Sole Trader End-to-End Workflows

Overview

This guide ties together every major MyApprentice workflow into one connected journey for a Sole Trader — a single operator who runs the whole business themselves. It shows how work flows from first sign-up through to a paid invoice, and where one workflow hands off to the next. Because a Sole Trader does the work alone, there are no role handoffs: one person starts, updates, reviews, completes, and invoices every workflow. Use this guide as the map for the single-operator model; each stage links to a detailed step-by-step guide.

This guide covers the Sole Trader operating model only. For a business that operates with multiple users and roles, see the Teams End-to-End Workflows guide.

Who This Workflow Is For

Single-operator trade businesses running MyApprentice — one person who quotes, schedules, carries out the work, invoices, and manages their own accounts. There are no Supervisors, Tradies, Apprentices, Finance, or Admin users in this model.

Before You Start

Have your business name, ABN, contact details, business address, and preferred payment methods ready. Set up multi-factor authentication (MFA) early — it is required before you can upload supplier invoices or connect Xero and Stripe.

End-to-End Workflow

Step 0: Start every day from the Dashboard

The Dashboard is your daily start point — it surfaces Needs Your Attention, upcoming work, and Quick Actions.

See: Dashboard and Reporting Workflow.

Step 1: Set up your business and secure your account

Get your account, security, and business branding ready before you start working.

1. Register your account, verify your email, set up MFA, and choose demo or live mode.
2. Complete your business profile and configure your operational, quoting, invoicing, and integration settings so quotes and invoices are correctly branded.

See: Security and Account Workflows and Business Setup Workflow.

Step 2: Add your clients

Each client record stores contact and site details and links to all related quotes, jobs, and invoices.

1. Create client records for your customers, or create them inline while building a quote or job.

See: Client Management Workflow.

Step 3: Quote the work and convert it to a job

Turn a priced quote into a job once the client accepts.

1. Build a quote, add line items, materials and labour, and send it to the client.
2. When the client accepts — through the Client Portal, by email reply, or after you record approval received another way — convert the accepted quote into a job.

See: Quote-to-Job Workflow.

Step 4: Schedule your work (optional)

Scheduling is optional for a Sole Trader but helps you keep track of upcoming visits on your own schedule.

1. If you use scheduling to plan your own days, add one or more shifts to the job and set their dates and times.

See: Scheduling and Dispatch Workflow.

Step 5: Do the work and record it

Carry out the work on site and record what was done.

1. On site, open the job or shift, review the details, carry out the work, and record notes and photos as you go.
2. Complete any shift checklist items, mark shifts complete, and then complete the overall job, confirming the materials you actually used.

See: Job Management Workflow.

Step 6: Record your time (optional)

As a single operator there is no separate approver — submitting a week lets you export the time captured for that week.

1. If you track your own hours, clock in and out or add manual time entries against your jobs.
2. You can reopen and edit a finalised week yourself if you need to.

See: Timesheets and Time Tracking Workflow.

Step 7: Invoice the client and record payment

Bill the client and record payment once it is received.

1. Create an invoice from the completed job or accepted quote, review it, send it to the client, and mark it paid when payment is received.

See: Invoicing Workflow.

Step 8: Sync to accounting

Keep your invoicing and accounting aligned with Xero.

1. If you use Xero, connect it and push your invoices across, then sync payment status back into MyApprentice.

See: Xero Integration Workflow.

Step 9: Audit and restore through Document History

Document History records every change to your records — quotes, invoices, jobs, clients, suppliers, materials, users — and lets you restore deleted records when needed.

See: Document History and Records Workflow.

Supporting workflows used throughout

Maintain your materials and stock as you quote and complete work (Materials and Inventory Workflow); upload supplier invoices and apply them to inventory (Supplier and Supplier Invoice Workflow); use the Client Portal to manage what clients see and how they accept quotes (Client Portal Workflow); use messaging to stay in touch with clients (Messaging and Communication Workflow); use the Dashboard to see what needs your attention (Dashboard and Reporting Workflow); and use Document History to review changes and restore deleted records (Document History and Records Workflow).

Teams Version

This guide does not apply to team-based businesses. If your business operates with employees and roles such as Supervisor, Tradie, Apprentice, or Finance, follow the Teams End-to-End Workflows guide, which covers the same journey with role handoffs.

Sole Trader Version

This entire guide describes the Sole Trader version. The defining feature is that one person performs every step — there are no handoffs and no approval stages that involve a second person. Some workflows that exist mainly to coordinate a team, such as inviting users and approving other people’s timesheets, do not apply. Scheduling and time tracking are available but optional, used as personal planning and record-keeping tools rather than for dispatching a team.

Common Issues & Limitations

• MFA is a prerequisite. Uploading supplier invoices and connecting Xero or Stripe require MFA to be set up first.
• Team-oriented workflows do not apply. User invitations, role permissions, shift assignment to others, and timesheet approval by a manager are Teams-only. As a Sole Trader you will not use these.
• Each stage depends on the one before it. Shifts need a job; invoices need a completed job or accepted quote; Xero push needs an existing invoice and a connected Xero organisation.
• Refer to each detailed guide’s own Common Issues & Limitations section for stage-specific conditions.

What Happens Next

Completed and paid work feeds your revenue totals and your Dashboard. The Dashboard’s attention panel surfaces anything outstanding — unscheduled jobs, accepted quotes with no job, completed jobs not yet invoiced, and overdue invoices — so you can keep the cycle moving and nothing slips.

Related Guides

• Teams End-to-End Workflows
• All sixteen per-area workflow guides linked in the steps above
• Workflow Gap Review