You Run the Jobs. We'll Run Your Numbers.
CFO-level financial strategy for trades businesses scaling past $1M. Job costing, cash flow forecasting, fleet & equipment planning and margin analysis — so you can bid with confidence and grow with clarity.
Your Jobs Are Busy. Your Cash Flow Isn't Keeping Up.
Busy but broke
You're booked out for months, but the bank balance doesn't reflect it. Between materials, subcontractors, wages and vehicle costs, cash disappears faster than invoices get paid.
Job costing is guesswork
You quote based on experience but never go back to compare actuals. Some jobs are profitable, some are losing money — and you don't know which until it's too late.
Quoting without data
Your quotes are based on gut feel rather than actual cost data. You're either leaving money on the table or losing tenders because your pricing is off.
Debtor days are killing you
You're chasing payments 60+ days after completing work. Meanwhile, suppliers and subcontractors want paying in 14. The cash flow mismatch is strangling your growth.
Crew costs are out of control
Wages, super, workers comp, vehicles, tools — labour is your biggest cost but you have no visibility on cost per hour per team or profitability by crew.
Growth decisions with no model
Hiring another team, buying a new truck, expanding into commercial work — these are six-figure decisions being made without a financial model or break-even analysis.
If any of these resonate, you need a CFO who understands trades — not just accounting.
CFO Services Built for Trades Businesses
We don't just reconcile your books. We build the financial intelligence layer that turns your job data into a competitive advantage.
Job Costing & Margin Analysis
True profitability per job after labour, materials, subcontractors, vehicle costs and overhead allocation. Compare quoted vs actual and identify where margin leaks.
Cash Flow & WIP Management
Real-time work-in-progress tracking, progress claim scheduling, cash flow forecasts that account for payment cycles, retention, and seasonal fluctuations.
Crew & Labour Cost Optimisation
Fully loaded cost per hour by crew, overtime analysis, productivity benchmarking, and workforce planning models for scaling up (or right-sizing) your teams.
Fleet & Equipment Planning
Buy vs lease analysis, depreciation schedules, replacement planning and total cost of ownership models. Make equipment decisions backed by numbers, not hunches.
Management Reporting & KPI Dashboards
Monthly reports with the metrics that matter for trades: job margins, WIP ageing, debtor days, labour utilisation, overhead recovery rate, and pipeline value.
Growth & Tender Advisory
Financial modelling for new market entry, major tender pricing strategy, capacity analysis, and business valuation for succession planning or partnership changes.
The Metrics That Actually Matter
We build custom dashboards around the KPIs that drive trades profitability — not generic accounting reports.
Sample Trades KPI Dashboard
Updated monthly with your real data. Accessible anytime.
We Speak Your Tech Stack
We integrate with the job management and accounting platforms you already use — pulling data into a single financial view.
Real Trades, Real Impact
How an electrical contractor could recover $180K in under-quoted jobs
A 12-person electrical contracting business with $2.5M revenue, running commercial and residential jobs. Revenue is growing but profit margins are declining. The bookkeeper processes payroll and BAS, but nobody has analysed job profitability or compared quoted vs actual costs.
Our methodology: Build a job costing model comparing quoted vs actual across labour, materials, subcontractors and overhead. Analyse profitability by job type (commercial vs residential), by crew, and by client. Create a monthly dashboard with WIP ageing, margin tracking and cash flow forecasting.
The potential result: Identify that commercial jobs are consistently under-quoted by 12–15% due to untracked travel time and unallocated overhead. Adjust quoting templates, implement progress billing on jobs over $20K, and reduce debtor days from 47 to 28. Gross margin could improve 6 percentage points in the first two quarters.
“We were turning over $2M but had no idea which jobs were actually making us money. The financial clarity Ascend brought completely changed how we quote, schedule and manage cash flow. We finally feel in control.”
Nicholas Love
CPA, MAcc, BCom (ANU) — Trades Financial Strategist
“Most trades business owners are incredible at what they do on site — but the financial side of running a growing operation is a completely different skill set. That's where I come in.”
Nicholas combines CPA-qualified financial rigour with a practical understanding of how trades businesses operate. He understands the cash flow challenges of project-based work, the complexity of managing crews and subcontractors, and the capital intensity of fleet and equipment decisions.
Nicholas works with electrical, plumbing, HVAC, building, landscaping and general contracting businesses from $1M to $20M+, helping owners transition from working in the business to working on it — with the financial clarity to make confident growth decisions.
Learn More About Nicholas →Frequently Asked Questions
How is this different from my regular bookkeeper?
Your bookkeeper processes transactions and files your BAS. We build job costing models, cash flow forecasts, labour utilisation reports and margin analysis. Think of us as your fractional CFO who understands trades operations, not just debits and credits.
What job management software do you work with?
We work with ServiceM8, simPRO, Fergus, Tradify, AroFlo, Buildxact and most major job management platforms. On the accounting side, we integrate with Xero, MYOB, QuickBooks and NetSuite. We also work with workforce tools like Deputy and Tanda.
What size trades businesses do you work with?
Our trades CFO services are designed for businesses doing $1M to $20M+ in annual revenue with multiple crews or projects running concurrently. Below $1M, our standard bookkeeping packages are usually the better fit.
Can you help us quote more accurately?
Yes. By analysing your historical job data — comparing quoted vs actual across labour, materials, subcontractors and overhead — we help you build data-driven quoting templates. Most clients see a significant improvement in quote accuracy and win rates within the first quarter.
Do you understand progress claims and retention?
Absolutely. We build cash flow models that account for progress claim schedules, retention holdbacks, defects liability periods, and the timing mismatch between work completed and payment received. This is critical for trades businesses doing larger commercial projects.
Do you handle bookkeeping and payroll as well?
Yes. Many of our trades clients use our team for day-to-day bookkeeping, payroll (including STP and award interpretation), BAS/IAS, and TPAR compliance. When we control the data quality, the advisory analysis on top is more accurate and timely.
Ready to Know Your Real Job Margins?
Schedule a confidential strategy session to discuss how a trades-specialist CFO can transform your financial visibility. We'll review your current setup, identify quick wins, and outline what an engagement could look like. No obligation.