Sector solutions

PilotagePro for trade and service businesses

Trade and independent neighbourhood service businesses are small structures where the leader works in production themselves, where margin plays out service by service, and where cash flow can shift quickly due to seasonality or a mis-calibrated investment. PilotagePro is the business performance management tool designed for these structures: it makes visible every month the real profitability per service type, the cost price including the leader's own hours, and projected cash flow.

The pilot challenges specific to trade and service businesses

  • The leader is often on the front line of production. Hairdresser who cuts, beautician who treats, mechanic who repairs. Their hours are a raw material that must be valued and counted in cost price.
  • Margin plays out service by service. The displayed sale price may seem comfortable. But between real time, consumables, and the fixed-cost share of the premises, net margin per service is often well below what one believes.
  • Seasonality weighs heavily. Holidays for florists and hairdressers, back-to-school for tailors and garages, summer for pet grooming. A poor 90-day cash projection can turn a good season into anxiety in the next one.
  • Few structured management tools. Most micro-service businesses run on bank balance or gut feeling. Monthly figure-based reading is the exception, not the norm - and that is precisely what distinguishes structures that last.

Key indicators every trade business leader should track

Profitability per service type
For a hairdresser: colour vs. cut vs. highlights. For a garage: oil change vs. engine repair vs. bodywork. For a tailor: simple alteration vs. bespoke. Each type has its own margin.
Hourly cost price with leader hours included
How much does an hour of production cost me, accounting for my own hours (properly valued) plus consumables plus rent/fixed-cost share. Essential benchmark for pricing.
Schedule fill rate
For appointment-based services (hairdressing, beauty, garage, pet grooming). Key indicator of profitability: an unsold hour is a lost hour.
90-day projected cash flow
Particularly important when seasonality or an ongoing loan repayment is involved. Anticipate quiet periods rather than enduring them.
Margin per client
For structures where the customer base is recurring (loyal hairdressing, garage, plumbing). Identifies high-recurrence clients versus one-offs.
Break-even point reached and remaining
How many hours sold / clients served are required over the year to reach equilibrium? Benchmark for operational arbitration.

How PilotagePro addresses trade and service business challenges

PilotagePro is designed to make the real profitability of a small service business readable day-to-day, even with a small team and simple management. You price your services, track your hours (yours included), your schedule, your consumables - PilotagePro turns these operational data into a living economic read: profitability per service type, cost price including the leader's hours, projected cash flow, break-even point. You are accompanied in the onboarding and reading of your numbers to arbitrate pricing, service mix and time allocation - by a Pérenne Réseau consultant, your chartered accountancy firm if it distributes PilotagePro, or an outsourced CFO. The strength of the approach: simplicity of the tool and quality of the support.

Discover PilotagePro →

Frequently asked questions

Is PilotagePro suitable for a 1-to-3-person micro-business?+

Yes. PilotagePro is designed in particular for structures of 1 to 10 people in service trades. The tool is sized to stay simple to use without an in-house accountant, and Pérenne support helps the leader take ownership quickly.

How does the tool account for the leader's own hours?+

At installation, an hourly rate for the leader is set (based on their target compensation plus associated social charges). Each hour spent in production by the leader is then charged to cost price, which reveals the real margin - often significantly lower than the apparent margin.

Does my trade (hairdressing, beauty, garage, etc.) have a specific configuration?+

Yes. PilotagePro is configured sector by sector at installation by a Pérenne Réseau consultant. Service types, sector-specific indicators (schedule fill rate, average basket, client return frequency) are configured according to your trade.

← All PilotagePro pages

Talk to a Pérenne consultant

See PilotagePro on your real numbers

A first conversation with no commitment, to understand your situation and see how we can help.

Let's talk about your business