Getting paid faster, running a small crew, and keeping the books without an office.
Getting Paid Why a bank transfer (ACH) costs far less than a card on a large invoice, how to offer it without pushing customers away, and the worked numbers for a small trades business.
Industry What a one-to-five truck plumbing shop needs from scheduling and invoicing software, the questions to ask before you pay, and how the common options price a small crew.
Tax Time How the IRS tells an employee from an independent contractor, what paperwork each one needs (W-4 and I-9, or W-9 and a 1099-NEC at the 2026 $2,000 threshold), and how to choose for a small trades business.
Business Tips A service call fee should cover the drive, the diagnosis and your overhead before any repair starts. How to work out yours, check it against your local market, and put it on every invoice.
Business Tips Get your review link from your Google Business Profile, ask every customer right after the job, and stay inside Google's rules and the FTC's: no rewards for reviews, no asking only the happy ones.
Business Tips Price each recurring clean from the time it takes, what an hour costs you and your margin, charge the first deep clean separately, and write down the scope, the schedule and the cancellation terms.
Scheduling Set each lawn up once as a repeating job, weekly or every other week, pause it for winter, and bill each visit when it's done. A step-by-step for small lawn and landscaping crews.
Getting Paid Build the invoice from saved items, check the total with the customer, and send it with a pay link by email or text from your own phone. Step by step, with what every invoice needs.
Scheduling A service plan turns one-off calls into booked visits. What to include in a quarterly plan, how to price it, how to handle call-backs between visits, and how to schedule a year of treatments at once.
Getting Paid When to ask for a deposit, how to set the amount, the state limits to check first (California caps it), and how to get it paid the moment the customer signs.
Tax Time Log every business drive as it happens, at the right IRS rate for the date, and keep the record your accountant needs. The 2026 rates, the records to keep, and a habit you can keep from the driveway.
Getting Paid What to put on a trades estimate, how to price it so it holds up, and how to get it signed on the spot or by link, with a deposit if the job needs materials.
Industry A maintenance agreement sells scheduled tune-ups ahead of the season. What to put in one, how to price it from your own costs, how to bill it, and how to keep the visits from slipping.
Business Tips Job costing in five numbers: what you billed, materials and fees, crew hours times their loaded rate, miles, and a share of overhead. How to collect each one as the job happens, with a worked example.
Industry What a solo trades owner actually needs from field service software, what Jobber's entry plan includes, and how FieldFlow, Housecall Pro, QuickBooks and a plain spreadsheet compare at one person.
Tax Time What QuickBooks Online covers for a trades owner, what it doesn't (the schedule and the crew), which plan fits a crew of one to five, and how to use it beside field service software.
Scheduling Per-push, per-event or seasonal: how to choose a snow contract, what to write in it, and how to have every lot assigned to a driver before the storm, using the forecast's watches and warnings as your cue.
Getting Paid The steps in order: check the invoice, follow up in writing, call, send a demand letter, offer a payment plan, then small claims or a lien. With California's and Texas's small claims limits as examples.
Getting Paid The details every service invoice should carry, the ones your state may require (license number, sales tax), what the IRS expects you to keep, and how long to keep it.
Business Tips The story behind FieldFlow: why flat pricing matters for trades businesses, and why we built one app instead of ten.
Getting Paid Five invoicing habits that delay payment for a small trades business, from waiting to send the invoice to never following up, and what to do instead.
Industry Jobber, Housecall Pro and FieldFlow for a small crew: what each costs as you add people, what sits on which plan, and the trade-offs between them.
Tax Time You don't need a $38/month accounting app to stay on top of expenses. Here's a simpler approach for trades businesses.
Getting Paid Late payments cost more than you think. Here's how slow invoicing quietly drains your trades business.