Practical electrical estimating, every week
Quoting, pricing, labour cost, margins, software, business. The stuff that affects whether you make money on the next job. No fluff.
- Training
Estimating vs Quoting: What's The Difference For Electricians?
Estimating and quoting aren't the same thing, and confusing them costs electricians money. What each one means, where they fit, and how to get both right.
- Training
Electrical Estimating Methods: The Four Ways Sparkies Price A Job
The four electrical estimating methods, from gut-feel to unit-rate take-offs. What each one gets right, what it quietly costs you, and the one most profitable sparkies use.
- Training
Electrical Estimating For Beginners: How To Price Your First Jobs
New to quoting? A plain-English guide to electrical estimating for beginners: the five steps from cost-to-operate to a quote you can send with confidence.
- Profitability
Estimated vs Actual: How To Make Every Quote More Accurate Than The Last
The best estimators aren't guessing better, they're tracking estimated vs actual on every job. How to build the feedback loop that sharpens every quote.
- Software
How To Win More Quotes Without Being The Cheapest
You don't win more electrical work by dropping your price. You win it on speed, presentation and follow-up. The levers that beat being cheapest.
- Training
Residential vs Commercial Electrical Estimating: What Actually Changes
Moving from domestic to commercial electrical estimating changes the detail, the margins and the risk. What actually differs, and what stays the same.
- Profitability
Pricing After-Hours And Emergency Callouts (Stop Doing Them At Day Rates)
After-hours and emergency electrical work costs you more to deliver, so it should cost more to buy. How to price callouts to recover penalty rates and premium hours.
- Training
How To Quote Switchboard Upgrades (Without Getting Caught Out)
Switchboard upgrades hide more cost than almost any job. The cost drivers, the surprises, and how to quote switchboard work properly in Australia.
- Training
How To Handle Electrical Variations Without Losing Money
Variations are where electrical margin disappears. How to log, price and get sign-off on variations the right way under Australian building rules.
- Profitability
7 Electrical Estimating Mistakes That Quietly Kill Your Profit
The seven most common electrical estimating mistakes that quietly drain profit, from underquoting labour to forgetting overhead, and how to stop making them.
- Training
What's Actually In A Complete Electrical Quote (The Line Items Sparkies Forget)
The seven line items every complete electrical quote should carry, from materials and labour to testing, contingency and GST. A checklist for Australian sparkies.
- Training
How To Estimate Labour Hours On An Electrical Job (The Number That Sinks Most Quotes)
Underestimated labour is the number one profit killer in electrical quoting. A practical method for estimating labour hours on Australian electrical jobs.
- Software
Estimating Software vs Spreadsheets: When Excel Starts Costing You Money
When a spreadsheet is fine for quoting electrical work and when it quietly starts costing you money. A straight comparison for Australian sparkies.
- Training
How To Price Electrical Jobs In Australia (Without Undercharging)
A practical guide for Australian electricians on how to price electrical jobs profitably: labour rate, materials, margin, and the maths that ties them together.
- Profitability
Markup vs Margin: The Most Expensive Mistake Australian Sparkies Make
Understand the difference between markup and margin, why a 30% markup is only a 23% margin, and how to set the right number for your electrical business.
- Profitability
The Real Cost Of Doing Business For An Australian Electrician
How to work out your true cost-to-operate as an Australian electrical business. Every line item that has to be covered before you make a dollar of profit.
- Software
Why Electrical Estimating Software Matters (And What To Look For)
What electrical estimating software does, why generic trade apps don't fit, and what to look for when choosing software for an Australian electrical business.
- Software
Quote Follow-up: The Highest-ROI Habit For Australian Electricians
Why following up on every quote is the single biggest revenue lever for Australian electricians, and how to build the system today while automated follow-up is on the TradieTally roadmap.
- Training
Tendering Commercial Electrical Projects: A Practical Walkthrough
How Australian electrical contractors price commercial tenders profitably: take-off, labour production rates, prelims, qualifications, and progress claims.
- Profitability
Quoting Systems That Scale: From Solo Sparky To Electrical Team
How to build an electrical quoting system that survives growing from a 1-person business to a team, so margin doesn't drop with every new hire.