The honest version of the numbers

Short, sourced, and useful even if you never buy anything. Every claim carries its source — published stat, our own maths, or "we don't know yet".

An owner checking their phone, waiting on a late payment
late payment

The late-payment maths for UK trades

Late payment costs the UK economy ~£11bn a year and kills ~14,000 firms annually. Here's what the law actually gives you — and most owners never claim.

18 Sept 2026 · 5 min read
Hands working through a ledger with a calculator
hiring maths

What a part-time bookkeeper really costs

ONS wage data says the median part-time bookkeeper earns £15,070 a year — but that's the gross figure, not the loaded cost. Here's the honest maths.

18 Sept 2026 · 4 min read
A clipboard and pencil — the quote waiting to be followed up
quotes

The follow-up that wins the work

No reliable UK figure exists for what an unchased quote costs — so here's the maths on your own numbers, and the chase rhythm that works.

18 Sept 2026 · 4 min read
A blank clipboard ready for the day's job sheet
day sheet

What a day sheet is

The humble artefact at the centre of a managed week: one evening message that tells you tomorrow's jobs, addresses, and what's already been chased.

18 Sept 2026 · 3 min read

Same maths, your numbers

Every article runs on the same formulas as the tools — put your own week in and see what comes out.

Run your own numbers

Three working calculators — late payment, admin hours, invoice lag — the same maths as the articles, with your inputs.

The tools

Your 5-minute score

Six questions → where your admin hours leak, priced at ONS median rates. The fastest honest read on your week.

The mini-audit

What a managed week looks like

The six named workflow lanes and what lands back on your desk — the artefact each one produces.

The lanes

More articles in the pipeline — every one runs the same maths as the tools, and carries its source.