Are You Building a Business or Just Creating Yourself Another Job?
It’s easy as a small business owner to get caught up doing everything yourself. At what point do you start delegating, hiring, or putting systems in place so the business can operate without you being involved in every job? I’d love to hear how other owners are making that transition while still keeping quality and customer service high.
💡FEATURE REQUEST: Price Increases in Products & Services List
Do you increase prices for ongoing customers? Do you know how long it takes me to increase my prices for 700 ongoing clients in my cleaning business? Whether you increase your prices on an annual basis or just as needed in these unpredictable times, it would be easier to make these changes en masse in the Products and Services tab! How would it work? When editing a product or service line item in the Products & Services List, there should be an option to carry that modification over to any existing Jobs that have that line item on it. Currently, this would only update for new jobs created, but I'd love to see a little pop-up that says, "Would you like to change the price for existing Jobs with this line item? Yes/No" Use Case Example: Because I am in the cleaning industry, it will be my primary use case. Let's say you have a minimum price that every client's rate will be at or above. When you create a new job for a recurring customer, you add a line item titled "Minimum Rate + current year," like for 2020: "Minimum Rate 2020," which is $150. You also add another line item based on how your pricing model is set up - in this case, I will use a simple one: "Small House" for $10 "Medium House" for $30 "Large House" for $50 When it's time for your prices to increase, consider the following options: you could decide to raise prices only for people with large houses and keep your minimum rate the same, or you may want to increase the cost for clients who have been with you for more than 5 years. Instead of making this change one client at a time and trying to sort through who the change applies to, I could go to the Products and Services List and find the specific line item I want to modify. Then, I could edit the price in there! Ta Da! You've raised your prices! Why should Jobber care? This would be huge for any business industry that has recurring clients. ServiceTitan, Housecall Pro, and other competitors already have this feature. I have found other threads that mention something like this or frustrations with how to go about raising prices. This would allow businesses that only see customers once or twice a year to set up their customers as recurring with one Job, saving them a lot of time and effort as well. You'd have at least one very loyal customer in me! I've spoken to two support agents who thought this was a simple but fantastic idea! My next price increase is in June, and I'd love you guys if you saved me weeks worth of work in a single click 🤞🙏 QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, FEEDBACK, AND MORE USE CASES WELCOME!!What marketing channel works best for you right now???
Hello, We are currently evaluating our marketing strategy to improve lead consistency and build deeper community trust. While we currently use Yelp, we find the results inconsistent and often attract price-shoppers rather than long-term clients. :( Moving forward, I would like to pivot our focus toward community-based marketing, such as sponsoring local schools and Little League teams. These sponsorships build the kind of long-term goodwill and trust that ensures local homeowners think of us first during emergencies. To clarify our strategy, we are avoiding the following channels: - Lead Aggregators (Angi, Networx, HomeAdvisor): These platforms sell the same lead to multiple contractors. The requirement to respond within seconds to avoid losing the job—while still being charged—does not align with our workflow. - Yelp for Major Projects: Due to high cost-per-click metrics and a high volume of price-sensitive inquiries, we find this to be a low-return channel for larger plumbing jobs. Your Friendly Neighborhood Plumbers,
Any Recommendations for SBA Lenders?
I’m curious whether anyone here has successfully used an SBA loan, grant, or other government-backed funding program for a very small business. I run a one-person metal art and fabrication business, and finding realistic financing has been difficult. A lot of the options marketed toward small businesses seem to come with high interest rates, aggressive repayment terms, or daily and weekly withdrawals that can make an existing cash-flow problem even worse. I’d be interested in hearing from anyone who has actually gone through the SBA process: Which loan or grant program did you use? Was the application process manageable? What documentation did they require? Did the funding genuinely help your business grow? Were there any fees, repayment terms, or surprises you wish you had known about beforehand? I’m especially interested in options that might work for a one-person business looking to purchase equipment, improve production capacity, or create more stable cash flow without getting trapped in predatory financing. Has anyone found an SBA lender, grant program, or small-business resource they would genuinely recommend? Thanks in advance, I am located in Northeast Pennsylvania.Banking with a Credit Union vs a Large Bank
Your Bank Should Work With You — Not Just Hold Your Money I used Navy Federal for my business for a while. Honestly, it was fine — until it wasn't. Someone got into my account and started sending money out. That's when I found out just how unprepared they were to handle something like that. Every person I talked to had a different answer. No clear process, no consistent protocol — just whoever picked up that day making it up as they went. The security stuff alone was wild. I went in to do a wire transfer and nobody asked for secondary ID. Went back another time — different employee — and suddenly it was required. Which is it? If your own staff doesn't know the rules, the rules aren't actually protecting anyone. Then to top it off, an employee talked me into doing a cashier's check instead of a wire because he said it would be faster. I took it to my new bank and they put a 7-day hold on it. A week of frozen money because someone gave me bad advice. That whole experience made me realize credit unions — at least the ones I've dealt with — are basically just holding your money. And for a personal account, maybe that's enough. For a business, it's not. What Big Banks Actually Offer That Credit Unions Don't After that mess, I looked into Chase and US Bank. The difference in what they offer for business accounts is significant. ACH verification. You can set up filters so only specific, pre-approved companies can pull from your account. If something unexpected tries to come through, it gets blocked. Navy Federal had nothing like this. Check verification (Positive Pay). You upload the checks you've issued. If a check comes through that doesn't match, the bank flags it before it clears. Simple concept, big protection. Wire transfer controls. Large banks have actual multi-step verification for wires — callbacks, dual authorization on large amounts, confirmation steps that make it hard to accidentally send money somewhere wrong. Not "ask for ID sometimes." Business credit. This is a big one. Credit unions tend to have low limits, limited products, and not much flexibility. Big banks have dedicated business credit cards, lines of credit, SBA loans, equipment financing — actual tools to help your business grow. If you ever need capital, a credit union is going to hit a ceiling fast. Online banking built for business. Multiple users with different permission levels, QuickBooks and Xero integrations, real-time alerts, the works. A lot of credit unions are running systems that feel like they were built for a personal savings account. 24/7 support. Something goes wrong Friday night — you need help Friday night. Big banks have business banking lines around the clock. Credit unions are often a Monday morning call back.What funding programs actually helped your business grow and which ones should you avoid?
I own a residential/commercial cleaning and interior painting company in Indiana and I’m trying to grow responsibly. Between equipment, payroll, insurance, marketing, and vehicle costs, expenses add up quickly. I’m looking for legitimate grants, low-interest funding, or small business assistance programs that actually helped your company grow — especially for service businesses. Any real experiences, recommendations, or programs to avoid would be appreciated.
