Bookkeeping for Growing Tradie Businesses isn’t something most tradies think much about… until the wheels start falling off. Once a business grows past a certain point, the old way of handling the books suddenly doesn’t keep up anymore. And that’s exactly what I’ve been seeing over and over again this month. 😅
Across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Canberra, Hobart and Darwin, the pattern has been the same: solid trade businesses expanding fast, but still relying on a wife/partner or a generalist bookkeeper to keep everything together. It works in the early days. But once the team hits 5-20 people, the cracks start to show – and they show quickly.
The Moment a Growing Trade Business Feels the Strain
Most tradies don’t notice bookkeeping problems straight away. Things look “okay enough” on the surface. Invoices go out (eventually), payroll is mostly right, and reports sort-of make sense. Then growth hits, and weaknesses appear fast.
This past week alone, I’ve helped businesses where:
✔️ Invoices weren’t going out on time because there was no proper system
✔️ Massive coding mistakes were quietly throwing out profit and job-costing
✔️ Payroll didn’t match the actual hours or awards
✔️ Accountants were struggling with messy files at BAS or year-end
None of this happens because someone has “done the wrong thing”.
It happens because the business outgrows the setup – and no one realises it until something breaks. 👀
Why Wives, Partners and Generalist Bookkeepers Hit a Limit
Many tradie businesses start with a loved one helping out. Or they bring in a generalist bookkeeper who’s good with small businesses. And honestly – that works fine for a while.
But a growing trade business is different.
The workload increases.
The complexity increases.
The speed increases.
The stakes increase.
Before long, the symptoms start creeping in:
➡️ Invoices falling behind
➡️ Payroll problems
➡️ Supplier statements not matching
➡️ BAS time becoming a nightmare
➡️ Numbers that don’t match reality
It’s no one’s fault – the business simply grew.
What Weekly Bookkeeping Fixes (Quickly)
Once weekly systems are put in place, things shift fast. Here’s what turned around instantly this week:
✨ Invoices went out on time
✨ Reports started matching what was actually happening on site
✨ Payroll aligned properly, no band-aids needed
✨ The accountant finally received clean numbers ready to work with
Most tradies don’t need something complicated.
They need something consistent.
Once it’s weekly, everything starts lining up. 🙌
When To Know You’ve Outgrown the Old Setup
If any of these sound familiar, your business has hit the tipping point:
- You’ve hired more team members
- You feel behind on paperwork
- The numbers don’t make sense anymore
- You’re relying on someone who’s doing their best, but is overwhelmed
- BAS time is stressful every single quarter
- You’re guessing your profitability
Growing trade businesses need a different level of structure – especially if you want your accountant to do their best work.
Support for Growing Trade Businesses (And Their Partners)
If you’re running a growing trade business – or you’re the wife/partner trying to hold everything together on top of everything else – please know this:
You’re not alone.
You’re not behind.
Your business has simply outgrown its old way of doing things.
And it’s completely fixable. 👍
