Guides
Practical guides for tradespeople, shops and small businesses.
Straight answers to the questions we are asked most, without jargon.
How much does a website cost for a tradesperson?
You have two quotes for your website and the amounts are miles apart. That is normal: “website” does not always mean the same thing. This guide helps you understand what you are paying for, what comes back every month and what to check before you sign.
Read the guideShowcase website or pro site: which should you choose?
A showcase website to be found, a pro site to present each service in detail and receive quote requests. Both are useful, but for different needs. Here is how to choose without paying for what you will not use.
Read the guideE-invoicing in France: what changes for tradespeople and small businesses
Electronic invoicing between businesses has been rolling out in France since 1 September 2026. This rule concerns businesses in France: whether you are a tradesperson, a shop owner or run a small business there, it applies to you, at least for receiving invoices. This guide sums up, in plain terms, what the French tax authority says, and points you to the official pages to check your own situation.
Read the guide7 signs your website is outdated
An outdated website is not always obvious from your desk. Your customers, though, notice straight away on their phones. Here are seven simple signs to check, three of which our free diagnostic spots for you in a few seconds.
Read the guideAutomate your quotes without changing software
Copying out a request received by email, finding the right prices, formatting, following up: a quote often takes longer to prepare than to price. The good news is that you can automate much of this work while keeping your current software. Here is how, step by step.
Read the guideCustom CRM or off-the-shelf software: how to decide
A spreadsheet that has grown out of control, contacts scattered across several inboxes, follow-ups that slip through the cracks: one day you need a proper tool to keep track of your customers. The question then comes up fast: buy an off-the-shelf CRM or have one built for you? Here are simple, unbiased criteria to help you decide.
Read the guideFollow-ups and unpaid invoices: automate without upsetting customers
Chasing a customer is never pleasant. So it gets put off, you wait until the end of the month, and a late invoice turns into a real cash-flow problem. Automating reminders means none are forgotten, as long as you keep the right tone and let a person decide as soon as things get delicate.
Read the guideWhat an AI assistant can (and cannot) do with your emails
Price requests, follow-up questions, confirmations, complaints: a small business inbox mixes everything together. An AI assistant can save you time on part of that work. It can also get things wrong. Here, without exaggeration, is what it does well, what it does badly, and how to use it while staying in control.
Read the guideGDPR and Swiss FADP: what to check before using AI in a small business
Thinking of using an AI assistant for your emails, quotes or documents? Good idea, as long as you know what data you are handing over. In France, the GDPR applies; in Switzerland, the new Federal Act on Data Protection (FADP, known in French as nLPD). Here is a practical checklist to get off to a sound start.
Read the guideOpening an online shop as an independent retailer: where to start
Your customers ask whether they can order remotely, your competitors already sell online, and you are wondering whether it is for you. Opening an online shop does not mean reinventing everything. For a shop owner, the key is to start simply, with a catalogue you can manage and a routine that fits into your day.
Read the guideHow much does an online shop cost?
Selling online looks simple in the adverts: a few clicks and your shop is ready. In practice, the cost of an online shop depends on your catalogue, how you take payment and deliver, and how much of the work you want to hand over. This guide helps you read a quote and plan for the costs that come back every month.
Read the guideHow much does a custom CRM cost?
Your contacts are in one spreadsheet, your quotes in another piece of software and your follow-ups in your head. A custom CRM can bring it all together, in the way you work. But how much should you budget, and for what exactly? This guide explains what drives the cost, the costs after launch and how to scope the project so you stay in control of the budget.
Read the guideHow to write a professional quote
A clear quote reassures the customer, avoids misunderstandings and protects your job. In France, for some activities, it is even mandatory and must contain specific information. This guide sets out what the official French government site for businesses, service-public.gouv.fr, says, then gives you a method for writing quick, readable quotes.
Read the guideWebsite legal requirements in France: legal notice, GDPR, cookies
In France, a business website must display certain information, explain what it does with its visitors’ data and ask for their consent for some cookies. These rules apply to a simple showcase website as much as to an online shop. This guide sets out what the official French sites service-public.gouv.fr and the CNIL (French data protection authority) say, and gives you a checklist for your own site.
Read the guideLocal SEO: how tradespeople get found by customers nearby
When a leak happens or a renovation project takes shape, your future customers look for a professional near them, often on their phone. Local SEO is everything that helps your business appear in those searches. Nobody can promise you a specific position on Google, but a few simple, regular tasks make a real difference.
Read the guideGoogle Business Profile: a guide for tradespeople
When someone looks for a tradesperson near them, your Google Business Profile is often the first thing they see, even before your website. Filled in well, it makes people want to call. Filled in badly, it can mislead your customers or break Google’s rules. Here is how to create it, get it verified and keep it up to date while staying within Google’s guidelines.
Read the guideHow to choose a domain name: the right questions
Your domain name is the address of your website and often of your email too. You will write it on your quotes, your invoices, your van. So it is worth choosing carefully and, above all, registering it in your own name. Here are the questions to ask yourself before you register it.
Read the guideHow to secure your website: the essentials for a small business
A hacked website means a replaced home page, visitors redirected to a scam or a contact form that no longer works. For a small business, the good practices are well known and within reach. This guide takes the recommendations of the French public service Cybermalveillance.gouv.fr and applies them to your website.
Read the guideSetting up online booking for your business
The phone rings while you are with a customer, you call back three times to agree a slot, and in the evening you copy everything into your diary. Online booking removes a good part of that back and forth. Provided you prepare it properly: here is how to go about it.
Read the guideAI in a small business: where to start
Artificial intelligence is talked about everywhere, but in practice, what can it do in a business of a few people? A lot, on repetitive writing and sorting tasks. Not everything, and not without you. Here is a simple method to get started without getting lost or taking risks with your customers’ data.
Read the guide
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