How a Brighton Sole Trader Doubled Revenue in 12 Months
102%
Revenue increase
Annual revenue doubled from £48,000 to £97,000 in 12 months
68%
Quote conversion
Conversion rate rose from 35% to 68% after implementing consistent follow-up
8 hrs/week
Time saved
Eight hours per week saved on admin, quoting and follow-up
£0
Unpaid invoices
Outstanding invoices reduced from £4,200 to zero with payment tracking
The Challenge
James Patterson had been decorating in Brighton for eight years. He was fully booked most weeks but felt like he was working harder than ever without seeing the financial rewards. His quotes were inconsistent — sometimes he underpriced and lost money, sometimes he overpriced and lost the job. He had no system for following up on quotes, and he regularly forgot to chase unpaid invoices.
His client records lived in a notebook and a phone contacts list. When a past client called for another job, he could not remember what he had charged last time or what paint he had used. He was turning away work because he could not fit it in, but he was not sure if he was actually making a profit on the jobs he did take on.
The Solution
James started using Trade Assist in January. The first thing he did was set up his default paint products, coverage rates and labour rates — so every quote was priced consistently. He began using the AI Quote Generator for initial quotes, then adjusted them based on his experience.
He started tracking every lead in the CRM and setting follow-up reminders. Within weeks, his follow-up rate went from roughly 30% to nearly 100%. He used the AI Email Writer to send professional follow-ups, which took seconds instead of the half-hour he used to spend agonising over the wording.
He began logging expenses against each job and was shocked to discover that some of his "best" clients — the ones who always said yes to his quotes — were actually his least profitable jobs because he had been underpricing the prep work.
"I was working six days a week and barely getting by. Trade Assist did not just save me time — it showed me I was underpricing and not following up. Once I fixed those two things, my revenue doubled in a year. I now work five days a week and earn more than I ever have."
— James Patterson, Patterson Decorating
Key Takeaways
Consistent pricing eliminates undercharging and improves conversion rates
Systematic follow-up is the single biggest lever for increasing quote conversion
Tracking expenses per job reveals which work is actually profitable
Mobile-first tools mean you can quote and follow up from site, not just from home
Frequently Asked Questions
How long did it take to see results?
James saw improvements within the first month. Quote conversion improved immediately once he started following up consistently, and revenue growth built steadily over the 12-month period.
What plan was James using?
James was on the Professional plan (£29.99/month), which includes unlimited quotes, the AI Quote Generator, CRM, follow-up reminders and the business dashboard.