How do you calculate your baseline price before sending a quote out?
When you look at a job site, how are you actually building your estimates? Are you pricing based on true operational costs and target profit margins, or are you matching local competitors and hoping there is money left over at the end of the month? Knowing your numbers comes down to a few key questions: What is your true hourly overhead rate? (Total monthly fixed overhead divided by total monthly billable hours) Are you calculating margin or markup? (Markup on cost is not the same as gross profit margin. If you want a 30% margin, multiplying your costs by 1.30 leaves you short at 23%.) What is your minimum shop rate before pulling a rig out of the driveway? How are you handling this in your business?Are You Building a Business or Just Creating Yourself Another Job?
It’s easy as a small business owner to get caught up doing everything yourself. At what point do you start delegating, hiring, or putting systems in place so the business can operate without you being involved in every job? I’d love to hear how other owners are making that transition while still keeping quality and customer service high.What funding programs actually helped your business grow and which ones should you avoid?
I own a residential/commercial cleaning and interior painting company in Indiana and I’m trying to grow responsibly. Between equipment, payroll, insurance, marketing, and vehicle costs, expenses add up quickly. I’m looking for legitimate grants, low-interest funding, or small business assistance programs that actually helped your company grow — especially for service businesses. Any real experiences, recommendations, or programs to avoid would be appreciated.
Scaling a Commercial Cleaning Business – What’s Working for Landing Larger Contracts?
I run a commercial and post-construction cleaning company operating across NYC, Connecticut, and New Jersey. We focus on long-term facility maintenance rather than one-time jobs, and I’m currently pushing to scale into larger commercial accounts and consistent contracts. I’ve been doing direct outreach, building internal systems, and focusing on service quality and retention. At this stage, I’m looking to refine what’s actually working for others when it comes to landing and maintaining higher-value contracts. For those operating at scale: – What has been most effective in securing larger commercial clients? – Are you seeing better results from direct outreach, partnerships, or platforms? – Any specific strategies that helped you move from smaller jobs to consistent contract work? Appreciate any insight from those who have already made that jump.When is it time to hire an accountant?
I am wondering at what point some of you guys have hired an accountant? Did you hire one to grow? To maintain what you have? Or are you simply using one to file taxes at the end of the year? I am thinking about hiring an accountant to manage my finances for me and see where things go, but wondering when is the right time.How can I create an invoice for the deposit?
When doing certain commercial work the client will ask us to send them an invoice for the deposit. This isn't typically how Jobber works as the invoice isn't created until the job is closed usually. What is the best way to send a customer an invoice before having the quote signed, deposit paid, or the job completed? Hope that makes sense. Thanks in advance!
