How TradeKind Works for Sussex Tradespeople

You have done the work, built your reputation and learned your trade. The difficult part is often making sure the right local homeowners can actually find you.

TradeKind gives Sussex tradespeople a public business profile where homeowners can see what they do, view examples of their work and send them a request without their private phone number or email address being displayed publicly.

It is free to join, focused entirely on Sussex and built to give genuine local trade businesses a clearer online presence.

There is no setup fee, subscription or commission. You create your profile, choose the services and areas that genuinely apply to your business, and decide for yourself which homeowner requests you want to respond to.

TradeKind in plain English

TradeKind is a Sussex trade network connecting homeowners with local businesses carrying out repairs, maintenance and home improvements.

As a tradesperson, you can use TradeKind to:

• create a public profile for your business
• explain the services you provide
• choose the Sussex towns and areas you cover
• upload your logo, cover image and photographs
• answer common customer questions
• link to your own business website
• collect and display genuine reviews
• receive requests from local homeowners
• show your team and trusted trade connections
• share your profile through Facebook, WhatsApp or your website

Your profile acts as a dedicated page for your business within a Sussex-focused trade network.

It is more useful than a basic name-and-number listing because it gives homeowners enough information to decide whether your business may be right for their job.

How to join TradeKind

Joining starts with a straightforward business profile.

You provide the main details homeowners need to understand who you are, what you do and where you work. This usually includes:

• your business name
• your main trade or trades
• a clear description of your business
• the services you offer
• the areas of Sussex you cover
• photographs of your work
• answers to common questions
• your business website, if you have one

You do not need to write like a marketing company.

A useful profile is clear, specific and honest. Homeowners usually want to know what kind of jobs you take on, whether you cover their area and whether you have relevant examples they can look at.

Once submitted, the profile goes through TradeKind's review process before it can appear publicly.

Create your free TradeKind profile.

What happens during profile approval?

TradeKind manually reviews trade profiles before publishing them.

The purpose of this review is to keep the network local, useful and relevant. It also prevents profiles from appearing automatically without first being looked at.

TradeKind may review the information provided, the services selected, the areas covered and how the business has presented itself.

If something is missing or unclear, you may be asked to provide more detail before the profile is published.

Approval means the profile has been accepted for display on TradeKind. It does not mean TradeKind guarantees every business claim or every future job carried out by that business.

A clear and complete submission is normally easier to review than one containing little information.

Your public TradeKind profile

Once approved, your profile becomes a public page that homeowners can visit and share.

It can show:

• your business name and branding
• your trade categories
• your business description
• your services
• the Sussex areas you cover
• photographs of completed work
• frequently asked questions
• reviews, where available
• your approval status
• your website link
• your Team and Partner trades
• a button for homeowners to request your business

This gives you one link you can use when someone asks where they can see your work.

You can share it:

• on your Facebook business page
• in local Facebook groups where permitted
• through WhatsApp
• in email quotations
• on your existing website
• in messages to potential customers
• with previous customers who may wish to leave a review

For a sole trader or small business without a large website, the profile can provide a professional page that clearly explains the business.

For an established company, it can provide another trusted place for local homeowners to find and assess the business.

How homeowners find your business

Homeowners can discover TradeKind businesses in several ways.

They may search by trade and Sussex town, browse the Sussex trades directory, open a local area page or view a business that appears in a relevant category.

For example, someone may search for:

• a roofer in Brighton & Hove
• a plumber in Worthing
• an electrician in Crawley
• a decorator in Eastbourne
• a builder in Horsham
• a gardener in Hastings

Whether your business appears as a relevant option depends on the services and coverage shown on your profile.

This is why choosing accurate categories and service areas matters.

Selecting every available service may seem like a way to attract more work, but it can make the profile less useful. A homeowner is more likely to respond positively when the page clearly reflects the work the business genuinely carries out.

The same applies to locations. Choose the parts of Sussex you realistically serve rather than areas you would rarely travel to.

Homeowners can request your business directly

A homeowner viewing your profile can use the Request This Trade option to send an enquiry through TradeKind.

This allows them to contact your business without your private phone number or email address being displayed publicly on the profile.

The request should give you information about the work, such as:

• the type of job
• where the property is located
• a description of what is needed
• the preferred timing
• photographs, where provided
• any other practical details shared by the homeowner

You can then decide whether the job is suitable.

Receiving a request does not commit you to visiting, quoting for or accepting the work. You remain in control of which enquiries you respond to.

TradeKind can also match posted jobs with relevant trades

A homeowner does not always know which individual business to contact.

Instead, they can post a job by choosing a trade, selecting the Sussex location and explaining what they need.

TradeKind can then identify approved businesses whose services and chosen coverage appear relevant to the request.

For example, a plumbing job in Littlehampton should be relevant to approved plumbers who say they cover Littlehampton. It should not be treated as a suitable request for unrelated trades or businesses working at the other end of Sussex.

The description helps you decide whether the job fits your business before you respond.

A match is not a guaranteed lead, booking or contract. It means the request appears relevant based on the information available.

You can still consider:

• the type of work involved
• the location
• the likely size of the job
• your current workload
• the homeowner's preferred timescale
• whether specialist equipment is needed
• whether you have enough information to respond

TradeKind makes the introduction. You decide what happens next.

What happens when you receive a homeowner request?

Start by reading the full request rather than responding only to the job title.

A request may appear suitable at first but include details that change what is required. It may be outside your working area, need a qualification you do not hold or require a timescale you cannot meet.

When the job looks relevant, your first response should help move the conversation forward.

You may want to ask:

• Can the homeowner provide additional photographs?
• What is the full property address?
• When did the problem begin?
• Has anybody inspected or attempted the work already?
• Are there parking or access restrictions?
• Is the homeowner looking for an estimate or a firm quotation?
• When would they like the work completed?
• Will somebody be available if a visit is needed?

You do not need to quote blindly from a short description.

For many jobs, the sensible next step will be asking a few questions or arranging to inspect the work.

You are not expected to accept every request

TradeKind businesses remain independent.

You decide:

• which areas you cover
• which services you offer
• which jobs you respond to
• whether a site visit is necessary
• what you charge
• whether a deposit is required
• when you are available
• whether you want to accept the work

There may be perfectly reasonable reasons not to pursue a request.

You might already be fully booked, the job may be too far away or it may fall outside the kind of work you usually take on. A small repair may not suit a business focused on full installations, while a major project may be too large for someone working alone.

A relevant request is an opportunity to consider the work, not an obligation to accept it.

Your phone number and email stay private

Public contact details can attract spam, unwanted sales calls and messages that have nothing to do with your business.

TradeKind does not publicly display your private phone number or email address on your profile.

Homeowners use TradeKind to send a request instead.

This means your business can still be publicly visible without placing your direct contact details openly on the page.

Once you receive a genuine request, you can choose how to continue the conversation.

A TradeKind profile can support your wider online presence

Your profile is designed to give search engines and AI platforms clear information about:

• your business
• your services
• your trade categories
• the places you cover
• the type of work shown in your photographs
• the questions homeowners often ask

That does not mean a new profile will immediately appear at the top of Google or be recommended by every AI service.

Search visibility takes time, and no platform can honestly guarantee a particular ranking.

What TradeKind can give you is a structured public page on a Sussex-focused website. Keeping that page accurate, detailed and useful gives search engines and homeowners more information to work with.

Joining early also gives the page more time to be discovered, indexed and strengthened as your profile develops.

What makes a strong TradeKind profile?

The best profiles do not try to sound like every other business.

They clearly show what makes the trade useful to the homeowner.

Be specific about the work you do

Instead of writing:

We cover all aspects of building work.

Explain the kinds of projects you regularly complete:

We carry out extensions, structural alterations, brickwork, internal renovations and general property repairs across West Sussex.

Specific information helps the right homeowners recognise that the business may be suitable.

Use real photographs

Photographs should help people understand the quality and type of work you carry out.

A useful gallery may include:

• completed projects
• before-and-after photographs
• close-ups of detailed work
• different types of jobs
• clean and tidy finished areas
• your team at work, where appropriate

Try to use clear photographs of your own work rather than generic images that could belong to any business.

Choose realistic service areas

Your service areas should reflect where you are genuinely willing to work.

If your normal area includes Worthing, Lancing, Shoreham-by-Sea and Brighton & Hove, say so.

There is little benefit in appearing for a town if the distance means you are unlikely to respond to enquiries there.

Answer the questions customers already ask

Your frequently asked questions can save time for both you and the homeowner.

They might cover:

• whether you provide free quotations
• the size of jobs you accept
• whether you supply materials
• how far you travel
• whether you offer emergency work
• typical booking times
• whether deposits are required
• the types of property you work on

Useful answers can reduce repetitive messages and help people decide whether to contact you.

Keep the profile accurate

Update your profile when something important changes.

That may include:

• adding a new service
• removing work you no longer offer
• changing your coverage area
• uploading stronger photographs
• updating your website
• improving your business description
• adding new team members

An accurate profile is more valuable than one created once and forgotten.

Reviews and trust signals

Homeowners often want reassurance before inviting someone into their property or agreeing to spend money on a job.

A TradeKind profile can build that reassurance through:

• genuine customer reviews
• clear photographs
• a detailed description
• approval status
• useful FAQs
• accurate service areas
• visible team or trade connections
• professional responses to enquiries

No single badge, review or photograph should make the decision for the homeowner.

Together, however, these details can help them feel better informed before contacting the business.

Ask previous customers for honest reviews where appropriate. Do not pressure them to leave a particular rating or wording.

A smaller number of detailed, genuine reviews is more useful than a page full of comments that sound unnatural.

What is a TradeKind Fleet?

Many trade businesses do not work completely alone.

You may have employees, subcontractors or independent tradespeople you regularly work alongside. TradeKind Fleets give you a way to show those relationships on your profile.

A Fleet can include:

• Team members, who are part of your business
• Partner trades, who are independent businesses you regularly work with or recommend

For example, a builder may regularly work with a plumber, electrician, plasterer and decorator. A roofer may have a regular scaffolder. A bathroom fitter may work closely with a tiler.

Showing those connections helps homeowners understand the people and businesses behind a project.

It can also help local trades build a visible Sussex network rather than operating as isolated listings.

Only add genuine connections. A Fleet is most useful when it reflects real working relationships.

Is TradeKind free for tradespeople?

Yes. TradeKind is currently free for Sussex tradespeople to join.

The free profile includes:

• a public business page
• your logo and cover image
• gallery photographs
• services and trade categories
• Sussex service areas
• FAQs
• a website link
• a shareable profile address
• homeowner requests
• reviews and profile trust signals
• Team and Partner trade features

There is currently:

• no setup fee
• no subscription
• no commission on work

You do not need to enter payment details simply to create the standard profile.

TradeKind may introduce optional support or additional paid features in the future, but the current free offer is intended to give Sussex tradespeople a practical way to join and build their presence without paying for access to each enquiry.

Does TradeKind guarantee jobs?

No.

Creating a profile does not guarantee that you will receive a particular number of enquiries, quotations or accepted jobs.

The number and suitability of requests can depend on:

• the trade you offer
• the towns you cover
• local homeowner demand
• the strength of your profile
• your photographs and reviews
• how quickly and clearly you respond
• your availability
• how long the network has been operating in your area

TradeKind is still growing. Joining early gives you time to build your profile and become part of the Sussex network, but it should not be presented as guaranteed work.

The aim is to help the right homeowners find and request relevant local businesses.

Why is TradeKind focused on Sussex?

TradeKind is being built around Sussex first rather than attempting to cover the entire country from the beginning.

The network covers East Sussex, West Sussex and Brighton & Hove.

That local focus makes it easier to organise businesses around the towns and areas they genuinely serve.

It also means TradeKind can build pages around real Sussex searches, including homeowners looking for particular trades in places such as:

• Brighton & Hove
• Worthing
• Eastbourne
• Crawley
• Hastings
• Bognor Regis
• Horsham
• Chichester
• Burgess Hill
• Littlehampton

A Sussex-only network will not suit a business operating exclusively outside the county.

For a local trade business working across Sussex, however, it provides a more focused place to present its services.

What TradeKind does not control

TradeKind provides the profile, search tools and connection between homeowners and tradespeople.

It does not set your prices or decide how you run your business.

TradeKind does not:

• write quotations on your behalf
• force you to accept a job
• decide what you should charge
• guarantee homeowner responses
• guarantee payment
• manage the work at the property
• guarantee the outcome of a project
• replace qualifications, registrations or insurance required for your trade

Any quotation, visit, agreement and work carried out is arranged directly between you and the homeowner.

Both sides should make sure they understand the work, price, timing and payment terms before the job begins.

Build your TradeKind profile

A good trade profile should make life easier for the homeowner and the business.

It should answer the obvious questions before the first message:

• What does this business do?
• Does it cover my area?
• Has it completed similar work?
• Can I see examples?
• How do I make contact?

TradeKind brings those details together in one public Sussex trade profile.

Create the profile carefully, use real examples and keep the information accurate. Then share it wherever local homeowners may already be looking for your business.

Create your free Sussex trade profile.

You can also browse the Sussex trades directory to see how local businesses appear across TradeKind.