TRADE BUSINESS
Trade Business Support is a UK-based, founder-owned virtual assistant and business support service that delivers Xero bookkeeping, job management, invoicing, quality systems, and quantity surveying exclusively to sole traders, new start-ups, and growing trade businesses across the United Kingdom.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersSt. Albans, United Kingdom
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What TRADE BUSINESS does
Trade Business Support (legally ET Business Support Services) is a UK-based private service business that delivers virtual assistant, bookkeeping, and operational support exclusively to trade and construction businesses. Founded and owned by Emily Tamplin, the company is headquartered in St. Albans, Hertfordshire, and operates with a 100% UK-based delivery team. It targets sole traders, growing trade businesses, new trade start-ups, and trade contractors on complex projects, providing Xero-certified bookkeeping with CIS and VAT handling, job management, invoicing and payment automation, branded quality and process systems, and on-demand chartered quantity surveyor support.
The core product set comprises seven service lines: a tiered monthly Virtual Trade Assistant subscription (Starter £224, Grow £422, Scale £800); a one-off Full Business Setup package (£497-£949); Xero Bookkeeping; Job Management systems integrated with accounting platforms; Invoicing & Payments with automated reminders; Quality Systems for process automation; and project-based QS Support (£350-£1,500 per project). A Marketing Services add-on covering branding, websites, SEO, and social media is listed as 'Coming Soon'. The technology stack is built on third-party SaaS (Xero, Calendly, WordPress, Google reCAPTCHA, job management tools) with no proprietary platform or API surface, and services are delivered entirely remotely.
The business model blends recurring monthly subscription revenue with one-off professional services revenue from setup and QS projects. Go-to-market relies on a free 30-minute Calendly discovery call, an SEO-optimised website, Google Business Profile, and direct contact via phone, email, and WhatsApp, targeting trade businesses nationwide. Pricing is publicly disclosed across all tiers, billing is monthly or per-project, and the company emphasises trade-specific knowledge (CIS, job costing, UK compliance) and Xero accreditation as differentiators against generic VA providers. The company is bootstrapped and founder-owned, with no disclosed institutional funding, no disclosed headcount, and no international expansion beyond the UK.
TRADE BUSINESS firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- TRADE BUSINESS
- Legal name
- ET Business Support Services
- Website
- https://tradebusinesssupport.com
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- Trade Business Support is a UK-based, founder-owned virtual assistant and business support service that delivers Xero bookkeeping, job management, invoicing, quality systems, and quantity surveying exclusively to sole traders, new start-ups, and growing trade businesses across the United Kingdom.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where TRADE BUSINESS is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- St. Albans
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
TRADE BUSINESS business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Virtual Trade Assistant Subscriptions: Monthly subscription service providing dedicated trade virtual assistants. Three tiers based on hours: Starter (5 hours), Grow (10 hours), Scale (20 hours). Revenue is recurring monthly with potential for additional hourly charges when extra support is needed.
- Full Business Setup: One-time setup fee for new business registration and systems implementation. Three packages available: Essential (£497), Professional (£650), and Complete (£949). This is a one-time professional services revenue stream.
- QS Support Services: Project-based quantity surveying support with three tiers: Project Assessment (from £350), Project Support (from £750), and Complete Project (from £1500). Revenue is transactional based on project scope.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Starter - 5 hours monthly support at £224/month |
| Subscription | Monthly | Grow - 10 hours monthly support at £422/month |
| Subscription | Monthly | Scale - 20 hours monthly support at £800/month |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Essential Business Setup - £497 one-off |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Professional Business Setup - £650 one-off |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Complete Business Setup - £949 one-off |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Project Assessment - from £350 per project |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Project Support - from £750 per project |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Complete Project - from £1500 per project |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
TRADE BUSINESS product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Trade Business Support provides specialist virtual assistant, bookkeeping, and business operations support exclusively for UK trade and construction businesses. Core offerings include monthly virtual trade assistant subscriptions (5/10/20 hours tiers), Xero-certified bookkeeping, job management systems, invoicing and payments automation, custom quality systems, and chartered quantity surveyor support for complex projects. One-off business setup packages cover company registration, financial systems, digital infrastructure, and marketing essentials for new trade start-ups.
Product overview
Trade Business Support offers a platform of specialist virtual assistant and business support services exclusively designed for trade businesses. The core offering includes Virtual Trade Assistants (providing administrative, financial, and operational support), Full Business Setup, Xero Bookkeeping, Job Management, Invoicing & Payments, Quality Systems, and QS Support. Marketing Services (Logos & Branding, Websites, SEO, Printing, Social Media, Growth Packages) is a forthcoming add-on module. The services are offered as modular monthly subscription packages (Starter at £224/month, Grow at £422/month, Scale at £800/month) with optional one-off business setup packages (£497-£949) and project-based QS Support (from £350/project).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Virtual Trade Assistants
Quantifiable outcome
- Save 10-15 hours per week on administrative tasks
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use TRADE BUSINESS
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
TRADE BUSINESS technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
Feature4 records
TRADE BUSINESS partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators10 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
TRADE BUSINESS competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Jobber: Field service software for home service businesses including plumbers, electricians, and cleaners; a broader incumbent offering overlapping job management, quoting, and invoicing features against Trade Business Support's trade SMB modules.
- ServiceTitan: Large enterprise field service management platform serving plumbing, HVAC, and electrical contractors; competes with Trade Business Support's job management and invoicing modules at the upper end of the trade contractor market.
- Belay: Large US-headquartered virtual assistant, bookkeeping, and social media management firm; competes with Trade Business Support's VA and Xero bookkeeping offerings as a broader, more capitalized incumbent in the SMB back-office space.
Direct peers
- Tradify: Trade-specific job management and invoicing platform for UK/NZ/AU plumbers, electricians, and builders; directly comparable to Trade Business Support's Job Management and Invoicing modules and competes for the same trade SMB customer.
- Virtalent: UK-based virtual assistant subscription service for small businesses and entrepreneurs; directly comparable subscription model, pricing tiers, and UK SMB customer base to Trade Business Support.
- Fergus: Job management software purpose-built for trade contractors (plumbers, electricians, HVAC); overlaps directly with Trade Business Support's job management, quoting, and invoicing offerings for the same vertical customer.
- Time Etc: UK/US-based virtual assistant subscription service for entrepreneurs and small businesses; the closest direct competitor to Trade Business Support's Virtual Trade Assistants subscription product on model and market.
- Handle.com: US-based bookkeeping, invoicing, and back-office service for contractors and small construction businesses; comparable in offering trade-specific bookkeeping and back-office support against Trade Business Support's Xero bookkeeping line.
Emerging players
- Bookkeeper360: US-based bookkeeping and back-office services firm targeting SMBs with cloud accounting integration; comparable subscription-based bookkeeping product to Trade Business Support's Xero bookkeeping tier.
- Hatch (formerly Contractor Companion): All-in-one business management platform for UK trade contractors covering jobs, invoicing, and back-office workflows; emerging UK-based competitor overlapping with Trade Business Support's trade SMB focus.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
TRADE BUSINESS compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
TRADE BUSINESS financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
TRADE BUSINESS leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
TRADE BUSINESS funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
TRADE BUSINESS M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about TRADE BUSINESS
What does TRADE BUSINESS do?
Trade Business Support provides specialist virtual assistant, bookkeeping, and business operations support exclusively for UK trade and construction businesses. Core offerings include monthly virtual trade assistant subscriptions (5/10/20 hours tiers), Xero-certified bookkeeping, job management systems, invoicing and payments automation, custom quality systems, and chartered quantity surveyor support for complex projects. One-off business setup packages cover company registration, financial systems, digital infrastructure, and marketing essentials for new trade start-ups.
Is TRADE BUSINESS a public or private company?
TRADE BUSINESS is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was TRADE BUSINESS founded?
TRADE BUSINESS was founded in -1.
Where is TRADE BUSINESS based?
TRADE BUSINESS is headquartered in St. Albans, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does TRADE BUSINESS make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Virtual Trade Assistant Subscriptions are the primary driver. The others are full Business Setup and QS Support Services.
Who are TRADE BUSINESS's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Jobber, ServiceTitan and Belay. Direct peers are Tradify, Virtalent, Fergus, Time Etc and Handle.com. Emerging players are Bookkeeper360 and Hatch (formerly Contractor Companion).
Does TRADE BUSINESS have an API?
No public API is recorded for TRADE BUSINESS.