How the Business Health Check works
Each of the ten questions covers a habit that separates steady, profitable service businesses from ones that always feel short of money: knowing costs, raising prices, paying yourself, a cash cushion, written terms, quote follow-ups, reviews, getting paid, tracking expenses and knowing your best customers.
A Yes is worth 10 points, a partly is worth 5 and a No is worth 0, for a score out of 100.
Your biggest fixes are the lowest-scoring answers, starting with the No answers. Each one links to a free tool that helps you fix it.
It's a quick self-check, not an audit. Be honest and it'll point you at the changes most likely to help.
Tips from the trade
- Fix one thing a month. Small, steady changes stick better than a big overhaul.
- Pricing fixes usually pay off fastest, so start there if you scored low on the first two questions.
- Take the check again every few months to see your progress.
A worked example
Here's the example that's already filled in above, so you can see how the Business Health Check works before you enter your own numbers.
- I know what an average job really costs meRoughly
- I've raised my prices in the last 12 monthsNo
- I pay myself a set amountWhen I can
- I have cash for 3 months of billsNo
- Regular customers have written termsNo
- I follow up on every quoteSometimes
- I ask every customer for a reviewNo
- I invoice fast and chase late paymentsSometimes
- I track mileage and expenses as I goAt tax time
- I know which customers make me the mostNo
With those details, it writes:
YOUR SCORE: 25 OUT OF 100 (Lots of easy wins) Your biggest fixes: 1. Raise your prices, politely. Free tool: Price Increase Letter (easyworktools.com/price-increase-letter/) 2. Build a cash cushion for slow months. Free tool: Slow Season Planner (easyworktools.com/slow-season-planner/) 3. Put regular customers on simple written terms. Free tool: Service Agreement (easyworktools.com/service-agreement-template/) What you're already doing well: none yet, so every fix counts.
Your biggest fix: raise your prices, politely. The links below open the free tool for each one.
Related free tools
- Am I Undercharging? Price Check: what you really earn per hour on a job after costs and taxes, and the price that pays you what you need.
- Slow Season Planner: how much to save each busy month so slow months don't hurt.
- Price Increase Letter Writer: a polite price increase letter for your customers, plus how many could leave before you'd earn less.
When you need more than the free Business Health Check
This tool writes one document. Running a business means doing it on every job, with your own rates saved and a quote you can send.
Business Health Check questions
How do I know if my small business is healthy?
Look at the basics: do you know your costs, charge enough, pay yourself, keep a cash cushion, get paid on time and keep customers coming back? This check scores those in two minutes.
What's a good score?
65 or more means the basics are mostly in place. Under 40 means there are some easy wins, which is good news, because small changes can make a big difference.
What should I fix first?
Start with the first fix in your report. If pricing is on the list, start there, because charging the right price helps everything else.
Is my information saved anywhere?
Only on your own device, so you can come back later. Nothing is sent to us.