What’s Actually Working for Marketing in 2026? 🚜📈
Trying to figure out what actually works for marketing a small service business in 2026 feels like throwing darts blindfolded sometimes. 😅 Facebook boosts? Marketplace? Reels? Before & after photos? Community groups? Google Business? Word of mouth? Door hangers? I run a veteran-owned rural property management company in New Brunswick, Canada, and I’m curious what’s genuinely bringing people, real customers lately — not just likes and views. For the people actually getting calls and booked jobs: • What’s been your most successful marketing approach? • What gives the best ROI for a small budget? • What completely flopped for you? • Are you finding people respond more to personality/branding or straight-up service ads and pricing? Would love to hear real experiences from other small business owners and operators. 🚜🔥Can I create a job with photos for an employee to check off that a certain issue has been resolved?
This is a bit of a longer question but I am curious if this could be done... If I go a house and take photos of 12 issues that need to be resolved, can I create a checklist or job form that shows each of those issues as a list? Then add that list to a team members schedule and have them check off that it has been completed? Even attach a photo of the completed work below the photo of the issue? It would also be great to be able to send that completed list or form to the customer to sign off on and collect payment. I would like to position myself to do more of the sales and inspections, then send a team member to the house to do the actual work sealing the home or solving the issue. I have been working out a few ways in my head to make this structure work and I really hope Jobber can help me do that. Does anyone else work in this way? Are there are recommendations on how people have made it work?Roll call! Meet & introduce yourself to other Service-based Skilled Trade pros
If you’ve ever thought, “How are other businesses like mine handling this?” you’re in the right place! This space is for Service-Based Skilled Trades 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 [your 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. 🚀You down with PPE? Yeah, you know me!
Google AI explains it as "Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) refers to any clothing or equipment worn to minimize exposure to hazards in the workplace and protect the wearer's health and safety. PPE is considered the last line of defense when other controls cannot eliminate or reduce the hazard adequately." I've always viewed personal protective equipment (PPE) as my primary shield for staying safe and healthy on the job. With machinery that can spin at speeds up to 10,000 RPM, it’s essential to prioritize my protection. What about you? What PPE do you typically use in your work? For me, I rely on: Ear protection: Since most of our tools operate at high decibel levels, it’s crucial to safeguard my hearing. I personally prefer foam earplugs over earmuffs for comfort. Eye protection: When handling equipment like line trimmers, mowers, chainsaws, and blowers, debris can go flying everywhere. I want to ensure my eyes stay safe from any potential hazards. Safety boots: I opt for high-rise boots with steel or composite toes and plates to protect my feet. Long pants: These are important for shielding my legs from rocks and other materials that can become projectiles. Sun hat: Keeping my head and shoulders covered helps shield me from the sun's rays while I work. Remember, taking these precautions not only keeps us safe but also helps us enjoy our work without worry! One more important type of PPE—at least in my view—is knowledge! It’s really vital to have as many staff members trained in First Aid as possible.
What’s holding most service businesses back
I’ve been thinking about this lately, what’s actually holding most service businesses back? Is it: • Lack of leads • Poor systems • Weak pricing • Or the owner not stepping into the business role Because I’ve seen companies busy all day… but still stuck. Curious what do you think is the real bottleneck?
Small Property Damage Restoration Company Needing Some Serious Guidance!!!
Hello Everyone, my name is Jonathan and i own a small property damage restoration company in Live Oak, FL. We service a big radius including Gainesville, Ocala, The Villages and much more. Right now its just me as I've been in the industry for 18 years i work better myself but as i get more jobs on each end of my radius of service i will need to hire someone and get a van and get them helping me with these jobs. What's hard right now is i started this business a year an a half ago with nothing, no capital, no loan, just starting a job collecting a deposit and then collecting the rest at the end, and if you know the restoration industry then you know these companies don't survive off of word of mouth. many people will say word of mouth is best but if you think about it, when your home floods normally you call your insurance company or you go to google to hurry and find a company to come out and normally the top 3 companies will be the ones getting picked. So i will need SEO Marketing so that my google business page and website pop up first on google and its very very expensive I've seen 5000-8000 to get started and 2000-3000 monthly to keep you at the top and it does work I've seen it!! but as a company that literally survives off each job and doesn't get that many jobs monthly to begin with its very very hard to get up there with these big companies!!! What really bums me out is after 18 years and working with many many different companies i have a plan to implement all the good traits about these companies I've worked for to create the ultimate restoration company that is there for the community and help the customers and not my pockets like these other companies do!! Basically i need help with funding, i am currently working on my business credit i have many tradelines right now to help me build it cause my personal credit is not good enough to get a loan or any kind of funding! Does anyone know how to get Grants, Funding, Loan, Anything to help me with some working capital??👉 “Turning My Logistics Vision Into Reality – Lyric Logistics LLC”
Hi everyone, I’m Flo, the owner of Lyric Logistics LLC. I’m currently in the process of launching my transportation business focused on reliable box truck freight services for small and mid-sized businesses. One recent win I’m proud of is completing my grant applications and building out my business foundation, including my services, branding, and operations plan. It’s been a big step toward turning my vision into something real. I’m excited to be part of this community and learn from others while growing my business. Looking forward to connecting!What services can I offer during winter to keep income coming in?
I am currently working a full-time job while running my company. How do I earn income in the “winter” months in Kentucky? We may have one snow a year, grass doesn’t grow, to cold to pressure wash. Everyone kinda goes hermit, thanks in advance
