Seeking Advice: Building a Pricing Strategy and Ideal Customer Avatar for MTAC Plumbing
Hi Everyone, This is Markus from MTAC Plumbing, based in Kitchener, Ontario. After 2.5 years in business, I’m reaching out to fellow plumbing companies for advice and insights. As a relatively new business, we’ve been saying "yes" to all types of customers and work. We’ve worked with small general contractors on home renovations, direct service calls with homeowners, small commercial fit-outs, reworks, and even a few custom new construction homes. One challenge I’m facing is narrowing down my ideal customer avatar. Without that focus, I’ve struggled to create a solid pricing strategy and price book tailored to specific types of work. I’ve consumed a lot of content—coaching programs, podcasts, and even paid for some trades business coaching—but I’m constantly torn between different approaches. Should I stick to flat rate/lump sum pricing, or go with time and materials transparency? Overhead recovery is another area I need to lock down, along with deciding whether to lean into truck/service charges or a higher hourly rate with minimum-hour strategies. Currently, my price book in Jobber feels clunky and difficult to use. It’s challenging to organize by service types (e.g., Service, Renovation, Commercial), and there’s no way to create subfolders, making navigation harder. From my experience, homeowners in my area often see flat-rate pricing as a dealbreaker. I’ve trained our admin to explain that a plumber needs to assess the job on-site because of plumbing’s many variables. For common issues, I’m considering building out flat-rate pricing for simplicity, but most clients still want an upfront range or at least a disclosed hourly rate before scheduling. I’m looking for advice from this community: How do you structure your pricing and organize your price books? Do you use flat rate, lump sum, or time and materials strategies, and how do they work for you? What’s the best way to build confidence and efficiency in pricing to ramp up billables while keeping processes streamlined? I appreciate any insights or feedback! Best regards, Markus MTAC Plumbing🌟 Facing Failure Head-On: An Honest Talk About Business Mistakes 🌟
Hey Business Owners, Have you faced business challenges you’re not sure how to overcome? Wondering how to avoid common pitfalls or bounce back stronger from failure? Failure is part of every business owner's journey—but it doesn’t have to define your future. Hi, I’m David Moerman, owner of Home Service Business Coach and Revive Services, and from January 15–21, I’ll be hosting this month’s Ask An Expert session. With 16 years of experience in the home service industry, I’ve made my fair share of mistakes. But those mistakes have helped me build thriving businesses, coach 330+ entrepreneurs, and generate over $6 million in revenue in the home service industry. Post your stories and ask your toughest questions—I’m ready to help! Let’s tackle failure head-on and turn it into a stepping stone for growth.💪 If you missed my session at Jobber Blueprint: Live, "Bouncing Back From Business Failures," check out upcoming events here: jobber.com/events.1 more crew isn't going to build your Empire
Its a new year --- My guess is you're thinking about expanding by adding more crews... yes? It's a good goal but not the right one. This approach leads to increased headaches, higher costs, and more frustration. "If I could just find the perfect employee I'd be golden" - I hear it almost every day. If you're serious about winning without piling on loads of risk, franchising is the way. The Pitfalls of Adding More Crews Adding more crews means more equipment, more training, and more management. You're multiplying your responsibilities and expenses. Coordinating multiple teams can become a logistical nightmare, and maintaining consistent service quality across the board is a constant challenge. Plus, all the financial risk falls on you! Franchising: The Smarter Path to National Expansion Franchising lets you grow your brand by partnering with independent entrepreneurs who invest their own money to operate under your name. This strategy allows you to break into new markets without draining your own resources. Why Franchising Works Shared Risk: Franchisees put their own skin in the game, sharing the financial burden and reducing your exposure. Driven Operators: Franchisees are highly motivated to succeed because they own their slice of the business. This often leads to better performance compared to hired managers. Rapid Market Entry: Franchising enables you to enter multiple markets at once, leveraging local knowledge and connections for faster growth. Cost Efficiency: A larger franchise network can lead to bulk purchasing and shared marketing efforts, boosting profitability for everyone involved. Making Franchising Work for You To successfully franchise your business: Prove Your Model: Ensure your business is profitable and can be replicated. Train Thoroughly: Provide comprehensive training to maintain consistent quality across all locations. Offer Ongoing Support: Be there for your franchisees with marketing, operations, and management assistance. Protect Your Brand: Implement strict quality control to maintain your brand's reputation. In short, adding more crews might seem like a path to growth, but it's fraught with challenges and risks. Franchising offers a smarter, more efficient way to expand nationally without overextending yourself. By partnering with motivated franchisees, you can build a national presence and achieve the growth you're aiming for. Think bigger this year. Franchise your business to build an empire. I've done it myself. You can do it too!
Who has some insight on how a new business can get funded?
How can a startup secure working capital, business loans, or business credit when the owner’s personal credit is insufficient to support the business? I recently launched a business two months ago and immediately hit the ground running with immense enthusiasm and confidence in its potential. Within this short timeframe, I’ve managed to generate significant interest from several large companies, including one with over 300 locations, all eager to sign contracts with me to advertise and sell my product. I firmly believe this business has the potential to grow into a billion-dollar company within the next decade. However, I’ve encountered a substantial challenge: securing the necessary working capital to fulfill my initial orders and deliver products to these companies. My personal credit is a barrier—primarily due to a lack of history and past financial missteps, such as multiple hard inquiries when attempting to finance a car two years ago. These factors have made it nearly impossible to obtain funding for my business, creating a bottleneck in my ability to execute and meet the demand from prospective clients. I am seeking advice on alternative funding solutions, such as options for startups to establish credit independent of personal credit, strategies for securing business loans without strong personal credit, or other methods to raise working capital quickly. I am eager to learn and take actionable steps to overcome this obstacle, as I want to ensure the excitement and interest from these potential partners remain strong. Any insights or recommendations would be greatly appreciated.Business Coach and/or Mentors..
Has anyone here worked with a business coach or mentor? I'm curious about the experience and whether you think it's worth the investment. Did it help you grow professionally or achieve specific goals? Any tips for finding the right one, or things to look out for? Would love to hear your thoughts!
Opportunity strikes?
I live in a rapid growing area. New construction and gentrification are in high gear. Raw building materials are in high demand. I have an opportunity to be a representative for a wall material that is 1/3 cost of the leading manufacturer. My options are: Ship Direct to customer: Maintain a showroom with adequate stock Truck Load. 1-3 a Month Profit margins are based on the three options. I have zero infrastructure to handle, receive, store, ship this material. I think I can find the resources rather quickly. I would love to provide a cheaper solution to my region and still make money. Anyone become a rep for materials? Is so, at what of the three levels proposed? Which is the most profitable? Ship to client? Showroom/storage? Showroom Storage and 1-3 Trailers a month?Win $250 for sharing your advice in The Home Service Community!
From December 11-18, ask or answer a question today for your chance to win one of four $250 gift cards—$1,000 in prizes! The giveaway closes on December 18, 2024. To be eligible to win you must live in the United States or Canada (with the exception of Quebec) and be over the age of 18. Click here to review the full rules of this giveaway. Winners have been announced here!
