Why your 'Best' work still gets you 3-star reviews
After 30+ years in the industry—from project managing hotel builds and overseeing regional engineering to running my own construction and painting companies—I’ve realized a hard truth: A project can be technically perfect, but if the communication was poor, the client won't remember the quality—they'll remember the frustration. In my experience, managing expectations is at least 50% of the job. Whether it’s arrival times, scope creep, or project delays, the 'technical fix' is rarely the hardest part of the business. The hard part is the human element. You can deliver a flawless renovation, but if you didn't manage the expectations surrounding that job, you’ve left a door open for a headache. I’m curious—what’s the one 'service expectation' you’ve struggled with the most while trying to grow your business? Let's break down how to standardize that process so it doesn't break your workflow.
Grants
Statement of Appreciation: Grant Phase 2 Completion "As we officially wrap up Phase 2 of this process, I want to express my sincere appreciation for the opportunity to apply for these grant funds. Running a heavy fabrication business requires balancing intense daily physical production with the constant need for strategic, high-tech upgrades. Opportunities like this grant are game-changers for independent shops like ours—allowing us to fast-track our capacity, invest in our crew's safety, and scale our operations to the next level. Thank you for your time, consideration, and dedication to supporting local trades and businesses. We are excited about the potential to put these funds to work and build a stronger future for our team and our community." Diego Iron Company
Challenges Getting Accurate & Competitive Quotes — Anyone Else?
Hey everyone. Wanted to start a conversation around something I think a lot of us deal with daily. Getting quotes right is hard. Too high and you lose the job. Too low and you regret winning it. A few challenges I keep running into: Translating plans and site conditions into accurate material and labor costs Material prices changing between quote and job start Knowing what the market will bear in your area Finding customers who care about quality, not just the cheapest bid I've been using Jobber to streamline the quoting side. Building out templates, tracking job history to compare estimated vs. actual costs, and following up on open quotes automatically. It's helped, but the estimating accuracy piece still takes real discipline. Would love to hear from the community: What's your quoting process start to finish? How do you handle rising material costs in your pricing? Where are you finding your best customers? Any Jobber features that have helped you quote faster or more accurately? Drop your experience below — whether you've got it figured out or you're still grinding through it like the rest of us. 👇What Do You Do To Minimize Workers Comp Claim Exposure?
I had an employee that was with me for maybe 5 weeks that I was going to let go (wasn't meshing well with the team, not very coachable) and then he "pulled his back" on a job site picking something up incorrectly. He even said he went to pick up a heavy object sideways and with one arm. He's been on workers comp 10 months and between treatment and his compensation, the claim is over $100k! My company is in California so we probably have the least favorable laws for companies. My insurance guy said we did everything right. Sent him to a facility right away to be evaluated, called workers comp. Since then we have implemented a "buddy lifting" training. My insurance guy also told me that even if we documented that he has a history of doing things incorrectly, that he would still be in the workers comp system. So my question to you guys - what measures do you take to prevent something like this from happening? Do you have regular safety meetings? Trainings? What do those look like?Roll Call! Meet & introduce yourself to other Construction and Home Improvement pros
If you’ve ever thought, “How are other businesses like mine handling this?” you’re in the right place! This space is for Construction and Home Improvement pros to connect, compare notes, and talk shop with others who understand the day-to-day realities of running your type of business. 👋 Introduce Yourself Drop a comment and tell us: Your name Business name Industry Years in business Location (City/State/Province) Let us know if you’re joining us for LIVE networking on March 17 (more details below) The more context you share, the better connections you’ll make. 🙌 Pro tip: Search your city or state in the forum to easily find other pros in your area. 📅 Want to connect LIVE? We’re running a pilot to host virtual weekly LIVE Industry Networking starting on March 17, running until April 7. If you’d be interested in joining for the first or following sessions (don’t need to commit to all but you're welcome to join!), make sure to let us know in the comments. 🤝 Culture of this space Think of this forum board like a room full of peers who understand your world. Share what’s working. Ask real questions. Talk through challenges. The goal is to power your success and raise the standard of home service industries together. 💬 Looking for conversation starters? This space works best when conversations are industry-specific and experience-based. You might jump in with something like: “How are other [industry] pros pricing this service right now?” “Is anyone else seeing this shift in their market?” “What’s been working for you when it comes to ____?" 🤔 Why are industries grouped together? We’ve intentionally clustered similar industries to keep conversations active and relevant. These groupings reflect shared business models, operational challenges, and pricing conversations so you can learn from peers who “get it,” even if they’re not in your exact trade. If your question applies to all home service businesses, feel free to post in our broader forum boards. Pro tip: Check out the industry tags to get even more specific Looking forward to seeing this space come to life. 🚀
