Building a lifestyle-friendly trade business with ServiceM8 and Xero

Running a trade or service business is no easy feat. Between job scheduling, quoting, managing staff, taking client calls, and tackling paperwork, it is hard to switch off. Nights and weekends can disappear into a blur of emails, quoting, invoicing and admin.

But Alan Collins, owner of Westcork Electrical, seems to have cracked the code. He’s built a thriving trade business and a lifestyle to match, all the while earning a reputation as one of Inner West Sydney’s top residential electricians.

What’s his secret? A mix of entrepreneurial drive, human touch, smart systems like Xero and ServiceM8, as well as plenty of hard work.

Alan shares his journey to finding this balance, and what he’s learned along the way.

Taking the leap and finding your niche 

Alan started Westcork Electrical in 2016 after deciding it was time to go out on his own.

“To be brutally honest, I fell into the classic trap of thinking: ‘Why am I working so hard for someone else? This is easy – why can’t I just make my own money?’” he recalls.

Seeing a $30,000 invoice from his old employer sparked the leap. 

“I did the fit-out in about five days and got paid $1,000. I thought they had pocketed $29,000 — but I didn’t realise the light fittings alone probably cost $15,000, plus all the business overheads in the background.”

Alan quickly learned the ropes, experimenting with different clients before finding his sweet spot. Now, Westcork Electrical specialises purely in residential service and maintenance electrical work.

From chaos to control, with ServiceM8

Before Alan combined Xero with ServiceM8 in 2018, running Westcork Electrical was a daily battle.

“Before ServiceM8 and Xero, it was mayhem; I was writing job and client details on pieces of cardboard. I was taking pictures on my iPhone. It was an absolute mess.”

“Now, everything is in one spot; that’s really how ServiceM8 saves me time. I’ve got photos, documents, emails, quotes, invoices, everything on each individual job card, not just for future jobs, but past jobs too.”

For example, a client messaged Alan for a certificate for some smoke alarms he installed years ago: 

“I typed her name into ServiceM8, brought up the job, and sure enough, I’d sent her that exact certificate in 2021. So I just emailed it to her again. That’s how easy ServiceM8 makes it to stay on top of your customer service.”

Building the flexibility you want

What does Alan love most about his business? 

“I love the flexibility. I’ve built a simple, lean business with systems in place and a virtual team. If I go away, it doesn’t fall apart, and I think that’s vital.”

Now, Alan has achieved the kind of work/life balance many tradies dream of.

“I can take off to Europe with my wife for one or two months a year. If I want to take next Tuesday off, I can just take next Tuesday off. I don’t have to ask a boss to do that. That’s probably the best thing about running your own business.”

“When you do it correctly – and that’s very, very key – when you do it correctly with systems, you can then delegate your time and take time off when you want.”

Of course, you need to put the work in too.

“It’s not all glam;, I’m still busting myself when I’m working!” Alan says.

Xero and ServiceM8: A perfect match for tradies

For Alan, ServiceM8 and Xero are the perfect pair.

“What I stress to people, is that you use ServiceM8 and Xero together: one’s for bookkeeping, one’s for your job management. They speak to each other, and when they’re connected, it makes things a lot handier.”

Alan says the combination has proven to be a huge time-saver.

“ServiceM8 being connected to Xero saves me so much time,” Alan explains. “Once you approve an invoice in ServiceM8 and it goes across, Xero picks up that it’s come from ServiceM8, it picks up that the client has paid the bill, and it’s ready to reconcile. It just saves so much time, effort and money. It makes my bookkeeper’s life a lot easier as well!”

“The integration between Xero and ServiceM8 is seamless. It’s set and forget. You click a few buttons, save, done. I’m very happy with it.”

Learn more about how ServiceM8 job management can help your trade business succeed on the Xero App Store.