price from cost up, never from gut down
You quoted a bathroom rewire last Tuesday. The customer seemed keen, you shook hands, and you said you'd "get a price over to them.".
Industry Verticals (Local & Service) / Beginner
The Trades Toolkit
Quotes, scheduling, and customer follow-up for contractors, plumbers, and electricians.
The problem
It starts with the situation you're actually in.
You picked up the trade because you're good with your hands. Nobody warned you that the job comes with a second job — the one with no tools, no van, and no satisfying finish at the end of the day.
The work that's been sitting in the back of your van — the half-finished quote template, the calendar you keep meaning to set up, the customers you never followed up with — doesn't get done because there's never a clear day to do it. There's always a job.
Outcomes
What you'll be able to do.
The day that ate itself
You quoted three jobs this week and won two. Good.
The three real options
The cheapest tool in the trades isn't free — it's the one that quietly costs you a job you'll never know you lost. A quote you wrote on a notepad gets buried under a receipt.
the work isn't over when the job is
The job is done. The breaker's reset, the panel's labeled, you've packed the van.
Inside the book
A closer look at the work inside.
The work you can see, and the work you can't checklist
- A quoting system — a repeatable way to price labor and materials, write the scope down, and send the number fast.
- A scheduling system — a single source of truth for where you're meant to be, with buffers for jobs that run long and confirmations that cut no-shows.
- A follow-up system — a habit of checking in after the job, asking for reviews and referrals, and chasing unpaid invoices without it feeling awkward.
Build one real quote
Take a job you're quoting this week — or the last one you sent — and run it through the four layers: JOB: ____________________________ 1. LABOUR hours ____ × rate ____ = ____ 2. MATERIALS cost ____ + markup ___% = ____ 3. OVERHEADS ___% of (labour+materials) = ____ 4.
Worked example: a consumer unit upgrade
You're replacing a domestic consumer unit. Walk the numbers: Reference Line Detail Amount Labour 6 hrs × £45 £270 Materials Board, breakers, certs (cost £180 + 15%) £207 Overheads 20% applied to labour + materials £95 Profit 15% margin on the subtotal £86 Quote total £658 Now look at what happens if you "round it to £550 to be.
A day that holds
Before you lock tomorrow, run it past this.
- Every job has a realistic time block, not a wishful start time.
- Jobs are sequenced by location to kill backtracking.
- One buffer block is left unbooked.
- Tomorrow's appointments are confirmed by tonight.
- Unconfirmed jobs got a call, not an optimistic drive.
- At least one half-day this week is reserved for quotes and invoices.
- Each job is sorted: do it, delegate it, or decline it.
Case study: where the hours really go
Walk through a typical solo plumber's "busy" Tuesday, minute by minute. Eight billable hours on paper. Here's the real shape of it: Reference Time block Activity Billable? 7:30–8:00 Drive to first job No 8:00–11:15 Panel/water-heater job Yes 11:15–11:45 Drive across town to callback No 11:45–12:30 Diagnose leak, no part on van Partial.
The Trades Toolkit frameworkInside the book
Visual preview
A diagram you can keep open while you work.
Table of contents
6 chapters, built to be read in order.
01
The Job Behind the Job
02
Quotes That Win Work and Protect Your Margin
03
Scheduling Without the Chaos
04
Follow-Up That Turns One Job Into Many
05
Choosing and Using Your Toolkit
06
Your First 30 Days
142
Pages
8,100
Words
22
Exercises, checklists & tools
6
Chapters
Formats
Three formats. One purchase.
EPUB, PDF, and HTML are included so the book can work on an e-reader, as a designed copy, or as a searchable desk reference.
EPUB
For e-readers and reading apps.
The designed edition with diagrams and layouts intact.
HTML
Searchable, copy-pasteable, and practical as a reference.
Complete guide
The Trades Toolkit
$6.99
Beginner guide pricing
- ✓EPUB + PDF + HTML included in one purchase
- ✓6 chapters from the complete guide
- ✓DRM-free files for your own devices
- ✓7-day refund review for duplicate purchases, access issues, wrong files, or materially defective downloads
Secure checkout / instant download / tax handled at checkout
Before you buy
Questions, answered.
Does this include the full book?
Yes. You get the complete edition, including the chapter sequence and internal materials described on this page.
Which formats are included?
EPUB, PDF, and HTML are included so you can read on an e-reader, keep a designed copy, or use the searchable browser version.
What is the refund policy?
Because this is an instant digital download, broad change-of-mind refunds are not offered after the files have been accessed. Refund requests are reviewed within 7 days for duplicate purchases, accidental purchases before access, access failures we cannot fix, wrong files, corrupted files, or pages that materially misdescribe the book.