Guides for tradespeopleThe paperwork side of the job, in plain English.
Quoting, getting paid, keeping track of jobs and photos, and choosing the tools to do it with. Practical, UK-specific, and every fact linked to where it comes from.
Coming soon on the App StoreFree quote and invoice templates
iPhone. First month free, no card.
- What should a trade quote include?The checklist: who it’s from and who it’s for, the work, the price with VAT shown clearly, how long it stands and how you’re paid.Updated
- How to quote a job professionallyPractical and UK-specific: VAT shown properly, how long the price stands, what’s excluded, deposits and stage payments.Updated
- How to chase an unpaid invoice without falling out with the customerFriendly messages for day 3, 7 and 14, when to ring instead, and what the law says when a business customer pays late.Updated
- How to keep track of jobs when you work on your ownOne place for every job, notes made on the day, one diary, and a weekly look at the money and the quotes.Updated
- How to organise job photosBefore, during and after, filed by job with a word about each, and backed up off your phone.Updated
- Best job apps for UK sole tradersNine apps for a one-person trade business: who each suits and what one person pays, every fact sourced.Updated
- Can ChatGPT help tradespeople?What a general chatbot does well, what it can’t do on its own, and what an assistant that knows your work adds.Updated
Free templates
Free quote and invoice templates
Fill them in on the page, then print them, save them as a PDF or copy the text. Nothing to sign up for.
Price and the free plan
Made for one. Priced for one.
£29.99 a month including VAT, or £24.99 if you reclaim VAT. One person, no minimum, no setup fee, no training.
- Your first month is free, with no card.
- After that, 50 messages a month to Tools Down stay free for good, and every screen keeps working.
- Tools Down Pro is paid monthly through Apple. It lifts the message limit, and the price you join at is the price you keep.
- Fair use applies on every plan, with limits set far above what one person books or asks for in a month.
Tools Down for iPhone
Coming soon on the App StoreFirst month free, no card.