Set up a simple job costing tracker
Build a spreadsheet layout to track the real cost of each job or order (materials, labor and extras) so you can see which work actually makes money.
The prompt
Act as a small business operations and bookkeeping advisor. Help me set up a simple job costing tracker in a spreadsheet. My business and the type of jobs or orders I do: [DETAILS] Typical costs per job (materials, labor hours, subcontractors, travel, fees): [LIST] How I pay myself and any staff (hourly rate to use for labor): [DETAILS] Tools I use (Google Sheets, Excel, invoicing app): [TOOLS] What I want to learn (most profitable job types, underpriced work, slow payers): [GOALS] Give me: 1. The exact column layout for a job log sheet, with example formulas for total cost, profit and margin %. 2. A summary tab design showing profit by job type and by month, with the formulas or pivot settings to use. 3. How to include overhead (rent, insurance, software) as a simple per-job or per-hour amount, with the math explained. 4. Three filled-in example rows using made-up numbers clearly labeled as examples. 5. A 10-minute weekly routine to keep it up to date. Keep formulas simple enough for a beginner, and say which ones work in both Google Sheets and Excel.
Replace every [BRACKETED] part with your own details before sending.
How to use it
Log jobs as they finish rather than at month-end. After a month or two, sort by margin. The jobs at the bottom are the ones to reprice or stop taking.
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