You finish a rewire on a Friday. Three-week job, two lads on it, van full of cable and back boxes and enough consumables to sink a small boat. Customer’s happy, certificate’s done, invoice is out.
But did you actually make money on it?
Not what the customer paid. What you made — after the cable, the containment, the accessories, the labour, the fuel, the two days your apprentice had to redo the first fix because the plasterer moved the partition. After all of that went out.
Most electricians couldn’t tell you. Not because they’re not running a good business. Because the information just isn’t there. You’re quoting off experience, buying on the account, and finding out how the month went when the bank statement lands.
Here’s the one that gets electricians more than anything else. You price a full rewire — say £6,800. Good price, fair price, you know what you’re doing.
First fix goes in fine. Then the builder’s behind. You’re back three times before second fix. Your apprentice is on and off it for two weeks more than you planned. You end up pulling in a mate for the board change and EICR because you’re stretched.
You invoice the £6,800. But you’ve got your own time, your apprentice’s time, your mate’s day rate, plus the materials on the account. By the time it’s done you’ve made about £600. On a five-week job.
The quote wasn’t wrong. The job changed and nobody tracked it.
Domestic is one thing. But the moment you start doing commercial — fit-outs, office refurbs, industrial units — the cashflow gets complicated fast.
You’re on a first and second fix contract. Fifty grand job. You’re buying cable and containment and distribution boards on your account. Your lads are on site. And the main contractor pays 60 days from practical completion.
So you’re eight, ten weeks into it, and you’ve got thirty grand of labour and materials sitting out there. Wages going out every week. Account at the builders’ merchant growing. And the money’s nowhere near coming back yet.
That gap doesn’t mean the job’s going wrong. It means commercial electrical work eats cashflow, and if you can’t see it coming you’ll be on the phone to your bank wondering what happened.
When you’ve got two or three sparks working for you, it gets harder to stay on top of it all. One’s on the domestic, one’s on the commercial, apprentice is bouncing between both. Materials get bought for one job and used on another. A day here and there doesn’t get logged properly. The invoice goes out before you’ve added everything up.
Six months later you look at the year and you were busy every single week, every van on the road, and the profit doesn’t match the graft.
That’s not bad luck. That’s what happens when the numbers aren’t connected to the work.
If you’re doing commercial work and you’re working under a main contractor, CIS applies. Twenty percent off the labour before they pay you. And if you’re not registered, thirty percent.
Most electricians know this. What catches people out is the invoicing — not showing the CIS split clearly, not tracking what’s been deducted, not knowing what they’re owed back at year end.
It’s not complicated once you’ve got a system. But if you’re doing it manually or just hoping Xero picks it up, it’s the kind of thing that quietly costs you money.
Every job goes in when you start it. Every rewire, every commercial fit-out — quote, materials, labour. As the job runs, you add costs as they happen. When your lad picks up cable from the merchant, it goes on the job. When your apprentice does two hours on a board change, it goes on the job.
At any point you can pull it up and see: what have I spent, what have I invoiced, what’s the gross profit sitting at right now.
On a domestic rewire you’ll know by end of day one if something’s gone sideways. On a commercial contract you can see exactly where you are on every application — what’s certified, what’s outstanding, what’s still to come.
The cashflow forecast shows you twelve weeks out. What’s coming in, when, based on your actual invoices and payment terms. That sixty-day gap on the commercial job — you’ll see it eight weeks before it hits you, not the morning your account goes quiet.
CIS is handled. Deductions calculated, shown clearly on the invoice, pushed to Xero. No manual workings.
And no per-user charges. Your sparks, your apprentice, your admin — everyone’s on for one flat monthly price. Two people or twelve, the price doesn’t change.
Most electricians are running a good business. They’re just running it without the right information.
Grafter Lab gives you the live number. Job opens, costs go in, you know your margin while you’re still on site. No spreadsheet. No guesswork. No waiting until the end of the month to find out.
Free 30-day trial — no card needed. Takes about ten minutes to set up.