Starting out
Start your trade business without office staff
Enquiries logged, quotes followed up, invoices chased and the books kept tidy, set up from your first job. For trades, and other small service businesses too. You stay on the tools.
- EnquiriesWaitingWebsite enquiry logged as a jobAutomatic
- QuotesWaitingSent at the price you setAutomatic
- BookingsWaitingConfirmation text sentAutomatic
- InvoicesWaitingSent after you tap job doneAutomatic
- ReviewsWaitingReview request sent after the jobAutomatic
- BookkeepingWaitingLink to your accounts can be set upTested first
Your back office
Six office jobs, set up to run from your phone
Each one is set up once. Then it runs, and anything to do with your prices waits for your OK.
Enquiries
Website forms and emails land as new jobs, with the customer's details and photos.
AutomaticQuotes
Built on your phone from your own price list. The customer views and signs online, and a follow-up goes if they don't reply.
Needs your OKBookings
Booking confirmations and on-the-way texts go out by themselves.
AutomaticInvoices
An invoice from the finished job in a few taps, card payment on site, and polite reminders if it runs late.
Needs your OKReviews
One review link or QR code sent after every finished job, with nothing offered in return, as Google's rules require.
AutomaticBookkeeping
Approved invoices and payments can be sent to Xero or QuickBooks Online. I test it on your account before it's switched on.
Needs your OKBefore you hire someone
Before you hire, speak to me
An admin hire does the repeat work and the thinking. The set-up takes the repeat work, so you only hire when you need the thinking.
| Task | What a hire does | What the set-up does |
|---|---|---|
| Catching enquiries | Writes them in a book or an inbox | Website forms and emails land as jobs with the customer's details |
| Sending quotes | Types them up from your notes | You build it on your phone from your own price list; the customer views and signs online |
| Following up quotes | Rings round to follow up | A follow-up message goes on a timer |
| Booking jobs | Fills the diary and rings to confirm | Booking confirmations and on-the-way texts go out by themselves |
| Invoicing and chasing | Sends invoices and chases late payers | Invoice from the finished job in a few taps, card payment on site, reminders sent for you |
| Reviews | Asks happy customers, sometimes | One review link or QR code after every finished job |
| The books | Keys invoices into the accounts | Approved invoices and payments can go into Xero or QuickBooks Online, once tested |
| Judgement, new problems, a friendly voice | Yes | No. That stays with you |
The average admin assistant in the UK earns £25,420 a year, before employer National Insurance and pension. Setting the repeat work up to run on its own costs a fraction of that.
Salary: Indeed UK, average base pay for an administrative assistant, October 2026.
How a job moves through
From the first booking to the books
A sample job for a plumber. The quote stays in the job software; the invoice and payment can go across to the accounts once the link is tested.
- 1Booked on the websiteBoiler service picked, price shown, a time chosenCustomer
- 2In the diaryThe job lands at that time and a confirmation text goes outAutomatic
- 3On the wayAn arrival text on the day, with the notes and photos on the jobAutomatic
- 4Done and paidJob marked complete, invoice built from it, paid by card at the doorNeeds your OK
- 5Into XeroSending the approved invoice and payment to Xero can be set up once it's tested on your account.Your accounts
Honest limits
What stays with you
The set-up does the repeat steps in between.
- You set your prices. Anything outside them waits for your OK.
- You talk to your customers. The set-up won't hold a conversation for you.
- Tax stays with you and your accountant.
Ways to start
Start with what brings work in
Then add invoicing and the accounts link as the jobs come in. Fixed prices, agreed before I start.
Connected website
from £995
Quote requests arrive in your job software as new jobs.
Job software set-up
from £750
Diary, customers, price list, templates and messages. The accounts link can be added once tested.
Google Business Profile
from £150
Claimed or fixed, with your trade, towns, services and photos.
Review requests
from £150
A one-tap review link after each job, plus a QR code.
I'm not VAT registered, so there's no VAT to add.
Rather do it yourself? Learn to use AI for quotes and replies, then set it up your way.
Questions
Questions from new trade owners
Do I need all this before my first job?
No. Start with the parts that bring work in: a Google Business Profile, a quote form and a way to send quotes from your phone. Add invoicing and the accounts link when the jobs come in.
How does this compare with hiring an admin assistant?
It costs a fraction of a hire. The average UK admin assistant earns £25,420 a year before employer National Insurance and pension (Indeed UK), while a set-up is a one-off fixed price. It covers the repeat steps: logging enquiries, quote follow-ups, invoices, payment reminders and review requests. Thinking on its feet and talking to customers stays with you.
Does it work with my accountant?
If your accounts are in Xero or QuickBooks Online, the link can be set up. I test it on your account first and tell you what goes across. On other software, I'll tell you plainly at the start what does and doesn't connect.
What about Making Tax Digital?
It depends on your qualifying income (your self-employment and property income before costs). Over £50,000 and it already applies, from 6th April 2026; over £30,000 it starts on 6th April 2027, and over £20,000 on 6th April 2028. Having every invoice and payment in your accounting software from day one makes it easier. Your accountant confirms the tax side.
What happens when I take someone on?
Nothing to undo. Paid ServiceM8 plans have unlimited users, so a new starter gets their own login and sees the same jobs, quotes and diary.
Get a quote
Tell me what you're starting
Your trade, where you work and what you have so far. I'll reply with any questions, then a fixed price before any work starts.