your bottom line. So, it’s important to spot them as soon as they happen and deal with them. Fergus’s status board is colour coded and easy to read at a glance. You’ll be able to see what’s going wrong should a problem arise and quickly fix it.

4. Chase late payments

Get in the habit of issuing clear and easy-to-understand invoices as soon as a job is done. Fergus simplifies this task. By logging your costs, the materials you purchase for a job, and tracking the time you and your employees spend on it, the app has all the information it needs to feed into the invoice for you at the end. You can follow up late payment with automatic SMS messages.

With the tips outlined above, you’ll be able to run your business more efficiently and more profitably. You’ll be happier, able to achieve a good work/life balance, and have more time to do the things you enjoy. Your customers will be happier too and will see that yours is a business they can rely on. A satisfied customer will likely recommend you and your business can grow.

For more details and to book a demo visit this link.