Running a trade business isn’t just about knocking jobs off the to-do list on-site. Ask any builder, roofer, chippy, landscaper, and they’ll tell you the same thing: the hard work often begins when the tools are down.
We’re talking about admin – the quotes, invoices, schedules, and paperwork that consume your evenings. It’s the part of the job that can drive even the toughest tradie up the wall.
In fact, two-thirds of tradies have lost work because they’re bogged down doing admin instead of being on the tools. If you’ve ever spent your Sunday arvo catching up on paperwork or chasing unpaid invoices instead of doing what you love, this one’s for you.
Here’s 5 typical admin headaches tradies face, and how you can avoid them.
1. Lost or Forgotten Quotes & Invoices
The Headache:
You’ve finished a cracking job and the client’s stoked... but a month later you find the invoice never went out. Bugger. Or perhaps you find a bunch of receipts in the apprentices glovebox that you forgot to charge to the job, hurting your profit margin.
Misplaced or forgotten supplier and customer invoices are more common than you’d think – and they basically mean you did the work for free or made less than you estimated.
Whether it’s a quote that never got emailed or an invoice that slipped through the cracks, the result is lost income and messy cash flow.
One survey found invoicing is among the top admin time-wasters for tradies (61% admit it’s a huge time sink), so it’s no wonder it often gets delayed or overlooked.
But here’s the hard truth: every day you don’t send that invoice is a day you’re pushing back your own payday (and increasing the chance you won’t get paid at all). If you forget to invoice altogether, well, you can kiss that money goodbye.
You wouldn’t knowingly work for free, but that’s exactly what happens when invoices go MIA.
How to Fix It:
The key is to get organised and get prompt. Develop a habit of sending quotes and invoices immediately – if not the same day, then at a regular time each week without fail.
For example, set aside an hour every Friday arvo to fire off any pending quotes and bills. No excuses, no “I’ll do it later” – make it as routine as your Monday morning tool prep.
Even better, leverage a job management app like NextMinute to streamline this. With NextMinute, you can whip up a professional quote on your phone or tablet right there on site (before you even pack up your tools) and email it to the client on the spot.
All your quotes and invoices are stored in one place, so nothing gets lost in the paper shuffle. You can instantly see which ones are sent, accepted, or overdue at a glance. Once the job’s done, that quote automatically converts into an invoice in just a few taps – with all your time, materials, and expenses already logged, ensuring nothing gets missed or undercharged.
Need to bill in stages? No worries. With progress payment invoices, you can invoice for completed work as the job progresses, keeping your cash flow steady and reducing the risk of large unpaid balances at the end.
The result? No more “oops, forgot to bill you” moments, faster payments, better cash flow, and a reputation for being on-the-ball with your paperwork.
2. Scheduling Disasters
The Headache:
Ever double-booked yourself for two different jobs on the same morning? Or penciled in a client for Tuesday, only to show up and find out it was meant to be Thursday?
Scheduling can be a circus if you’re not on top of it. For many tradies, poor scheduling leads to days that are more chaotic than a demolition site – rushed jobs, upset clients, and endless stress.
Maybe you’re juggling a scribbled diary, a whiteboard in the shed, and a bunch of text messages – and things start slipping through. One minute you’re at one end of town finishing a job, then you check your phone and realise you were supposed to be across town an hour ago for another. Meanwhile, your crew is calling non-stop because they’re not sure where they need to be, what needs to be done, or if the client is even expecting them yet.
Now, instead of focusing on the work at hand, you’re spending half the day fielding calls, sorting out last-minute changes, and chasing up missing details. Not fun. A couple of scheduling slip-ups can make your week look like a dog’s breakfast—and cost you valuable time and money in the process.
How to Fix It:
You need a single source of truth for your schedule. Ditch the multiple calendars and consolidate into one master schedule – whether that’s a digital calendar on your phone or a big planner on the wall (just make sure everyone involved can access it and it’s updated in real time).
Better yet, use a job management tool like NextMinute to take the load off. NextMinute lets you schedule jobs and assign tasks to your team with a few clicks. The beauty is that everyone – from the apprentices to the admin staff – can see the same live schedule on their device.
This means if you book a new job or shift timings around, there’s no excuse for confusion because the whole crew gets the memo instantly.
And forget double-booking – NextMinute’s Gantt chart will flag clashes before they happen, keeping you out of those sticky “sorry, I have to move your appointment” calls.
3. Chasing Late Payments
The Headache:
You’ve done the work, handed over the keys or finished the install, and the client is thrilled... yet weeks go by and your invoice hasn’t been paid.
Now you’re spending your evenings writing polite reminder emails or making awkward phone calls to chase up money that should already be in your account. Sound familiar?
How to Fix It:
First off, prevention is better than cure. Set clear payment expectations with clients from the get-go. Every quote and invoice should spell out your payment terms – whether it’s “due on completion,” “7 days from invoice,” or progress payments for longer projects. Progress payments are a game-changer for bigger jobs, ensuring you’re getting paid at key milestones instead of waiting until the end and chasing a lump sum.
Use a system like NextMinute to keep track of invoices and their payment status in one dashboard, so you instantly see who’s overdue. You can set up progress payment invoices directly from the app, keeping your cash flow steady throughout the job. You can even send automatic reminders via your accounting software – so you don’t have to waste time chasing payments manually.
4. Too Much Paperwork, Not Enough Time
The Headache:
You knock off after a long day on the tools, utterly knackered, only to face Mount Paperwork waiting for you at home.
Timesheets, receipts, BAS statements – it’s a never-ending cycle.
How to Fix It:
Use a job management system to store everything in one place. With NextMinute, you can log timesheets, snap photos of receipts, and keep all job details centralised. No more paperwork chaos.
5. Not Knowing If You’re Making a Profit
The Headache:
The work is rolling in, the jobs are booked solid, and you’re busier than ever – but somehow, your bank balance never seems to reflect it. You’re working your guts out, yet at the end of the month, there’s not much left over. Where’s all the money going?
For many tradies, the issue isn’t a lack of work – it’s not tracking job costs properly. Maybe you underquoted to win a job and didn’t realise how much time and materials it would actually take. Or maybe costs blew out, with extra site visits, unexpected material price hikes, or longer-than-expected labour hours. Without clear visibility on your expenses, you could be burning through your profits without even realising it.
And if you’re only looking at your bank account balance at the end of the month to see how you’re doing, you’re flying blind. You might feel busy, but without tracking job profitability, you could be working for peanuts – or worse, losing money.
How to Fix It:
The key to staying profitable isn’t just doing more jobs – it’s tracking your numbers on every job so you know exactly where your money is going.
1. Track Every Cost Per Job
- Make sure you log every expense, including materials, labour (your time counts too!), subbies, travel, and overheads like fuel and insurance.
- Keep records as you go, rather than trying to remember everything at the end of the month.
2. Use a Job Management System for Accuracy
- Instead of relying on a spreadsheet or guessing, use a system like NextMinute to automatically track costs.
- NextMinute logs all your materials, time, and expenses under each job, so nothing gets missed.
3. Set Smarter Quotes with Profit Margins in Mind
- If you’re consistently underquoting, it’s time to adjust your pricing.
- NextMinute gives you real-time profitability reports on each job, so you can instantly see whether you’re making money – or if you need to charge more next time.
4. Progress Payments for Bigger Jobs
- If you’re doing longer-term projects, progress payments are a must.
- Billing in stages keeps your cash flow steady and ensures you’re not left chasing a massive final payment at the end.
By tracking costs properly, adjusting pricing based on real data, and using a job management tool to keep things in check, you’ll stay in control of your profits – instead of wondering where all your hard-earned cash went.
No more guessing. Know your numbers, charge what you're worth, and make every job count.
Conclusion
Admin Headaches don’t have to rule your life. By streamlining quotes, invoices, scheduling, payments, and job tracking, you can spend less time on admin and more time making money.
With the right tools, you can cut down admin stress, get paid faster, and run a more profitable trade business.
Take control of your admin with NextMinute - the #1 app specifically designed for tradies. Start a free trial now.
