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Illustrations & resources

The business side, drawn simply

I draw to make things click. These are illustrations I use with clients. Tap one to see it full size, or share it with someone who needs it.

7 illustrations

Hand-drawn session map. Point A, now: £1.36m turnover, in and out of overdraft, inconsistent work, 3.4% profit, working too much. Point B, the goal: £2m turnover, a £30k buffer in the bank, 20% profit, a 3-day week, holidays. Challenges include wearing Superman pants, profit but no cash flow, and being owed money. Solutions include a cash flow forecast, understanding the numbers, marketing, an organisation chart, credit control and working on the business. Actions for this week: list direct debits, bring the aged debtors list, keep a time log. — What's stopping you going from A to B?

Where you are now, where you want to be, what's in the way, and the actions for this week. This is what a first session looks like.

Planning

Hand-drawn lips labelled A verbal agreement versus a signed document labelled A written agreement. Verbal: ego or emotional decision, short-term gain, possible long-term pain if the invoice isn't paid, no leg to stand on, hard to prove in a dispute, not legally binding. Written: logical decision, paper trail, protects both parties, easier to enforce, no misunderstandings. — A verbal agreement vs a written agreement

A handshake feels quicker, but only a written agreement gives you a paper trail, protects both sides and can be enforced.

Sales and contracts

Hand-drawn figures. On £1.2m of work won for 2025, cost of sales at 78% leaves £108k profit, 9%. Reducing cost of sales by 6% to 72% gives £336k gross profit and £180k profit, 15%. A cloud reads Increase profit by £72k, beside a drawn stack of banknotes. Underneath: same amount of work and same fixed costs, just focusing on cost of sales, labour and materials. — Cut cost of sales by 6%, add £72k profit

Same amount of work, same fixed costs. Bringing cost of sales from 78% to 72% takes profit from 9% to 15%.

Finance

Hand-drawn trifle with a cherry on top. Left side, leading to low profits and living in the overdraft: judging your business on your bank balance, a long debtors list, no invoicing process, no business structure, competing on price, taking on every job. Right side, leading to huge profit and money in the bank: knowing your numbers, watertight credit control, invoicing correctly and on time, tracking and managing jobs, quoting correctly and tracking quote versus actual, attracting grade A clients. — The cherry on top: finance

Big profit sits on solid layers: knowing your numbers, tight credit control, invoicing on time, tracking jobs, quoting correctly and attracting grade A clients.

Finance

Two hand-drawn faces. The first has closed eyes and big ears, with the words Talk is ego and Don't just listen to what people say. The second wears red headphones with eyes wide open, with the words Cover your ears and watch what they do. — Talk vs action

Don't just listen to what people say. Cover your ears and watch what they do.

People

Hand-drawn yellow rubber duck with the words Have you got your business ducks in a row? Marketing, sales, operations, finance. — Have you got your business ducks in a row?

Marketing, sales, operations and finance: the four areas every business needs lined up.

Planning

Hand-drawn pair of light blue briefs with a big red letter S on the front, Superman style, signed Tanya Hill 2022. — Superman pants: the uniform of the tradie business owner

The pants that got you here won't get you where you want to go. What's one job you could hand over this week?
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Let's be honest. If you run a construction or trades business, you've probably got a pair on under your work trousers.

Superman pants. The big red "S" on the front.

Because deep down you think nobody can do it like you can. Nobody quotes it like you. Nobody sorts the site like you. Nobody chases the supplier, fixes the snag, answers the phone at 9pm, or finishes that job properly like you.

And I get it. That's exactly how you built the business.

But here's the thing: the pants that got you here won't get you where you want to go.

When you're the only superhero in the building:

Everything runs through you
You can't take a proper holiday
The business stalls the moment you step away
You're working in the business, not on it

Building a business that runs without you means trusting your team, building systems, and letting go of the idea that it only gets done right if you do it. That's not weakness. That's leadership.

So here's my challenge: what's one job you could hand over this week? Just one.

Take the cape off for a minute. The business (and your family) will thank you for it.

People

New illustrations and worksheets are added here as I make them. For the latest, follow me on LinkedIn.

Want one drawn for your business?

Let's map out your A to B

Book a 30-minute call and we'll start getting it out of your head.

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