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.
Job Costing
We want to understand our gross margin on a line item basis. I see that when creating a quote, you can use a markup %. I can also see that when viewing a job, you can see the line item cost and price. First question...is there a setting so that when viewing a jobs line items, you can see the markup you used or the price you entered and the method used? Second question...when reviewing an invoice in draft mode, the line items with the markup is not viewable. Is it possible to see the cost and price for each line item in invoice?I don’t really share this much —
I just passed the 100 contractors mark that I’ve been able to help through @buildnational. Now, a few of you have seen how I built a $1 million revenue electrical business in my first 4 years. And it had nothing to do with working harder. It’s actually the opposite. It came from securing long-term relationships/contracts, repeat/bulk work with service agreements attached. And the key to it all was understanding MY NUMBERS so I could stay competitive and still close the year at 42% NET profit. We’ve been featured in Forbes and, together, broken down stigmas around construction that keep contractors stuck. All of this—while traveling the U.S. sharing our story. At the end of the day, I just want to make sure you have everything you need to take full advantage of contracting. If you want to have a conversation or just connect, I’m here to serve.We’re In Q3 — How Are Your 2025 Goals Holding Up?
Now that we’ve officially entered Q3… I’m checking in: • Are you where you thought you’d be by this point in the year? • What worked well in the first half? • And what needs to be tweaked so you don’t coast through summer? For us, we’re doubling down on and been using this visual from our Blueprint Series to stay focused each quarter: Would love to hear from others: What’s one change you’re making to finish Q3 strong?Pricing Advice & Client Management Tips for New Landscaper
Hi everyone, I’m fairly new to landscaping and trying to get a better handle on pricing my work and managing clients. Right now, I mostly check local prices and try to go a bit cheaper, but I’m still confused about charging per hour versus per job. For example, sometimes a job might be tougher but I get it done faster because of experience or efficiency. If I charge hourly, I worry I might be punishing myself by charging less for harder work done quickly. So I usually price per job and just guesstimate a fair rate. I’d love advice on how you set prices fairly and consistently. Also, what tools or software do you use to manage your clients and jobs? Are there any good free or low-cost options for someone just starting out? Any tips regarding profit, couting in gas, time, etc I'd love to hear thanks so much! I’m based in Lima, OH, if that matters for local pricing tips. Thanks so much in advance!Do Electrical Contractors Understand Costs ?
I’m not talking about materials and labor. I’m talking about the real costs, not just the bare minimum ... the hidden stuff that slowly eats away at your margin while you’re out chasing the next job. After spending the last few months traveling with contractors across the country, I keep seeing the same problem: Everyone talks about revenue or price like it means anything So here I created another visual... A Blueprint to Understanding Cost — Because I’m tired of watching good contractors work hard and still stay broke. This is everything that goes into the number before you even think about profit. What do you guys think?HELP Too Many Electricians Google Prices — Not Enough Understand Margins
The last 6 months in our masterclass, we been talking with contractors throughout the USA- and one thing has shocked me personally about Electrical Contractors... Most electricians aren’t building pricing based on math, they’re just guessing. This is a shock to me because so many of us worked our A$$ off to apply and take the state exam. Yet, we fall back to asking Facebook or Googling “how much to charge for [x].” Another thing I saw was many copying what the other guy charges without knowing if he’s even profitable, or the fact their competitors have a different overhead. Am I the only one going crazy here? I built this visual as a blueprint for the trades. If you wire jobs with code compliance, you should price them with the same level of attention. What do you all think?What should a 200 AMP Service Upgrade Cost in 2025?
Good Afternoon, We just posted a short video breaking down how modern electrical contractors are actually pricing a 200 Amp service upgrade in 2025 —we go into detail about the COST for these services, to us as CONTRACTORS. For example permits, labor, overhead, profit, and final margins. In the comments we see that prices vary all across the USA - so I wanted to ask you all, how do you go about pricing? By the way I'm based out of Connecticut / Massachusetts. Thank you all
When Competitors Race to the Bottom: How you Can Push Back—Without Slashing Prices
The Pain Backflow work has become a Craigslist price-war: unlicensed techs quote 30 % below cost, plumbers toss in a “” freebies" to win a bigger job, and customers—squeezed by the economy—grab the cheapest line item they see. Result: we’re pitching value while they’re slinging bargain stickers, and it feels like we’re getting chopped at the knees. How do I handle these "Cheap competitors" and Hold the line on value?
