How to See Which Jobs and Clients Are Actually Making You Money

Most UK service businesses know their total revenue and rough overall margin. Very few can tell you, without running a manual analysis, which specific clients or jobs are actually profitable — and which ones are quietly subsidised by the rest of the business. The analysis that reveals this is not complicated. But it requires connecting cost data to revenue data in a way most businesses have never done.

Why the overall picture hides the detail

An overall gross margin of 35% can conceal enormous variation at client or job level. A client generating 20% of your revenue but requiring 40% of your team's time may be significantly loss-making when true costs are allocated. A smaller client with straightforward work may be generating disproportionate profit. Without the client-level breakdown, these patterns are invisible.

What the analysis requires

To see profitability by client or job, you need three things connected: revenue by client or job from your accounting software; direct costs attributable to each client or job, including staff time, materials, and subcontractors; and a consistent method for allocating overheads. The first two are usually available — the connection between them is what most businesses are missing.

How to build the visibility

A Power BI dashboard or automated Excel report connected to your accounting software and time recording system can show gross margin by client, job, and team member — updated automatically without manual analysis. Once built, this report answers the profitability question instantly rather than requiring a quarterly exercise.

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