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When you're flat out working but the bank account is empty
Emma sat at the kitchen table at 11pm, surrounded by receipts, unopened bills, and a laptop showing an overdrawn bank account.
Her partner Matt ran a successful plumbing business doing over $750K a year. They were busy — flat out busy. Jobs were coming in faster than they could handle them.
But somehow, they couldn't make payroll this week.
The boys needed to be paid on Thursday. It was Tuesday night. And there was $800 in the business account.
"I remember looking at Matt and asking, 'How is this possible? We've done over $60K worth of work in the last month alone. Where is the money?'"
The answer was sitting in a shoebox under the desk: dozens of invoices that had never been sent. Jobs completed weeks ago that customers didn't even know they owed money for.
This is the story of how Emma and Matt went from drowning in paperwork and cash flow chaos to having systems that actually worked — and a bank account that finally matched the work they were doing.
The Starting Point: When "I'll Do It Later" Becomes a Crisis
When Matt first started his plumbing business, the bookwork was simple.
A few jobs a week. One apprentice. Emma could handle the invoices on Sunday afternoons while watching the footy.
But as the business grew — more jobs, more staff, more complexity — the bookwork grew with it.
And "I'll do it later" became "I'll do it this weekend." Which became "I'll catch up when things slow down."
Except things never slowed down.
The warning signs were everywhere:
- Invoices sat in a pile for weeks before being sent
- Emma had no idea what was actually owed to them
- Cash flow was a constant rollercoaster — feast or famine
- They'd chase their tail every month trying to figure out who'd paid and who hadn't
- Matt would finish jobs and forget to tell Emma to invoice them
"We were making money on paper. The jobs were profitable. But the cash wasn't in the bank because the invoices weren't going out. It was like running on a treadmill — working our asses off and getting nowhere."
But they kept telling themselves it was fine. "We're just busy. It'll settle down. We'll catch up."
Until they couldn't ignore it anymore.
The Breaking Point: When You Can't Make Payroll
The crisis point came on a Tuesday night.
Payroll was due Thursday. Emma logged into the bank account and saw $1,200. The wages bill was $8,500.
Panic set in.
She started scrambling. Which invoices had been sent? Who owed them money? Could she call anyone and ask them to pay early?
That's when she discovered the real problem: Over $95,000 in completed work that had never been invoiced.
Jobs from 4 weeks ago. 6 weeks ago. Some from 8 weeks ago.
Customers who had no idea they even owed money because Emma had never sent them an invoice.
"I felt sick. How did we let it get this bad? We'd done all this work, and we couldn't pay our staff because I hadn't sent the bloody invoices."
Matt was frustrated. Emma was overwhelmed. And they both knew something had to change — fast.
The Real Problem: Time, Not Skill
When Emma came to us for coaching, she was embarrassed.
"I know I should be on top of this. I know it's important. I just... don't have time."
And here's what we see all the time with tradie couples: The problem isn't that they don't know how to do the bookwork. It's that they don't have time to do it.
Emma's typical week looked like this:
- Morning: Get the kids ready and off to school
- Day: Answer calls, book jobs, handle supplier orders, deal with staff issues
- Afternoon: School pickup, homework, dinner prep
- Evening: Finally sit down at 8pm, exhausted
- Night: Stare at the pile of paperwork and think "I'll do it tomorrow"
The bookwork kept getting pushed to the bottom of the list. Not because she didn't care — but because there was always something more urgent.
A customer calling. A staff member needing help. A supplier chasing payment. A job that needed scheduling.
"I'd tell myself every week, 'This weekend I'm going to catch up on the invoices.' But then the weekend would come and I'd be so burnt out, I just couldn't face it."
And Matt wasn't helping.
He'd finish jobs and forget to tell Emma they were done. He'd collect payments in cash and forget to tell her. He'd promise customers payment terms without checking with her first.
"He's amazing at the work. But the admin side? It's like it doesn't exist in his world. And I was drowning trying to keep up."
If this sounds familiar, check out our post on Why Your Trade Business Admin Is Struggling — And What Tradies Can Do About It for more on how to support your partner (or admin person) so they're not drowning.
The Four Problems Killing Their Cash Flow
When we started working with Emma and Matt, we identified four specific problems that were bleeding their cash flow dry:
Problem #1: No System for Tracking Completed Jobs
Matt would finish a job, pack up his tools, and move on to the next one.
Sometimes he'd text Emma. Sometimes he'd tell her at dinner. Sometimes he'd forget entirely.
Emma had no reliable way of knowing what jobs were done and ready to invoice.
"I'd be sitting there trying to do invoices, and I'd have to text him: 'Did you finish the Johnson job? What about the reno on Smith Street?' And half the time he wouldn't even remember."
The result? Jobs sat uninvoiced for weeks because Emma didn't know they were done.
Problem #2: Invoicing Happened in Batches (When There Was Time)
Instead of sending invoices as jobs were completed, Emma would let them pile up.
Then, once a month (or longer), she'd sit down and try to catch up. Spend 4-5 hours entering invoices, sending them out, chasing payments.
It was exhausting. And it meant their cash flow was always weeks behind.
"By the time I'd send an invoice, it was already 3-4 weeks after the job was done. Then they'd take another 30 days to pay. So we were waiting 8 weeks to get paid for work we'd already done."
The result? Constant cash flow problems, even though the business was profitable.
Problem #3: No Follow-Up on Outstanding Invoices
Once Emma finally sent an invoice, she had no system for following up.
She'd send it and hope the customer paid. If they didn't? She'd eventually notice (maybe) and send a reminder (maybe).
But most of the time, she was too busy catching up on new invoices to chase old ones.
"I'd look at the accounts and see invoices from 60, 90 days ago still unpaid. And I'd think, 'I should call them.' But then another urgent thing would come up and I'd forget."
The result? Thousands of dollars sitting in unpaid invoices, aging out and becoming harder to collect.
Problem #4: Matt and Emma Weren't on the Same Page
Matt would promise customers payment terms without telling Emma.
"Yeah mate, just pay me when you can."
"No worries, 60 days is fine."
"Just transfer it when the invoice comes through."
Meanwhile, Emma had no idea these conversations were happening.
"He'd tell customers they could pay in 60 days, but we had bills due in 14 days. We weren't working together. We were working against each other without even realizing it."
The result? Cash flow chaos, arguments, and a business that felt impossible to manage.
💡 Listen to our podcast episode on Dollars & Sense — Why Knowing Your Numbers Will Save Your Business for more on how to get your cash flow under control.
The Turning Point: "We Can't Keep Going Like This"
After the payroll crisis, Emma and Matt had a serious conversation.
They couldn't keep going like this. The business was growing, but they were drowning. And if they didn't fix it now, they'd either burn out or go broke.
"I told Matt, 'I love you, but I can't do this anymore. I need help. Real help. Not just you saying you'll try harder. We need systems that actually work.'"
That's when they reached out to us.
Here's how we helped them fix it:
Step 1: We created a simple job completion system
We set up a shared app where Matt (or his team) could mark jobs as "complete" the moment they finished.
No more texting. No more forgetting. Just a quick tap on his phone, and Emma would get notified instantly.
"It sounds so simple, but it changed everything. I finally knew what jobs were done and ready to invoice without having to chase him."
Step 2: We implemented daily invoicing (not monthly batches)
Instead of letting invoices pile up, we helped Emma build a routine:
Every morning, 15 minutes. That's it.
Log in, check which jobs were marked complete yesterday, send the invoices.
No more marathon catch-up sessions. No more letting them pile up. Just 15 minutes a day.
"I couldn't believe how much easier it was. 15 minutes a day is nothing. And it meant customers were getting invoices while the work was still fresh in their minds."
Step 3: We automated payment reminders
We set up automated reminders that went out:
- 7 days before the due date: "Friendly reminder, invoice is due soon"
- On the due date: "Invoice is due today"
- 7 days after: "Invoice is now overdue"
- 14 days after: "Second reminder — please contact us"
Emma didn't have to remember. The system handled it.
"This was a game-changer. I wasn't chasing people anymore. The system was doing it for me. And customers were paying faster because they were getting regular reminders."
Step 4: We got Matt and Emma on the same page
We helped them create a simple rule: No payment terms without checking with Emma first.
If a customer asked for extended terms, Matt would say: "Let me check with my admin team and get back to you."
Then he'd actually check with Emma before promising anything.
"It sounds so basic, but it stopped so many problems. We were finally working together instead of against each other."
Step 5: We helped Emma get support
The biggest change? We helped Emma admit she couldn't do it all.
She hired a bookkeeper for 5 hours a week. Not full-time. Not expensive. Just someone to handle the invoicing, follow-ups, and bank reconciliations.
"I felt guilty at first. Like I should be able to handle it. But the relief was immediate. I finally had breathing room."
The Results: From Cash Flow Crisis to Financial Control
Within three months of implementing these changes, Emma and Matt saw dramatic results:
✅ Invoices went out within 24 hours of job completion — No more 4-6 week delays
✅ Outstanding invoices dropped from $95K to under $18K — And that $18K was current (not overdue)
✅ Average payment time dropped from 60+ days to 28 days — Thanks to automated reminders
✅ Cash flow stabilized — No more scrambling to make payroll
✅ Emma got her evenings back — No more 11pm bookwork sessions
✅ Matt and Emma stopped fighting about money — They were finally on the same team
The financial difference:
Within six months:
- They collected over $75K in previously outstanding invoices
- Cash flow improved so much they built up a buffer of $30K in the business account
- They could actually see what was coming in and plan ahead
- Emma reduced her stress by hiring support (which paid for itself in the first month)
"The best part? We're not fighting anymore. We used to argue about money every week. Now we barely even think about it because the systems are handling it."
What This Means for Other Tradie Couples
Emma and Matt's story is one we see play out constantly:
A busy, profitable business that can't make payroll because the bookwork isn't getting done.
Not because they're lazy. Not because they don't care. Because they don't have time — and they're trying to do it all themselves.
Here's what Emma wishes she'd known earlier:
1. The bookwork doesn't get easier when you're busier — it gets harder
"I kept telling myself, 'When things slow down, I'll catch up.' But things never slowed down. The busier we got, the worse it got. I wish I'd dealt with it sooner."
2. Daily invoicing is easier than monthly catch-ups
"15 minutes a day sounds like nothing. But it's so much easier than spending 5 hours every month trying to catch up. And customers pay faster when they get invoices right away."
3. You can't do it all — and you shouldn't have to
"Hiring someone for 5 hours a week felt like giving up. But it wasn't. It was the smartest business decision we made. She pays for herself and then some."
4. Systems save relationships
"The fighting wasn't about money. It was about stress and feeling like we weren't on the same team. Once we had systems that worked, everything else fell into place."
How to Know If This Is Your Problem Too
Ask yourself these questions (the same ones we asked Emma):
- Do you have invoices sitting unsent for more than a week after jobs are done?
- Is your cash flow unpredictable — even though you're busy?
- Do you scramble to make payroll or pay bills?
- Do you have outstanding invoices over 30 days old?
- Are you doing bookwork in marathon catch-up sessions instead of regularly?
- Does the bookwork constantly get pushed to "later"?
- Are you and your partner fighting about money or admin?
- Do you feel overwhelmed by the paperwork side of the business?
If you answered "yes" to more than three of these questions, you're in the same boat Emma was.
And here's the good news: It's fixable.
What We Help Tradie Couples Do Differently
We don't just tell you to "do your bookwork." We help you build systems that make it actually possible.
When Emma and Matt came to us, we helped them:
- Set up simple job tracking so invoices didn't get missed
- Build a daily invoicing routine (not monthly marathons)
- Automate payment reminders so they weren't chasing people
- Get on the same page about payment terms and cash flow
- Hire the right support so Emma wasn't drowning
And the results were life-changing.
Their cash flow is stable. Their stress is down. And they're finally working together instead of against each other.
The Three Steps to Fix Your Cash Flow Crisis
If you're dealing with the same cash flow chaos Emma was, here's where to start:
Step 1: Get visibility on completed jobs
You can't invoice what you don't know is done. Set up a simple system (even a shared Google Sheet) where jobs get marked complete immediately.
Step 2: Invoice daily (or at least weekly)
Stop letting them pile up. Spend 15-30 minutes every day sending invoices for completed jobs. It's so much easier than monthly catch-ups.
Step 3: Automate follow-ups
Use software to send automatic payment reminders. You shouldn't have to remember to chase people — the system should do it for you.
Bonus Step: Get help
If you're drowning, hire support. Even 5-10 hours a week of bookkeeping support can transform your business and your life.
Ready to Fix Your Cash Flow and Get Your Life Back?
If you're running a tradie business doing $750K+ and you're dealing with cash flow chaos because the bookwork isn't getting done — we can help.
We work with tradie couples every week who are in exactly the same position Emma and Matt were: profitable on paper, but drowning in admin and cash flow stress.
Book a call with us and let's talk about what's really happening in your business.
On the call, we'll:
- Look at where your cash flow is actually breaking down
- Identify what's not getting done (and why)
- Map out simple systems you can implement immediately
- Determine if you need support (and what kind)
- Create a plan to get your invoicing and cash flow under control
No judgment. No shame. Just practical help to fix what's broken.
Because you shouldn't be sitting at the kitchen table at 11pm wondering how you'll make payroll when you've done $60K of work this month.
Let's fix this together.
Book your call here — and let's get your cash flow sorted so you can actually enjoy the business you're building.
"We were making money but couldn't pay our bills. It made no sense. Now? Our cash flow is the best it's ever been — and I'm not drowning in paperwork anymore." — Emma
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