Building community partnerships
Has anyone here ever built a community partnership from the ground up? im not just curious about the end result. i want to know how it actually came together. What ìt was, and how did you approach people to get them on board, and keep it going? what were the mistakes, and what would you do different next time I’m trying to learn what makes a partnership actually work long term because just like my llc i want it to lastWhat 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?
What Tech Tools and AI Are Contractors Actually Using to Run Their Business More Efficiently?
Over the last several years, the remodeling industry has undergone one of the biggest transformations in its history. What was once an industry driven almost entirely by paper contracts, tape measures, and word-of-mouth referrals is now being powered by technology. As remodeling professionals, we now have access to tools that can improve efficiency, reduce mistakes, increase close rates, and provide a better customer experience. For example: CRM platforms help manage leads, estimates, scheduling, customer communication, and follow-up. Digital estimating software allows contractors to create professional proposals in minutes instead of hours. Online reviews and Google Business Profiles have become the modern version of word-of-mouth marketing. Social media platforms allow contractors to showcase projects and reach thousands of potential customers at a fraction of traditional advertising costs. Virtual design tools and project visualizations help homeowners see the finished product before construction even begins. Perhaps the most exciting advancement is Artificial Intelligence (AI). AI can assist with marketing content, proposal writing, customer communication, project planning, website development, social media campaigns, and even training materials. Small remodeling companies can now leverage tools that were once only available to large corporations with dedicated marketing departments. Technology doesn’t replace craftsmanship, experience, or customer service. Instead, it allows us to spend less time on administrative tasks and more time serving our customers and growing our businesses. I’m curious how others in the remodeling and home service industries are utilizing technology today. What software, apps, AI tools, or digital systems have made the biggest impact on your business, and where do you see technology taking our industry over the next five years? Looking forward to hearing everyone’s thoughts and experiences. Louis Adney Southern Surface SolutionsThe "Do Your Job" Bonus - Get your techs to use Jobber and Show Up on Time
If you're running a service business and struggling to get your technicians to document their work or show up on time, this might be the most useful thing you read this week. I was dealing with two problems that a lot of you probably recognize. First, my guys were clocking in and out — no surprise there, because that's their money — but they weren't uploading pictures and they weren't leaving notes. Second, punctuality was starting to slip. Fifteen minutes late here, thirty minutes late there. Now, I get it, fifteen minutes feels like "whatever" in a lot of work environments. But when you're building a premium brand charging premium prices, ten minutes late is too late. And when one tech shows up a half hour after his partner, that partner is stewing all day thinking about how someone is making the same money for less work. That kills team culture fast. So I created what I call the DYJ Bonus — Do Your Job — and it shows up on their paychecks exactly like that. The concept is simple: there's a bonus built into their compensation, and they earn it every pay period by doing three basic things. Not hard things. Just the things they should already be doing. Show up within six minutes of their scheduled start time. Not fifteen. Not ten. Six. I use Jobber's GPS tagging to verify this, or more accurately, my wife does since she handles payroll. Having a hard number removes all the gray area and the excuses. Upload before pictures and notes when they arrive at the job site. This means at least five photos and a note documenting the condition of the property, any communication with the client, and anything relevant about the job. We have a full SOP that spells out exactly what kinds of pictures to take so there's no guesswork. Upload after pictures and notes when the job is complete. Again, at least five photos, plus notes explaining what was done that day. This protects the company, protects the client, and builds a paper trail that's saved us more than once. That's it. Three things. Show up on time, document before, document after. What I found is that a simple financial incentive built directly into their paycheck changes behavior faster than any conversation or write-up ever did. It's not punitive — it's not a fine or a disciplinary action. It's a bonus they keep by doing their job the right way. The framing matters. And because the standard is clear and the verification is objective, there's no argument about it on payday. If you're running Jobber and not using it to hold your team accountable this way, you're leaving one of its best features on the table. The GPS check-ins and photo uploads are already there — you just have to tie something meaningful to them.How do you find subcontracting work during a drought or slow season?
Hey Chris, here with Neat Dreams Pressure Washing based out of Durham, North Carolina. I just completed the Jobber grant phase 2, and I am excited. Hope all is well. The thing is, we are currently in a severe drought in my city and surrounding areas so things has been pretty slow for power washers If there are any recommendations for help, like larger companies doing some subcontracting in the North Carolina area to make it through this temporary time, please comment. Have a blessed day.What do you do with a customer that wants you to remove protection everyday?
i got an interesting one - going forward I can definitely put this in the contract but wondering how you guys would handle this. So we are doing a remodel and the bathroom is deep in to their house. I had told them that floor protections would be down for the duration of the project but we would clean them every day. After the first day, the customer told us to take them all down and they expected them down every day. Now we already demo-ed their shower so it's not like I'm going to walk off this job. This particular customer was also getting very hung up on language in the quote regarding stuff that usually gets sorted out onsite (like which tile is going in the back of a 12x12 niche) and we also had to get a change order to do some reframing because the wall framing was basically gone. Would you guys make an issue out of this with them or bite the bullet and take the learning lesson? I should have def put it in the contract but every time I tell someone the protections will stay down, they usually don't go back on their "word" or acknowledgment or whatever you want to call it.How I Finally Delegated Estimating (Without Hiring Another Person)
For years, estimating was the one thing I couldn’t take off my plate. We changed the org chart. We hired roles. Delegated everything we could. But estimating? That was always me. Even if I wasn’t doing anything else in the business... I was still stuck quoting jobs. It was the bottleneck I couldn’t fix—until now. I built a ChatGPT-powered estimator trained with my systems, my pricing, and my language. It asks the right questions, runs the math, and delivers estimates like I would—without me being involved. Now I’m no longer the bottleneck. Customers get quick answers. I get my evenings and weekends back. Want to build your own? Map out your estimating logic. Plug it into ChatGPT. Test and refine. If you're stuck working all day and doing estimates at night and on Saturdays anddddd, sometimes even Sunday mornings when everyone's sleeping—this might be your way out. Heres my direct Zoom link if you'd like to learn more: https://calendly.com/ryaan-besthandymancompany/bh-plan-phone-consultationHow to start an in house training center for painting?
I am looking for feedback on starting a training center for residential painting. We have a shop but it is kind of small for what I am looking at doing. Is there any creative ways I could go about purchasing, or leasing a building that is specifically for training and education? My goal would be to hire on young men and women who are interested in the painting trade and have a facility to train them in before they every step foot on a job. For example, there would be a class room to learn about products and applications. Then there would be actually rooms built out and small exterior walls build out with different substrates to actually train applications. I would hire some of my current employees to be paid extra to run classes and training. What do you think? Am I dreaming too big or is this something I could accomplish? How could I go about making this happen?How do you finish strong on a long project?
Something I've been noticing lately — and I'd love to know if anyone else deals with this — is how hard it is to finish strong on longer projects. The beginning? Easy. Everyone's fired up, the client is excited, the crew is locked in. But somewhere around the 80% mark, that energy starts to bleed out. People are mentally on to the next job, and those last little details — the ones that actually define the finished product — start slipping through the cracks. We've been doing more projects in the three-week to several-month range, and this has become something I've had to get intentional about. We've started building out procedures in ClickUp to keep the final phase from falling apart — checklists, task ownership, that kind of thing. It's not perfect, we're still figuring it out honestly, but it's better than just hoping everyone stays focused when the finish line is in sight. The harder part for us is that a lot of our crew are our own employees, not subs. Subs come and go. Your own guys are with you every day, and keeping them accountable at the tail end of a long project — when everyone's a little worn out — is a different challenge altogether. So I'm genuinely asking: what are you doing to solve this? Do you have a formal process? Does someone own the punch list? How do you keep your people's heads in the game when the job is almost done but not quite? Would love to hear what's working out there.
