When do you know when to start hiring?
Here at GB Plumbing, we knew we should be starting to hire when we were working over 70 hours a week and not seeing any slow down with jobs coming in. We’re now up to 3 trucks, and are looking to hire again as things continue to keep growing and we want to continue to provide more services to our community.
When Competitors Race to the Bottom: How you Can Push Back—Without Slashing Prices
The Pain Backflow work has become a Craigslist price-war: unlicensed techs quote 30 % below cost, plumbers toss in a “” freebies" to win a bigger job, and customers—squeezed by the economy—grab the cheapest line item they see. Result: we’re pitching value while they’re slinging bargain stickers, and it feels like we’re getting chopped at the knees. How do I handle these "Cheap competitors" and Hold the line on value?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.Milwaukee vs DeWalt Tools, which one?
We’re Lock Nerds Locksmith, a Buffalo, NY-based company that’s always relied on Milwaukee tools. But we’re curious—what tools do other pros trust? We're looking for honest pros and cons between Milwaukee and DeWalt to see if it's time for us to reconsider our setup.How do you utilize reports in your business?
I am curious to hear which reports you consider most valuable in your business and what actions are taken based on those reports if anyone is willing to share. Are there reports that you use regularly in Jobber or reports that you wish were part of Jobber? If so how do you utilize the information that the reports provide? Are changes made based on the reports? Is the data used to create the reports monitored internally for consistency? Thanks for sharing all input is helpful!What’s one red flag you always watch for during an interview?
In the episode of the Masters of Home Service (at the 27-minute mark) Stephen Jobe shared that his number one hiring red flag is when a candidate brings up money too early in the process. He said if someone’s first concern is pay, before showing humility or interest in the role, it’s usually a no-go. Do you agree with Stephen? What’s your biggest red flag when interviewing new hires? Tune into the full episode to learn what mistakes to avoid and tips for building a clear career path for your best people. Never miss an episode of Masters of Home Service. Subscribe on Apple , Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Seeking ideas for developing power partnerships to better work with clients & grow our biz?!!
Hi all, We are a local fire protection company here in Los Angeles and we do both sales and service of fire extinguishers, as well as specialty fire equipment and resources. I am putting this question out there both for connections and suggestions on best developing power partnership with other local companies that work with residences, properties and businesses, to help collaborate on our services provided and add more value to them and more revenue to both partners. Example of our power partners are roofers, GC's, management companies, HOAs, solar companies, fire and water damage companies, Security and locksmith companies, Insurance agencies... Would love to hear your feedback and suggestions and love to work with you as well, if we could benefit from partnership. This, would be a more effective way to grow our businesses than social media or other passive ways I believe! Payam. Lavi | Supervisor PalFirePro.comHow do you measure crew productivity?
I know Jobber has the employee productivity report. It doesn't work great for a company that has a ton of recurring jobs with fixed billing. I'm curious how people are measuring their crew performance. There are so many ways to track it. Budgeted hours vs actual, revenue per hour worked, jobs completed, visits completed - the list goes on. Curious to know what works for you and your team. What metrics do you look at to gauge crew productivity?How Much Should You Really Be Charging?
The number one question I receive is tied directly to the fact, most contractors are still guessing when it comes to pricing. Overhead. Profit. Labor rate. Trip fees. They think just because they throw a number they hear their competitors use, thats all that they need. It may work, but how and what do you divide these funds is just as important for your business health. If you don’t know how to do the math, you’re not building a business. You’re surviving check to check and think you need more work, when you do not. So here’s the plan: This Tuesday & Thursday on IG, I’m walking you through our Contractor Price Builder Worksheet FREE on instagram live. We will cover: - How to calculate your real hourly rate - The difference between markup and margin - Why profit is a non-negotiable - And how to price with confidence Join the session. Bring your numbers.
