Should I hire employees or use 1099 subcontractors for better quality?
We have 6 subs full time and it's burned us a few times. We go behind them on ~25% of jobs. We just got CompanyCam and that'll help operationally. But, I am considering going the employee route and paying hourly. What do you feel works best -- to maximize profitability, ensure quality, and reduce headaches?Ask-an-Expert: Want advice on Job Posts, Interviews, Training, or Retention...send them!
Your job posting is often the first impression a Job Seeker gets of your business, and most owners don't realize they're turning people away. Hey, I'm Rich Camacho, CEO and co-founder of BlueRecruit. BlueRecruit is a Jobber Partner and works with trade businesses across the US and Canada every day to help them find and hire exceptional talent. Next week, I'm bringing that expertise straight to the Home Service Community. From May 20-26, drop a link to your job posting or any questions concerning talent acquisition in the comments, and I'll give you personalized feedback on: The effectiveness or ineffectiveness of your job post(s) How and where to find talent What today's trade workers are looking for Don't have a job posting right now? Ask me anything about your hiring process, interview questions, or recruitment strategy! 👇What did you do when you lost your best employee?
We’re going through this right now in our business. Our lead technician is moving out of state. Honestly, it’s bittersweet. I’m genuinely happy for him because this is a great life opportunity for him and his family, but I’d be lying if I said it hasn’t caused me a lot of anxiety too. He has been a huge part of our growth. A lot of the consistency our customers experience came from him: reliability quality of work customer trust leadership in the field helping train newer employees When you have someone like that on your team, it’s hard not to feel like “How are we supposed to replace this person?” And the honest answer is you probably do not replace them immediately. My wife and I already know we’re going to have to pick up extra work temporarily while we hire and train again. That part is uncomfortable. One thing this situation has reinforced for me though is how important standardization becomes as the business grows. Because if all the quality, knowledge, and expectations only live inside one employee’s head, losing that employee can seriously damage the business. Over the last couple years we’ve worked hard to document things like: customer communication, how to reply to someone, when to send our "On The Way" text messages gate procedures to make sure dogs are safe and secured after each visit completion expectations for each yard common customer issues onboarding processes to bring new employees up to speed faster training expectations to know what a "finished" job looks like None of that magically replaces a great employee. But it does make rebuilding much more realistic. I also think moments like this expose whether the business was built around systems or around specific people carrying everything. Still learning through this one myself. What did you do when you lost your best employee?What changed after you hired your first employee?
Hiring my first employee did not suddenly free up my schedule. For a while, it actually made things harder. I was still answering all the questions: “What do I do if the gate is locked?” “What if the dog is outside?” “Do I skip this area?” “How should I message the customer?” I realized I had a lot of expectations in my head that were never clearly documented anywhere. So every small issue still came back to me. One thing that helped us a lot was creating repeatable standards for the things that caused the most callbacks or customer complaints and using Job Forms to make sure my employees followed those standards. For example: gate photos at the end of every appointment customer instructions attached directly to the job clear arrival communication (sending an on the way message 30-45 minutes before each visit) completion forms with a checklist of all actions done on the visit (waste hauled away, gate locked and secured, sanitized boots and equipment) Once those things were written down and repeated consistently, the business became a lot less dependent on me making every decision throughout the day. Curious what other owners experienced with this. What got easier after your first hire? And what unexpectedly became harder?What behavior do you tolerate that’s quietly costing you revenue or reputation?
As we’ve grown, the biggest thing we’ve had to confront is tolerating inconsistency in service quality, especially from newer team members. Even small things (missed details, slower communication, or not fully following SOPs) can quietly impact client trust and retention over time. Individually, they seem minor. But at scale, they affect: Client experience Referrals and reviews Long-term revenue We’re learning that what you tolerate becomes your standard so tightening accountability, training, and follow-through has become a major focus as we scale.Do You Train Your Team to Think or Just Work?
Every Monday, we hold a short training session with our team. We train on communication. leadership. & mindset. The reason being most tradespeople aren’t struggling because they can’t do the work. They’re struggling because they were never taught how to: Speak with clarity Handle conflict Lead a crew Represent the business professionally These tend to be the issues I see bottling up, either from our exit interviews or customer feed back or when things are misunderstood. Thats why I'm curious: Do you train soft skills with your crew?What Features Would Be Helpful for Dealing with Subcontractors on Your Team?
Subcontractors can be a powerful way to grow your service business—but managing them smoothly takes the right tools. From scheduling to paperwork to payments, things can get complicated fast if you're relying on spreadsheets or text threads. Here are a few key ideas to kick off the conversation: Insurance Certificate Tracking + Expiration Reminders Making sure your subcontractors are insured is a no-brainer—but keeping track of their certificates and renewal dates can be a hassle. A built-in feature that stores insurance docs and sends automatic reminders before they expire would help keep your business protected and organized. Built-in Payment Processing for Subcontractors Paying subs quickly and clearly is essential for maintaining good relationships. Imagine being able to approve their invoices and process payments right through Jobber—no more chasing emails or juggling payment apps. Subcontractor Availability Scheduling Knowing when your subs are available is half the battle. A shared calendar where subcontractors can input their availability would make job assignment way easier and help avoid scheduling conflicts before they happen. What would you like to see added to help manage subcontractors better? Drop your ideas in the comments—👇Upsides and downsides of hiring a summer helper?
I am thinking about hiring someone to help me in the busy season and the idea of a high school kid as a summer job sounds like a promising idea. I wouldn't have to pay them a crazy salary, they are like sponges with information and they are typically more physically full of energy. I wouldn't be able to send them on their own, but they could help me get a few more jobs done in a day. I am wondering if anyone has tried this and what would be the pros and cons of doing it?
Delegation & Hiring for a Maintenance-Heavy Landscaping Company Trying to Scale
I’ve been looking into accountability charts and delegation after listening to the Jobber podcast where they talked about this, but I’m not sure where to begin. Right now I’m still heavily involved in day-to-day residential maintenance landscaping operations—quoting, scheduling, managing crews, and even some marketing—which makes it hard to step back and focus on growing into larger/higher earning project work beyond maintenance. For those who’ve gone through this at a similar stage, what responsibilities did you delegate first—and to whom? Also, what was your first key hire that really helped free up your time to focus on growth? Any practical guidance would be great.
How do you handle unreliable employees in a home service business?
Hello! I run a Home Remodeling & Handyman business, and we're excited to share that we've recently expanded to include a Cleaning Division. We've noticed that in our area, many folks are eager for jobs but sometimes lack the commitment to follow through. How do you navigate this challenge? We've already offered competitive pay, which is quite high for our area, yet issues like poor communication, missed appointments, and subpar work still pop up. I'm curious to hear how others have managed similar situations and what strategies you've found effective—whether it's offering career growth opportunities, enforcing strict communication policies, or even increasing wages further. Any advice or ideas would be greatly appreciated!
