Remember — you’re not just a tradie anymore. You’re a business owner.
And it’s your job to make sure your business is trading profitably.
A lot of people don’t do this properly. Don’t be one of them.
Here’s a simple monthly money check-in I do with all my clients — and I want you to do it too.
✅ Step 1: Log into your accounting software
(Xero, MYOB, QuickBooks — I’ll use Xero as the example)
✅ Check your cash
Your bank balances. All business accounts. No hiding. Enough cash to pay wages? Good.
My clients log these in our Big Numbers Tracker.
✅ Check what you’re owed and what you owe
In Xero: “Invoices owed to you” and “Bills you need to pay”.
Make sure data is up to date. Are you owed more than you owe? Not too much overdue?
✅ Check the month’s revenue
Look at your P&L. Did you invoice much? If not, can you? If you can’t — why not?
✅ Check your gross margin
That’s Gross Profit ÷ Revenue.
Builders: aim for 20–30%
Other trades: 30–40%
If it’s outside the range — investigate. Materials bought but not invoiced yet? That’s fine, but fix it next month.
✅ Check your net profit
Target: 10% of revenue (after paying yourself properly).
If you’re not hitting it, ask why.
Common culprits:
- Underquoting or discounting
- Inefficient team or poor scheduling
- Travel/project management time not quoted properly
- One-off expenses
- Poor job setup
If your margins are off, something’s wrong. Fix it.
This is your job now. Stay on top of it.
Don’t put your head down and hope it sorts itself out.
I can help, of course.
If you’re not doing this and you need your arse kicked — come and find me.
My clients use the Big Numbers Tracker. You can have it too — $39 to get started.