If you're busy but not profitable, FLOW finds exactly where the money is going — and gives you a practical fix.
These are the four most common operational waste patterns we find in trades businesses — and most owners don't know which is costing them most.
Travel time, waiting for parts, return visits and extras that never get charged — most trades businesses undercharge by 15–25% without realising.
Jobs booked without geographic logic, meaning engineers crossing postcodes and burning hours in a van that should be earning.
Jobs completed on Friday, invoiced the following Tuesday (if at all) — a 5-day float across 20 jobs a week costs thousands in working capital annually.
Materials charged at cost or with inconsistent markup, and no system to check that what was ordered matches what was billed by suppliers.
FLOW is our four-stage operational improvement framework — built specifically for UK SMEs.
We audit a sample of your jobs end-to-end — from booking to invoice — identifying every unbilled hour, uncharged expense and scheduling inefficiency.
We calculate the exact annual cost of your top 3 leaks: typically unbilled time, invoice delay and scheduling waste.
We give you a simple job management process: booking rules, a same-day invoicing habit, and a materials markup checklist. No expensive software required.
Average trades client recovers £12,000–£35,000 annually — often simply by billing for work already being done.
Illustrative figures based on typical FLOW audit findings for a trades business.
| Unbilled time per job (avg 45 mins) | £14,800/yr |
| Scheduling inefficiency (fuel + lost jobs) | £6,200/yr |
| Invoice delay working capital cost | £4,100/yr |
| Materials margin inconsistency | £3,700/yr |
Answer 3 quick questions to get a personalised estimate with a category breakdown — before speaking to anyone.
Takes about 60 seconds. No email required to see your number.
Want the full written analysis? Enter your details and we'll send you a personalised waste report.
We'll send your personalised waste breakdown within 1 working day. In the meantime, book your free FLOW audit call.
Book my free FLOW audit call →Book a free 30-minute FLOW audit call. No pitch. No pressure. Just an honest look at where your business is leaking money.
Free. No obligation. UK-based consultants.