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Why You’re Working Flat Out But Still Not Making Real Money Many businesses make the mistake of confusing busy for profitable. It’s not always the case. If your diary’s rammed, your phone’s constantly buzzing, and you’ve not stopped for lunch since Covid, then you’d assume the money must be rolling in, right? But somehow, when it’s time to check the bank account or pay yourself properly, the numbers just don’t seem add up. How’s that possible? You’re crazy busy after all, the presses haven't stopped churning out for weeks... L et’s be blunt: being flat out isn’t the same as being profitable. In fact, being flat out can hide a whole lot of business problems. So, if you feel like you’re working yourself into the ground but still not getting ahead, let’s have a closer look at where the time and money might be leaking. 1. You’re Saying Yes to the Wrong Work You take every job because saying no feels rude, or risky. You don’t want to lose out. But some jobs just don’t pay. You know the ones: • Too small to be worth the travel. Now small jobs can be profitable, or SHOULD be profitable, so just watch these. • Clients who haggle harder than a car boot sale regular. Oh yes, “them”. • Projects that blow out on time, materials, and patience. We have all had them. • Clients that complain about everything just to get a discount, and that discount is your profit. Profit tip: Track your most profitable job types, and your worst. Then get braver about saying “thanks but no thanks” to time-wasters. Not all work is good work. 2. Your Pricing’s Based on Hope, Not Maths You think you’re priced right. You looked at a few competitors and thought, “That’ll do.” But you never sat down to work out your real costs: • Time on site (if applicable), adding for contingency too. • Fuel, materials, wear and tear, very few consider this. • Admin hours, phone calls, quotes, those costs simply don’t go away. • That bit where you have to go back and fix it when they “change their mind”. • The running costs and other expenses within your business. Profit tip: Price from the bottom up. Know your hourly rate, your overheads, and your margin. Otherwise, you’re gambling, not quoting. 3. You’re Drowning in Admin Quoting at night, chasing invoices in your van, trying to manage everything from a phone that’s ringing before you even get a chance to answer that email, it’s utter chaos. And chaos eats profits. Because the longer it takes you to get a quote out or chase payment, the more money goes missing. Profit tip: Systems don’t need to be fancy. But you do need some. A basic CRM, quote templates, and automated reminders can save hours (and make you look more professional). Here’s something else to consider. With low cost CRM systems and superb accounting software, there’s no excuse for admin chaos. With AI gaining strength, admin and support is better and easier than ever before. So, the excuse of not wanting to “recruit anyone”, well, those days (excuses) are gone. 4. You’ve Got Too Many “Maybes” and Not Enough “Hell Yes” Clients It’s hard to grow when your work comes from a random mix of mates, and whoever stumbled across your website by accident last week. No plan = no predictability. Profit tip : Spend time attracting the right kind of clients. That means marketing that works, follow-up that’s consistent, and referrals that come from happy customers (not desperate pleading). This is absolutely key. Marketing is only a COST to the business when you don’t track, or KNOW what works. Make marketing an investment, spend £10 get £100. Spend £100, get £1000, get the idea? 5. You’re Not Charging for All the Work You Do How many of these ring a bell? • Free site visits without doing any “Qualification” with the prospect first? • Long phone consultations before asking the key questions around budget, time scales and expectations. There’s no point in being on the phone for an hour then discovering their budget is £5000 for your £25,000 kitchen, or they need it next Wednesday for a Birthday Party. • “Quick” design tweaks or spec changes. Being helpful is great, eroding your profit is not. • Extras on jobs that you just chuck in “to be nice”. Same as above, don’t get sucked into this. Make sure that you’re clear with your order on what’s included and what’s not included. This only goes “pearshaped” when you haven’t been clear on what's included and what’s NOT. Profit tip : Stop being nice at your own expense. Create clear scopes of work, get sign-off, and charge for your expertise. You’re not a charity. 6. You’ve Got No Time to Think, Let Alone Plan When every day is a firefight, the bigger picture disappears. You’re working in the business, not on it. And that’s how years fly by and nothing changes. Profit tip: Carve out an hour a week. Review what’s working. Bin what’s not. Plan what’s next. Even one hour of strategy a week can stop your business running you. Bottom Line: Busy Isn’t the Goal, Being Profitable Is You didn’t start this business to be the most knackered person in your postcode. You started it for freedom, income, and maybe even a bit of pride. So don’t settle for being flat out with an equally flat bank account. Start plugging the leaks, pricing with purpose, and building a business that pays you, not just your suppliers. Avoid discounting, it kills margin. Every penny of discount comes right off your bottom line. Need help figuring out where your business is leaking profit? Let’s have a chat, I can share a ton of advice and guidance. I was that soldier. I grew my business to a very successful and very profitable £1m business. That continued towards and passed £3m. As the journey continued the profits DROPPED, massively. Why? How? Let me share that with you. If you're super serious about this - book a Power HOUR with me - it's free, and we'll cover TONS of stuff.

3 Simple Ways to Charge More Without Losing the Job, or your SANITY I know what you’re thinking, I’ve been there. But try this, because printers in general ain't very good at this. (just sayin') Right now, you’re probably working harder than ever, long hours, last-minute client changes, juggling deadlines, and still thinking “Where’s all the profit?” Why? Because too many good print and graphics business owners get stuck in the race to the bottom. Competing with the big online printers. Knocking prices down just to win the job. Doing favours for “good” clients who still expect discounts. Does this sound familiar? And what happens? 👉 Your margins shrink. 👉 Your stress goes up. 👉 And you end up resenting the work you used to love. But here’s the thing: you CAN charge more, and keep the job. In fact, you’ll often gain better clients in the process. We all know that customers won on price are always lost on price as some idiot is always cheaper. Are your “cheap customers” the ones that you enjoy working with? Asking for a friend!! Let me show you how I think this works – it worked in my print business. 1 - Stop Selling Just Print – Sell the Outcome Here’s the brutal truth: Most customers don’t care about print. They care about what it does for them. They’re not buying “500 leaflets on 170gsm silk paper”. They’re buying more footfall in their shop, a better-looking brand, or a way to look more professional to their clients. If you’re only quoting for “leaflets, banners, business cards,” you’re a commodity. They can price-check you online in seconds. But if you frame it like this: “This pack will give you everything you need to attract more walk-ins for your new café launch. We’ll design, print, and even advise where to place them for maximum impact.” Try comparing that !!! How do you like them apples? Suddenly, you’re not competing with VistaPrint. You’re solving a problem, and that’s what your customers are buying. Try this. “5000 leaflets, full colour, 130gsm gloss for £99” is that what the customer is buying? NO, not in a million years. This is what they are buying, “5000 leads for less than 2p each” YOUR Action step: When quoting, don’t just list the spec, explain the benefit they’ll get. Add a line that ties it to their goal. Not “Vehicle wrap – £650” Instead: “A moving billboard for your business, seen by thousands locally every week – £650.” Like the leaflet example - “5000 leaflets, full colour, 130gsm gloss for £99” is that what the customer is buying? NO, not in a million years. This is what they are buying, “5000 leads for less than 2p each”. I used that EXACT phrase in my business and saw conversion rates TRIPLE. Clients will happily pay more if they believe it leads to better results. Can you see the difference? Please tell me you can... 2 - Make Yourself the Safe Choice Here’s why some clients push back on price: they’re scared. Scared they’ll waste money. Scared the print will look cheap. Scared YOU won’t deliver. So, they default to the lowest price. If you’re the same (in their eyes) as every other printer, then the choice will be made on price. YOU NEED TO STAND OUT – YOU NEED TO BE THE OBVIOUS CHOICE. WHEN you show them that you’re a safe, trusted pair of hands, they’ll pay more for peace of mind. How do you do that? • Show examples of your work solving similar problems. Not bloody pictures of leaflets, sorry, they are not interested. Show examples of problems being solved. • Share testimonials from real clients (bonus if they’re local or in the same industry). • Explain your process clearly so they know what to expect - no surprises. Customer crave clarity. • Use visuals: before-and-after photos, videos of jobs, even a quick timelapse of a sign install. When they feel confident you’ll get it right the first time, price isn’t the main deciding factor. YOUR Action step: Turn every project into a mini case study. Post it on your website, social media, or even as a one-page PDF you can send with quotes. Show the result they got, not just the print you produced. Remember, it’s not the product that’s exciting, it’s the BENEFIT that product provides. It’s the pain point that product removes. 3 - Offer Better Options (and Anchor the Price) Most print and graphics businesses make one classic mistake: they send a single price and hope for the best. I know I used to do that, so I learned the hard way. But smart businesses give options, and the middle option is usually the “preferred one” Why? Because when you give one choice, clients can only say YES or NO. But when you give three choices, they start thinking “Hmm, which one?” Does that make sense? Example: Basic – £250 – Standard design + print (what they thought they needed) Better – £375 – Design refresh + premium finish + delivery Best – £550 – Full design revamp, premium finish, PLUS a mini social media promo graphic pack Most people pick the middle option, which is already higher than what they originally planned to spend. And some will surprise you and go for the top tier, because it feels like better value compared to the rest. This is called price anchoring, and it works because you’re shifting the decision from “Should I buy?” to “Which one should I buy?” YOUR Action step: Next time you quote, send three versions: Good, Better, Best. And make sure the “middle” option is the one you actually want them to choose. Give the options catchy titles and avoid at all costs making the lower option look like a poor alternative. You’ll notice in the above example I used “Good, Better and Best”. So, avoid things like “Bronze, Silver and Gold” – no one wants to win bronze. The Harsh Reality… Are You Ready For This? If you keep competing on price, you’ll burn out and go broke. There’s always some idiot cheaper, especially in this game. The big online printers will always undercut you. They have economies of scale, you have the personal touch, so damn well use it. And the “cheap” clients who haggle the hardest? They’re the ones who complain the loudest. But when you: ✅ Sell outcomes, not just print specs ✅ Make yourself the safe choice ✅ Offer better options with price anchoring …you stop being just a “print supplier”. You become a trusted partner who helps clients look good and grow their business. And that’s worth paying more for. Want to Stop Working Hard for Pennies? I help print & graphics businesses just like yours GROW by attracting better clients who actually value your work STAND OUT in the market and charge more without constant pushback PLAN your business and build a pipeline so you’re not living month-to-month NOT FUCK THINGS UP because that's what I did, and it hurts Want to see how you can make this work for YOUR business? It’s all based on the “Inverted Business Growth Model” from my #1 Best Selling Book “How To Wreck Your Business”. I have seen the enormous success that print creates, and the hull crushing lows when it goes wrong. I’ll share BOTH with you. Are you REALLY serious about growing? If you are, I offer a FREE Power Hour where we can talk SERIOUS business. How does that sound? Book it here .