Business and Cash Flow
Construction leads Australia's insolvency numbers year after year, and the ATO's small-business debt book keeps climbing, most of it owed by tradies who were busy, not broke. This section is about the money side of running a trade business: GST, cash flow, quiet seasons, and growing past the point where you can do everything yourself.
12 articles
The GST Bank Account Method
The ATO's total debt book has climbed past $105 billion, with roughly $46 billion of that classed as collectable, and around 65 per cent of it owed by small business. I have run trades and services businesses in Sydney for over two…
$105 Billion and Climbing
The ATO's total debt book has grown past $105 billion. Roughly $46 billion of that is classed as collectable right now, and around 65 per cent of it is owed by small business. I have run trades and services businesses in Sydney for over…
Why Construction Leads Australia's Insolvency Numbers, and the One Habit That Keeps Businesses Off the List
Construction consistently records the highest rate of business insolvency of any industry in Australia. Not occasionally. Consistently, year after year, report after report. If you are running an electrical business, a plumbing business,…
The January Cash Crunch
I know a bloke, good electrician, solid reputation, been running his own business for six years. Every December he's flat out, storm callouts, Christmas light jobs, people wanting work finished before the holidays. Then January hits. The…
Why You Can't Scale Past Yourself
A mate of mine hired his second electrician two years ago, brought on a third apprentice last year, genuinely solid team now. But every single quote in his business still goes through him personally. His guys can do the work, good…
From Tradesman to Business Owner
I remember the exact feeling of getting my contractor licence, genuine pride, years of study and on-the-job graft finally paying off. What nobody told me was that the licence was the easy part. Within months I wasn't just doing electrical…
Why Apprentices Should Care How Their Boss Quotes Jobs
An apprentice I know, a few years into his ticket, once said something that stuck with me. "Some weeks we're flat out, other weeks I'm just cleaning the van because there's nothing booked in." He wasn't complaining about the work itself…
Founders Rate Explained
There are 100 spots. That is not a marketing trick, it is a genuine, hard limit, and once it is filled, it is filled. The first 100 licensed electricians to join Just Send It AI lock in a founders rate of $49 a month, for as long as they…
More Trades Are Coming
Every trade in this country loses money the same way. A plumber driving to a quote that never converts loses exactly the same kind of time an electrician does. A landscaper writing up a scope of works at 9pm after a full day on the tools…
What Should a Sparky Actually Charge Per Hour?
Most electricians set their hourly rate by asking around, checking what competitors charge and picking a number that feels safe. It's the most common pricing mistake in the trade. Your rate isn't a market guess. It's what your business…
Deposits and Payment Terms: Stop Funding Your Clients' Jobs
Too many electricians buy materials for a job with their own money, do the work, then wait 30 days or more to get paid. That's not a business, it's an interest-free loan to your clients. Clear deposits and payment terms, set out in the…
What a Tax Invoice Needs to Include
Every job ends with an invoice, and most tradies send them without ever checking what the ATO actually requires. Get it wrong and your clients can't claim their GST credits, commercial customers will bounce the invoice back, and you'll…