Pricing, Bookkeeping and a Simple Budget

Good pricing and clean records are what separate a business from a series of favours. Both can be set up in an afternoon.

Price from costs and value

Calculate your direct cost per unit or job: materials, delivery, platform fees, travel. Add your target margin, then compare with what the market pays. If the resulting price is above the market, reduce cost or change the offer; do not simply work for free.

• Service: aim for at least 50% gross margin after direct costs.
• Resale: aim for a 2.5× multiple on all-in cost.
• Digital: price on the value of the outcome, not the time you spent creating it.

A bookkeeping routine

1. One business account and one card.
2. Photograph every receipt immediately.
3. Log income and expenses weekly in a spreadsheet or simple tool.
4. Reconcile the bank statement monthly.
5. Set aside tax and social contributions as a percentage of each payment.

Your one-page budget

List fixed monthly costs, variable cost per sale, average selling price and break-even number of sales. Update it every month with real numbers. If break-even requires more sales than you can physically deliver, the model needs a price increase, a cost cut or a different offer.

Review profit, not revenue. Revenue that arrives with high delivery costs and unpaid hours is not progress.