Two blokes. A leaky shower. And a business idea.
TradeDesk wasn't built in a boardroom. It was built because Nathan needed a better way to run his trade business, and Kevin happened to know how to build one.
The shower that started it all.
It started with a shower. Not a metaphorical one — an actual leaky shower that needed fitting. Nathan arrived to do the job, tools in hand, music on in the van. Standard.
While they were chatting over a brew, Kevin — who's been doing web design and digital stuff for years — asked how Nathan managed all his paperwork. Quotes, invoices, job cards, customer details. The full picture.
Nathan's answer was honest and completely relatable: "I've got a folder. And a few bits of paper. And some stuff on my phone. And a whiteboard. And... honestly, it takes me ages every week just to sort it all out."
Kevin had heard some version of this from almost every tradesperson he'd ever met. The shower got fitted. The brews kept coming. And by the time Nathan packed up his tools, the two of them had spent longer talking about software than they had about plumbing.
So Kevin did what web designers do: he went home and started researching. And he found something interesting. There was plenty of job management software out there — but almost all of it was aimed at big companies. Multi-site operations. Teams of 50. Businesses with IT departments and procurement budgets and someone whose whole job is "software onboarding."
What about the sole trader working out of a Transit? What about the small firm of three who just want to track their jobs without a six-week training programme? What about Nathan?
TradeDesk was the answer. Kevin built it. Nathan told him every time something was annoying or confusing or just wouldn't work the way a tradesperson actually thinks. They went back and forth until it was something they were actually proud of.
It's simple on purpose. It's affordable on purpose. And it's built for the people who are actually on the tools — not the people managing the people managing the people on the tools.
We built it. We use it. We get it.
Built by tradespeople, for tradespeople
Nathan still uses TradeDesk to run his trade business every day. If something doesn't work the way a tradesperson thinks, it gets fixed. Real-world feedback from someone actually on the tools.
Simple by design
We deliberately left stuff out. There are no features in TradeDesk that exist just to justify a higher price. If it's in there, it's because tradespeople actually need it. Everything else can do one.
Fair pricing, always
£12.99/month. No tiers. No "basic plan" with three features and a wall. No annual contract. No "contact sales for enterprise pricing." One price, everything included. That's how it should be.
Just the two of us.
No investors. No board meetings. Just two blokes who wanted to build something useful.
Kevin
Co-founder — Design & Tech
Kevin has a background in web design and digital marketing. He built TradeDesk from the ground up and handles all things technical, design, and "why isn't this button working." Rarely up a ladder.
Nathan
Co-founder — Trade & Product
Nathan is an active tradesman who uses TradeDesk every day. He's the reason the app works the way it does — if Nathan finds it confusing, it gets redesigned. He fits showers extremely well, too.
What we're trying to do.
"Our mission is to give every tradesperson — from the one-man band to the small firm — the same tools big companies use, without the big-company price tag or the big-company confusion."
Give it a go. We think you'll like it.
30 days free. No credit card. If it's not for you, no hard feelings — we'll still be mates.