Salary for In Field Staff? Good Idea or Bad Idea
Curious how others handle salary for field staff, especially hybrid roles. I’m in a bit of a management dilemma and wanted to see how other service businesses approach this. Ideally I’d like to hire a strong operations manager to help manage projects, but as many of you probably know, finding someone who truly thrives in that role can be tough. My alternative idea is to split some of that responsibility between my two most experienced technicians. Both of them have a wide range of knowledge and strong leadership potential. The idea would be a hybrid role where they still spend most of their time in the field but also manage a portion of the jobs. The management side wouldn’t be overly complex – mainly making sure the right technicians are scheduled, materials are ordered, and acting as the point of contact if the crew runs into issues on a job. In return they would earn additional compensation for taking on those responsibilities. My two questions are: has anyone here put in-field technicians on salary, and if so how did that work out? And has anyone successfully split operations responsibilities among senior field staff instead of hiring a dedicated operations manager? I don’t have concerns about their work ethic. They’re both very reliable and I think they’d take the responsibility seriously. In fact giving them more ownership might make them even more invested, and I could also tie in performance incentives if needed. At the same time I don’t want to create a structure that causes problems down the road. I also recognize that being a field tech isn’t necessarily a forever role, so part of me sees this as a potential growth path for them. Curious to hear what has worked or not worked for others.Promoting from within - is someone who is primarily money driven, a good candidate for management?
So here's the situation - I've hired two different operations managers and had to let them go for various reasons. The reason I was seeking outside the company was for a fresh outlook and a new way of doing things. Although I think there were things I could have done in the hiring process to sniff these bad candidates out, I'm now feeling like I should be promoting from within with someone already familiar with our systems and company culture. The obvious choice would seem to be the guy who's been here the longest. He's the site super on all our bigger jobs and everyone recognizes him as the most senior person, the person they call if they have a technical related question. I offered him the position (which is a healthy base salary plus incentive bonuses for gross profit, customer satisfaction, and clearly outlined administrative task goals) and he's very hung up on the money. Objectively, it's more money overall than he earned last year plus the bonuses but the weekly base is lower than if he worked in the field that week. He earned roughly $82k in the field (working roughly 80% of the available hours we COULD have worked him, because of slow weeks), this is a base of $88k with incentive bonuses that should definitely take this north of a size figure position. People should obviously care about the money they earn but he's basically super worried about the guarantee of money instead of the opportunity to earn a lot more with the bonuses. I tried encouraging him that this is something he can do but he keeps going back to the guaranteed money. I definitely want this position on performance pay so a high flat salary is off the table. My concern is he will be a few weeks in, working harder than he did before, getting paid less in the immediate term, and will not be giving it his all. He doesn't view this as a good offer. Question is - if someone isn't excited at an opportunity like this, should I take the offer off the table? Or is there a different way I could be thinking about this?How can I re-build my business from ground zero?
Hi my name is Jeremy Lesser, I am the Business Owner/CEO of a small residential painting and home improvements business. I have been in business since 2022. After about a year or so of being in business, I about called it quits and started doing Maintenance Engineering. Well having my own business doing what I love to do the most which is drywall and painting, has been a dream of mine since I first started doing drywall and painting 15+ years ago. I want my business to succeed. I have a perpetual LLC. for my business, so I would like to build my business back and Lord willing watch it grow this time. I have more patience and knowledge in it. How can I build my business with zero income and zero revenue? I have been applying for grants. Please help! Thank you and God Bless. ~Jeremy Lesser~Roll Call! Meet & introduce yourself to other Construction and Home Improvement pros
If you’ve ever thought, “How are other businesses like mine handling this?” you’re in the right place! This space is for Construction and Home Improvement pros to connect, compare notes, and talk shop with others who understand the day-to-day realities of running your type of business. 👋 Introduce Yourself Drop a comment and tell us: Your name Business name Industry Years in business Location (City/State/Province) Let us know if you’re joining us for LIVE networking on March 17 (more details below) The more context you share, the better connections you’ll make. 🙌 Pro tip: Search your city or state in the forum to easily find other pros in your area. 📅 Want to connect LIVE? We’re running a pilot to host virtual weekly LIVE Industry Networking starting on March 17, running until April 7. If you’d be interested in joining for the first or following sessions (don’t need to commit to all but you're welcome to join!), make sure to let us know in the comments. 🤝 Culture of this space Think of this forum board like a room full of peers who understand your world. Share what’s working. Ask real questions. Talk through challenges. The goal is to power your success and raise the standard of home service industries together. 💬 Looking for conversation starters? This space works best when conversations are industry-specific and experience-based. You might jump in with something like: “How are other [industry] pros pricing this service right now?” “Is anyone else seeing this shift in their market?” “What’s been working for you when it comes to ____?" 🤔 Why are industries grouped together? We’ve intentionally clustered similar industries to keep conversations active and relevant. These groupings reflect shared business models, operational challenges, and pricing conversations so you can learn from peers who “get it,” even if they’re not in your exact trade. If your question applies to all home service businesses, feel free to post in our broader forum boards. Pro tip: Check out the industry tags to get even more specific Looking forward to seeing this space come to life. 🚀Industry virtual networking starting March 17
Update: We’re bringing all industries together into one shared session for now so there are more perspectives and stronger conversations. We’re trying something new in the community! Starting March 17, we’re hosting a weekly 30-minute networking session for home service pros across all industries. Join one session or all four—no commitment. These will run once a week until April 7 while we pilot the idea. 👉 Link to join: https://meet.google.com/vmf-xjiw-iad 👈 The goal is simple: bring a challenge and get ideas from other pros. Format: • Quick intros • Everyone shares one challenge • Group feedback and ideas • Quick wrap-up 🕒 Tuesdays at 11:30 AM ET ⏱️ 30 minutes Interested? Comment below then we'll invite you and send you a reminder email with the link!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.AI Renderings- Which is the best to work with?
I started attaching renderings in jobber on their line item picture to give them an idea of what the thing I'm bidding will look like. I feel like Chat GPT you have to fight to keep it looking somewhat like their place. Gemini - I feel like once it gets an idea in it's head, it just won't change it. I can't tell you how many times I've repeatedly told it to stop putting a window in the shower then it will just keep it in the same place. How do you guys go about doing these? Any free or inexpensive platforms? Or is it just my prompts. Maybe share prompts that are working for you :)
