Grow your trade business

Practical steps to step out of the daily grind, set clear targets, and build the systems that let your business grow without adding more stress.

Six things to change this week to close more of the quotes you've sent

Six things to change this week to stop drowning in admin

Learn how to understand your competitors and stand out in the crowded home services marketplace.

Discover how strategic planning can take your trade business to new heights, with a focus on where to play and how to win in the trade industry.

Discover what sets leadership apart from management, and why it matters in the world of trade businesses.

Seven practical tips to increase your chances of getting paid on time as a South African tradesperson.

Get started with social media with these 10 ideas to promote your trade business.

Learn the importance of a strong brand and how to create one for your trade business.

Learn how to build a trade business website that increases sales by showcasing who you are, what you do and why customers should choose you.

Learn 5 ways to tap into the potential of referrals, helping you grow your South African trade business and increase sales.

Learn about accounting software, how it can help your business, when to make the leap and how to choose the right one for your trade business.

Get more customer reviews for your trade business to build credibility and stand out from your competitors.

Learn how adopting a sales mindset can turbocharge your trade business growth, why it matters, and get actionable tips for you to level up your game.

When it comes to running a plumbing business in South Africa, it’s not enough that you’re a master plumber, unless you’re working alone you also need to learn how to manage people.

Practical tips to improve your project management skills to deliver your trade projects on time on scope and on budget.

Building a trade business means the pursuit of profitability, managing your cash flow, tracking business performance, and grabbing opportunities that come your way. In South Africa, where small businesses face many challenges, bad financial management is one of the main reasons why they fail. How can you take control of your businesses finances to make sure you are running a healthy business?

If you want your business to succeed, you can’t just focus on your craft. Just as important is operations management. Efficient operations mean achieving more with the resources at hand, reducing waste, and minimising costs while maintaining output quality. Basically doing more with less.

What are the technologies and trends shaping installation, service and maintenance teams globally and how will they shape South African businesses today and in the future? We see four steps playing out over the next few years that represent both our vision for the trades and how we see it evolving.

Today’s market is a race to the bottom. Tradespeople push suppliers to discount to win jobs based on price. I hear this daily - from suppliers and tradespeople. But what happens when you reach the bottom? What happens to you when there’s no more fat to trim? Why would customers choose you over someone else who offers the same product for R100 less?

Running your trade business is hard. Growing it is harder. Finding time to work on the business (strategy) as well as do things in the business (operations) can be tricky when you only have so many hours in a day. In considering how you’re hoping to grow your business, it’s important to accept a simple truth - the time you spend on growing your business directly translates to how it grows.

Let’s be honest. Being the best tradesperson in South Africa doesn’t mean much if there's no one buying your services. Your business success is only partly linked to how good you are at your craft. The rest is down to how well you sell it to your customers.

With almost 73% of all South Africans being active internet users, digital marketing is more than a trend for trade business owners; it's a necessity for sustainable business growth. While the world of digital marketing might seem complicated, it’s actually just another way for you to promote your business, generate leads and increase sales.