Business Software Built for Decorators

Running a decorating business involves far more than painting. You need to manage leads, quote jobs, schedule work, track progress, invoice clients, chase payments, log expenses and keep records for tax. Most decorators juggle all of this with a mix of notebooks, spreadsheets, WhatsApp messages and memory — and things inevitably slip through the cracks.

Trade Assist is business software built specifically for painters and decorators. It is not generic multi-trade software with a decorator skin — it is designed from the ground up around the decorating workflow, using the terminology and processes that decorators use every day.

From the first enquiry to the final payment, every step of your decorating business is connected in one system. The result is less admin, fewer mistakes, faster payment and more time spent painting — which is where you actually make money.

The Complete Decorating Business Workflow

Trade Assist follows the natural flow of a decorating business: Lead to Customer to Quote to Job to Invoice to Payment to Records. Every step is connected, and data flows automatically from one to the next.

When an enquiry comes in, it is captured as a lead. When you quote the job, the lead becomes a quote. When the quote is approved, it becomes a job. When the job is complete, it becomes an invoice. When the invoice is paid, the payment is recorded. At year-end, all your income and expenses are exported for tax.

This connected workflow means you never re-enter data, you never lose track of where a job is in the pipeline, and you always have a complete record of every client and project.

Lead: Capture Every Enquiry

Every phone call, email or message is a potential job. Trade Assist helps you capture and track every lead so none slip through the cracks. Record the enquiry, track the source and follow up at the right time.

The lead pipeline shows you exactly how many leads you have, what stage they are at and which ones need a follow-up. You can see your conversion rate from lead to quote to job, helping you understand what marketing works and what does not.

Customer: Build Your Client Database

Every client is stored in a searchable directory with their contact details, job history, quote history and payment status. When a past client calls for another job, you have their full history at your fingertips in seconds.

Add custom notes to any client — parking restrictions, access details, colour preferences, pet warnings — anything you need to remember for next time. The CRM is built for decorators, so it understands the relationship between clients, quotes, jobs and invoices.

Quote: Create Professional Proposals

The quote builder is designed for decorators. Add rooms with dimensions, choose surface types and conditions, set coats and paint products, and the system calculates paint quantities, labour costs and the total price automatically.

Generate branded PDF proposals with your logo, scope of work and terms. Send quotes via the online client portal where clients can approve with one click. Track when quotes are viewed and follow up at the perfect moment.

The AI Quote Generator can build a complete quote from a few simple questions, giving you a massive head start on every proposal.

Job: Track Work from Start to Finish

When a quote is approved, it becomes a job. Track every job through its lifecycle — Quoted, Booked, Ready to Start, Started, In Progress, Snagging, Completed, Invoiced and Paid. You always know exactly where each project stands.

For Business plan users, the Job Progress feature adds area-by-area task tracking, daily site updates, progress photos, material requests, variations and snagging. Assign jobs to team members and track who is doing what, where.

The schedule view shows all your jobs in a clear timeline, so you can plan your week, month and season with confidence.

Invoice: Get Paid Faster

When a job is complete, convert it to a branded invoice with one click. All the details carry over — no re-keying. Set payment terms, due dates and deposit requirements. Send invoices via email or the online portal.

Track payment status on every invoice — Unpaid, Partially Paid or Paid. See your total outstanding balance at a glance. Send professional payment reminders with the AI Email Writer when invoices are overdue.

VAT is handled automatically — set your rate and every invoice calculates the net, VAT and gross totals.

Payment: Track Your Cash Flow

The payment dashboard shows your total outstanding, overdue and recently paid amounts in one clear view. You always know your cash flow position and who owes you money.

Record deposits and partial payments. The remaining balance on every job is tracked automatically. When you know your cash flow, you can make better decisions about your business.

Records: Stay Organised for Tax

Every quote, invoice, expense and payment is recorded and stored securely. At year-end — or any time — export a complete summary of your income and expenses for your accountant or for Making Tax Digital submission.

The Tax Export feature produces a breakdown by tax year or month, with all your income and expenses categorised and totalled. No more scrambling to find receipts and invoices in January.

The Accounting Hub provides an overview of your business finances and integration options for popular accounting platforms.

Built for Decorators, Not Generic Multi-Trade Software

The biggest difference between Trade Assist and generic business software is focus. Trade Assist is built specifically for painters and decorators. The workflows, terminology, fields and features all reflect how decorators actually work — not a generic template applied to every trade.

When you create a quote, the fields are rooms, surfaces, coats and paint products — not generic line items. When you track a job, the statuses are Snagging and Invoiced — not generic project stages. When you log an expense, the categories are Materials, Fuel and Subcontractor — not generic accounting categories.

This focus means Trade Assist feels natural to use from day one. You do not need to adapt your processes to fit the software — the software fits your processes.

Frequently Asked Questions