What’s your best “DIY hack” you’ve used to run your business?
When I first started my business over 19 years ago, estimates meant pen, paper, and carbon copies—rip the top page for the customer, keep the yellow one for myself. That was just the way it was back then, and it worked. Trips to Staples were the norm! But as I think about it, over the years I’ve also come up with plenty of little “DIY hacks” to keep things running when resources were tight or when I didn’t have the systems I do now. Some of those scrappy fixes actually held up surprisingly well! I bet most of you have similar stories— What’s the best “DIY hack” you’ve used to run your business? Maybe it was how you scheduled jobs, tracked expenses, did marketing, or just stayed organized before you had tools like Jobber. Sometimes those old-school solutions are just as clever as the technology we use today. Can’t wait to hear yours!How Much Should You Really Be Charging?
The number one question I receive is tied directly to the fact, most contractors are still guessing when it comes to pricing. Overhead. Profit. Labor rate. Trip fees. They think just because they throw a number they hear their competitors use, thats all that they need. It may work, but how and what do you divide these funds is just as important for your business health. If you don’t know how to do the math, you’re not building a business. You’re surviving check to check and think you need more work, when you do not. So here’s the plan: This Tuesday & Thursday on IG, I’m walking you through our Contractor Price Builder Worksheet FREE on instagram live. We will cover: - How to calculate your real hourly rate - The difference between markup and margin - Why profit is a non-negotiable - And how to price with confidence Join the session. Bring your numbers.
Feeling Stuck in the Busy-But-Broke Zone – How Did You Break Through?
Hey folks, I’m hoping to get some insight from those of you who’ve already muscled through this phase of business. I’m currently in that painful zone where the jobs are coming in steady—so much so that I’m completely maxed out—but the numbers aren’t quite adding up to confidently bring someone else on board. I’ve got the workflow, the drive, and the service quality dialed in, but when it comes to scaling by hiring help, I feel like I’m staring at a wall I can’t quite climb. The catch-22 is real: can’t afford help without more time, and can’t get more time without help. For those of you who made it past this threshold: - What did you do to shift the equation? - How did you find the confidence (or capital) to invest in that first team member? - Any creative pricing or scheduling tactics that helped balance the load in the meantime? Appreciate any stories, hard-learned lessons, or nuggets of advice. Trying to work smarter, not just harder.
Home Services Assessment Fee
Hi everyone, I'm looking for advice on how to clearly and professionally communicate to potential clients that I charge an onsite assessment fee before moving forward with an assessment scheduling. For those of you who charge a similar fee, how do you usually bring it up in conversation? Do you include it in your Jobber quote or send it separately? Are there any tips on wording or timing that can help set the right expectations without scaring off potential leads? I appreciate any insights; thank you in advance!Seeking ideas for developing power partnerships to better work with clients & grow our biz?!!
Hi all, We are a local fire protection company here in Los Angeles and we do both sales and service of fire extinguishers, as well as specialty fire equipment and resources. I am putting this question out there both for connections and suggestions on best developing power partnership with other local companies that work with residences, properties and businesses, to help collaborate on our services provided and add more value to them and more revenue to both partners. Example of our power partners are roofers, GC's, management companies, HOAs, solar companies, fire and water damage companies, Security and locksmith companies, Insurance agencies... Would love to hear your feedback and suggestions and love to work with you as well, if we could benefit from partnership. This, would be a more effective way to grow our businesses than social media or other passive ways I believe! Payam. Lavi | Supervisor PalFirePro.com
Looking for AI Tools or Tips for Creating Client-Facing Presentations & “About Us” Packages
Hey everyone! We’re currently trying to put together a solid “About Us” package and presentation materials to send out to municipalities and districts — focused on mooring solutions, swim lines, buoy systems, and similar services. The catch? I’m buried in work, and while we’re not quite at the growth stage where we can outsource this, I’m definitely looking to AI to help bridge that gap. Has anyone here used AI tools or platforms to create professional-looking client presentations, proposals, or pitch decks? Something I can build off of and then tweak? Ideally looking for a tool or app that helps create a polished package without needing hours of design or writing time. Would love to hear what’s worked for you — any suggestions from the great Interwebs are welcome! 🙏 Thanks in advance!Do you utilize battery-powered tools?
Handheld battery-powered tools have come a long way from their first iterations, especially over the past few years. I've started making the switch away from gas-powered equipment throughout the last few seasons for my business and have found the switch to be positive for my workflow and bottom line. This is a trend I believe will continue as batteries become more powerful and long-lasting. Are you utilizing any battery-powered equipment and, if so, do you have any favorites you'd like to share??Looking for AI Tools or Tips for Creating Client-Facing Presentations & “About Us” Packages
We’re putting together an “About Us” package and presentation to send to municipalities and districts — covering mooring solutions, swim lines, buoy systems, etc. I already use ChatGPT and Canva (and love them!), but I’m looking for something even more intuitive to help build out a polished presentation or proposal — something I can easily tweak without spending hours on setup or design. Has anyone used AI tools that made this process easier? Would love to hear what’s worked for you! Thanks in advance 🙏Has Anyone Here Built Their Own GPT Yet? Or Just Using ChatGPT Like Google?
Hey everyone just curious where the community stands with AI right now. I’ve seen a lot of folks using ChatGPT to look stuff up (like Google 2.0), but I’m wondering if anyone here has gone deeper? Has anyone tried to build or train their own GPT yet? Or customized prompts/workflows to actually support your day-to-day? We’ve been working on building a custom GPT model trained on contractor logic — estimating, soft skills, job-site communication, pricing, SOPs, etc. For our company now, instead of broad knowledge. I see huge value in contractors having their own smart assistant, not just a chatbot. Something that speaks the language of our company. Is that something you’d use or find helpful? Curious to hear what direction you guys are taking.
🚨FEATURE REQUEST: Tiered Pricing on Products & Services 🚨
Hey Jobber Team and Fellow Pros, Let’s talk about a feature that could seriously boost close rates and make Jobber even more competitive for all of us who quote services, manage inventory, and work in price-sensitive markets. What we need: Tiered Pricing on Products and Services — customizable pricing where the unit cost automatically adjusts based on quantity ordered. Why this matters: We already price materials like mulch, sod, and stone this way in real life. It would speed up quoting, improve estimate accuracy, and help us win more jobs. It mirrors how customers expect to see pricing — more they buy, less they pay per unit. How it would work: Let users define pricing tiers for any product/service: 1–10 units = $10/unit 11–50 units = $8/unit 51+ units = $6/unit These price breaks should auto-calculate during estimate creation and carry through to invoicing. Why Jobber Should Care: Makes Jobber more competitive vs. other platforms offering advanced pricing features. Helps your users convert more jobs = more usage and more loyalty to Jobber. Reflects real-world pricing logic we already use outside the app. If you'd use this — drop a comment or like to help get this in front of Jobber’s dev team. Let’s get this done together!
