How Does Worktabs Work and Where Did it Come From?

How Worktabs Transformed Our Business—and Can Transform Yours As founders of Northcolour, a UK-based company offering web design, graphic design, photography, and video services, we used to juggle jobs, invoices, and deadlines in a chaotic mess—relying on our heads, Post-its, or quick texts to ourselves. Sound familiar? If you’re a freelancer, solopreneur, or small business owner, you’ve likely faced the same overwhelm. That’s why we created WorkTabs—and it revolutionised our workflow.

The Birth of WorkTabs: A Founder’s Story At Northcolour, managing our work was becoming more of a challenge as we got busier and busier. We’d track jobs manually, send invoices via Word documents, and often miss deadlines or unpaid invoices. Frustrated, we built WorkTabs initially as a simple Kanban-style board to visually track jobs, moving them around to see the “state of play.” We explored competitors like Trello but found them overly complex, with features we’d never use. WorkTabs was designed for simplicity, tailored for individuals or small teams like ours. Soon, we realised its potential, adding invoicing to save time, reduce mistakes, and stay on top of admin—freeing us to focus on our work and not our admin.

How We Use WorkTabs Day-to-Day Every morning, the two of us at Northcolour start our day with a glance at our shared WorkTabs home screen. Its single-screen, status-based layout (leads, confirmed, current, invoiced, paid) gives us an instant overview of where to focus. We discuss the day’s actions: Do we have too many jobs in “leads”? Are there completed jobs needing invoiced? This morning ritual sets the tone, ensuring we know exactly what to prioritise.

When a new lead comes in, we create a quote, send it via WorkTabs, and get notified when the client opens it. Once they digitally sign, the job moves to “confirmed,” ready for work. After completion, invoicing takes one click—notifications tell us when it’s opened or paid online via Stripe, and the job shifts to “paid.” Automated late payment emails and recurring job setups save us hours, while the “totals bar” in each column keeps our finances clear. Compared to our old Post-it and text chaos, WorkTabs has cleared our headspace and boosted efficiency.

WorkTabs vs. Competitors: Why Simplicity Wins We tested tools like Trello and Invoiceera, but they didn’t fit our needs. Trello’s flexibility was overwhelming, requiring too much setup for basic job tracking. Invoiceera offers robust invoicing and payment options but lacks WorkTabs’ intuitive status-based layout, making it less ideal for small teams prioritising simplicity over complexity. WorkTabs focuses on what freelancers and small businesses need: a single-screen solution to track jobs, invoice, and manage jobs without learning curves or unnecessary features.

Key Features of WorkTabs Here’s what makes WorkTabs indispensable for us:

Single-Screen Layout: View all work and invoices (leads to paid) on one browser screen, never missing deadlines or payments.

Track Time, Tasks & Notes: Edit job details, log time, and add subtasks or notes with a click.

Income Totals at a Glance: See income from leads to paid invoices instantly.

Automate Repeat Jobs: Set monthly or annual recurring jobs (e.g., retainers) to invoice automatically.

Send Invoices in Seconds: Create and send invoices with one click, tracking openings and payments on a timeline.

Online Payments via Stripe: Enable client payments in minutes, with real-time notifications.

Automated Late Payment Emails: Schedule reminders to chase payments effortlessly.

Quotes with Digital Signing: Send quotes quickly, get digital approvals, and convert to invoices with a click.

Priced at just £10/month (Starter) or £15/month (Pro), with no contract, WorkTabs is affordable and flexible. Start with a free two-week trial at tryworktabs.com.

Why WorkTabs Can Transform Your Business WorkTabs transformed Northcolour, replacing chaos with clarity. If you’re struggling with missed deadlines, unpaid invoices, or admin overwhelm, WorkTabs can solve it. Its status-based layout helps you focus energy efficiently, saving time and reducing stress—perfect for UK freelancers and small businesses. “WorkTabs cleared our headspace and saved us hours each week—now we focus on creating, not admin,” says a founder.

Try WorkTabs today at tryworktabs.com and start your free trial!