Most tradies know their bank balance and their tax bill. The growth-mode operators know seven numbers cold. Here they are.
1. Gross margin per job
Revenue minus direct cost (materials + labour on that job). If you don't know this per job type, you don't know which jobs are actually making you money.
2. Average job value
Total revenue ÷ number of jobs in a period. Trending up = you're winning bigger work. Trending down = race-to-the-bottom risk.
3. Lead-to-quote ratio
Of every 100 enquiries, how many get a written quote? Anything under 70% means you're leaking enquiries — usually because of slow response or unclear qualification.
4. Quote-to-win ratio
Of every 100 quotes sent, how many become signed jobs? Under 30% = pricing or positioning problem. Over 70% = you're probably under-priced.
5. Cost per lead
Total marketing spend ÷ qualified leads in that period. This is the headline number on your marketing dashboard. Comparing it to gross margin per job tells you what you can afford.
6. Days sales outstanding (DSO)
How long after sending an invoice do you actually get paid? Most tradies are 28–45 days. Getting this down to 14 transforms cashflow.
7. Owner hours / week on tools vs. off tools
The leading indicator of whether your business is becoming a real business — or just self-employment. Successful scale-up: hours on tools trending down, total revenue trending up.
The takeaway
Spreadsheet these monthly. They take 30 minutes to compile and they reveal everything. Most tradies guess at three of them and have no clue about the rest. You can't fix what you don't measure.
