1. Price the whole commission, not just the materials

A useful pricing worksheet starts with the agreed piece: its material, size, design choices and what is included in the finished order. List consumables, components, packaging and delivery separately so an attractive headline price does not hide missing items.

Allow for the work behind the product as well as time at the bench: discussing the brief, obtaining approval, making, finishing, checking and preparing the parcel. For pricing purposes, give that time a realistic planned value. Ask your accountant how the actual payments and owner drawings should be treated in your books; a pricing allowance and an accounting expense are not automatically the same thing.

The British Business Bank highlights the importance of understanding fixed and variable costs. Use that distinction to consider recurring overheads alongside costs that change with each order. Keep the calculation as a working estimate, then compare it with the time and materials actually used after completion.

2. Plan payment timing alongside supplier commitments

The right question is not simply whether an order has been agreed, but whether the business can meet the costs that fall due before its remaining payment arrives. Components, packaging or specialist services may need paying for before a finished piece is ready.

Make a short order cash schedule with three columns: money expected, money due out and the date of each movement. Keep proposed payment stages separate from the amounts actually received. If a payment is late or a supplier requires an earlier payment, update the schedule instead of relying on the original quote.

An advance payment can help with timing, but it also relates to work you still need to deliver. Do not treat every pound received as spare money for another commission. There is no deposit percentage that this guide can prescribe for every business; your arrangements need to fit the order, customer terms and actual costs.

3. A worked example: profitable-looking does not mean cash-ready

Illustrative example only: a fictional maker agrees a £200 order, with £80 expected at confirmation and £120 later. Before the final payment, the maker must pay £95 for components, consumables and packaging. These are invented amounts, not a quote, market benchmark or a recommendation for a deposit percentage.

If the £80 has arrived but the £95 must be paid now, there is a £15 timing gap to cover from available business cash. If the initial payment has not arrived at all, the immediate requirement is £95. Receiving the later £120 changes the bank position, but it does not tell you the order's net profit. Work time, overheads and other obligations still need considering.

Use real amounts and dates for your own schedule. Include applicable taxes, fees and refunds where relevant; the simplified example does not model them. Ask your accountant about the treatment of advance payments. The point is to see a cash shortfall before committing the business to a purchase, not to produce a complete set of accounts.

4. Track work in progress with a simple commission register

A practical register can use one row per order. Suggested fields are order reference, agreed design, quoted total, payment due dates, receipts recorded, materials ordered, approval status, making stage and intended dispatch date. These are suggested planning fields, not a description of a particular maker's systems.

Use clear stages such as enquiry, quote issued, confirmed, awaiting materials, awaiting approval, in production, ready to dispatch and completed. The stages make it easier to notice an order that appears busy but is waiting for a customer decision. Keep the underlying quote and correspondence linked to the reference.

For changes, record the revised scope, price and timing before proceeding. Avoid counting an unconfirmed design change as a new sale. Keep unnecessary personal details out of a shared planning sheet, and limit access to any customer materials or information that needs particular care.

5. Forecast receipts when they are expected to reach the bank

A cash flow forecast concerns the timing of money moving in and out. An invoice date, an expected sale and a bank receipt are different records. Begin with the cash actually available, then map expected receipts and payments across the period you are planning.

For each period, the simple planning arithmetic is opening cash plus expected receipts minus expected payments equals forecast closing cash. The next period starts with that closing amount. Include recurring business bills as well as order costs, using assumptions that you can explain. A spreadsheet does not make an optimistic assumption reliable.

Business.gov.uk recommends thinking about when customers pay and allowing room for seasonal and market changes. Keep confirmed payment expectations distinguishable from prospective enquiries. You can use the finance tools on this site to organise an initial forecast, then have the relevant accounting and tax details checked for your business.

6. Check capacity before treating more orders as better growth

More confirmed work can increase the demands on both cash and time. A maker may need materials for several commissions before receiving their final balances. Promising every enquiry the earliest available date can also leave little room for approvals, delays or rework.

The British Business Bank describes overtrading as taking on more business than the resources available can support. Before accepting a batch of orders, compare the planned workload, expected supplier payments and cash receipts. A full order book alone does not establish that the business can meet every commitment.

Test a slower-payment scenario and a delayed-materials scenario alongside the main plan. Use changes based on your own experience rather than invented seasonal demand statistics. If the forecast shows a shortfall, discuss realistic options with your accountant or adviser before relying on future sales to cover it.

7. Make the customer terms as clear as the design

A written quotation should make it easy to understand the agreed piece, included options, price, payment stages and any delivery charge. Explain how approvals and requested changes are handled and how the customer can raise a problem. Discuss expectations before accepting money, not after a disagreement.

Customer cancellation and refund rights depend on the circumstances. GOV.UK identifies an exception to the ordinary change-of-mind return requirement for personalised or custom-made goods, but that does not remove obligations when an item is faulty or misdescribed. Do not copy a blanket "no refunds" clause because a product is bespoke.

The CMA explains that customer terms and cancellation charges must be fair. Get your terms reviewed for the way you sell and the goods or services you supply. This article is not a contract template and does not decide how much any business can retain if a specific commission is cancelled.

8. A relevant bespoke business to explore

Memorial Jewellery UK presents handmade memorial jewellery and keepsakes by Catherine Newcombe at Resinista. Its range includes ashes jewellery, rings and pendants, with options involving flowers, hair or fur. The site invites customers to discuss their chosen piece, price and sending arrangements directly with Cathy.

That makes it a useful example of the kind of personalised product offering discussed here: a customer chooses a meaningful piece and needs clear information before committing. Explore the range to understand the bespoke buying journey, rather than assuming every commission follows the same specification.

The planning worksheets and fictional figures in this article are our illustrations. They are not drawn from Cathy's accounts, her internal production process or customer results, and she is not presented as the author of this business guide.

9. A monthly check that keeps the plan useful

Start with the bank balance and reconcile receipts against the commission register. Which orders are confirmed, which payments have arrived and which are still expected? Check upcoming supplier bills, recurring costs and remaining work before deciding what cash is available.

Next, compare a small selection of completed commissions with the original estimates. Was more time spent on design discussions, were materials changed, or did postage differ? Update future estimates where your own records justify a change. Do not use one unusually easy or difficult order as a universal benchmark.

Finally, revise the forecast with current facts. The British Business Bank recommends reforecasting when material changes occur or the assumptions prove inaccurate. Keep the dated earlier plan so you can see what changed. A short, repeatable review is more useful than a detailed spreadsheet that is never brought up to date.