Invoicing
The deposit is what makes it a booking.
Quote accepted
$6,200
The job is agreed
Deposit paid
$1,860
30% — the booking is confirmed
Balance outstanding
$4,340
Due before the event
Paid in full
$6,200
Invoice settled, event closes
One job's money, in the order it actually arrives. The deposit is what converts an enquiry into a booking — not a status somebody remembered to change. ⚠️ Automatic chasing of an unpaid balance (quote-chaser) is in beta.
What goes wrong
Where the time goes
The parts of the job that cost you, before any software is involved.
The quote and the invoice are separate documents
You priced it once in a spreadsheet and typed it again into accounting software. Two versions of one number, and the second one is the one the customer sees.
A deposit is somebody remembering
Nothing marks the job confirmed except your memory of a bank transfer, so the pipeline and the diary quietly disagree.
Chasing the balance is a task you forget
The event is next week and the balance is unpaid, and you find that out while loading the van.
Changes do not reach the invoice
Head count moved a fortnight ago, the quote changed, and the invoice went out at the old number.
How it works
How it works
Quote accepted
The customer accepts in their own portal, not by replying to an email.
Deposit taken
Paying it is what confirms the booking. The job moves because money moved.
Balance tracked
What is still owed sits against the event, visible, not in your head.
Invoice settled
The paid invoice closes the job, and the event carries its own final number.
03 — In their words
Caterers who love CaterCloud
“The moment I realised this was actually working was waking up in the morning and having the leads in my inbox already — without chasing the business. I've gone from one booking a month to three or four.”
Michelle
Owner, Michelle's Catering
50–60% of leads converted
“I run three businesses, so chasing quotes and back-of-house was really hard work. Now people order and pay through the website and get a quote instantly — I don't have to lift a finger.”
Mel
Owner, Junction Cafes
2–3 a day enquiries, was 2–3 a week · admin halved
“This software does it all for us — our invoicing's done, our payment schedules are done, the quoting tool's there. We can be asleep and still get leads. Without it, our truck would be sitting in the backyard not generating revenue.”
Steve & Amanda
Owners, Travelling Carnivores
45–55 quotes sent / month
“We've collected $40k just in deposits. Our calendar is filling up — we're actually in the process of getting a second van. One job alone basically paid for the whole system.”
Jacinto
Owner, Spanish Paella & Sangria
$40k in deposits
“These guys know how to improve your web page and the inquiries coming in. I'm three months into next year already confirmed — that's never happened in 12 years.”
Stephen
Woodfired pizza, Ablaze in the Valley
Who it is not for
Where this is the wrong tool
You want full accounting
This is not a general ledger and does not do BAS, payroll or reconciliation. It is the money for the jobs.
You invoice by the hour
The model is an event with a quote, not a timesheet against a retainer.
You need multi-currency
Quotes and invoices are single-currency per tenant today.
Questions
What people ask
- Does the invoice come from the quote?
- Yes. The quote, the deposit and the invoice are the same job, so the numbers cannot drift apart from each other.
- Can customers pay online?
- Yes — the customer accepts and pays in their own portal, and the deposit is what confirms the booking.
- What happens if the head count changes?
- The quote reprices, the costs follow, and the invoice reflects the change rather than the original number.
- Does it replace my accounting software?
- No. It handles the money attached to jobs; your accountant still wants their own tool.