When GraftG doesn’t understand your message
If GraftG replies that it did not understand, the message usually just needs one missing detail. How to phrase mileage, quotes, re…
1 August 2026 · 4 min read
When a receipt photo doesn’t read correctly
Wrong total, missing VAT or an unreadable receipt photo? Five quick fixes — flat, well lit, the whole receipt, faded thermal paper…
7 August 2026 · 4 min read
Invoice numbering, and why the sequence matters
Do UK invoice numbers have to be sequential? Yes — unique and unbroken. What HMRC expects, how to handle a gap or a cancelled invo…
13 August 2026 · 4 min read
When the VAT on a quote or invoice looks wrong
VAT missing, at the wrong rate or charged when you are not registered? The four usual causes on trade quotes and invoices, and how…
16 August 2026 · 4 min read
Checking a CIS deduction that looks wrong
CIS taken off materials, at 30% instead of 20%, or by a householder? How CIS deductions should work, a worked example, and how to …
22 August 2026 · 4 min read
Correcting things you’ve already logged
Wrong job, wrong figure, duplicate entry. How to correct mileage, receipts, jobs and quotes after logging — and when to correct ra…
25 August 2026 · 3 min read
When a customer won’t pay: the escalation ladder
Polite reminder, firm reminder, formal notice, then options. A calm escalation path for unpaid invoices that keeps you professiona…
28 August 2026 · 5 min read
HMRC mileage rates, explained in plain English
HMRC mileage rates history — 45p from 2011, 55p from 06/04/2026 — what the rate covers, the 10,000-mile rule and the records HMRC …
20 April 2026 · 5 min read
The expenses tradespeople forget to claim
Tools, mileage, phone, workwear, training — the allowable expenses sole-trader tradespeople most often miss, and the capture habit…
11 June 2026 · 5 min read
Word of mouth, systematised: more work without an ad budget
Referrals and reviews win tradies work more cheaply than any ad. How to systematise word of mouth: the ask, the timing, and the fo…
30 June 2026 · 4 min read
The VAT threshold: what tradespeople need to know before they hit it
When must a sole trader register for VAT, what the threshold cliff does to pricing, and how to stay ready with clean records. Plai…
16 July 2026 · 5 min read
How to invoice on WhatsApp in the UK
Can you send invoices on WhatsApp in the UK? Yes. What a UK invoice must include, three ways to send one, getting paid, the 24-hou…
15 July 2026 · 13 min read
How to manage your small business with WhatsApp
Run the admin side of your UK small business from WhatsApp — quotes, invoices, mileage, receipts, jobs and chasing — with no app t…
16 July 2026 · 8 min read
WhatsApp admin for tradespeople: mileage, receipts and jobs
A practical look at running trade admin from WhatsApp in the UK — HMRC mileage, MTD receipts and job tracking — for plumbers, elec…
17 July 2026 · 6 min read
The easiest way to track mileage when you’re self-employed
How to track business mileage as a self-employed tradesperson in the UK — HMRC 55p/25p rates, what counts as a business trip, and …
19 July 2026 · 6 min read
CIS invoices explained: deductions, rates and a worked example
How CIS invoices work in the UK — 20% vs 30% deduction rates, why materials are exempt, a worked example, and how to raise a CIS i…
19 July 2026 · 7 min read
The best invoicing app for tradespeople: 9 compared honestly
9 invoicing apps for UK tradies compared: GraftG, Tradify, Powered Now, Xero, QuickBooks and more, on price, trial, CIS and WhatsA…
19 July 2026 · 9 min read
How to chase late payments politely — and actually get paid
A proven escalation for chasing late invoices in the UK — what to say at 1, 7, 14 and 21 days overdue, your legal right to 8%+ int…
19 July 2026 · 7 min read
How to get more Google reviews as a tradesperson
Why Google reviews win tradespeople more work than any advert, the right moment to ask, exact wording that works, and how to autom…
19 July 2026 · 6 min read
How much to mark up materials (and why you should)
How much should UK tradies add to materials? How to set markup bands, markup vs margin with real numbers, and how to show material…
31 August 2026 · 5 min read
What records to keep when you’re self-employed
Which paperwork a self-employed UK tradesperson needs to keep, what a digital record looks like, and how to stop January being an …
5 September 2026 · 5 min read
Spreadsheet or app for tracking your jobs?
When a spreadsheet is genuinely enough for tracking trade jobs, when it starts costing you money, and what to weigh up before movi…
13 September 2026 · 6 min read
What job management software actually costs in the UK
Real UK prices for trade job management software in 2026 — per-user versus flat pricing, the add-ons nobody mentions, and what a s…
1 October 2026 · 7 min read
Is there a free invoicing app for UK tradies?
What “free” really means in UK invoicing apps — the limits, the branding, the processing fees — plus the genuinely free invoice te…
6 October 2026 · 6 min read
The best WhatsApp invoicing apps for UK tradies: 9 compared
Nine WhatsApp invoicing tools for UK tradies compared on price, free tier, quotes, voice notes, CIS, VAT, card payments and chasin…
13 October 2026 · 10 min read
The WhatsApp Business 24-hour rule, explained for tradies
What WhatsApp’s 24-hour customer service window means, when templates are needed, and what it means for tradies using a bot to sen…
13 October 2026 · 6 min read
What’s legally required on an invoice in the UK?
What’s legally required on a UK invoice: the GOV.UK list, extra rules for sole traders and limited companies, VAT invoice details,…
13 October 2026 · 6 min read
WhatsApp vs WhatsApp Business: which should a tradie use?
WhatsApp, the WhatsApp Business app or the Business Platform? What each is for, what tradies actually need, and whether an invoici…
13 October 2026 · 5 min read