Getting Started with Pro Solo

ProfitCalculator.com.au

Welcome to Pro Solo! This guide will walk you through setting up your account and getting valuable insights into your business profitability in just a few steps.

What You'll Learn

By the end of this guide, you'll know how to:

1. Configure your business settings
2. Set up your overhead expenses
3. Create your first job
4. Understand your dashboard metrics
5. View profitability reports

Time Required: 15-20 minutes

Step 1: Set Up Your Business Settings

Before you start tracking jobs, let's configure your basic business settings.

Navigate to Settings

1. Click Settings in the left sidebar
2. You'll see two tabs:

• Account - Your profile and subscription management
• Business Settings - Calculation defaults and job types

Note: Pro Solo users see two tabs. The "Team" tab is only available in Pro Teams and Advisor tiers.

3. Click on the Business Settings tab if not already selected

[Screenshot suggestion: Settings page showing Account and Business Settings tabs]

Understanding Effective Hourly Rate (EHR)

Pro Solo focuses on Effective Hourly Rate - what you actually earn per hour worked.

How it's calculated:

Net Profit ÷ Total Hours = Your Effective Hourly Rate

Example:
Job Revenue: $500
Materials: $50
Travel: $20
Overhead (allocated): $80
= Net Profit: $350

Time spent: 8 hours
= EHR: $350 ÷ 8 = $43.75/hour

Why EHR matters:

• Shows what you're actually earning per hour
• Accounts for ALL costs (materials, travel, overheads)
• Helps you identify which jobs are truly profitable
• Reveals if you're pricing high enough

You don't set a rate - ProfitCalculator works it out from your jobs!

Configure Travel Defaults

In the Travel Defaults card:

Default KM Rate: $1.00/km (default)

• ATO guideline rate is currently $0.85/km
• Adjust based on your actual vehicle costs
• Applied to all jobs with travel distance

Default Travel Minutes: 0 (default)

• Average time traveling between jobs
• Used to calculate total billable time

Configure Business Calendar

In the Business Calendar card:

Weeks per Year: 52 (default)

• How many weeks you actually work per year
• Account for holidays: 48 weeks = 4 weeks holiday
• Used for annual calculations and capacity planning

Why it matters:

• Affects overhead allocation across your jobs
• Determines annual revenue projections
• Helps with capacity planning

Configure Profitability Ranges

In the Profitability Ranges card:

This is where you define what "good" and "acceptable" jobs look like for your business!

Value Classification Method: Effective Hourly Rate ($) ← Recommended for Pro Solo

• How jobs are classified: High, Good, Low, or Loss
• Based on the EHR each job delivers
• EHR is the most meaningful metric for sole traders as it shows your true earning rate
• You can change this to Gross Profit Margin (%), Net Profit ($), or Net Profit Percentage (%) if preferred

Minimum Good EHR ($/hr): Your target rate

• Jobs above this threshold = High Value (green)
• Example: $100/hr means you're doing really well on this job

Minimum Acceptable EHR ($/hr): Your floor rate

• Jobs above this = Good Value (blue)
• Jobs below this = Low Value (orange)
• Example: $60/hr is your minimum to make the job worthwhile

Jobs are color-coded into 4 tiers:

• 🟢 High (≥ Good threshold) - Your most profitable work
• 🔵 Good (≥ Acceptable threshold) - Solid profitability
• 🟠 Low (< Acceptable threshold) - Review pricing or efficiency
• 🔴 Loss (negative profit) - Losing money on this job

How to set your thresholds:

1. Calculate your desired income per hour:
   $70,000 target ÷ 1,760 hours = $40/hr base need

2. Set Minimum Acceptable = 1.5× base
   $40 × 1.5 = $60/hr (Good Value threshold)

3. Set Minimum Good = 2.5× base
   $40 × 2.5 = $100/hr (High Value threshold)

Why this matters:

• Dashboard shows value bucket chart using these thresholds
• Helps you identify which jobs to prioritize
• Shows which jobs need price increases
• Makes profitability visual and easy to understand

Configure Custom Terminology (Optional)

In the Custom Terminology card:

Customize how "jobs" are labeled throughout the app to match your industry.

Examples by industry:

• Personal Trainer: "Session" / "Sessions"
• Cleaner: "Job" / "Jobs" (default)
• Consultant: "Project" / "Projects"
• Therapist: "Client" / "Clients"
• Coach: "Engagement" / "Engagements"

Singular Label: What you call one item (e.g., "Session")

Plural Label: What you call multiple items (e.g., "Sessions")

Where it appears:

• Navigation: "Sessions" (instead of "Jobs")
• Buttons: "Add Session" (instead of "Add Job")
• Filters: "Filter Sessions" (instead of "Filter Jobs")

Tip: This is cosmetic only - your data stays the same. It just makes the app feel more tailored to your business!

Configure Job Types (Optional)

In the Job Types card (or uses your custom terminology like "Session Types"):

Create categories to organize your work consistently.

Examples by industry:

• Personal Trainer: "Personal Training", "Group Sessions", "Online Coaching"
• Cleaner: "Regular Clean", "Deep Clean", "End of Lease"
• Consultant: "Strategy Session", "Implementation", "Training"
• Gardener: "Lawn Mowing", "Hedge Trimming", "Garden Maintenance"

How to add:

1. Type a job type name in the field
2. Click the + button
3. Repeat for all your service types

Why this matters:

• Dropdown appears in job form for consistent categorization
• Prevents typos and inconsistent naming
• Makes reporting more meaningful
• Used in "Job Type Profitability" report

When to use:

• If you offer 2+ distinct service types
• If you want to compare profitability by service type
• If you want structured data for reports

When to skip:

• If you only offer one type of service
• If you prefer free-text descriptions
• You can always add this later!

Click "Save Changes"

Your business settings are now configured!

[Screenshot suggestion: Business Settings section showing Travel Defaults, Business Calendar, Profitability Ranges, Custom Terminology, and Job Types cards]

Step 2: Add Your Overhead Expenses

Overheads are all the costs of running your business. This is crucial for understanding your true profitability.

Navigate to Overheads

1. Click Overheads in the left sidebar
2. Click Add Overhead button

[Screenshot suggestion: Overheads page with Add Overhead button]

Essential Overheads to Add

Here are the key overheads most sole traders need to track:

1. Your Superannuation

As a sole trader, track your super as an overhead expense.

How to calculate:

Annual Income Target × 12% = Annual Super Contribution

Example:
$70,000 × 12% = $8,400 per year

Enter:

• Description: "Owner Superannuation"
• Amount: $8,400 (your calculated amount)
• Period: Annual
• Category: Insurance
• Includes GST: No (super is GST-free)

[Screenshot suggestion: Add Overhead dialog showing superannuation entry]

2. Workers Compensation Insurance

Your industry-specific workers compensation rate.

Enter:

• Description: "Workers Compensation Insurance"
• Amount: Your annual premium (e.g., $2,500)
• Period: Annual
• Category: Insurance
• Includes GST: Yes

3. Other Business Expenses

Add your other regular business costs:

Common Examples:

Tip: Start with your biggest expenses. You can add more later as you think of them.

Understanding GST

Most business expenses include GST. The system:

• Accepts GST-inclusive amounts (what you actually pay)
• Automatically calculates the GST component (÷ 11)
• Uses GST-exclusive amounts for profitability calculations

When to tick "Includes GST":

• ✅ Vehicle expenses
• ✅ Insurance (most types)
• ✅ Phone bills
• ✅ Software subscriptions
• ❌ Superannuation (GST-free)

Click "Save" for each overhead

Your overheads are now being tracked and allocated across your jobs!

[Screenshot suggestion: Overheads list showing multiple entries with annual totals]

Step 3: Create Your First Job

Now let's add a recurring job to see how profitability works.

Navigate to Jobs

1. Click Jobs in the left sidebar
2. Click Add Job button

[Screenshot suggestion: Jobs page with Add Job button]

Fill in Job Details

Basic Information

Job Name: (required)

• Example: "Smith Residence - Weekly Clean"
• Tip: Include customer name for easy identification

Job Type: (required)

• Select from dropdown or create new type
• Example: "Residential Cleaning"

Frequency: (required)

• Weekly, Fortnightly, or Monthly
• Example: "Weekly"

Hours per Visit: (required)

• How long you spend on site
• Example: 3.5 hours
• Tip: Be realistic - this affects your capacity and profitability

Price per Visit: (required)

• What the customer pays (GST-inclusive)
• Example: $150
• Note: System converts to GST-exclusive for calculations

[Screenshot suggestion: Add Job form showing basic fields filled in]

Optional but Useful

Travel Time: (minutes)

• One-way travel time
• Example: 15 minutes
• System automatically doubles for return trip

Travel Distance: (km)

• One-way distance
• Example: 12 km
• Charged at your travel rate ($1.00/km default)
• System automatically doubles for return trip

Description:

• Any notes about the job
• Special requirements
• Customer preferences

Review Profitability Preview

As you enter details, watch the profitability preview on the right:

What you'll see:

• Annual Revenue: Total income from this job per year
• Annual Direct Cost: Your labour + travel costs
• Gross Profit: Revenue minus direct costs
• Allocated Overhead: Fair share of your business overheads
• Net Profit: Your true profit after all costs
• Effective Hourly Rate (EHR): What you actually earn per hour

Key Metrics to Watch:

Effective Hourly Rate (EHR):

• This is what you're really earning per hour
• Accounts for ALL costs (materials, travel, overhead)
• Shows your true earning power
• Target: Depends on your income goal and hours worked

Net Profit Margin:

• Percentage of revenue you keep as profit
• Good target: 20-40%
• Lower: Review pricing or efficiency
• Higher: Great job!

[Screenshot suggestion: Job form with profitability preview panel showing metrics]

Click "Save Job"

Your first job is now tracked!

Step 4: Understanding Your Dashboard

Now that you have overhead and at least one job, let's explore the dashboard.

Navigate to Dashboard

Click Dashboard in the left sidebar

[Screenshot suggestion: Full dashboard view with metrics and charts]

The Key Business Metrics

Your dashboard shows critical business metrics:

Financial Summary Cards

1. Total Annual Revenue

• All income from jobs and projects
• GST-exclusive calculations
• Based on actual job frequencies

2. Total Annual Direct Cost

• Your labour costs
• Materials expenses
• Travel costs

3. Total Annual Gross Profit

• Revenue minus direct costs
• Shows earning before overhead
• Key indicator: Is this enough to cover overheads?

4. Total Annual Overhead

• All business expenses annualized
• Includes super, insurance, vehicle, etc.
• GST-normalized values

5. Total Annual Net Profit

• Final profit after all costs
• This is your true take-home
• After overhead allocation

6. Net Profit Percentage

• Net profit as % of revenue
• Good target: 20-40%
• Industry benchmark comparison

7. Average Margin

• Average gross profit margin across all jobs
• Portfolio health indicator
• Shows overall pricing effectiveness

8. Productive Hours per Year

• Total billable hours from all jobs
• Capacity planning metric
• Shows if you're fully booked or have capacity

[Screenshot suggestion: Close-up of metric cards showing example values]

Value Bucket Visualization

Below the metrics, you'll see a donut chart showing your job portfolio breakdown:

Four Value Categories:

🟢 High Value (Green)

• Your best-performing jobs
• Prioritize and grow these
• Example: EHR > $60/hr

🔵 Good Value (Blue)

• Solid performers
• Maintain these
• Example: EHR $45-60/hr

🟡 Low Value (Yellow)

• Need attention
• Review pricing or improve efficiency
• Example: EHR $30-45/hr

🔴 Loss Making (Red)

• Losing money
• Urgent action needed
• Increase price or stop doing them

How to Use It:

• Click on any segment to filter jobs by that category
• See which jobs fall into each bucket
• Identify opportunities to improve profitability

[Screenshot suggestion: Value bucket donut chart with legend]

Recent Jobs

At the bottom of the dashboard:

• View your last 10 created or modified jobs
• Quick access to edit
• See job profitability at a glance

What This Tells You:

• Which jobs you're working on most
• Recent profitability trends
• Quick access to make adjustments

Step 5: View Your First Report

Reports give you detailed insights into your business profitability. Pro Solo includes 6 comprehensive reports.

Navigate to Reports

1. Click Reports in the left sidebar
2. Select Job Summary Report from the report selector

[Screenshot suggestion: Reports page with report selector and job summary table]

Available Reports for Pro Solo

You have access to these reports:

1. Job Summary Report - Individual job performance breakdown
2. Job Bucket/Mix Report - Portfolio analysis by value category
3. Low Value Jobs Report - Identifies underperforming jobs
4. Job Type Profitability Report - Performance by job category
5. Overhead Breakdown Report - Expense analysis by category
6. Overhead Cost Per Hour Report - Minimum pricing guidance

Understanding the Job Summary Report

The Job Summary Report shows 15 key metrics for every job:

Basic Job Info:

1. Job Name
2. Job Type
3. Frequency
4. Hours per Visit
5. Annual Hours

Financial Metrics:

6. Price per Visit (GST-inc)
7. Annual Revenue (GST-ex)
8. Annual Direct Cost
9. Annual Gross Profit
10. Gross Margin %

Profitability Analysis:

11. Annual Allocated Overhead
12. Annual Net Profit
13. Net Margin %
14. Effective Hourly Rate (EHR)
15. Value Tag (High/Good/Low/Loss)

How to Use the Report

Sort by any column:

• Click column headers to sort
• Find your most profitable jobs
• Identify underperformers

Look for insights:

• Which jobs have highest EHR?
• Which jobs are loss-making?
• Where should you focus energy?
• Which jobs need price increases?

Color-coded value tags:

• Visual identification of job performance
• Green = prioritize
• Red = fix or remove

[Screenshot suggestion: Job Summary Report table with sorted data]

Export to CSV

Want to analyze in Excel or share with your accountant?

1. Click Export CSV button
2. Download includes all jobs and metrics
3. Open in Excel, Google Sheets, or Numbers
4. Perfect for:

• Tax preparation
• Business planning
• Historical tracking
• External analysis

[Screenshot suggestion: Export CSV button and sample exported file]

Next Steps: Growing Your Business

Add More Jobs

As you add more jobs, you'll get:

• Better overhead allocation
• More accurate capacity planning
• Portfolio-wide insights
• Trend analysis

Tip: Add jobs as you win them to build a complete picture of your business.

Create Projects (One-Off Work)

Click Projects to add:

• One-off jobs
• Quotes for new work
• Non-recurring projects

Two modes:

• Quote Builder: Set target margin, system suggests price
• Fixed Price: Enter agreed price, see actual profitability

Use the Scenario Planner

Click Scenario Planner to:

• Model price increases before implementing
• See impact across all jobs
• Test different pricing strategies
• Respond to cost increases

Example scenario:

• "What if I increase all prices by 5%?"
• Preview shows exact impact
• Apply if beneficial or discard

Track Effective Hourly Rate

Why EHR Matters:

• Shows what you're really earning
• Accounts for travel time
• Includes overhead allocation
• True value of your time

How to Improve EHR:

1. Increase prices on low-EHR jobs
2. Reduce travel time (cluster jobs geographically)
3. Improve efficiency (less time per job)
4. Reduce overhead costs
5. Stop loss-making work

Customize Value Thresholds

Click Settings > Business to set your own thresholds:

Effective Hourly Rate bands:

• High Value: > $60/hr (your target)
• Good Value: > $45/hr
• Low Value: > $30/hr
• Loss Making: ≤ $30/hr

Tip: Set these based on your income goals and market rates.

Common Questions

"My net profit is negative - what's wrong?"

Possible reasons:

1. Prices too low - Not covering your costs
2. Too much overhead - Review and reduce expenses
3. Inefficiency - Jobs taking longer than they should
4. Not enough volume - Overhead spread across too few jobs

Actions:

• Review each job's profitability individually
• Increase prices on low-EHR jobs
• Reduce overhead where possible
• Win more high-value work

"What's a good Effective Hourly Rate?"

Calculate your target EHR:

Desired Annual Income ÷ Productive Hours = Minimum EHR

Example:
$70,000 ÷ 1,760 hours (48 weeks × 38 hrs) = $39.77/hr minimum

But aim higher!

• Minimum: Match your income goal (e.g., $40/hr)
• Good: 1.5× income goal (e.g., $60/hr)
• Excellent: 2× income goal (e.g., $80/hr)

Why aim higher than your income goal?

• Covers non-billable time (quotes, admin, downtime)
• Provides buffer for slow periods
• Builds profit margin
• Ensures sustainable business growth

Set EHR thresholds in Settings to classify jobs as High/Good/Low value based on these targets.

"Should I include my superannuation as overhead?"

Yes! As a sole trader:

• You're not an "employee" of your business
• Super is a business expense (like rent or insurance)
• Add it as an annual overhead item
• Calculate: Target income × 12%

Example:

• Target income: $70,000
• Super contribution: $70,000 × 12% = $8,400/year
• Add as overhead item

Note: If you upgrade to Pro Teams later, this seamlessly converts to employee on-costs.

"How often should I update my data?"

Jobs: Update immediately when:

• You win a new job
• Prices change
• Job frequency changes
• You lose a job

Overheads: Review monthly:

• Add new expenses as they occur
• Update amounts if they change
• Remove expenses no longer applicable

Settings: Review quarterly:

• Adjust EHR thresholds if income goals change
• Update weeks per year if working pattern changes
• Refine value classification based on experience

"Can I undo changes?"

Jobs & Projects:

• Edit anytime - no undo needed
• Delete if no longer needed
• Changes reflected immediately

Scenario Planner:

• Test changes before applying
• Can rollback scenarios if needed
• Email confirmations sent

Overheads:

• Edit or delete anytime
• Immediately affects profitability calculations
• Export CSV backups regularly

Tips for Success

1. Be Honest with Your Numbers

Accurate data = Accurate insights

• Don't underestimate job hours
• Include ALL overheads (even small ones)
• Be realistic about productive hours
• Track actual prices, not ideal prices

2. Review Weekly

Set aside 15 minutes each week to:

• Check dashboard metrics
• Review new jobs
• Update any price changes
• Add any new overheads

3. Focus on Effective Hourly Rate

EHR is your north star metric:

• Shows true earning power
• Accounts for all costs
• Easy to understand
• Guides pricing decisions

Set EHR goals:

• Monthly EHR targets
• Track improvements over time
• Celebrate wins when you hit targets

4. Use the Value Buckets

Color-coded jobs tell a story:

• 🟢 High Value: Do more of this work
• 🔵 Good Value: Solid foundation, maintain
• 🟡 Low Value: Fix pricing or efficiency
• 🔴 Loss Making: Stop doing or increase price 5× minimum

Target portfolio mix:

• 60% High Value (green)
• 30% Good Value (blue)
• 10% Low Value (yellow)
• 0% Loss Making (red)

5. Test Before You Commit

Use the Quick Price Adjuster:

• Test price changes on individual jobs
• See impact before applying
• No commitment until you click "Apply"

Use Scenario Planner:

• Model portfolio-wide changes
• Preview complete impact
• Rollback if needed

6. Export Regularly

Monthly CSV exports:

• Backup your data
• Track trends over time
• Share with accountant
• Tax preparation made easy

Tip: Save exports with date in filename (e.g., "Jobs_Nov2025.csv")

Getting Help

Need Support?

In-App Resources:

• Feature documentation (this guide!)
• Tooltips throughout the app
• Inline help text

Contact Us:

• Email: support@profitcalculator.com.au
• Response time: Within 24 hours
• Happy to help with:
• Technical issues
• Feature questions
• Best practice advice
• Calculation explanations

Upgrading to Pro Teams

When you hire employees:

• Full employee management
• Leave entitlements tracking
• Multi-user access
• Team collaboration
• Real-time sync
• Advanced reports

Easy upgrade:

• Click Settings > Subscription
• Select "Upgrade to Pro Teams"
• Your data transfers seamlessly
• Hidden "Owner" record becomes visible employee

Quick Start Checklist

Use this checklist to make sure you're set up properly:

Business Settings:

• [ ] Configure travel rate (or keep $1.00/km default)
• [ ] Set weeks per year (52 default, or 48 after holidays)
• [ ] Configure EHR value thresholds (Settings > Profitability Ranges)
• [ ] Save changes

Overheads:

• [ ] Add your superannuation (12% of target income)
• [ ] Add workers compensation insurance
• [ ] Add vehicle costs (registration, insurance)
• [ ] Add insurance (public liability, etc.)
• [ ] Add software/subscriptions
• [ ] Add phone/internet
• [ ] Add accounting fees
• [ ] Add any other regular expenses

First Job:

• [ ] Create your first job
• [ ] Include realistic hours per visit
• [ ] Add travel time and distance if applicable
• [ ] Set correct frequency
• [ ] Review profitability preview
• [ ] Check Effective Hourly Rate
• [ ] Save job

Review Dashboard:

• [ ] Check all 8 metric cards
• [ ] Review value bucket chart
• [ ] Identify high-value vs low-value jobs
• [ ] Note any loss-making work

Run Report:

• [ ] Open Job Summary Report
• [ ] Sort by Effective Hourly Rate
• [ ] Identify top performers
• [ ] Identify jobs needing attention
• [ ] Export CSV for records

Set Goals:

• [ ] Target annual revenue: $__
• [ ] Target net profit %: __%
• [ ] Target Effective Hourly Rate: $__/hr
• [ ] Review frequency: Weekly/Monthly

You're Ready!

Congratulations! You've now set up Pro Solo and understand how to:

✅ Configure your business settings

✅ Track overhead expenses

✅ Create and manage jobs

✅ Read your dashboard metrics

✅ Generate profitability reports

✅ Understand Effective Hourly Rate

✅ Make data-driven pricing decisions

Start adding your jobs and overhead, and watch your profitability insights come to life!

Pro Solo - $19/month

ProfitCalculator.com.au

Smart profitability for Australian sole traders

Updated on: 18/11/2025