Practical writing for people who run service businesses.
How to get paid sooner, win more of the right work, cost every job and choose software you will not regret. Written to be used, not skimmed.
Articles
- Getting paidDeposits and milestone billing: stop funding your clients' projectsIf you only invoice at the end, you are the bank for every project you run. Deposits and milestone billing let the money arrive as the work does, without making the client nervous.6 min read
- Running the businessGym membership retention: the first 90 days decide itFor a gym or studio, the member you keep is worth more than the member you sign. Most who leave decide to in the first few weeks, which is exactly when you can still change it.5 min read
- Going digitalHow to choose business management software: a buyer's checklistChoosing software is easier than it looks and harder to undo than it should be. A short list of questions, asked before you commit, separates the tools that fit from the ones that trap.5 min read
- Winning workHow to price your services so every job paysMost small service businesses do not price too high. They price from a guess, forget their unbillable time and discover the problem at year end. A method beats a guess.5 min read
- Winning workHow to write a quote that wins the jobClients rarely choose the cheapest quote. They choose the one they understand, that arrives while they still care, and that makes saying yes easy.5 min read
- Running the businessJob costing for small businesses: know your profit on every jobA business can be busy and still lose money, one job at a time. Job costing shows which jobs pay, which do not, and why, while there is still time to change the next quote.5 min read
- Getting paidHow to chase a late invoice without losing the clientChasing money feels awkward because it feels personal. Make it a process instead, with the same steps and the same words every time, and it stops being either.5 min read
- Winning workA lead follow-up system for a business with no sales teamSmall businesses do not lose most work to competitors. They lose it to the inquiry nobody answered and the quote nobody followed up. A light, regular system fixes both.5 min read
- Running the businessHow to reduce no-shows at an appointment-based businessA missed appointment is time you can never sell again. Most no-shows are forgetfulness, not rudeness, which means most of them can be prevented with a system rather than a policy.5 min read
- Going digitalData security for small businesses: the checklist that actually mattersSmall businesses are not too small to be a target; they are often easier ones. The good news is that a short list of habits blocks most of what actually happens.5 min read
- Going digitalWhen to move your business off spreadsheets, and how to do it in a weekSpreadsheets are a brilliant way to start a business and a costly way to run one. The trick is noticing the moment one became the other, and switching without a painful month.5 min read
Guides you can work through.
Playbooks, checklists and templates, for when you want to do it rather than read about it.
- ChecklistNew client onboarding checklist for service businessesThe first week of a new client relationship sets the tone for the rest of it. A short, repeatable onboarding routine makes every client feel looked after, and prevents most later disputes.4 min read
- PlaybookYour first week on grewray: a day-by-day setup playbookFive short sessions, one a day, take a business from sign-up to running real work on grewray. Each day ends with something working, so the week never feels like setup for its own sake.5 min read
- PlaybookInterior design project playbook: from first brief to handoverInterior projects fail at the joins: between the brief and the estimate, the estimate and the site, the site and the invoice. This playbook sets out each stage and what must pass to the next.5 min read