Episode 1 – Why Job Costing is the Fix for Time, Stress, and Sh#t Margins

Stop guessing. Start knowing.

Episode Summary

Quick question:

Did you actually make money on your last job?

Not “I think so.”

Not “the invoice went out.”

But properly — did the numbers stack up?

In this first full episode of Hey Tradies!, Amanda breaks down why most tradies are flying blind when it comes to job costing — and how that guesswork is costing time, money, and serious headspace.

This isn’t about spreadsheets or accounting jargon. It’s about knowing, for sure, whether each job is making you money.

In This Episode, We Cover:

✔ Why most tradies aren’t job costing properly (and why it’s not your fault)

✔ How “gut feel” quoting leads to undercharging

✔ The hidden costs that quietly destroy your margins

✔ Why being busy doesn’t automatically mean being profitable

✔ How poor job costing impacts cash flow

✔ What proper job costing actually looks like in a small trade business

✔ How tools like Fergus can make this simple — if you use them properly

The Real Problem

When you’re not tracking real labour hours and materials:

• You underquote because you forget how long similar jobs took
• You over-service without realising it
• Your team blows out hours and no one spots it
• The bank balance doesn’t match how hard you’re working

And that constant question creeps in:

“Where’s the bloody money?”

What Good Job Costing Looks Like

It’s simple:

• Labour hours are clocked accurately
• Materials are entered as they’re used
• Completed jobs are reviewed
• Future quotes are adjusted based on real data

No fancy systems.

No accounting degree.

Just consistency.

This Week’s Action Step

Pick one completed job and do a manual job costing check:

1. Add up the actual labour hours
2. Total materials and other expenses
3. Compare it to what you invoiced

Then ask yourself:

If I did this for every job last month, would I make different decisions this month?

If the answer is yes — that’s your next move.

The Bottom Line

Job costing isn’t about more admin.

It’s about visibility.

It protects your margins.

It protects your time.

And it protects your sanity.

If you’re using Fergus but not job costing properly — or you want help setting it up so it actually works — that’s exactly what we help tradies with every day at Virtual Coastie.

You don’t have to fly blind anymore.

🔧 Learn more at: www.virtualcoastie.co.nz

🎧 Follow the podcast so you don’t miss the next episode.

Catch you next time on Hey Tradies!