Feeling Stuck in the Busy-But-Broke Zone – How Did You Break Through?
Hey folks, I’m hoping to get some insight from those of you who’ve already muscled through this phase of business. I’m currently in that painful zone where the jobs are coming in steady—so much so that I’m completely maxed out—but the numbers aren’t quite adding up to confidently bring someone else on board. I’ve got the workflow, the drive, and the service quality dialed in, but when it comes to scaling by hiring help, I feel like I’m staring at a wall I can’t quite climb. The catch-22 is real: can’t afford help without more time, and can’t get more time without help. For those of you who made it past this threshold: - What did you do to shift the equation? - How did you find the confidence (or capital) to invest in that first team member? - Any creative pricing or scheduling tactics that helped balance the load in the meantime? Appreciate any stories, hard-learned lessons, or nuggets of advice. Trying to work smarter, not just harder.
Time Clock / Employee Time Tracking
Hey all! We have approximately 20-25 W2 employees who clock in and out using the ADP app. Processing payroll has recently been a hassle due to time discrepancies. Adjusting time cards for each employee is not only time-consuming but can be very costly if things are missed over time. What have you found to help with maintaining accurate time cards for employees? Please paste the link to any hardware you use. I'd love to see what systems you all use for employees to clock in physically instead of over the cell phone.
Pay for performance in Lawn Care and Landscaping - has anyone been successful?
I know this has been talked about many times, but I'm thinking about re-visiting this option. How have you structured your pay for performance when you have crews that do totally different things? For example- we have some crews that just do lawn maintenance (bi-weekly grass cutting, weed eating, etc), and other crews that do 'projects' (french drains, hardscapes, etc). And some guys that float between the different crews. My brain cannot conceive metrics that would be equitable for both groups. Would we have a different set of metrics for each type of crew? A different set for the grass cutting crew vs the projects crew? What are some examples of metrics that you have successfully used? How did you measure or track them? I think I'm just 'stuck' on how to even get started. I've looked at so many conversations on this that my brain is in overload. Can someone give me a hand here? Can I just see your metrics? Help. Please.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?Poll: Safety Training
Hey everyone! I've been in construction as an employee for 15 years, been doing small home repairs and renovations as side jobs for about a decade. I'm also an authorized OSHA construction industry outreach trainer, and teach NYCDOB Site Safety Training courses through a local partnership and I'm currently developing a new approach to safety training specifically geared towards the Jobber-type market. My question to all the Jobbers out here is, aside from actual job skills training, do you participate in safety training? Yes, I am (and any employees are) Safety trained I took an OSHA or similar class a long time ago I'd love to but it's too expensive and time-consuming Safety Training, what's that? For those who don't, what's the main reasoning behind skipping out on safety training? I'm interested but it's too expensive and time-consuming I've been doing this forever and I'm pretty safe anyway I don't have enough employees to "have to" do it, so I don't For those that do have safety training, how do you feel about it and why? very important! only did it to lower my insurance cost only did it because customers ask about it/like to know I have it useless I'd love to hear what the Jobber community has to say about it! Sincerely, Melissa Melissa Purdy Owner/Operator Safety City LLC mailto:SafetyCityLLC@gmail.com http://www.SafetyCityLLC.comOnboarding Software for new hires
I am in the process of hiring for my residential cleaning business. Is there any software that is like a database for keeping track of employees? I saw a software by Pipehire. I like the platform, but when I called to inquire I was not happy with how the person answered the phone. Made me question if it was legit or not. I am new at hiring so I just wanted to make sure I doing the process correctly and having a software with checklist to keep track would be helpful.You Don’t Need More Hours — You Need the Right People
Everyone says they want to grow — but few are willing to let go. The inbox, the content, the sales follow-ups, the backend bugs — they hang onto it all, thinking it’s the only way to keep control. I get it. I used to do the same. But over the last 9+ years, I’ve built and scaled businesses by doing the opposite: building a remote team I trust, and getting out of their way. Not just “virtual assistants” — real professionals. People who run content, sales outreach, client communication, systems, software, and everything in between. They don’t just lighten the load. They raise the bar. This approach has been a game changer — not just for saving time, but for building momentum that actually lasts. It’s what I’ve been doing successfully for nearly a decade. If you’re wondering where to find this kind of talent, how to train them, or how to make it actually work long-term — drop your questions. Lets talk!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—👇
Partial PTO Tracking?
We're looking at offering partial PTO to our hourly employees, i.e. 0.02 hours of PTO accrued per hour worked and an employee whose regular rate is $20/hour could use accrued PTO hours that would pay at 50% their regular rate, or $10/hour during PTO. I don't believe this is possible to track in Jobber. Is anyone else doing something like this? If so, how are you tracking PTO and is it integrated with Jobber timesheets?
