Small Family Business Relationships
Looking for advice from other family-owned construction businesses: How do you separate family from employees and create accountability? We are a small family-owned construction business that I started about 11 years ago. I come from a family of nine kids, plus our parents, and over the years most of us have worked in the company at one point or another. Building the business from the ground up has taught me a lot—one of the biggest lessons being that family does not always work well together in business, and I can't create a position for or help everyone just because we're related. Over the years, I've gone through several employees both inside and outside the family, but somehow we always seem to fall back to the same two or three people carrying most of the workload. I understand that finding good employees is difficult in general, especially in construction, and our industry has its ups and downs. But instead of blaming everything on the labor market, I've been trying to look internally and figure out what problems within our company may be creating bottlenecks or preventing us from growing. One issue I keep coming back to is the family dynamic. Our family is extremely close. Most of the nine siblings see each other every few days. We play bar-league sports together, attend birthdays and holidays together, and spend a lot of time around each other outside of work. Because of that, it can be difficult to maintain the mindset of, "At work, this is my boss—not just my brother or friend." For the most part, I think we do a decent job separating business from personal life, but it gets complicated when spouses or other family members get involved in discussions about pay, company vehicles, hours, responsibilities, etc. For example, let's say one of my brothers normally clocks out at 3:30 PM. At 5:00 PM, a customer calls because a breaker was accidentally left off or a jobsite wasn't cleaned up properly. If I call and ask him if he can go back and correct it—and he's being paid for his time—it sometimes creates tension at home. The attitude can become, "You own the company, so anything outside normal hours should be your responsibility." That's just one example, but it illustrates the larger problem. I've mentioned that if nobody wants to occasionally volunteer for those situations, then we may eventually need formal on-call rotations, or employees may have to leave company vans at the shop so another person can access the tools and vehicle if needed. Another challenge is flexibility. I'm a big family person myself, so I've always tried to be extremely understanding with everyone, whether they're family or not. Doctor appointment? Go. Need to leave early for your kids? No problem. Need personal time during the busy season? I usually try to make it work. The problem is that I sometimes feel that flexibility becomes expected instead of appreciated. Then, on the rare occasion where I genuinely can't allow two people to take off at the same time or I need someone to stay and finish something, I get pushback—especially from family employees. I've also noticed a similar problem with some non-family employees. We've had several good employees who seemed motivated when they started, but after about six months they became comfortable, expectations slowly changed, and accountability became harder. Pay is another difficult subject. When I'm negotiating compensation with a sibling, it's hard not to feel like I'm personally controlling their financial situation. If I tell an employee what a position is worth, I'm making a business decision. But when it's your brother or sister, it can feel personal to them—and sometimes to me too. It becomes even harder because some family members see what we're billing customers and think the difference between the hourly labor rate and their paycheck is pure profit. They don't always understand everything that comes out of that revenue: payroll taxes, insurance, workers' comp, office staff, estimating time, vehicles, fuel, tools, equipment, warranty work, callbacks, advertising, software, shop expenses, non-billable hours, and hopefully some actual profit left over for the company. So I've been considering making a major change in how I operate at work. I'm wondering if I need to redefine myself completely while I'm on the clock—less "brother/friend/family member" and more strictly "owner/boss." Maybe that means discussing very little business outside of work and creating a much clearer separation between our personal relationships and our working relationships. Before I go that far, I'd really like advice from people who have dealt with this successfully. For those of you who own family businesses, especially in construction or the trades: How do you separate the family relationship from the employee/employer relationship? How do you set and negotiate pay scales when employees can see what the company is charging customers? How do you explain overhead and company profit without feeling like you have to defend every dollar? How do you prevent employees—family or not—from becoming complacent after they've been with you for a while? Have you used an outside HR company, consultant, or PEO to handle things like pay structures, policies, reviews, discipline, and employee concerns? Could an outside HR person realistically act as a middle ground between employees and ownership so everything doesn't have to come directly through me? I'm not looking to stop being close with my family. That's one of the most important things in my life. I'm trying to figure out how to build a professional company with clear accountability without damaging those relationships in the process. I'd really appreciate hearing from anyone who has been through something similar—what worked, what didn't, and what you would have done differently.What’s the single hardest task to hand off when scaling up your service business?
Stepping out of the field or stepping back from daily ops is tough. Whether it's quoting, client communication, quality control, or scheduling, everyone seems to have one bottleneck they hate letting go of. What was the hardest piece of your business to delegate, and what tool or process finally gave you the confidence to do it?How do you handle clients who ask for "ballpark" pricing over the phone?
Hey community! Quick operational question. When a lead calls in or messages asking for a quick price before you can get photos or property measurements, how do you handle it? Do you give a wide range to filter them out, or do you strictly hold out until you have photos/measurements in hand? Curious to see how different shops handle the balance between speed and accuracy.Rejection Isn't the End—It's Proof You're Building Something Worth Fighting For
Every successful business owner has heard "no" more times than they can count. A declined grant, loan, or opportunity doesn't define your business—it reflects the reality that many great businesses compete for limited resources. The entrepreneurs who eventually break through are usually the ones who keep showing up. They improve their applications, strengthen their businesses, build relationships, and continue serving customers while everyone else waits for permission to succeed. REMEMBER: :: A grant is a tool, not your business plan. :: Progress doesn't stop because funding does. :: Every application makes you better at telling your story. Whether you were selected or not, take a moment to recognize how far you've already come. You had the courage to put your dream on paper and ask for an opportunity. That's something many people never do. Keep building. Keep applying. Keep improving. One "yes" can change everything, but only if you're still in the game when it comes.What’s your best approach for on-site add-ons without feeling "salesy"?
Hey pros, When you're on-site and notice additional work the property needs (cleaning, repair, or preventative maintenance), how do you typically bring it up to the homeowner? I’d love to know: Do you mention it while on-site, or do you follow up via Jobber quote with photos attached? What’s your highest-converting line or technique for introducing extra work naturally? What percentage of customers end up saying yes to the add-on? Drop your tips below—always looking to refine the on-site process!🌞 Let’s Talk Summer Lawn Care & Working Through the Heat
With temperatures pushing 105°+ in many areas and August storms right around the corner, I wanted to hear how everyone is adapting. As professionals, we have two jobs: protecting ourselves and protecting our customers’ lawns. A few questions I’d love to hear everyone’s thoughts on: 🌱 Newly Seeded Lawns: What are your best practices for helping new grass establish during extreme heat? Do you recommend specific watering schedules, straw blankets, starter fertilizers, or temporary mowing delays? ✂️ Low-Cut Lawns: During these hot weeks, do you raise your mowing height to help prevent heat stress and browning? How do you explain that decision to customers who still want that freshly manicured look? 🌦️ August Storm Season: How do you schedule around unpredictable rain? Do you adjust routes, mow before storms when possible, or wait until the turf has had time to dry? Any tips for avoiding rutting or damaging saturated lawns? 💧 Keeping Lawns Looking Their Best: What are your go-to techniques for maintaining healthy color and reducing stress during extreme temperatures? Have you found anything that consistently makes a noticeable difference? And finally… 👷 How are you protecting yourselves and your crews? Hydration schedules, cooling towels, shaded breaks, earlier start times, electrolyte drinks, or anything else that’s made a difference? I believe conversations like this are valuable because there’s always something we can learn from one another. Every region is different, but sharing what works can help all of us provide better service while keeping both our teams and our customers’ properties in great shape. Looking forward to hearing everyone’s experiences and picking up a few new ideas! 🌱🤝💚
How do you handle jobs that turn out way dirtier than the quote assumed?
I quote every job based on size and scope, but every so often the crew shows up and the place needs way more time and effort than what I priced. I always try to get the client's okay before doing extra work, but my crew isn't great at estimating how much more time they actually need once they're standing in it. I get a vague "it's bad" instead of something I can price against. Clients want to know the cost upfront, not find out mid-job that the price is changing. I'd love to hear how other owners have solved this. Do you quote a range upfront, or a flat number and adjust later? How do you train crews to communicate "this needs more time" in a way that's actually useful? Anyone using a walkthrough/assessment fee for riskier jobs (first-time or commercial)? Would appreciate any help. Thanks!
Let's encourage each other today!
Share one business win you're proud of this week—big or small. Maybe you landed a new customer, hired a great employee, streamlined a process, or simply made it through a challenging week. I'll start: Every opportunity to help a customer improve their home reminds me why I love being in this industry. I hear all the time people are so graceful to find an honest handyman they can trust and doesn't compromise on quality of work. Looking forward to celebrating everyone's wins in the comments! Irie Handyman Services Fix • Build •TransformWhat Do You Do to Consistently Earn Five-Star Reviews?
I've realized that customer service begins long before the first tool comes out. Quick responses, clear communication, setting expectations, and following through have been just as important as the quality of the work itself. What is one thing your company does that consistently earns five-star reviews? Irie Handyman Services Fix • Build • Transform
