Arthur has his own business and is a civil engineer. He is working on multiple projects in the Utrecht area. He is working on multiple projects in the Utrecht area. In a conversation about the stock exchange and possible interesting opportunities, we started talking about my business. After my explanation of the how and what of my services, he told me that his invoicing process was a pain, and that he would like a solution to help him with that. Besides this, he did not like his logo anymore, so he wanted a new one. If I could help him with that? Yes, gladly of course! If I could help him with that? Yes, gladly of course!
A new logo
He showed me his existing logo and told me what colors he had in mind himself. This, together with his personality as I know him, the industry that he works in gave me plenty of inspiration to get started. I wrote a blog about how to design a new corporate identity, which you can find here, so I was able to put that into practice myself. The keywords road and road construction, strength, reliability and quality should be reflected in the new design. I started my designing process in Canva and gave him a couple of design options. To make his decision easier, I also gave him examples of what it would like on business cards and his invoices. Once he chose his favorite design, I ordered his new business cards.
The design is now available for his letterhead, invoices and email signature. One day it will be used for his future website as well.
From calculator to Excel
Besides a new design for his logo, Arthur also wanted to have an invoicing system that was easier than the way he was creating them. We sat down to see what he needed for his invoicing. He was using a system to keep track of his hours, MS Word to create his invoices, and a calculator to charge the correct VAT amount. Once the Word document was printed, he would copy it on his letterhead. He then scanned the document for those customers that want a digital invoice. In other words: there should be an easier way for this.
It's about having an overview
Reluctantly, Arthur gave me his invoices that he had recently sent, because that is a lot of personal information. But, I was able to convince him that I would not share any of this information, not even with my partner. Based on this information I built him a spreadsheet allows him to keep track of his chargeable hours and to create his invoices. Furthermore, it should keep track of paid and unpaid invoices. I had some additional features in my head as well to make things even easier for him.
We had a meeting after I built the first version of his invoicing sheet, to make sure I was on the right track, allowing us to see if it would work for him. I created a manual to guide him through the process, in order for him to be able to use it without my help. We ran into a couple of compatibility issues between my Windows Excel and his Macbook, but fortunately we were able to solve those. After the last modifications, Arthur is now able to use the sheet for his invoicing and to keep track of paid and unpaid invoices. Besides this, he has an overview of his revenue per client, per period and the total of charged VAT for. He started using it and now what…? The overview stores his information in one place and saves him 8 to 10 hours per month when creating invoices. Moreover, the handover to his account is easier.
@Arthur: thank you for your trust and the granted opportunity!
Are there items or processes in your administration you would like to have simplified? Or rather delegate completely? Contact Miss Assistant and we will see what possibilities there are.
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