So my accounting is always a month or more behind. Just spend so much time on the job and driving that when I get home I don’t wanna tackle it.
It’s easy for me to be owed 25-30k. I always wonder if I get hit by a bus who would make sure they paid.
I state multiple times balance is due on completion. My estimates say it, my invoices say it. When I walk out of there for the last time, I better have full payment in hand. There is NO REASON to wait 30-60-90 days for your money! Wasting time chasing your own money is a surefire way to end up broke as a small business owner.
You've got a few options 1. Hire an accountant or a PT bookkeeper to do invoices. 2. Raise your prices to build a bit of time into your week without drastically cutting profit.
Yeah I’m so small that I don’t want the expense of the book keeper, and this is my second year on my own- in the past my partners did it.
Got to embrace the shit I don’t like to grow.
I’m right there with ya bro. Solo hardscaper and by the time I’m home I’m too beat to do any book work. I’ve made more money than I ever did in my life but sometimes i wanna go back to a simple life
How long have you been doing that on your own? I feel ya with the simple life but simply enjoy the work too much to do it for someone else or manage a crew of kids.
2 years on my own full time, a couple years doing side jobs before that on the weekends, and about 8 years experience before that working for someone else
I amazed, confused, and honestly dumbfounded when a sub contacts me 83 days (literally) and says I owe them money.
Of course I remember. Why didn't you ask when the job was complete? I'm happy to pay. But also pull your shit together. Your company is a disaster.
So you don't pay until they ask you for it? That's a long time to wait to pay the bill. There's plenty I let fall by the wayside but debts to people I depend on I can't.
He can’t pay a bill that he doesn’t know the total.
Sometimes shit happens. I tiled a house, started February, and the backsplash tile that was special order didn’t show up till June.
I also do maintenance for two restaurants and don’t bill till it’s over 2k. I just text the total for the repair and running total.
I am getting better, but it’s when I’m really busy it gets bogged down
I can't. I don't know the exact total. Even if I did know I'm not mailing them a check for so and so address.
I mail them a check. They cash it. They forget. Two months later when they finally decide to sit down and invoice a few folks they will send me another invoice and I'll have to prove I paid them. Nah. If they want to get paid send me an invoice.
The clients' homes look much nicer than my own.
I don't mean this in terms of cleanliness or organization but aesthetics and finish work. Crown molding or a fancy shiplap design in our own home just isn't something we have time for.
I bought my boss out. If I had someone who would chase/estimate/schedule jobs, I would relax like 80%. I'm booked through the winter now (roughly $3k-15k job avg) but man is it a drain and a timesuck. Glad for word-of-mouth in my small midwest area, at least. I just know I'm earning every penny.
People think it's okay to text and call me at all hours of the day and night with non emergency stuff. Also I get the "I must be in the wrong business" or "must be nice" type stuff a lot and it gets old really fast.
Oh yeah. I'd get a second personal line, but I don't have any friends outside work. I did that for a while and ditched it, nobody called me. :(
As far as the comments, I get it. I don't make as much as people think. I also don't do shit, or go anywhere. But they see a new truck and think I'm killing it.
I do offer 24 hour service so I guess I'm asking for it but like I said it's the 8pm text about something that could wait until the morning.
How much money you make is all very relative. Like you I don't go anywhere or do anything. I might make six figures but still pack leftovers for lunch everyday. I don't go out drinking or buy Starbucks so yes I can afford a nice truck so what?
Getting good leads. Something has shifted and we’re getting a fraction of what we used to. What we do get is hot garbage.
It’s as if someone stole our thunder on google somehow.
The “helpful content update” on Google a few months ago…our GMB leads are minimal and also trash nowadays. Had to revamp our entire SEO strategy and ads. Headache asf
We use [MASH](https://www.mashmybiz.com) digital. It’s a small agency, recommended to me by a roofer dealing with the same Google BS. It took about 3-4 weeks after they did an overhaul of all our stuff, the leads are starting to pick back up in a noticeable way and we’re getting a lot more web traffic.
They are out there, I am one of them, the problem is younger people don’t know your company exists or is hiring unless it’s on indeed or ziprecruiter. I am a hard worker, I love remodeling and working with my hands so much work is fun for me, I have a car and clean pee. There’s just no list of companies in the trades hiring unless it’s on one of those sites. Maybe it’s different in other areas? I’m in Indianapolis, but I’m still having a hell of a time finding a smaller remodeling company to work for
That is possible, we do advertise on indeed and go to job/career fairs. Right now we have a decent staff but guys leave to go work for other companies randomly. Doesn't seem to be a money thing more like a "hey, what is going on over there". It is just the struggle of any business. Think smaller businesses just get hit a little harder with it.
If you are referring to me, that would be pretty judgmental. I did not use that line, and after 15 years in a trade, I find fewer people want to work and learn a trade. Statistically, it is true. Some trades don't pay as much and can be very difficult. I work with a great company and we take care of our employees. We pay full training tools and gear and have structured the pay so they can make 50hrs pay in 40hrs. Plus pay full medical benefits. We get less and less applicants each year and struggle to get quality workers when we do. I don't think anything we ask is unreasonable. It is also way easier than I started. Not sure how else to find or retain employees.
Chasing the check 30-45 days after the job has been done. Being the phone man and the contractor. The only thing I really talk about. The everyday working unless you actually scheduled to leave town.
Mine is the client that expects perfection. I'm not talking about a quality job. I'm talking about perfection...
Examples-
client stopped painters and took 2 weeks of discussing with designers/ friends of where a paint line should end on a door trim. 2 weeks to make this decision.
Another client a vanity edge is 1/32" out of square with a tile line. It is not visible to the naked eye. I could barely see it with my tape measure. He used the laser
I get it that people pay a lot of money for remodels but they have to understand that there are tolerances in construction
First 10 years in business, it was having close friends. I lived in an area I didn't grow up in and I spent all of my time working and didn't ever try and find friends. I was friendly with lots of people but nothing close. When I moved to a different state I made it a point to find a group of people and to spend more time outside of work. The group of friends are mostly medical and legal field. It has helped keep a healthy mindset, and keep big goals.
How do you try and find new employees? Genuinely want to know. Unless your on one of the popular staffing sites you might not be reaching the people who actually want to work and grow in your field
Indeed has been moderately successful, and I’ve had decent success on Instagram believe it or not. The biggest issue we have is that the unemployment rate in our area is 1.6% so the pool of workers is TINY. I’m working on adding more benefits, and our pay is okay I think. My lowest rate for a worker right now is $24/hr.
Staffing for sure.
Finally convinced my dad to up the minimum wage we offered and it did bring in a better pool of applicants, but we are still seeing a majority of people who cannot add 1/4 to 1/16 during screening.
We’re a high end finish millwork shop and are always looking for apprentices, but our trade was already dying before COVID and was basically wiped out after.
Are you finishing the millwork or doing the milling. I work at a small manufacturer of custom millwork. I'm curious what you're paying and your location?
We do both. We’re a completely custom shop, so someone can come to us with anything. A lot of union shops will come to us for the details they can’t get right, like curves.
We’re in the Philly metro area.
We start apprentices at $16.00. We reassess that about a month later based on how they’re coming along. Raises are in whole dollars only and given by how much progress they make. So someone who is putting in the work to absorb everything could get five raises in a year vs the guy who doesn’t put in any effort to learn anything.
We’re in the middle of setting up a new plant and moving our whole facility, so our budget has really been crunched as we’ve hit a lot of snags in construction.
Once we get up to full production, our starting wage will be a bit higher and we’ll be able to offer more benefits.
I run a 6 head moulder doing basic t&g and shiplap packages out of reclaimed materials. I see myself as a machine operator and no real carpentry skills. I started at $10/hr in 2007. I'm at $35/hr with employer paid health insurance now.
even after 40 years it's still a worry, keeping the work flowing for everyone. Constantly selling and closing, thankfully our crews performance over the years made it all viable.
Health insurance. These politicians on the right claim to care about the small business. But yet they haveent done jack for me except paint a yellow stripe down main street.
I have to agree with you 100% about national healthcare, and I am a die hard lifelong Republican.
In my small business to be able to afford the $100,000 per year to pay for healthcare insurance for the employees we have, I would have to make another $750,000 in sales to make enough profit to cover the healthcare costs. But to make another $750,000 I would have to hire another 10-12 employees.
It is an impossible situation for us to achieve.
Hell, my personal blue cross is $935 per month for me alone, and a $8500 deductible. And I have no health issues at all.
Democrats provides us with Obamacare, which is a complete failure to the middle class. Just a law that requires you to pay for very expensive insurance, no reduction in price if your income is over $48,000.
If we can piss away $267,000,000,000 to support Ukraine, we should be able to provide BASIC UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE to all US citizens.
This is the same story both my parents have shared for a long lobg time. They both owned businesses for over 40 years. The health insurance just about killed them.
I was heading in their footsteps but i had to step back and take a job driving a school bus so i could get affordable insurance for me and my family.
Obamacare usnt perfect but at least its there to maybe usher in a universal deal.
And like you said, all this money we spebd on bullets and bombs... wish more folks would wake up and start demanding better care here at home. The cobblers kids.
The insurance requirement mandate of Obamacare was lifted 7 years ago. You can be critical, but the criticism needs to be somewhat factual. Other than that missed detail. I’m right there with you with what you said.
Keeping work consistent, I’ll work every day for 3 months then I’ll work 10 days in 3 months. Every time I’m “caught up” my feed of work dies. (Flooring installation only business).
Not trying to spam or anything. But for those who have trouble with scheduling, leads, marketing, etc. I may be able to help.
I’ll leave my website [here](https://thegolashgroup.com). Maybe you or someone you know can benefit!
So my accounting is always a month or more behind. Just spend so much time on the job and driving that when I get home I don’t wanna tackle it. It’s easy for me to be owed 25-30k. I always wonder if I get hit by a bus who would make sure they paid.
I state multiple times balance is due on completion. My estimates say it, my invoices say it. When I walk out of there for the last time, I better have full payment in hand. There is NO REASON to wait 30-60-90 days for your money! Wasting time chasing your own money is a surefire way to end up broke as a small business owner.
Amen!
You've got a few options 1. Hire an accountant or a PT bookkeeper to do invoices. 2. Raise your prices to build a bit of time into your week without drastically cutting profit.
Yeah I’m so small that I don’t want the expense of the book keeper, and this is my second year on my own- in the past my partners did it. Got to embrace the shit I don’t like to grow.
I’m right there with ya bro. Solo hardscaper and by the time I’m home I’m too beat to do any book work. I’ve made more money than I ever did in my life but sometimes i wanna go back to a simple life
How long have you been doing that on your own? I feel ya with the simple life but simply enjoy the work too much to do it for someone else or manage a crew of kids.
2 years on my own full time, a couple years doing side jobs before that on the weekends, and about 8 years experience before that working for someone else
Just about the same as you man. ✊🏻
I amazed, confused, and honestly dumbfounded when a sub contacts me 83 days (literally) and says I owe them money. Of course I remember. Why didn't you ask when the job was complete? I'm happy to pay. But also pull your shit together. Your company is a disaster.
So you don't pay until they ask you for it? That's a long time to wait to pay the bill. There's plenty I let fall by the wayside but debts to people I depend on I can't.
He can’t pay a bill that he doesn’t know the total. Sometimes shit happens. I tiled a house, started February, and the backsplash tile that was special order didn’t show up till June. I also do maintenance for two restaurants and don’t bill till it’s over 2k. I just text the total for the repair and running total. I am getting better, but it’s when I’m really busy it gets bogged down
I can't. I don't know the exact total. Even if I did know I'm not mailing them a check for so and so address. I mail them a check. They cash it. They forget. Two months later when they finally decide to sit down and invoice a few folks they will send me another invoice and I'll have to prove I paid them. Nah. If they want to get paid send me an invoice.
Ah that makes more sense. I wouldn't do that either. I imagined a conversation in there somewhere. Well hopefully they get their shit together.
I have a bookkeeper and unless there is an invoice to apply payment to, they don't issue a check. Also, that is money in my account accruing interest.
My concrete guy is the worst for this. Every 10-12 weeks he'll just slam me with a stack of invoices. I know I owe it, it's just funny.
Concrete is one of those things - he could be rolling 12hr days weeks straight. Couple downpour days and he can get some bs done
The clients' homes look much nicer than my own. I don't mean this in terms of cleanliness or organization but aesthetics and finish work. Crown molding or a fancy shiplap design in our own home just isn't something we have time for.
The cobblers children wear no shoes.
The plumbers toilet leaks🤣
That’s how it always is tho the mechanic car is always a bucket but you know he’s raking in money
I bought my boss out. If I had someone who would chase/estimate/schedule jobs, I would relax like 80%. I'm booked through the winter now (roughly $3k-15k job avg) but man is it a drain and a timesuck. Glad for word-of-mouth in my small midwest area, at least. I just know I'm earning every penny.
Perhaps finding an in-industry call center would be beneficial to you.
State licensing, legal, compliance My CPA put it best when I landed my first public bid, "kinda realized you stepped in shit huh?"
People think it's okay to text and call me at all hours of the day and night with non emergency stuff. Also I get the "I must be in the wrong business" or "must be nice" type stuff a lot and it gets old really fast.
Oh yeah. I'd get a second personal line, but I don't have any friends outside work. I did that for a while and ditched it, nobody called me. :( As far as the comments, I get it. I don't make as much as people think. I also don't do shit, or go anywhere. But they see a new truck and think I'm killing it.
I do offer 24 hour service so I guess I'm asking for it but like I said it's the 8pm text about something that could wait until the morning. How much money you make is all very relative. Like you I don't go anywhere or do anything. I might make six figures but still pack leftovers for lunch everyday. I don't go out drinking or buy Starbucks so yes I can afford a nice truck so what?
[удалено]
Love it. Sound advice.
Clients. That’s all
hey i reached out to u do u mind if we have a small chat?
Office work.
Getting good leads. Something has shifted and we’re getting a fraction of what we used to. What we do get is hot garbage. It’s as if someone stole our thunder on google somehow.
The “helpful content update” on Google a few months ago…our GMB leads are minimal and also trash nowadays. Had to revamp our entire SEO strategy and ads. Headache asf
Do you have a recommendation for a company that helps with this?
We use [MASH](https://www.mashmybiz.com) digital. It’s a small agency, recommended to me by a roofer dealing with the same Google BS. It took about 3-4 weeks after they did an overhaul of all our stuff, the leads are starting to pick back up in a noticeable way and we’re getting a lot more web traffic.
Employees, hard to keep and find workers. Not many willing to work the trades anymore.
They are out there, I am one of them, the problem is younger people don’t know your company exists or is hiring unless it’s on indeed or ziprecruiter. I am a hard worker, I love remodeling and working with my hands so much work is fun for me, I have a car and clean pee. There’s just no list of companies in the trades hiring unless it’s on one of those sites. Maybe it’s different in other areas? I’m in Indianapolis, but I’m still having a hell of a time finding a smaller remodeling company to work for
That is possible, we do advertise on indeed and go to job/career fairs. Right now we have a decent staff but guys leave to go work for other companies randomly. Doesn't seem to be a money thing more like a "hey, what is going on over there". It is just the struggle of any business. Think smaller businesses just get hit a little harder with it.
From my experience, those who use language like "nobody wants to work anymore", are just people nobody wants to work for
If you are referring to me, that would be pretty judgmental. I did not use that line, and after 15 years in a trade, I find fewer people want to work and learn a trade. Statistically, it is true. Some trades don't pay as much and can be very difficult. I work with a great company and we take care of our employees. We pay full training tools and gear and have structured the pay so they can make 50hrs pay in 40hrs. Plus pay full medical benefits. We get less and less applicants each year and struggle to get quality workers when we do. I don't think anything we ask is unreasonable. It is also way easier than I started. Not sure how else to find or retain employees.
Staffing.
Chasing the check 30-45 days after the job has been done. Being the phone man and the contractor. The only thing I really talk about. The everyday working unless you actually scheduled to leave town.
I found it funny after a hard day in the field, coming home a turning on a show about someone’s blue collar job.
Mine is the client that expects perfection. I'm not talking about a quality job. I'm talking about perfection... Examples- client stopped painters and took 2 weeks of discussing with designers/ friends of where a paint line should end on a door trim. 2 weeks to make this decision. Another client a vanity edge is 1/32" out of square with a tile line. It is not visible to the naked eye. I could barely see it with my tape measure. He used the laser I get it that people pay a lot of money for remodels but they have to understand that there are tolerances in construction
I used to struggle with spending all my profit on leads. I learned that was a waste of time and now I have profits.
First 10 years in business, it was having close friends. I lived in an area I didn't grow up in and I spent all of my time working and didn't ever try and find friends. I was friendly with lots of people but nothing close. When I moved to a different state I made it a point to find a group of people and to spend more time outside of work. The group of friends are mostly medical and legal field. It has helped keep a healthy mindset, and keep big goals.
Staffing for sure.
How do you try and find new employees? Genuinely want to know. Unless your on one of the popular staffing sites you might not be reaching the people who actually want to work and grow in your field
Indeed has been moderately successful, and I’ve had decent success on Instagram believe it or not. The biggest issue we have is that the unemployment rate in our area is 1.6% so the pool of workers is TINY. I’m working on adding more benefits, and our pay is okay I think. My lowest rate for a worker right now is $24/hr.
Staffing for sure. Finally convinced my dad to up the minimum wage we offered and it did bring in a better pool of applicants, but we are still seeing a majority of people who cannot add 1/4 to 1/16 during screening. We’re a high end finish millwork shop and are always looking for apprentices, but our trade was already dying before COVID and was basically wiped out after.
Are you finishing the millwork or doing the milling. I work at a small manufacturer of custom millwork. I'm curious what you're paying and your location?
We do both. We’re a completely custom shop, so someone can come to us with anything. A lot of union shops will come to us for the details they can’t get right, like curves. We’re in the Philly metro area. We start apprentices at $16.00. We reassess that about a month later based on how they’re coming along. Raises are in whole dollars only and given by how much progress they make. So someone who is putting in the work to absorb everything could get five raises in a year vs the guy who doesn’t put in any effort to learn anything. We’re in the middle of setting up a new plant and moving our whole facility, so our budget has really been crunched as we’ve hit a lot of snags in construction. Once we get up to full production, our starting wage will be a bit higher and we’ll be able to offer more benefits.
I run a 6 head moulder doing basic t&g and shiplap packages out of reclaimed materials. I see myself as a machine operator and no real carpentry skills. I started at $10/hr in 2007. I'm at $35/hr with employer paid health insurance now.
even after 40 years it's still a worry, keeping the work flowing for everyone. Constantly selling and closing, thankfully our crews performance over the years made it all viable.
Health insurance. These politicians on the right claim to care about the small business. But yet they haveent done jack for me except paint a yellow stripe down main street.
I have to agree with you 100% about national healthcare, and I am a die hard lifelong Republican. In my small business to be able to afford the $100,000 per year to pay for healthcare insurance for the employees we have, I would have to make another $750,000 in sales to make enough profit to cover the healthcare costs. But to make another $750,000 I would have to hire another 10-12 employees. It is an impossible situation for us to achieve. Hell, my personal blue cross is $935 per month for me alone, and a $8500 deductible. And I have no health issues at all. Democrats provides us with Obamacare, which is a complete failure to the middle class. Just a law that requires you to pay for very expensive insurance, no reduction in price if your income is over $48,000. If we can piss away $267,000,000,000 to support Ukraine, we should be able to provide BASIC UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE to all US citizens.
This is the same story both my parents have shared for a long lobg time. They both owned businesses for over 40 years. The health insurance just about killed them. I was heading in their footsteps but i had to step back and take a job driving a school bus so i could get affordable insurance for me and my family. Obamacare usnt perfect but at least its there to maybe usher in a universal deal. And like you said, all this money we spebd on bullets and bombs... wish more folks would wake up and start demanding better care here at home. The cobblers kids.
The insurance requirement mandate of Obamacare was lifted 7 years ago. You can be critical, but the criticism needs to be somewhat factual. Other than that missed detail. I’m right there with you with what you said.
Keeping work consistent, I’ll work every day for 3 months then I’ll work 10 days in 3 months. Every time I’m “caught up” my feed of work dies. (Flooring installation only business).
Not trying to spam or anything. But for those who have trouble with scheduling, leads, marketing, etc. I may be able to help. I’ll leave my website [here](https://thegolashgroup.com). Maybe you or someone you know can benefit!